Unauthorized

I had not eaten at the 21 Club in nearly thirty years, but it still retains an historic aura about it. What must be the world’s finest steak tartare was accompanied by a delicious roast chicken. Overall, I think the food is good rather than exquisite, but if you like steak tartare, this is the place to go. The wines included the finest showing yet of the 1989 Bonneau Châteauneuf du Pape Réserve des Céléstins, which has been relatively firm and closed for many years. It is just now coming into its plateau of maturity, where it should stay for another 15-20 years. This has been a very slow to mature vintage for Châteauneuf du Pape, in total contrast to its successor, 1990, which has been a sprinter. It’s good to see this 1989 hit its stride. A regular-sized bottle of Domaine du Pégaü’s 2000 Cuvée da Capo was wonderful, but not up to the level of perfection I have had with some bottles. This seems to be a somewhat variable wine, which could be due to any number of reasons. I don’t know whether they bottled it at different times (I suspect they did not given the small production), but heat, shipping, or storage conditions can always have a dramatic impact on how a wine performs.