How good is La Dame?

[canderson]

58 minutes ago, Rothko1 said:

 

A sommelier comes at me with an Auslese and an ice bucket, I'm gonna be thrilled.  Especially if its JJ Prum.

Once when we visited with friends who operate a winery in the area, we tried walking from their place, 'over the hill' from Trarbach to Bernkastel, managed to get lost, and to quench our thirst on the downhill side, we snagged a few of his (Prum) grapes above Graach (Himmelreich).  I figure we'd bought enough of his wine over the years that he wouldn't have minded.

 

But hold the ice bucket.  I want to be able to taste the grapes.  0.1ºC Auslese definitely doesn't work for us.

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

3 hours ago, Rothko1 said:

 

A sommelier comes at me with an Auslese and an ice bucket, I'm gonna be thrilled.  Especially if its JJ Prum.

And if it's a trockenbeerenauslese, I might be tempted to donate a kidney to the sommelier!  [But not my pancreas, because after downing that bottle I'm going to need all the insulin I can make!!!]

[chrism23]

I want to echo the a couple of opinions expressed above.  Nearly everything they serve at Le Dame finds its way to the main dining room menu in a day or two.  Some items get a little dressed up, for example order the rack of lamb and you will get 4 ribs rather than 3.  I always will eat at Le Dame once at the start of a cruise, almost always the first formal night, to see if anything is different.  Then that is usually it for the rest of the cruise.  I did find Le Dame on the Moon to be less inviting and intimate than its iterations on other ships.  I think they have done a great job with the decor, atmosphere and menu on Atlantide on the Moon and I really didn't see any reason to do Le Dame more than once.  

[Stumblefoot]

On 4/7/2023 at 5:00 PM, canderson said:

Would be interested to see a 'representative' Connoisseur…

 

Not current, but a good representation of what you can expect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[canderson]

@Stumblefoot

Yeah, that list is a bit dated (for those with a sweet tooth - the '05 Chateau d'Yquem listed for $200 goes for around $400 now!) but very much appreciated as a sampling of the sorts of things one might expect.  Looks like we'll do fine as long as they're not having any supply chain issues this coming Fall.

 

[Rothko1]

On 4/10/2023 at 7:51 PM, canderson said:

@Stumblefoot

Yeah, that list is a bit dated (for those with a sweet tooth - the '05 Chateau d'Yquem listed for $200 goes for around $400 now!) but very much appreciated as a sampling of the sorts of things one might expect.  Looks like we'll do fine as long as they're not having any supply chain issues this coming Fall.

 

 

Well, you can always go slumming with the Tokaji instead.  5 Puttonyos is pretty sweet.

[canderson]

7 minutes ago, Rothko1 said:

 

Well, you can always go slumming with the Tokaji instead.  5 Puttonyos is pretty sweet.

So rare to find one with any residual acidity.  Sadly, gave up trying.

[Mr Luxury]

On 4/11/2023 at 12:13 AM, Stumblefoot said:

 

Not current, but a good representation of what you can expect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very good prices

[Rothko1]

Just now, Mr Luxury said:

Very good prices

Definitely.  The second to last SS cruise I was on, they offered some of those wines to be purchased, to take home, at a discount from the regular wine list.  I was sorely tempted, but in the end I didn't buy any.

[commodoredave]

On 4/8/2023 at 12:27 PM, chrism23 said:

I want to echo the a couple of opinions expressed above.  Nearly everything they serve at Le Dame finds its way to the main dining room menu in a day or two.  Some items get a little dressed up, for example order the rack of lamb and you will get 4 ribs rather than 3.  I always will eat at Le Dame once at the start of a cruise, almost always the first formal night, to see if anything is different.  Then that is usually it for the rest of the cruise.  I did find Le Dame on the Moon to be less inviting and intimate than its iterations on other ships.  I think they have done a great job with the decor, atmosphere and menu on Atlantide on the Moon and I really didn't see any reason to do Le Dame more than once.  

Completely agree - we usually do the same. Unfortunately on our recent cruise on the Moon, the menu was still the same as our cruise on the Whisper last August. So we skipped La Dame all together.

[Tothesunset]

28 minutes ago, canderson said:

So rare to find one with any residual acidity.  Sadly, gave up trying.

You might be pleasantly surprised. I always have a bottle on each cruise and, so far, every one has been excellent - complex notes, sweet (but not the cloying sugariness of cheap Sauternes, say) but with a distinct, almost citrus, tang. I'd also add that the sommeliers have always ensured the open bottle is properly stored. I drink very little alcohol so a 375cl bottle lasts 5 nights.

 

Sadly, dessert wines, at least here in the UK, have a tendency to be syrupy and therefore often an ignored treasure. A good Eiswein or Tokaji will hold its own against d'Yquem - as you alluded, however, it's finding a good one that's difficult. 

 

(Incidentally, in my opinion, the Tokaji and Chateau d'Yquem on the SS connoisseur's list are a bargain. Well under retail.)

[Silver Spectre]

This was the sweeties on the Moon in October

 

[Silver Spectre]

On 4/8/2023 at 12:00 AM, canderson said:

 

Would be interested to see a 'representative' Connoisseur and complimentary list if anyone has them to display here.

 

I'm a little weirded out by the regular list being 'great secret'.  I'd understand that lists may not always be current based upon supply (honestly, that's the kind of situation why ships have onboard laser printers), but from what you say, it sounds as though there isn't one to be had at all?  How on earth do people manage that?  Give the steward a rough idea and just run with whatever they think matches the request?  Just how good ARE the wine stewards aboard SS?  Am I understanding you correctly?

 

One thing I have noticed that was surprising ... and the form is not easy to find on the website ... was one of the deals on wine as a bon voyage gift.  They're selling the Tignanello Antinori (no vintage mentioned) for $140 as a gift, and that's even little better than retail at home.  Scored a bottle of that on a recent Celebrity cruise for a similar price.

Cheaper on SS

[Silver Spectre]

On 4/8/2023 at 12:20 AM, Daveywavey70 said:

I Concur fully with what Stumbles said. You are more likely to encourage your Sommelier to donate a kidney to a worthy cause  than share an included list. There is one there but most would rather throw themselves overboard before they share it. The Coinnoisseurs list is a little less elusive for obvious reasons. Im happy to confirm though that despite the Costeau not being to everybodies taste it certainly tastes great with Foie Gras.

I managed to get a list and a kidney from Monsieur Le Blanc last year, and boy did it taste good 😊 

[canderson]

18 minutes ago, Silver Spectre said:

Cheaper on SS

If that list is anywhere near current, that's just EXCELLENT, Silver Spectre.  The Tig is $100 currently?  Can't touch the '18 for less than $150 here at home.

[Mr Luxury]

1 hour ago, Silver Spectre said:

I managed to get a list and a kidney from Monsieur Le Blanc last year, and boy did it taste good 😊 

I'm sure Monsieur Le Blanc can still function with one Kidney.

[Silver Spectre]

1 hour ago, canderson said:

If that list is anywhere near current, that's just EXCELLENT, Silver Spectre.  The Tig is $100 currently?  Can't touch the '18 for less than $150 here at home.

See #62 above.

[Daveywavey70]

4 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

I managed to get a list and a kidney from Monsieur Le Blanc last year, and boy did it taste good 😊 

An unusual pairing, a bold bordeaux would be a more traditional accompanment.

[canderson]

11 minutes ago, Daveywavey70 said:

An unusual pairing, a bold bordeaux would be a more traditional accompanment.

I've always preferred a porter or a stout with my S&K pie.  Wonder if they have any of those on a list?  😁

[Rothko1]

19 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

This was the sweeties on the Moon in October

 

 

I'd jump on the Auslese