Hit Cru last night. Been a while and it did not dissapoint. Started off with the 1993 Carillon Bienvenue Batard Montrachet which was an incredible wines and really turns up the volume for me as to how good the '93 vintage can be for whites. Muted aromatically at first but with beautiful precision and detail on the palate. Still a bit cold though with some pretty perky acidiy. But as this warmed up the wine really turned a corner. The nose grew more complex with many white flowers and green apple fruit and extraordinary minerality. The palate came together with beautiful symmetry, great elegance and sappy fruit. This was all interwoven on a bed of minerality with perfect balancing acidity. The fruit/acid/mineral balance was jaw-dropping and the length was exceptional. This stood up to many of our courses but went excellent with the Nantucket scallops, some of the amuse bouches and the dishes with heavier sauces. Stunning white burg that I will be eager to try with more bottle age on it. Love Pernot but this was on another level.
Next up we asked sommelier Robert Bohr what the best Dujac on the list was. Without missing a beat he said the 1985 Dujac Gevrey-Chambertin "Aux Combottes". So we order it with a touch of hesitation. Not doubting Robert in any way but more questionable of the vintage character. '85's can be a touch too soft. Well as soon as this was poured and sipped by us we knew that this was the '85 for us. Oh yeah the other guy at the dinner was fellow BB'er Josh Wertlieb. Absolutely riveting nose of exotic spice, nuttiness, bright red fruits and sous-bois. Penetrating aromas of great complexity that evolved over the night. There was a new nuance every time I stuck my nose in the very big glass (Riedel Sommelier Burgundy glasses.) Great glasses but felt a litle bit like a character in Alice in Wonderland drinking from these. The palate was incredibly lacey with bright red fruits and wonderful lifting acidity. Great mix of complexity/earthiness and sweet sappy fruit. Still structured to a T. Long finish and incredibly versatile with the food. Married well with the pasta with white truffles and the langoustine. Long finish. Truly ethereal wine.
The next wine was somewhat controversial. It was 1990 Lafarge Volnay "Clos des Chenes". While there has been alot of talk about roasted and over-fruity 1990's this really fit the bill. This was not lacey and a bit foursquare and chunky. The nose smelled overripe of macerated cherries with not much else. This did not display much of that Volnay elegance that I have come to expect and seemed clumsy. Oh well 2 out of three ain't bad. Great dinner. The food was excellent less the hazelnut-lamb dish which was way too hazelnutty. The wine service as usual was exceptional with Mr. Bohr doing an excellent job.