Jay M had invited me to join his table for a gathering of folks from the Berserkers board, I arrived at Peking Duck House in midtown to find a jovial group. Our table had an excellent crispy seaweed dish and great eggplant, adequate peking duck, lamb chops, and shrimp, as well as sesame chicken and beef & broccoli that made me long for the hole in the wall takeout place across from my office. But company and wines were great
Wines from our table
2011 Larmandier-Bernier Vigne du Levant Extra Brut Champagne It has vim, it has vigor, it has elegance. A-/B+2004 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rich, bright, drinking very well. A-
2013 Fevre Les Preuses Chablis GC Magnum I think this will be great, but it?s pretty closed right now. Still you can feel the rich mineral core underneath.2012 Ultramarine Blanc des Blancs Apple, lemon, some brioche. B/B+
2009 J. Schram Lemon, cider, bready, a little surprised that this tete de cuvee seems a bit flat. B-2019 Goodfellow ?Durant? Chardonnay Granny Smith apple, lemon zest chalky. Relly good if young. B+/A-
1995 Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile Riesling magnum Some light seepage, but this was just fine. Lemon, petrol, crisp apple, rocks, and a bit more petrol. Some felt it needed more fruit, but for me this is classic CFE drinking in a very good place from magnum. A-2018 Merkelbach Urziger Wurzgarten Urgluck Auslese Rich and creamy yet simultaneously bright, really good stuff. A-/B+
1984 Laurel Glen Cabernet Sauvignon Best of the Laurel Glen flight, actually best LG I?ve ever had, and my WOTN. Red fruits, cigarbox,, mint meets menthol, complex and long. A-/A1985 Laurel Glen Cabernet Sauvignon Solid, mature, darker fruit, some herbs. B
1994 Laurel Glen Cabernet Sauvignon Cassis, anise, still some tannin. Very good. B+/B 1992 Ravenswood Zinfandel (I think the regular Sonoma). Brambly red fruit, spicy note, good with the duck. B+ 2003 Baudry "Grezeaux" Chinon magnum While I mostly avoid European ?03s, Loire reds are the sweetspot, Balanced red fruits, just a hint of CF green pepper, smooth finish. B+2008 Doyard Blanc des Blancs Extra Brut Impressive, but for me not delicious., Toasty/briochy, large framed, for people who groove on Krug. B- for me
1993 Robert Arnoux Les Chaumes Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Bright ?93 acids, surprisingly dark plum fruit, spicy. No hurry here. B+1993 Drouhin Clos des Mouches Beaune 1er Black cherries, high acid but balanced, lacy texture, really drinking well. A-
2004 Jouan Clos St., Denis No greenie meanies, somewhat closed and tight (served a bit cold).2006 Patricia Green Etzel Block Pinot Noir magnum Something went very wrong here. VA meets bacteria. C-
1989 Soucherie ?Chaumes? Coteaux-du-Layon A bit lifted, sweetness more Spatlese/Auslese than dessert, wac and overripe apple. Disappointing for vintage. B/B-There were many offers of wines from the other tables (although some, like the SQN, might be considered threats). I turned down most, but tried a few including a 1996 Laurel Glen (similar to the ?94, though maybe a touch more mature) and a 1998 Araujo Eisele (less OTT than the other Araujo I had tasted, actually a little green/herby note, though not the Eisele I remember from Phelps days)
Whew, most wines in one night in a long while. Even with some spitting and dumping I walked home from train. Good company and great fun.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.