Dinner at Per Se

E and I had a very good dinner at this temple of New York dining. I found it to be a great if rather unexciting restaurant. This place seemed to lack the buzz of Le Benardin, the elegance of Daniel or the flair of Eleven Madison Park. Nevertheless, the food was exquisitely prepared bar one or two rather forgettable dishes and the service was absolutely top-notch. There was also a wonderfully curated wine list (presented on an iPad) with a lot of interesting wines by the glass, which we partook of. I enjoyed the dinner tremendously, even though I am less likely to revisit Per Se regularly than say the other restaurants mentioned earlier, especially given the Thomas Keller brand-name premium it charges.

• 2005 André-Michel Brégeon Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie 87 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie

  Not great, but serviceable enough as an accompaniment to seafood. It had a rather subtle nose that showed a waft saline sea spray, wet stone aromas, some green pears and a tiny hint of white flowers. The palate was similarly quite tight and very neutral, with rivers of bright acidity running through understated flavours of lime, green pear and mineral, with another tiny hint of white flower at the edges. It was almost a bit too acidic on its own, but it did fare much better with food, acting like a chameleon-like foil for caviar and oysters. A very simple wine, but quite decent nonetheless.

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• 2010 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Le Haut-Lieu 91 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

  Rather too young, but this was pretty good. It had a lovely nose with plenty of lanolin notes floating around green apple and pear aromas with a sweeter edge of green mango scents, all this wash by saline, sea-washed mineral notes and a waft of white flowers. An attractive bouquet full of classic Chenin character. The palate reflected a wine that was barely out of its infancy, with lots of racy, almost bracing acidity zipping through citrus flavours of lemons, limes and green apples. These were lined on midpalate with a tremendous minerality leading into a bright, energetic finish where more lanolin and white fruited notes came to the fore. There was a nice really depth and defined shape to this wine. However, it was far too young, so that it was still a bit simple and rather too bracing without food. Good promise here, it just needs time - something to revisit in 7-8 years. I must say that it was lovely when paired an exquisite lobster dish even now though. Nice.

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• 2009 Hubert Lignier Gevrey-Chambertin Les Seuvrées 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  I thought this was enjoyable. It had a gorgeous nose - pure Gevrey, with damp earth and undergrowth, a bit of meat and a nice amount of red cherries and flower petals. Really lovely. The palate was quite lovely too. It had a surprising amount of fresh acidity for a 2009, which served to lift the wine's nicely bright flavours of red cherries and berries underscored by more earthy, meaty nuances. Like the other wines we had, this was still much too young - the fruit was primary, the acidity too assertive and the oak on the finish was just a bit too mocha-ish. But all said, this was a very nice village and a very good food wine. It beautiful with a chicken and truffle dish which brought out a lovely earthiness on the wine, and almost as good with a saddle of lamb which spoke instead to the wine's gamy meatiness.

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• 2002 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spätlese 91 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Good, but rather stunningly young and tight for a 2002. I am quite sure I would have guessed a younger vintage if this was blinded. The nose at least showed some maturity with its bits of petrol, a touch of earthiness and a funky whiff that gave a suggestion of hard cheese scents over a nice appley aroma in the background. The palate was were the wine's youthfulness really shone through, with a lovely zippy stream of live acidity and fresh, pure flavours of green apples and lime leading into a lemon zest and mineral finish that stretched on a fair distance. This was pretty good stuff - I really liked the balance and energy on it - but it does seem to have been in a bit of a sleepy state at the moment, with a sense of stubborn one-dimensionness to it. I think this will need a good four to five years more at least.

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