Unauthorized

At this charity luncheon to benefit Citymeals on Wheels, Chef Daniel Boulud provided the food and the wines all came from my private cellar. The menu was sensational, and, as usual, it was hard to pick a favorite, yet for me, Boulud remains the world's finest French chef. His flavors are always super-intense. Some of my favorites include the Kataifi crusted langoustine with pig trotters, the trout à la Grenobloise, the hot smoked hamachi with grilled porcini, and the wild hare civet with chanterelles. I think you have to have some nineteenth century British DNA in your system to appreciate the very gamey Scottish partridge. That dish didn't do anything for me, but seven out of eight is o.k.

The first flight of Chardonnay-based wines included a gorgeously mature 1990 Colin-Deléger Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chaumées . While it appears to have hit its plateau of maturity, it is youthful enough to hold on for another 4-5 years. I have had good luck with Niellon 1996s not being oxidized, but low and behold, that sinister problem that afflicts so many modern day white Burgundies reared its ugly head with this particular bottle. The superb 1997 Marcassin Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard E Block again demonstrated the winemaking prowess of Helen Turley. Most California Chardonnays are not expected to evolve and last for a decade, but this cuvée will certainly keep even longer.

We then moved into a flight of Rhône wines with the glorious Burgundian 1998 Charvin Châteauneuf du Pape exhibiting sweet notes of flowers, berries, herbs, and terroir characteristics. This complex Châteauneuf comes close to the style of the legendary Rayas. A different animal is the more meaty, peppery, incense and crushed Provençal herb-scented and flavored 1998 Pierre Usseglio Châteauneuf du Pape Mon Aïeul. It is a full-bodied, powerful, still young, but sensational wine. In my opinion, the finest Rasteau producer is the imp-like André Romero of La Soumade. His top cuvée is called Fleur de Confiance, and the 1998 was the biggest hit in this flight of Rhônes. Stunningly rich, full-bodied, slightly rustic compared to the Châteauneuf du Papes, but loaded with potential, it is a genuine reflection of the proprietor's personality. We finished with a more modern-styled Châteauneuf du Pape, Paul Coulon's barrique-aged 1998 Boisrenard. Its inky/blue/purple color was accompanied by a youthful bouquet of crème de cassis , cedar, chocolate, pepper, and spice. This beauty is still on the young side.

The flight of Bordeaux included the surprisingly fine, rich, opulent 1997 L'Eglise Clinet. Although this vintage overall was mediocre, this is a knock-out wine that should drink beautifully for another 10-15 years. For most of my professional career, Clos L'Eglise has made mediocre wines – herbal, thin, vegetal, and unpleasant. That all changed when the estate was purchased by Madame Garcin-Cathiard, who had the good sense to bring in Michel Rolland and later Dr. Alain Raynaud to produce the wines. The turn-around vintage was 1997, but the 1998 Clos L'Eglise is one of the finest produced under the new regime. It offers an extraordinary bouquet of mocha, sweet berry fruit, espresso roast, chocolate, plums, and sweet cherries. This still youthful beauty is just beginning to reveal some secondary nuances. It was in total contrast to the massive, backward, concentrated, dense purple-colored, virile 1998 Pavie Macquin. It is not difficult to understand why this St.-Emilion estate was elevated in the recent reclassification of St.-Emilion. This powerful cuvée is meant for long-term aging, and requires at least another 5-6 years before it hits prime time drinking. It should prove to be a classic as well as one of the longest-lived right bank efforts.

Switching gears, we moved to fully mature Bordeaux. The 1990 Figeac, from an irregular estate that made a superb wine in 1982 then not another one until 1990, was fully mature, revealing plenty of amber at the edge along with loads of menthol, bay leaf, sweet cherry, licorice, and spice box. It is extremely fragrant, but somewhat delicate and soft, even for a 1990. Consumption over the next decade is recommended. Also round, rich, and opulent, but more youthful is the 1990 Vieux Château Certan. Deep ruby to the rim, with a sweet, complex nose of black truffles, incense, blackberries, cherries, and herbs, this is a lush, full-bodied wine that should evolve for another 15 or more years. The final flight included a great bottle of 1989 La Conseillante that was much more youthful and tannic than a bottle I had had several weeks earlier. This example was surprisingly structured and backward, displaying wonderful sweet kirsch and raspberry characteristics as well as the Burgundian-like complexity this terroir offers. I always believed the 1990 La Conseillante was on a much faster evolutionary track than the 1989, but this particular bottle seemed to be even further behind in evolution than I expected. Perhaps the finest red wine of the day was the 1990 L'Evangile, a wine boasting decadent levels of richness along with an extraordinary perfume of black truffles, raspberries, cassis, licorice, and white flowers. Full-bodied, supple-textured, and luscious, this stunner is still an adolescent, but there is no reason to defer your gratification if you have a few bottles in your cellar. The same can be said for the 1990 La Mission Haut Brion, which is a worthy successor to the perfect 1989. More evolved than the 1989, the 1990 exhibits some lightening at the edge along with classic aromas of scorched earth, black currants, cherries, and that rocky/mineral note that makes so many Graves so distinctive. Full-bodied, plush, and round, it is a complex, delicious wine.

All in all, this was a brilliant affair with terrific food as Daniel Boulud was clearly inspired in the kitchen.