Private Dinner

The theme of this dinner was "Les Ducs de Bourgogne"—The Dukes of Burgundy. A great line-up of old Burgundies was assembled and paired with excellent food. It's not often that one is able to enjoy even one of the bottles we consumed, so this was certainly one of the most memorable nights of wine I've ever had.

Served with two types of almonds, one toasted and the other roasted.

• 2008 Roger Coulon Coteaux Champenois Blanc

  France, Champagne, Coteaux Champenois

  Intensely acidic and salty with chalky notes on the nose. There's a rush of lemon in the mouth, but it's almost as if the sweetness of the lemon has been removed, leaving only the acid. A hint of toasted/candied fruit and a mineral inflection. My initial reaction was that this was difficult to drink and not enjoyable. It softened a bit with some time in the glass and I found myself warming to it, although not enough that I'd buy a bottle myself. Rated 0 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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Served with seared scallops on a bed of baby arugula with a lemon vinaigrette.

• 1988 Louis Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  In superb shape, its light golden color giving the appearance of a much younger wine. Benefitted from some time in the glass. Butterscotch, hazelnut, and apricot are just some of the aromas and flavors. Great concentration. While I felt this had more depth than the 1991, it wasn't fat by any means; in fact, it had a rather lean quality and an ever-so-slight sharpness to the finish. This was my last bottle and if I had others I'd drink them soon. Rated 2 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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Served with butternut squash soup with hazelnut.

• 1993 Forey Père et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Gaudichots

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Excellent color and clarity: this looked like a much younger wine. The nose and palate confirmed this: while stunning now, this wine has a long life ahead of it, and if I had another bottle I'd cellar it for at least five more years. The complex nose showed bright red fruit with a candied element, as well as a truffly/mushroomy/earthy quality and some smoke. On the palate, nice balance of acid and tannins, the latter still showing some bite. Rated 3 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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Served with grilled chicken breast with Potatoes Normandy and spring zucchini. This was followed by a cheese course of Beaufort d'été (Savoie AOC) and Reblochon (Haute Savoie AOC), accompanied by a baguette and a fig bread from Eric Kayser.

• 2007 Domaine Fourrier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Gruenchers Vieille Vigne

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  This should've been given the Fourrier shake, as there was considerable dissolved CO2 that gave the wine an unpleasant frizzante quality for the first 20 or so minutes. Thereafter, this was punchy and tightly wound, showing bright raspberries and cassis. Not at all Chambolle-like, and it didn't strike me as particularly Fourrier-like, either. A bit disappointing. Far too young and early in its evolution, this needs a minimum of five more years in the cellar. Rated 1 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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• 1971 Domaine Grivelet Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses Reserve

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  So perfumed, with aromas of sweet spices, dark chocolate, cinnamon, clove, and caramel. The palate was equally outstanding, with delicious bitter dark chocolate and a sensation of liquid caramel. Like no Burgundy I've ever tasted. The tannins are gone and this was as smooth as could be. This is an old wine, yes, but there's still some acid on the finish to remind you that it's drinking perfectly and not at all over the hill. Rated 3 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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Served with homemade Baklava from an old Syrian recipe.

• 1976 Hafner Family Estate Weissburgunder Trockenbeerenauslese Ruster

  Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee

  Beyond tawny; this was brown like molasses. The sweetness was intensely concentrated. Maple syrup, spice, some nuttiness and maybe some raisins. I found this difficult to peg: it wasn't cloying, but on the other hand it wasn't so balanced as to make drinking it unchallenging. Indeed, I struggled to get through my glass and ultimately threw in the towel. I love sweet wines, but this didn't have the magic balance of sugar and acid. Rated 1 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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This accompanied the most incredible caramels I've ever tasted, with flavors of butterscotch, toasted buttered popcorn, chestnut, and sea salt.

• NV Jean-Marc Roulot Liqueur d'Abricot du Roulot

  France

  An off-menu surprise. Jean-Marc Roulot buys the apricots for this eau de vies from Jean-Louis Chave in Hermitage. When I was younger I used to eat dried apricots constantly, so this certainly took me back a few decades. The aroma is of dried apricots dipped in honey. The mouth is as you'd imagine apricot liqueur to be: intensely concentrated, slightly syrupy but nicely balanced by the alcohol. A real treat. I'll be going out to buy a bottle for myself. Rated 2 on a scale of -1 to 3.

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A huge success. Most pegged the Grivelet as their wine of the night, and indeed it was stellar. I give the nod to the Gaudichots, which was also thrilling and more in line with my style preference. I was somewhat disappointed by the TBA, especially as it was followed by the l'Abricot, completely different animal though it may be. I will say that while my appreciation for French and in particular Burgundian wine continues to grow, my heart remains in Italy.