I had dinner last night at the Water Grill in downtown Los Angeles with some friends from Hong Kong. They seem to travel with their Burgundies now! The top wine collectors of HK are obsessed with the top crus of Bourgogne.
I was happy they did. We drank a number of beautiful bottles including a 1997 Louis Jadot Le Montrachet, 2003 Bruno Clair Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques, 2003 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques, 1999 Gros Frère et Soeur Richebourg, and 1999 Domaine Anne Gros Richebourg.
Water Grill is one of the best fish restaurants in Los Angeles now with a delicious oyster bar as well as an assortment of excellent roasted and grilled fish on the menu. I had roasted mahi-mahi in a spicy curry sauce that went wonderfully with the decadent Pinot Noirs. Red Burgundy and roasted fish is a favorite, especially with mushrooms.
The dinner made me think of a couple of things about Burgundy.
First is that the very hot 2003 vintage in Europe still managed to produce some wines with tension in Burgundy despite some that can be overly jammy. Both Clos St. Jacques were juicy, fruity and delicious yet showed a lively and fresh undertone. They had no sense of overripe fruit, or worse, raisiny fruit. I slightly preferred the Bruno Clair (93 points) to the Jadot (92 points) because it was fresher and more defined.
Second is that the 1999 red Burgundies continue to be closed and tight. I drank many top reds from the vintage in the last few months, particularly in Hong Kong, and almost all have been firm and almost too youthful. I thought the two 1999s we tasted last night needed another three to four years of bottle age to open. I wish we had decanted them an hour or two before serving. I preferred the Anne Gros slightly to the Gros Frère because it showed a little more generosity and richness, even a juiciness. Ninety-five points for Ann Gros and 93 for Gros Frère.
Water Grill
544 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles CA 90071
+1-213-891-0900
www.watergrill.com
