1953 Dinner: Milestone Birthday
Gemma Fish + Oyster
Tasted Friday, December 22, 2023 by MC2 Wines with 86 views
Introduction
It’s not always easy to do milestone birthday dinners but it’s always fun! 1953 was a great year for wine as we learned this evening. I’d say we were very lucky given that we started the year with only a few of these bottles and so this was a collection over time. The only fully corked bottle wasn’t a 53 (much younger) so that’s good! Lots to love.
Flight 1 - Reception (4 Notes)
Raw Katama Bay Oysters | Ember Roasted Beet Salad | Dressed East Coast Salmon Tartare Crostini | Baked Crab and Artichoke Dip
Flight 2 - First (3 Notes)
Ember Grilled Head-on Shrimp
N’duja butter, grilled sourdough
We also had a 1953 Riesling in this flight which wasn’t in CT and I imagine is fairly unknown. It was interesting though. Still had the acid. To me tasted a lot like mint in a very pleasant way (I like that flavor in a wine though). Quite enjoyable.
Flight 3 - Second (2 Notes)
Creamed Artichoke Soup
Sauce soubise, cream, herb oil
Flight 4 - Third (1 Note)
Hokkaido Scallop
Heirloom hominy & edamame succotash, baby sweet potatoes, herb oil infused cream
Flight 5 - Fourth (3 Notes)
Pork Loin
Fried baby sweet potato, koji mayo, aleppo chili crips, black garlic reduction
Flight 6 - Fifth (1 Note)
Moroccan Roasted Chicken
Chermoula potatoes, yogurt sauce, honey glazed carrots
Flight 7 - Sixth (2 Notes)
American Wagyu Flank
Roasted potatoes, sauce bordelaise
Flight 8 - Dessert (1 Note)
Orange Semolina Cake
Ricotta icing
A cake in the form of the Latour pigeonry that was pure art in both shape and tasted
Closing
So very many favorites. The ‘53 Margaux which I’ve now had twice in the same year is just spectacular - definitely a WOTY for me. I was really surprised by how good the 53 Canon was. Another favorite. And the bubbles were just singing. Overall a great evening with great company in tribute to a great friend.
Also shout out to Gemma which did an excellent job managing this dinner during their opening period. Great food and great space.
NV Delamotte Champagne Brut
France, Champagne
Off the wine list at Gemma so that we had something for people to sip on as they came in. 53’s can move fast on you so we wanted to open them once we had everyone ready to enjoy. This was good and made a nice mixer base for some of the older wines if you wanted to add a few extra bubbles to them.
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1953 Krug Champagne Private Cuvée
France, Champagne
This has to be a contender for WOTY as well. The champagne is just kindof almost perfect. It still has just the trace of bubbles. Some freshness to it. Lots of age and interest and toast and nuts and overall just drinks very well. Surprised me a bit although I had high hopes for the bottle. One of my all-time favorite champagnes I’ve ever had was Krug from the 60’s and to have this one was a really special treat.
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1953 Pommery Champagne
France, Champagne
This wine surprised me and unlike with the Krug I didn’t have high expectations. But it was drinking great. Again there is just that bit of fresh that is here, maybe the memory of the bubbles in the wine that comes through. Very nice and drinking quite well.
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1953 Champagne Irroy Champagne Carte Rose
France, Champagne
The only bummer of the champagne lot this was well past its prime (also the only magnum so I had assumed this would be the freshest of the trio but alas was not to be). Too bad. Interesting to try at least.
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