Unauthorized

A very fine meal at Baltimore’s Charleston restaurant included some ethereal fried oysters and zucchini flowers. Those dishes were followed by a gorgeous piece of flavorful turbot and a pheasant breast. As always, impeccable service and a flawless execution of the dishes were hallmarks of Cindy Wolfe’s brilliant restaurant.

The wines began with a superb 1996 Billecart Salmon Blancs de Blanc, followed by a young, rich, authoritative 2000 Chevalier-Montrachet from Boillot. Plenty of mineral, honeysuckle, and a delicate touch of oak characterize this full-bodied wine.

The first flight of reds was an extraordinary showing of the great Pessac-Léognan first-growth,Haut Brion. The ruby-colored 1990 is revealing much more evolution in its explosive aromas of asphalt, hot rocks, charcoal, and loads of sweet fruit. Full-bodied, opulent, and close to full maturity, given its impeccable balance, it should hold for another 10-15 years. In complete contrast, the 1989 Haut Brion is a deeper, more concentrated and complete wine, but is less evolved with a deeper ruby/purple hue. Some Bordelais believe it is one of the greatest wines made in the 20th century, and I don’t disagree. It can be drunk now, but it probably will not hit its peak for another decade. It should last for 30 or more years thereafter.

The 1990 L’Evangile appears to be on a fast evolutionary track. It reveals considerable ruby as well as a touch of amber at the edge, along with a big, sweet perfume of mocha, caramel, and sweet black fruits, broad, savory flavors, full body, and no evidence of tannin. I have a number of bottles in my cellar, which I will enjoy over the next decade. Although still young, the one-hit-wonder from Beauséjour Duffau, the 1990, is an extraordinary wine  boasting superb complexity as well as concentration. Overall, it is a profound expression of Bordeaux, ranking alongside the great 1989 Haut Brion. The deepest colored wine of the night, it offered notes of spring flowers, crushed rocks, black raspberries, and sweet black currant fruit, along with exceptional body, and superb purity, elegance, and length. This bottle was just moving into an adolescent stage of development, showing extraordinary complexity as well as the potential of this outstanding terroir. It should hit its peak in 8-12 years, and last for at least three more decades. The 1990 Montrose revealed an equally dense ruby/purple color as well as a sweet nose of saddle leather, black currants, earth, and truffles. Full-bodied, powerful, thick, and rich, by itself, this would have been the wine of the night, but when served next to Beauséjour Duffau, it seemed slightly less complex. It is still very young, and will benefit from another 5-7 years of bottle age. It, too, is a candidate for three plus decades of cellaring.