RN74

301 Mission Street,

San Francisco,

CA 94105

Tel + 1 415 543-7474

March 2010

This amazing lunch kicked off an incredible weekend of food and wine at La Paulée. RN 74 is part of Michael Mina's group of restaurants. Don’t be fooled by the casual atmosphere. Food and wine are taken very seriously here. Mina, and his team led Executive Chef Jason Berthold and Wine Director Raj Parr offer guests a fabulous dining experience. Not surprisingly, RN 74 was jam-packed on this Friday afternoon. I would happily order every dish on this tasting menu again. I especially loved the sea urchin custard and the Liberty Farm duck confit, both of which were spectacular. Everything about the food was in perfect balance; nicely paced courses that paired beautifully with the wines will never coming across as heavy or overpowering.

As good as the food was, most of our attention was centered around a mind-boggling array of wines. Latour’s 1978 Corton-Charlemagne was truly fantastic. A rich, textured white, it continued to develop positively in the glass over several hours, with seemingly endless layers of truffles, smoke and spices that added complexity to the exotic, tropical fruit. I was far less enamored with Boillot’s 2004 Corton-Charlemagne, a wine that frankly struggled to express its pedigree.

A flight of Richebourgs from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti was the centerpiece of the afternoon. Sadly, the 1978 was corked. The 1979 Richebourg was soft and ethereal in its dried flowers and sweet, candied fruit. This was a very pretty Burgundy, although it faded pretty quickly in the glass. The 1980 Richebourg was quite a bit darker and firmer than the 1979. I loved the 1980 for its rich, extroverted fruit and sheer depth. As delicious as it was, the 1980 was another wine that showed its best early on. That wasn’t the case with the 1990 Richebourg, which dazzled from start to finish. At the outset it came across as a touch over-ripe and flashy, but the wine found its inner balance in the glass. Tons of candied, explosive fruit ran through to the long beautifully articulated finish. It was a sexy, totally opulent Burgundy. The 1945 Richebourg, a last minute surprise, was breathtaking for the integrity of its fruit and its superb overall purity. This was a flat-out great bottle. What a wine!

Drouhin’s 1945 Chambertin was quite a bit more delicate in its soft, floral fruit and ethereal, somewhat fleeting personality. Bouchard’s 1978 La Romanée was impressive for its dark color and structure, but it was also not perfect. There was no question when it came to the 1959 Lafite, which was clearly corked.

In many ways the best was saved for last. A bottle of Gianfranco Soldera’s 1998 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva was off the charts. Where some of the Burgundies faded quickly (to be fair, they were much older) the Soldera kept growing and growing to the glass, to the point the wine eventually eclipsed most of what was already on the table. Some of the Burgophiles weren’t too interested in the Soldera, but it was obvious this Brunello was among the elite for its weightless richness and depth. It was simply fantastic.

With that, it was time for a quick rest before an afternoon and evening packed with tastings of fine Burgundies….

Food: 

Sea Urchin Custard; Celery, Black Truffle

Hamachi Sashimi; Hawaiian Hearts of Palm, Asian Pear, Pine Nuts, Watercress

Grilled Loup de Mer; House-Made Chorizo, Sunchokes, Mustard Greens

Liberty Farm Duck Confit; French Green Lentils, Leeks, Pistachio

Andante Diary Minuet and Variation 1; Della Fattoria Walnut Bread

Wine:                       

2004	Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne	88
1978	Maison Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne	94
1978	Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg	?
1979	Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg	92
1980	Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg	94
1990	Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg	96
1945	Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg	96
1945	Maison Joseph Drouhin Chambertin	93
1978	Maison Bouchard Père et Fils La Romanée	?
1998	Soldera – Case Basse Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	95+
1959	Chateau Lafite-Rothschild	?

[Photo and credit: RN74, San Francisco]

--Antonio Galloni