Dinner at Corduroy D.C.

What a nice restaurant - the food and company were great this past Saturday night! The wines = not to shabby . It was great to see Keith L. and Amy R. again - thx for getting the rezzie Ken! There were x6 of us for dinner… I jotted down my thoughts the night of and the next morning when given time.

NV Coessens Champagne Rosé de Saignée Largillier: I nice crisp savory rose - perfectly quenches your thirst like an ice cold beer on a warm humid day (last Saturday was like this in D.C. :p). Definitely on the lighter side of the rose champs spectrum with flashes of cold cherry and strawberry fruit - tight bubbles and adequate acidity.

Cédric Bouchard Champagne Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs La Parcelle (Avril 2010 / V 03): This got chilled down quick once we got there. I wrote down that this started with a nice crisp toast component that really melded well with the effervesce. Lime zest and brioche - flashes of more citrus fruits throughout. Kelly and I liked it.

1989 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Le Haut-Lieu: This started out a wee bit shy and blossomed as it sat in the glass - still wanted more which alluded me as I saved some till the end. Touches of honey and perfume stuck out as everyone talked about the wine… A lovely wine that gave as much as it could.

2000 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux: Lovely stuff here - the '00 Raveneau wines are top notch. Floral citrus notes, touches of golden waxy orchard fruits, lovely piercing acidity - spring breeze. Loved it!

2010 Domaine Jacques Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champs Canet: A bit of sulfur on the nose to start which blew off with time - saved a bit of this for the end of the dinner. I liked this more than most and remember tasting it at the winery with Jacques back a couple of years ago. Stone fruits and touches of minerals buttress a lovely mix of cold orchard fruits and savory acidity. Not a blockbuster for sure but still lovely!

1993 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne: A broad shouldered white burg here that definitely is >20yrs old. Creamy fruit that was very pleasing to the senses but just didn’t have it on the finish. The complete package is lacking a bit if I had anything to complain about - and - I’m not complaining . Still left me wanting a better performance from this bottle!

1978 Georges Lignier et Fils Clos St. Denis: This one really grew on me as it sat in the glass. Earthy components throughout - the most Gevrey wine for sure if one was trying to find where it’s from. Dark fruits and a savory personality predominate which was completely satisfying to me!!
1978 Pierre Ponnelle Corton-Clos du Roi: A perfectly aged old burgundy - savory secondary fruit - touches of cold minerals and tea, savory cherry fruit, and undergrowth. An older wine that really shows well and satisfies - loved it!

2000 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses: I think I liked this one a bit better than some. I noted a touch of smoke and deep cherry/black strawberry fruit here which serves as a good core for this wine. Medium weight wine that seemed to tighten up a bit on the finish - this made it hard to read. Anywho, liked it a lot and so did Kelly !

1993 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges: This was very good after it got some much needed air. A big wine for sure but there was plenty of airy notes of structured cherry and other dense dark berries. There is still lovely levels of acidity and minerality here that bodes well for the future- just wait.

2006 Domaine Fourrier Griotte-Chambertin Vieille Vigne: Really nice showing for this - drinks just fine now like several '06s I’ve had from Fourrier. Big structure but lots going on which was the mantra repeated by several at the table. I loved it for the balanced density that the house style imparts - lovely stuff and can’t wait to try it again with several more years on it.

Mystery wine - blind. 2001 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Romanée St. Vivant: This was fun! This was impressive to me and to all the others at the table. Lovely texture to this wine even though one couldn’t get the full effect of Vosne from the nose and palate - yet. Grand Cru complexity here - long and palate extending in the mouth. Loved it!

Lovely dinner, great company, and fabulous wines! DC has it all.

Sorry to miss this. Sounds like a fantastic dinner Jon.

Terrific meal. Not a shabby batch of wines at all but the food really stole the show. Some of the dishes were *** quality. My notes on the wines are pretty similar, though I found the Fourrier much tougher to read. The Raveneau and the Cedric Bouchard were the only whites that really did it for me - the Huet has been better in the past, the Corton Charlemagne was long in the tooth. I really liked the Puligny but it’s hard to have young next to age especially with that big thwack of sulfur. That may have stacked the deck against the Fourrier and Mugnier too. On the other hand, the mystery wine was very impressive!

Love, love , love C Bouchard. And it has been way too long since I was last at Corduroy. Have to fix that. Thanks for the notes

Had a great dinner at Corduroy in March. Excellent food, ambience and service. We were among the last to be served, and offered a taste of our wine to our server. He really enjoyed it, and shortly thereafter (with our permission), the chef was at our table for a sample, which he loved as well. The staff is very passionate about wine.

I have dined at Corduroy two or three times. I know at least once was in the previous location and I loved the atmosphere/ambience of the former restaurant–really comfortable furniture. The food has been good on all visits.

Love Corduroy. We’re in town for the weekend and thought we might dine there tonight. The rest of the fam wants to try Central though, so off we go. Got the 08 'crow in hand.

The $30 3 course menu served at the bar upstairs is one of the great dining deals in DC. Tom Power makes the best soups. I was in on Wednesday and had the red snapper bisque, pork loin with braised kale, and sorbets. Tom also had the kitchen do an extra off-menu dish of fettuccini with crab and asparagus for me. One of the better (and better priced) wine lists in town. He’s well known for digging up gems from close-outs, etc. I think that I probably went through a case of the JL Chave “Offerus” before the stock ran out.

Full disclosure - I’ve known and been friends with Tom for a long time.

Yes - ramp soup was out of this world.

Big fan of Corduroy, especially since it’s only a few blocks away and next to my dog daycare. Went to a Littorai dinner there last year as well. Very impressed.

OMG - yes, the mystery wine that everyone knew was burgundy but couldn’t get the village right . Fixing this now in the OP… It was great meeting up with you again Keith and can’t wait until next time!

Missed you Don! We now know what we’ll be cracking though next time we’re both in D.C. together .

Yes - that ramp soup was Off the Charts good. Probably used some of the lobster shell also while cooking it! Yummy.

Hands down the best dinner in DC, for me, from an admittedly small sample. But I travel there once or twice a year and have for maybe 8 years, and this is where I would go again in a heartbeat. Food, ambiance, wine service, clientele. Sign me up !

Big fan of Corduroy. We travel to D.C every Dec. and Corduroy is always a highlight. As Merrill states, everything is first class. Plus, the prices are reasonable.

Big fan of Corduroy as well. What did they do for corkage?

Group price I believe . Very good service overall and can’t wait to go back at some point!

Had a wonderful dinner there in the fall, but we weren’t informed of their one-bottle-per-table corkage limit despite a call to check ahead of time. The best part was the snooty somm telling us that it was a DC law!

Merrill, wondering if you have ever dined at Nora’s on Florida Avenue NW? That is another favorite restaurant for me in DC and has many organic food items on the menu. I’m really happy when the duck breast is on the menu–some of the best I’ve ever had. They also have a nice wine selection and have hunted out a half bottle of red Burgundy for me when I was dining alone. One time the table next to me was occupied by a professional polo player from South Africa who was celebrating his engagement that day. I told the waiter and they brought out a gratuitous bottle of Champagne.

The only good part about this is that they are the largest holders of Comte Liger-Belair in DC. Also I heard they have Cathiard for ridiculous prices.
There are options even if you don’t pack your own.