Another super dinner with amazing wines

I have posted before about a small group of us that gets together, usually once a month, to drink really great wine from our cellars. That had been on hold until last month when we ate outside at one of our favorite Italian spots. That was great fun. This time we decided to get together at a top steak house with 35 ft. ceilings and lots of separation as the weather is turning. As normal, we do not announce exactly what each of us is bringing but just broad themes. Burgundy is almost always in the mix. We all bring way too many bottles but we then cull the bottles down to what we want through group agreement. You would be amazed at some of the wines that do not make the cut. We did darn good last night.

2005 Taittinger Comtes du Champagne
Nice way to start. I have been drinking a good bit of the 2006 the last year or two so it was good to get a chance to see how this is evolving. Drinking beautifully and will likely for years to come. Not at the level of the 2006 though which has more of everything.

2017 Vincent Dancer Chassagne Montrachet Tete du Clos
Having read Don Cornutt’s recent post I was gassed that one of our group brought this. This was sourced directly so I was interested to compare with those I purchased. Man is this a stunning wine! The precision is spellbinding. Lemon and lime on the front of the nose draws you in. Honeysuckle and minerals. Saved some for end of evening and it was even better. This, like the 2014, is a wine that will age beautifully IMHO.

2013 Louis Jadot Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles
I would have preferred to have drunk this before the Dancer, not for qualitative reasons but stylistic. This was a mouthful and the GC richness in spades. This has wood on the finish while the Dancer screams inox. Took time to open up but once it got going it really blossomed. Much more floral but still had a nice mineral spine.

1990 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Surprisingly dark this had lovely classic sous bois/under brush on the nose. With time a solid core of red fruits came to the surface. Fairly tannic but not in a negative way. A sturdy wine but nicely balanced. This was lovely though the next kinda stole the show. The wine did die in the glass over the course of the evening.

1990 Domain Ponsot Chapelle Chambertin
Loads of rich red fruits. Great density and balance. Less tertiary notes than the CSJ. Very nice mouth feel and good length.

1989 Ch. Lynch Bages Pauillac
Now for something very different. I was pleasantly surprised that both the ’89 and ’90 showed up to the table. In fact, another ’90 also showed up so we had a backup. But it was not needed. So cool to drink these two great vintages next to each other. Kind of like the ’89 and ’90 Montrose, I have waivered over the years on my preference but this experience has me on the ‘89’s side. Classic aged Pauillac. Leather, graphite and cedar. Ripe dark berries. Dense and long on the palate.

1990 Ch. Lynch Bages Pauillac
Hard time being definitive on which was showing better. I relied on the which glass empties first rule. I still had some of the ’90 in the glass after the ’89 was long gone. Do not get me wrong, the ’90 had everything the ’89 offered but in a riper profile and I found the tannins a bit sturdier. What a treat.

1959 Ch. Palmer Margaux
Funny story. This bottle was not brought on this evening. One of our group accidently left it at the restaurant some time ago. The somm had been storing it until our return this night. We all agreed this had to be opened. Bonus wine!!! I am not going to try and get all descriptive here but this is the exemplar of why we age great Bordeaux. Maybe a perfect wine. Took some effort to get the cork out without pushing it in but we were successful. Jeez this wine just jumped out of the glass. Loads of violets and dark rich fruit. So long from start to finish. Why not give it 100 points?!

1990 Ch. D’Yquem
How else to end such an evening? Never disappoints. Sugar really resolved but the dry extract and acidity just takes over your whole mouth. Was still tasting it as we left the building. Wow!

wow nice lineup.

Great wines. I love the 89 Lynch Bages

(Giggles)

“Oh, look, we should probably see if this '59 Palmer is drinking immaculately… Oh, it is. Good decision, team.”

What a line-up, and what a Wine of the Night. Incredible.

My Lordy, Kelly! Wow. Love the 89 and 90 Lynch Bages!

Love the backstory on the 1959. It is so funny that you commented on that one and why we mature Bordeaux just like I did on a post today on a mature Haut Brion. So true.

The whole table was giddy once it hit our glasses.

Bawler evening there Kelly

I love how leaving a '59 Palmer at a restaurant was a happy accident lol. Yup, always happens to me

Rich, I just noticed you are in Charlotte. Recognize the restaurant?

Just a ridiculous lineup. Great job Kelly. So many wines that I love there. Cheers to you!

I’ll bite lol. The challenge is we have quite a few, center city is not short of name brands or boutique, the surrounding areas get more interesting. I’m gong to assume center city (uptown) for this exercise.

The clue I’m working off is 35’ ceilings for a steak house and can handle wine at a high level as described. Morton’s has a pretty high ceilings for the space, and good spacing for tables. Think a second floor too. BLT also has high ceilings for the space stepping down to the main floor coming in. I’m going to gamble Mortons because I think they would be the more likely to hold on to a '59 Palmer honestly and then tell you you later they have it after you have forgotten from what I know of the place. More relationship based and equipped. Not saying BLT would not, however its a walk-in from the Ritz Carton and more transient traffic.

Capital Grill, the physical location doesn’t jive from recollection, more closed in, though I would trust them with that kind of honesty.

Throwing out Flemings and Ruth’s Chris based on physical description. Same with Chima as its a second floor thing. None of the others rings a bell as having a very open space. Honestly nothing boutique is going big with space, they are more intimate. Has to be name brand.

So, that’s the guess and logic.

If outside of CLT, let me know, I’ll have to dig deeper. Maybe Oak if going to South Park.

Love me Mortons, the truffle fries in the fry trifecta and then the Grand Marnier Souffle if you order it early enough.

And as a PS, when we can do CLT on a social, ping away, we can uber through plenty of high-end to low-end foodie places that are great while drinking things that are just beyond what we should be drinking. There are plenty of other folks that would join on that pilgrimage as well.

Well done Kelly.

I think you named ever one but! It was Del Frisco’s in Piedmont Row in South Park. If you have never been, the place is stunning. Thinking about the ceilings they may be even more than 35 ft. Nicole the somm is fantastic. I believe they are the only Del Frisco’s that allows corkage. Absolutely we should share a bottle or two when the conditions permit. We are actually located in the Weddington-Waxhaw area. I have not been uptown in the past year.

Lol, figures. That one crossed my mind as well but was sticking with uptown. Outside of center city has no shortage of quality places. My favorite has to be Beef and Bottle, and happens to be the oldest if I am not mistaken. I’m in Southern side of CLT as well. We’ll definitely have to raise a glass when things calm down. I haven’t been uptown either sine Feb, only straying as far as Ballantyne and South Park myself.

What a lineup! I’ve always had a preference for the 90 Lynch Bages vs the 89.

OMG! Beef 'n Bottle. My wife and friends love that place. As old school as it gets. Tough to get a table. Love the frog legs. Opened in 1958 and has not changed since. Who still puts cudites on every table? Steaks are awesome. Not a window in the place.