So yesterday Betsy went to work, I did some errands, then prepared to take train into city. I opened a 1983 Leoville-Poyferre, and was worried that I got some TCA as I opened. But it seemed to blow off as I decanted, the wine was rather tight and brooding as I put back in bottle, but I felt ok re wine. I grabbed a Trimbach Gewurz and headed to the train. Took a subway to Lincoln Center, met Betsy at stage door. We took a leisurely walk through Central Park (caught the Delacorte clock's 5 PM show), and eventually arrived for our early reservation at Park Avenue Cafe.
Bob Ross, Jay Miller, Robin Garr, and Mary (Johnson?) arrived shortly thereafter, and we had a nice dinner with some nice wines:
1988 Bollinger R. D. Champagne Certainly a well-made wine, but further evidence to me that I'm happier with Champagne young (and in the lighter house styles). This seems ponderous and heavy to me (for me this is Ab not Fab), and the oxidative notes detract. C+ from me, but Bollys/Krug fans would rate higher, this is preference not quality issues.
1998 Trimbach "Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre" Gewürztraminer Pleasanty pungent nose, with flowers and litchi. Minerality and a litte herb on the finish. Tiny hint of RS. Excellent acidity for Gewurz (obviously a Gewurz is never going to be zippy, all I actually hope for is "not flabby", this has a pretty good verve to it), even after it warmed a bit. B+/A-
1986 Nikolaihof "Honifogl" Gruner Veltliner This had softer acidity that I expected, but was really quite nice. Opened with a green pea/peach nose, became more slate/mineral-driven with air. My initial impression was I liked more than its brother wine, a 1986 Nikolaihof Riesling that Jay had previously shared. There's a little white pepper , too. Revisited at end it was just too warm to see any evolution, just seemed fat and tired. B+
1973 Trimbach Clos Ste. Hune Riesling The problem with high expectations is there's no upside- or so I thought. I tried to keep my expectations in check, but no matter what this wine could meet those expectations! Fragrant petrolly nose, with layers of rocks, smoke, green apple, and grapefruit. Light but with a sense of strength, Jay uses the word "perfect" and I find nothing there to argue with. Revisited towards end of night it was fading a bit, but still very pleasant. Thanks Bob, this gets a solid A.
2000 Drouhin "Baudes" Chambolle-Musigny 1er Very pretty, and quite accessible. Pure black & red cherry fruit, a little earth and mushroom. Clean, pure, pleasurable. A-/B+
1983 Leoville Poyferre (St Julien) Damn. I (re)pull cork on this, get some cardboard. Pour a little, maybe it's ok pass it around. Swirl a bit, assaulted by damp cardboard. Should have gone with my initial impression and opened the backup bottle when I decanted. Did I say damn?
1995 Lafarge Clos des Chenes Volnay 1er Tight, hard, and tannic at first. Needs time. Some frantic swirling eventually coaxes out some black raspberry and cherry fruit. High in acid, I'd put these away for a long time. For now, B/B+
2000 Joliet "Clos de la Perrière" (Monopole) Fixin 1er I was very interested to try this, a producer I had not run across before. A little rustic, and quite tight at first. More structured than I expected. Opened towards end with some wild strawberries. This gets a B/B- last night, but probably is a better wine than that- last sip was definitely the best.
Nice lineup, but the people were even better than the Clos Ste. Hune.
A few random thoughts: Betsy's short ribs were quite excellent, my duck breast was overdone for my tastes. The accompanying duck ravioli was excellent, however. Nice sides of spinach and brussels sprouts, but I found the mushrooms a tad characterless. Desserts seemed to be big hits (Betsy had to leave early for a La Boheme, I carried her a strudel home, which she quite enjoyed at midnight).
Sometimes I try not to rock the boat. Last night I wished I had. As they were pouring the Champagne, the waiter suggested the plateau fruits de mer. I thought about questioning the cost, but didn't, as several people said that sounded good. It was good- lobster, oysters, clams, shrimp. But when bill came we basically paid 2-3X what we would have paid for individual appetizers. My personal vow is to never again order any special or waiter suggestion without questioning the cost.
One good thing about Park Avenue Cafe's corkage policy (no corkage if not on their list) is that they told Jay upfront that a $10/bottle gratuity for the waitstaff would be appreciated/expected. That's a nice solution to an issue that can perplex.
We had an interesting discussion over why one feels bad for bringing a corked or otherwise defective wine- afterall, I neither made the Poyferre nor its cork. My conclusion is simply that one is bringing gifts to share with one's friends, and wants to contribute. It's not competition, just doing ones part.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. 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