by Julian Schultz
julian@oxfordwineroom.com

                     

The wine dinner was festive. The food expectedly was superb. The Burgundy wines of Louis Jadot were excellent. The 60 guests were delighted.

Before the cheese course -- the "dessert" conclusion to the dinner -- 20 Chevaliers du Tastevin, their virginal shallow silver tasting cups jangling from red and gold ribbons, marched from the Grecian Room up to the Worcester Room. Shepherding us from behind were Doctors Bob Ouellette and Fred Busch. In regalia of colorful red velvet gowns and matching flat chapeaux of their former exalted Grand Seneschal status, they evoked murmurs of admiration. 

Webster House's Chris Liazos and O'Hara's Discount Liquors' Jim Vasiliadis were honored --- but that comes later. 

All wines poured at the dinner reflect O'Hara's 20-percent discounts.

In the assembled Grecian Room, Dr. Bob poured Kir, a tasty mixture of Macon Villages white wine 2003, $10.39, and Crème de Cassis liqueur; we served ourselves from heaping platters of Gougere: feather light, airy, delicate cheese puffs. Many of us - I among them -- disregarded Bob's admonitions that too many Kirs could be inimical to propriety if not sobriety. 

Appetizer of sauteed oysters - so delicate, so tender, so light, as if they were poached - on toasted soft whole-wheat rounds sent our savory glands into the stratosphere. Anticipating our pleasure with the oysters, Chris had prepared an extra quantity for second and third servings.

Paired with the Meursault 2002, $35.19, the oysters became extraterrestrial: out of this world. I evaluated the price value of the Meursault. Its perfume-y pear nose and rich flavors of pear, oak, roasted almonds, underscored with fatty, buttery, mineral, vanilla flavors, were perfect in balance and long in aftertaste. My problem with the wine was its price. I would compare this wine with the white wine to follow that was priced much lower before confirming my judgment.

First entrée: Chef John Hammerstrom's favorite sole preparation, served with fresh spinach, chopped red peppers, lime slice, and cream on buttered noodles. Very delicate of taste and texture - as with the oysters the sole seemed to be poached. Had Chris offered seconds I would have been an eager taker.

The accompanying wine, Savigny-Les-Beaune Blanc 2002, $22.39, a blend of 60-percent Chardonnay and 40 Pinot Blanc, was softer than the Meursault, was crisp with lively dry fruit and retained its flavors of citrus and mineral in the swallow and aftertaste. 

After comparing the Meursault with the Savigny, I decided that - well, maybe, the Meursault was worth the $13 more. But I would rather buy three Savignys and come out ahead by $39. Not all the be-ribboned, be-cupped-clanking Chevaliers agreed with me. 

Incidentally, I tasted all the wines one time in my shallow tasting cup. After spilling wine on my chin and tie from the now de-flowered, virginal-no-more tasting cup, I proclaimed that the wines tasted better from the glass.

Second entrée: Sautéed fork-cutting tender breast of chicken with tiny tomatoes, roasted shallots, earthy mushrooms, lemon flavored red wine reduction and served on roasted leeks. Tasted prior to the chicken's being served, I found the paired red wine of Chorey- Les- Beaune 2002, $18.39, to be light, delicate, austerely dry and rustic with flavors of with cherry and pomegranate. Sipped with the chicken, its cherry and pomegranate flavors firmly settled in and were in no hurry to leave. 

Our speaker, Master Sommelier Olivier Masamondet, imported from France, with his heavy accent, charming personality and rapid-fire insouciant humor-laced comments, kept us laughing throughout the evening. He referred to the Chorey as "the Beaujolais of Pinot Noir." I didn't taste it that way.

Main entrée: Came now the eagerly awaited Boeuf Bourguignon of classic beef preparation: a Burgundy wine stew of melt-in-mouth tenderloin, accompanied by pearled onions, leeks, mushrooms and toasted bread rounds, was paired with red wines of Cote De Nuits-Villages "La Vaucrain" 2002, $17.59, and Beaujolais Chateau Des Jacques Moulin-A-Vent 2002, $15.99, the latter richly vinified from mature 60-year-old vines. The Moulin-A-Vent occupies the pinnacle of Grand Cru Beaujolais, is a rich wine of deep robust fruit flavors and extended longevity. I know; I own some. 

The "La Vaucrain" overwhelmingly delighted us with its lush flavors of red and black fruits and nuances of licorice; and the whiff of small wild animals that roam by back property added complexity. Many guests ordered it in quantity.

Spirited agreements and disagreements about the Nuits and Beaujolais wines we preferred wafted throughout the capacity-filled room as we exuberantly ate away and compared them with the tenderloin wine stew. 

It was then that Dr. Bob asked the 20 Chevaliers to assemble in the Grecian Room. We were to march in step by twos back to the Worcester Room to the strains of the Triumphal March from Aida. A ceremony was to follow:

Dr. Bob recited the history of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Chevaliers du Tastevin, which he and John Sprague started in 1975. The purpose of the organization is to espouse the great wines of Burgundy, to educate wine lovers to enjoy the Burgundy's red Pinot Noirs and white Chardonnays, to enable them to discern the variations among these wines that are produced in the different Burgundy growing regions.

Dr. Bob then asked that two chairs be brought to the center of the room. He asked surprised Chris Liazos and Jim Vasiliadis to occupy them. Dr. Bob reached for his polished vine stock shillelagh. With Dr. Fred Busch assisting, he commenced a mysterious incantation in French, followed by comprehendible words that Chris and Jim were being inducted into the Mythical Chapter of Worcester Chevaliers du Burgundy Bottle Corks:

He tapped Chris and Jim on each shoulder with the vine stock, adroitly missing their noggins, then kissed each charter member on both cheeks. He and Dr. Fred then led us in the traditional Bons Bourguignon song-and-finger-waving tribute to them: "La-la...la-la-la...la-la-la-la-la-la............"

To say they were surprised and elated would be gross understatement. Moreover, they were spared the harrowing inquisition of examination about the Chevalier organization and what it represents.

When they asked me about the prospect of their receiving a ribbon and tasting cup like the one I was wearing, I said they were now permitted to wear shoestrings around their necks to which a cork from a Burgundy bottle should be attached. Better that, I said, than having to study long hours and then suffering the inquisition. Anyway, shoestrings and bottle corks from Burgundy bottles would be de rigueur for the Mythical Chapter of the Worcester Chevaliers du Bottle Corks.

The solemnity of the ceremony brought tears to the eyes of the more emotional. It might have drained tears from emotional me, except that I remembered my own induction many years ago.

I am copying from my autobiography that auspicious occasion:

In my salad days of the '30s when I was fresh and green, grinding away in textbooks for chalk-fingered, tweedy professors who wore suits or sport jackets and ties or bow ties, and their trousers were pressed, I did not relish the agony of examinations.

Later, when I gave tests without enthusiasm, I sought to ascertain how much the students had learned - not quizzing them about irrelevancies. I designed my questions to give sharper focus to important knowledge. No probing for the inconsequential that the graduate would forget or discard in the practical world.

With these thoughts remembered, I traveled to Boston with Chevalier Grand Seneschal Dr. Bob Ouellette to examine five candidates for membership into the Massachusetts Chapter of the Chevaliers du Tastevin (knights of the tasting cup). The quiz would cover the geography and wines of Burgundy and the history of the Chevalier organization.

Earlier, the candidates had been supplied with a list of 56 questions from which answers would be solicited and a bibliography of suggested reading that included answers to the questions.

What questions would I ask? Or should I make statements and elicit comment? Or should I simply relax, enjoy the fine food and the superb Burgundy wines and permit the six other nominating members to do the dirty work? I decided against the latter because I feared if the others had same cop-out idea we would blow the examination: The five nominees would become Chevaliers with having suffered the torment of inquisition.

I recalled my own wretchedness some years before when I faced my imagined somber, black-ringed, hollow-eyed, ghastly-faced, black-robed, merciless inquisitors. I was sure they were wringing their hands with malevolent glee at the prospect of torturing me with esoteric questions.

"What is the origin of the name 'Chambertin'?" intoned a sepulchral voice from the crypt.

I swung away at the fat pitch like a home run slugger jumping on a "t'ree an' nuttin' " fastball down the groove:

"It derives its name from a farmer named Bertin, whose field -- 'champs' -- it was," I said. "And the wine is reputed to have been the favorite of Napoleon," I added gratuitously.

"Thank you. Thank you very much. But please...please answer succinctly," advised a voice in muffled dry monotone.

"No, no, no! There's more!" I said, not heeding the injunction to stop already. I continued as the room became ominously silent: "Did you know that when Napoleon marched to the Chambertin vineyards from either direction, he commanded his troops to halt, to do a left or right face to overlook the rows of vines, to honor the fields with a volley of rifle fire, to stand at rigid attention and to hold an extra long salute...and then in sweet song to extol the magnificence of Chambertin wine before they marched on?"

(Impatiently) "Yes, yes. That's fine, Mr. Schultz. Thank you. We trust you won't take so long to answer the other questions."

"Wait a minute, I'm not finished yet," I protested, as I resumed my discourse, a full wind blowing my vocal sails: "Alexandre Dumas - he of Monte Cristo fame - also loved Chambertin and drank it frequently with literary friends. He insisted that one rule be followed, however: Guests were required to kneel bareheaded before the bottle when it was set on the table and silently pray a long life for lovers of Chambertin and a long life for the wine. Now...here's another story about ---"

"Enough, that's enough," croaked one exasperated questioner. 

"Cripes...this guy's doing a filibuster!" screamed another who lacked gentility, I thought.

"But this anecdote about Chambertin is --" I insisted before being rudely interrupted again.

"We don't want to hear it! For god's sake, when are you going to shut up? You are in! Understand? You are in!! And, anyway, it was Montrachet, not Chambertin. Now zip it up and just answer 'yes' to the following questions":

(In solemn, ominous tones) "Do you renounce all wines that precede and succeed Burgundy, including Bordeaux?"

"Yes." A bell tolled.

"Do you disavow all California wines as legitimate rivals to Burgundy?"

"Yes." The bell tolled again.

"So you espouse with heart, soul, and your exterior virile organ the grandeur of Burgundy?"

"Yes, yes. A blare of bugles and a flourish of strumpets confirmed my acceptance as a Chevalier.

I think that's the way it was. Well...I may have imagined -- wished for -- the strumpets.

The five applicants this day comprised two physicians, a retired president of a wine distribution company, a computer scientist and an entrepreneur. Each was expected to own at least a modest wine cellar with good Burgundy representation and to promise unflagging enthusiasm for Burgundy wines.

I asked the psychiatrist - "Who was the mini-sized famous French general who got his ass kicked at Waterloo and loved Chambertin wine, and what did he order his troops to do when they passed those famous vineyards?"

His answer was prompt and true: "Napoleon; shoot; salute."

"Enough, enough!" I shouted. "Be succinct! Don't filibuster! No more questions. You get my vote."

The former wine distributor was asked to comment briefly on a wine we were drinking...and the "inquisition" was over. A round table discussion ensued about the wines we were sipping. Everyone passed. They were ceremoniously inducted a month later at the Boston Harbor Hotel. 

Adhering to a Burgundy tradition, Dr. Bob had Chris serve "dessert" of cheese and crackers with a Grand Cru wine: the great Beaune Pommard 2002, $34.39. Luxuriously we sipped and ate away, oohing and aahing our pleasure with the wine and the four cheese varieties.

The cheese: Burgundian Epiosses, a soft cow beige cheese infused with Marc de Bourgogne; and Chacource, a soft cow white cheese; American cheeses of Stafford Farm Cheddar and Hudson Valley Camembert. Chris - or was it Helena Liazos? -- added chocolate mousse bonbons for the sweet toothed.

The Pommard: initially reminiscent of cherries, rich with finesse and racy texture, ample and robust with deep red color, aromas and flavors of red jam and firm rustic tannins; with my second refill, emerged intense red and black fruit layered flavors.

The idea for this exceptional and unusual Webster House dinner was Dr. Bob's when he learned we would be drinking Burgundy wines. Kudos to chef John Hammerstrom, assisted by Jeffrey Hebert and Cindy Garvin; big kisses for waitstaff of Patti Thomas, Debby Byrne and Marsela Qafzesi.

And my biggest and extended kiss of all to Jo-Ann Woupio, manager and hostess, who was - always is -- everywhere at once when needed.

Wine pick: Midnight Cellars Chardonnay 2000, $14.99, a 13.9-percent biggie that is so perfectly balanced with fruit, fruit acids and smooth texture that one isn't aware of its high alcoholic content. Enjoy lively acidity, superb fruit of apples, citrus, tropical fruits, sweet spices and rich creamy viscosity. Price value: 150 over 100.

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