Acker's 1970's Holiday Champagne Dinner

So this was a pretty special dinner. Not that often you get so much well-aged champagne in one evening. The food was also amazing - Atera is one of the few restaurants where the food can live up to the wine I think (also just one of my favorites).

• 1990 Henriot Champagne Cuvée des Enchanteleurs Brut

  France, Champagne

  From a mag and I always love champagne out of a mag - esp the aged ones. This was nice and complex and nutty and brioche and then some fennel. With more time in the glass I got an almost cotton candy flavor to it. Very tasty.

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Ham | Chicken Skin, Rye
Oyster | Yuzu, Shallot
Waffle | Foie Gras, Quince

• 1971 Pol Roger Champagne Blanc de Chardonnay

  France, Champagne

  Possibly on the edge of being off. This was oxidized and as it sat in the glass through the course of the night it seemed to get a bit more so. In the beginning though it was kindof a waxy caramel with a reasonably amount of sweetness in it.

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• 1975 Pol Roger Champagne Vintage Brut

  France, Champagne

  There's a lot more depth in this one than in the 1971. Again the more caramelized flavors, hint of sweetness, some freshness, a bit of orange peel right at the end. Drinking well.

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Sea Urchin | Egg, Truffle

• 1971 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs

  France, Champagne

  This was drinking exceptionally well. Tons of vanilla, almost a backdrop of coffee bean. Certain softness to the wine. Very pretty. One of my favorites.

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• 1976 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs

  France, Champagne

  Interesting as this was served side by side with the '71 and for some this was their clear favorite although I was more partial to the '71. Still drinking nicely. A bit of a sharp tone. Some buttermilk flavor. Drinking nicely.

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Kaluga Caviar | Pistachio, IPA

• 1973 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs

  France, Champagne

  Served next to the '73 Tatt and interesting to get the comparison point. Much leaner style. This has more of a bite to it. A bit oxidized and age a bit more apparently here than either the '71 or '76. Still good though.

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• 1973 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut

  France, Champagne

  Much softer and sweeter and drinking really nicely. I'm very impressed at how well this house's champagne ages. Touch of the caramel again. Good acid. Very fresh and yet you can tell there's some good age on it. Lovely.

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Langoustine | Tomato, Chamomile

• 1971 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon

  France, Champagne

  Fresh caramel apple and yet still with a hint of the oxidized notes. Very tasty

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• 1973 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon

  France, Champagne

  Very fresh, touch of apple, bit of green grass, drinking quite nicely and seems like it will continue to be strong moving forward.

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Monkfish | Shitake, Beech Mushroom

• 1971 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut

  France, Champagne

  Nice and fresh and some caramel and some apple and overall quite enjoyable again. This producer manages age very well.

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Brioche | Ricotta, Truffle

• 1975 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Carte d'Or

  France, Champagne

  Much leaner coming on the heels of the '71 Tatt. It's almost a touch harsh. There's a bit of lemon. Tangy. Good, but not quite the same level as some of the others in aging.

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• 1976 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon

  France, Champagne

  This was one of my favorites of the Doms. Age clearly helps this wine. Very fresh still. There's a bit more of the pumpkin spice notes here which are fun. Drinking very well.

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Beef | Celery Root, Parsley, Truffle

• 1973 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut

  France, Champagne

  Man am I a Krug person. These are just awesome. This is like all spice and a bit more root stock or something more branch style (like a woodsy note). It's very tasty.

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• 1976 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut

  France, Champagne

  Also really delicious, all tartness and brioche and well structured and overall a very tasty wine. It's beautiful.

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• 1979 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut

  France, Champagne

  A bit oxidized and almost an oily-ness to it which is interesting. Also well-structured (e.g. acid still really going). This was very tasty as well.

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• 1979 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses

  France, Champagne

  Tough to be on the heels of Krug but it's a tasty wine in its own right. Golden and tart and well structured and overall enjoyable although not quite that level.

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Duck Breast | Pear, Pine, Truffle

• 1976 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Brut Rosé

  France, Champagne

  Interesting how very young this tastes. Can't tell that this is 40+ years old at all. It's all fresh and young and tons of bubbles. A bit of lemon and strawberry. It's perhaps less complex than some of the regular champagnes we had, but a nice pairing with the duck.

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• 1978 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Brut Rosé

  France, Champagne

  Again a lot of freshness (in both roses). This has just a hint of the red fruits. A bit of a quieter wine. Mostly I just get that it tastes young, but not a lot else that stands out. Still enjoyable though.

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Apple | Lemon Verbena
Pecan | Chocolate
Red Miso Caramel

Lots of really great wines in this group and it was fun to do some different horizontals and verticals. 1971 Ruinart. 1971/1976 DP, 1973 Tattinger, and 1979 Krug all standouts.