TN- 1998 DRC Echezeaux and Risotto Part II

Very strong deep purple color, good firm nose, on the palate a nice blackberry tone, a sort of thick earthiness- a wall of sorts that reflects the tightness of the wine, it is odd that the lightest DRC wine would be this way but I always find the Echezeaux to be the least generous in youth due to this 'wall', quickly develops firm tannins, but the size and fruit are there, over 30 minutes it shuts down further but also gains a bit in mass, some cherry tones, moderate length on the finish, herbal tones as well, after about an hour getting a little hot on the finish, but otherwise holding steady, a solid Echezeaux for the DRC, certainly showing more size than is typical. It lacks the ripeness and depth of the 1993 but is an uncommonly firm and well structured example of this wine in need of several years in the cellar.

(***), 2008-2012, definitely one to lock up and forget for a while.

I personally liked this one better than most other DRC Echezeaux I have tasted. It was not as good as the 1993, but this one seemed to have more to it overall than I am accustomed to, and the 1993 was in a funky stage last time I had it so memories are not very fond there.

Risotto needs some work though- this was my second attempt in as many weeks. I tried a different method tonight. I gently sauteed it in olive oil, garlic and fresh butter for a brief period and then slowly added the broth, about a half a cup at a time, and let it absorb the liquid each time before going further. Fresh Chanterelles and saffron were added during the cooking. By the time I realized the wine I had intended to use in it was not available, it was too late to get anything else, so this ended up being a DRC Risotto

To top it off, I added about a half cup of fresh grated parmesan and then topped it off with generous helpings of fresh shaved black truffles that I found today at a good local market.

But it seemed to be a little 'al dente' yet also overall a bit too mushy. Maybe I cooked it too long at too low a heat? It ended up taking about 35-40 minutes on the stove which seems too long to me. But the truffles rescued it in the end. Wish we had those available year round!

I have found that all butter and higher heat adding the liquid by halves and not until completely absorbed but mostly works well and gets me close to the 20 minute cooking time that Craig Claiborne suggestsin his NY Times Cookbook.

snip

Tom,

sounds like you bought some low quality rice. In Italy one buys rice according to the variety, I would recommend you stick (no pun intended) to some of the more noble varieties like Carnaroli, Vialone Nano or at least Arborio.

You cooking procedure sounds alright. I would recommend you skip the garlic, this is not usually used in traditional recipies and I think that it would overpower chanterelles. I prefer to use onions. Don't 'measure' the broth, just keep adding to prevent the rice from drying up, and make sure that in the end it is not too sloshy or not too dry.

For the above varieties of rice I recommend cooking for 18 minutes, then add parmesan and some butter, stir and let sit for 5 minutes off the heat before serving.

I would have sauteed the chanterelles in butter separately, they will give off some water so just stop cooking them before the water all evaporates, leaving some juice in the pan. That way you can add the mushrooms to the risotto around 5 minutes before the end, and keep them firm.

Cheers

Hi Mike and Joseph,

Thanks for the tips. I did use Arborio rice, but I will check out the others you mentioned Mark.

I guess it does appear my cooking time was a bit long. Will try for more heat next time.

I really want to perfect this dish. I LOVE truffles and a good risotto is hard to beat.