Daniel NYC [***]

This is not a food review of Daniel nor a wine review of the wines, but a general overall experience of Daniel.  Being from Vancouver, Canada we do not have the michelin star guide in our area, so this was my first experience at dining at a three michelin star rated restaurant.  I did not know what to expect you hear lots of stories, from the food to the service, to the prices.

The Food: Was great, I mean everything was seasoned properly, cooked properly, some of the dishes were amazing and blew me away, and a couple were excellent but I felt I could preform the task at home.  The Seabass with the red wine sauce amazing.

The Wine: The list is huge and this is where taking the extra time to go through it is needed for sure.  There are some deals on there for sure you just need to know what to look for and prices seemed fair

The Service/Atmosphere: The service is top notch, from the little side stool for your camera/purse. To the attentive detail of the staff, which to someone not use to it does come across a little “creepy?” but its all for your ease of use.  The biggest thing I did notice was the room, it was large, roomy you never felt cramped in their, our table was huge made for four people [there was three of us] we had some many glasses of wines on the table and their was still room that you didn’t feel cramped.

All in All good food, service, and the price wasn’t crazy yes expensive but not over the top.

Barossa Valley, Australia, LANGMEIL VERTICAL [1998 - 2008 ]

During the Vancouver Playhouse Festival I was fortunate enough to attend a vertical tasting of Langmeil Winery, on their wine “The Freedom” 100% Shiraz.  Now to be honest, I didnt go into this event with high expectations as I for one do not find a lot of austrlian wines interesting to me, usually a little to big for me, I’ve had a couple of the Penfolds mid tiered stuff St Henri, RWT, and they came across as Blackberry jam so with that knowledge I just wasn’t expecting anything to change my mind on austrlian wines.

Then I tried the The Freedom Shiraz, the olders ones were great, the oak intergrated into the wine, lots of red fruit with great acidity was it awesome, the young ones especially the 2008 is what I would expect of Shiraz from Austrlia but becasue I tried older vintages I could see how in the future it would be an amazing wine, give it 5-10years and you have yourself an excellent wine.

Thanks to Trialto Wine Group for the ticket the event

LANGMEIL VERTICAL [1998 - 2008 ] – Gotham Steak House, Vancouver [Basement] (4/1/2011)

Vancouver Intertional Playhouse Wine Festival Week, this event was for Langmeil Winery, to try a vertical of “The Freedom” 1843, Vines are rfom 184. Alluvial Loam Soil/Red Clay over Limestone/Ironstone.

  • 1998 Langmeil Shiraz The Freedom – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    C: Med+ Intensity, Garnet
    A: Med Fruit Intensity, Developing/Developed
    Savoury Notes, Opening nicely to some beautiful semi dried notes raisin/cranberry/prunes

    T: High Acid, Med+ Tannin, med+ intensity, med+ finish
    on the initial attack tons of minerality, Cranberry (89 pts.)

  • 1999 Langmeil Shiraz The Freedom – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    C: Med Ruby showing signs of garnet at rim
    A: med+ intensity, developing
    still showing youth some savoury notes, beautiful red lipstick touch of funk, mint/herb
    T: MeD+ Acid, Med+ Tannin
    Red fruit/dried cranberries, savoury, very fresh mint/herbs, opening with some crushed flowers

  • 2000 Langmeil Shiraz The Freedom – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Med+ Ruby
    Med+ Intensity, Nice red fruit gorgerous red cherry, with a dash of licourice, floral+, violets
    T: med+ acidity, med+ tannin
    Nice mix of red cranberry, black currant, little cola,spice, still young and fresh

    Conc: This was one of my favourite of the flight [along with 2005] so pretty with violets yes please (92 pts.)

  • 2001 Langmeil Shiraz The Freedom – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Hottest year in 100yrs
    Med+ intensity
    Savoury, red fruit, grapey/red, little stemminess, nice licourice, little raisin
    T: High tannin, med+ acid, med/+ intensity, med/+ finish
    Nice round fresh cherry,

    Conc: Balanced, fresh and young very good for a hot year (91 pts.)

  • 2002 Langmeil Shiraz The Freedom – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Deep Ruby
    Coffee/mocha Notes, nice red fruit
    T: med+ tannin, med/+acid, med intensity, med/+ finish
    minerality, sweetness of oak, coffee/mocha

    Conc: has potential still needs time to integrate with the oak

  • 2003 Langmeil Shiraz The Freedom – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Big Rain Fall this year
    Nice Perfume, peppery, black seasme, coffee

    Palate, Minerality ++, Rhubarb, Cherry, A nice elegance to it (91 pts.)

  • 2004 Langmeil Shiraz The Freedom – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Deep Ruby
    A: Refined nose, interesting nose could not pin down

    Med+acid, Pronounced Intensity, long finish
    Mineral, Mocha, Cherry, raspberry coolie, dash of vanilla (91 pts.)

  • 2005 Langmeil Shiraz The Freedom – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Gorgerous Aromas, fresh, a little red raisin, love it

    T: Med+ Acid, med+ tannin, high intensity, long finish
    complex fruit, spice very interesting not dried fruit notes but not fresh very nice, Opening up very nice now too

    conc: The first thing my brain told me when I tasted this “If Amarone was good” (93 pts.)

  • 2006 Langmeil Shiraz The Freedom – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Nose is Closed, maybe touch of Meat
    T: med+ acid
    Mineral, Cranberry/cherry, little oak sweetness

    conc: mainly shutdown tho

  • 2007 Langmeil Shiraz The Freedom – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Nice Fresh fruit, perfume, little nutty?
    High Acid, Med+ body, young lots of red fruit

    Conc: Very Young, need 4yrs min

  • 2008 Langmeil Shiraz The Freedom – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Med+ Ruby
    Sweet Ripe fruit, some floral notes

    Vanilla, Cherry, Youthful, meat

    Conc: Young needs 4-5yrs

My Favourite Wines
2000 and 2005
2nd and 3rd Place was 2001 and 2002

Posted from CellarTracker

New York City [May 2011]

May 2011 decided to head to New York City for what it has to offer, and that is wine, food and art!

Our plans of what we decided to visit were as follow.  A longer write up on some of the events to come.

Wine: Our plans included a visit to Bar Boulud for their big bottle BTG [by the glass] that Michael Madrigale does so well. A Vayniac Tasting at Tribeca Grill, and drink up some wines I purchased off of Zachys Auction. Also a visit to Wine Library in New Jersey to drop off some Painted Rock wines for the show

Food: Dinner at Daniel [3 Michelin Stars]

Art: Guggenheim, MOMA, and the Buildings!

New York Taxi

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