Unauthorized

My favorite venue in New York City for casual, but superb dining is Daniel Boulud’s DB Bistro. His chef (from Alsace), the young, but very talented Olivier Muller, only served one dish that appears to have been influenced by the cuisine of his native region, the exquisite tart flambée. Think of this as an Alsatian version of a classic pizza, with cheese and big shards of crispy bacon on an amazingly light crust that melts in your mouth. Muller followed that with a piece of sea bass en croute, a delicious Provençal-inspired dish. I was less impressed with the breast of Magrey duck, which was somewhat chewy and tough. However, the DB burger remains one of the great tried and true American classics – the hamburger – combined with brilliant French savoir faire. A burger stuffed with short ribs and foie gras served on a homemade brioche bun, it represents decadence on a bun. It is well-worth its $32 price.

The sommelier suggested that Louis Jadot’s 1989 Corton Charlegmane be decanted. Although I was reluctant to do that, one taste proved that she was clearly correct. The wine needed plenty of air, and throughout the course of our two hour lunch, it got better and better. It remains an impressively young, full-bodied, honeyed, rich, layered, complex wine. This is the kind of white Burgundy we all long to see made again. It was difficult for the 1990 Latour to compete with the extraordinary fragrance of the 1990 La Mission Haut Brion, whose bouquet represents a classic poster child for the northern Graves. Aromas of scorched earth, tar, smoke, camphor, blueberries, black currants, cedar, and smoke soar from the glass of this exquisite wine. While fully mature, it is capable of holding for another decade. Full-bodied and silky, it was the winner in terms of current accessibility and complexity compared to the more monolithic, dense, linear, deep purple-hued 1990 Latour. Although that wine is loaded, I am convinced it is nowhere near the quality of the 1982, may not be as good as the 1996, and falls well behind such vintages as 2000, 2003, and probably 2005 and 2008 as well. Don’t get me wrong. The 1990 is a beautiful wine, but it lacks Latour’s awesome richness and delineation. Nevertheless, it offers terrific ripeness, power, and density. It will benefit from another 5-8 years of bottle age.