My latest Champagne theme at Atera were wines from the 1970’s.
Reception
1990 Henriot Cuvee des Enchanteleurs Mag - at a level of maturity that both those who prefer a lively champagne with fruit can enjoy as well as those who like some mature and complex flavors can. A number of guests at the dinner had never heard of the producer or cuvee. Excellent Plus
1st flight
1971 Pol Roger Blanc de Chardonnay No effervescence, some yellow fruit and a wealth of caramel. Very Good/Excellent Plus
1975 Pol Roger Brut - Darker color than the previous wine with a bit of well worn gym socks. Good/Excellent Minus Was initially quite disappointed by both of these but when paired with the first trio of small bites - Cod, Espelette and Rye; Oyster, Yuzu and Shallot; and Waffle, Salmon Tartare - these magically transformed. I’m not the biggest proponent of food/wine pairings, but these were amazing.
2nd flight
1971 Ruinart Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs - Very elegant with some hazelnuts and touches of caramel and coffee. I love notes of coffee in mature Champagne. Staggering Minus
1976 Ruinart Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs - My favorite Ruinart of the three. Still very fresh with yellow fruit and some ginger and apple. Staggering
3rd flight
1973 Ruinart Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs - Not close to being a perfect bottle but still gave some mature flavors and pleasure. Very Good Plus
1973 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs - Good freshness with a youthful light gold color. Still plenty of fruit and backbone. Drinking perfectly. Staggering Plus
1971 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs - Very similar to the '73 but falls a hair short. Staggering
4th flight
1971 Dom Perignon - barely alive this was obviously not stored properly early in its life. I had owned this bottle for twenty or so years, so very disappointing. That said, it had some decent aromas and flavors especially compared to what I was expecting due to its flatness and dark color in the glass. Good Plus
1973 Dom Pérignon - consistently my favorite DP from the seventies. At these events I never give my opinion before hearing what others have to say. Hands down the group’s favorite DP. Yellow fruit, coffee and marzipan. Killer Minus
5th flight
1976 Dom Pérignon - not a bad bottle but this should have been a bit more lively. Classic DP flavor profile Excellent Plus
1975 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Carte d’Or - Older Vintage VC’s can provide much drinking pleasure with excellent longevity. Possibly due to the fact that at this time La Grande Dame was made in such small quantities that they didn’t take all of the best grapes away from the straight vintage. Excellent
6th flight
1973 Krug - an obvious transition from the more elegant Champagnes to the more powerful last four (not including the Roses). Good yellow fruit but needed a bit more acid as it was a little too heavy. Excellent
1976 Krug - very rich with some oxidative notes which are surely a combination of the house style and 43 years of age. Yellow fruit without much of the signature green apple. Excellent Plus
7th flight
1979 Krug - Specially Reserved at Maison Krug for Late Release - My favorite Krug of the trio and a couple of other people’s favorite as well. Freshest of the trio with the signature green apple coming through. Staggering
1979 Philipponnat Clos des Goisses - good yellow fruit but has lost most if its effervescence. Has the power to hang with the Krug. Excellent Plus
8th flight
1976 Ruinart Dom Ruinart Rosé - youthful strawberry. Excellent acidity. Staggering
1978 Ruinart Dom Ruinart Rosé - I decided to include one bottle of a lesser vintage from the decade. Did not disappoint. A slight crayon taste to it detracts a bitOne thing I learned from prepping for this dinner was that Dom Ruinart Rose is 80-82% of the exact same Champagne as the BdB with 18-20% still Pinot added. Excellent
I was prepared for a few corked or undrinkable bottles. While several bottles didn’t show near their best, every Champagne delivered some drinking pleasure. Was a pleasant surprise.
As usual, the food and service at Atera were off the charts.
PS - In January or February Atera will be opening a wine bar a couple of doors down on Worth Street. Space is relatively small, but looks inviting.
