On Sunday I had the tremendous privilege to join @Mark_E & @MChang alongside Eileen Chang for a wonderful 4-hour edition of Supper Club. Mark & Michael did all the work organizing this one, so literally my only responsibility was to show up. We had a truly remarkable lineup of wines, and beautiful food pairings. It was such a lovely evening. And one of my very best dinners of the last few years.
Champagnes
Mark had this wonderful idea to compare some of the most unique terroirs of the 2006 vintage. The wines were very special. And the comparisons were really instructive. We had these poured simultaneously and then explored for a few hours. First with an opening Caviar, and then with a beautiful buttered crab. We also revisited as an amuse in between red courses.
2006 Bollinger Vielles Vignes Francaise Blanc de Noirs
An Absolute stunner of unique flavors. Flamboyant, was a word that came up around the table. Incredibly open & singing from the first pour with a kaliedoscope of jammy preserves on the nose and front palate. I picked up hints of Blackberry & Apricot. Then a wonderful balance into its luxuriant mousse & layers of finish. Eileen mentioned she picked up mid-palate notes of fish stock, which, once you heard it, made sense of those little nuances of herbs and subtle cream.
This was excellent with every sip, and the caviarâs punch was a particularly impressive pairing for the exotic luxury of this wine. I have to admit my total ignorance of the vineyards which made up this wine. Mark & Michael were very kind to go over the unique history of this wine with me. Namely that the grapes come from two particular walled clos of pinot noir on a hillside in Ay, and, most remarkably, they are the very last two plots of pre-phylloxera grapes in the entire growing region of Champagne. The most vielles of V.V.
An exceptionally unusual and rare bottle of Champagne. And absolutely on song. Mark had it as his wine of the night, and certainly it stands as possibly the most lovely Champagne I have had this year.
2006 Krug Clos de Mesnil Blancs de Blancs
I loved this wine, too. Just an enormous, powerful Krug of clean flavors & charisma. Aromatically, this shined from its early minutes. Mixture of Lemons and white fruits; very fresh fruited, with only hints of minerals. The freshess of this wine was a joy. Obviously it can sit a long time and improve, but this particular bottle unwound itself and evolved continuously as we drank it.
The buttered Crab was a particularly delightful paring, and the Mesnil embraced its mid-palate of Krug Brioche more and more as the night went on. I think the biggest joy was that this was a wine that did not have its acid out of balance. In other words, it was never a âbruiserâ to me at any stage, even with its immense size: Clean aromatics, an evolving mixture of minerals as the wine opened up, and the wine released on the finish. A true stunner in its own bold expressions. I think everyoneâs number 2, and it showed so well that it edged closer and closer to the Bollinger. This bottle, too, belonged in that special category of top-class Champagne.
2006 Salon Blancs de Blancs
My notes on Salon are getting increasingly more difficult to write. Principally because on the rare occasion when I get to taste one, there has always been another Champagne on song by comparison. And in this flight, two magnificent wines on song.
So, my note focuses on its specific, signature Salon texture, particularly on the mid-palate. But it was the most one-dimensional of the Champagnes. Obviously more age will help, but one canât help but hope & wonder for a better showcasing of the electricity available from the terroir. We shall see what the decades bring to it.
Burgundy
Michael came up with this sequence of Grand Crus. And they were truly stunning. Opened upon arrival, and served after two+ hours with no decant. We did the Clos de La Roche with its own course, which was a triumph of design given that wineâs unique characteristics. Followed by the two 2001 jewels with course number four.
1996 Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche
A joyous, rustic demonstration of Clos de la Roche. Mark arranged a perfect pairing of roast Squab with an onion & fig emulsion. Aromatically, this was such a joy to decipher & explore. Hints of roast duck, aged floral perfumes, some dark, brooding red fruits, and a significant array of spices. I picked up some licorice notes on the mid-palate, alongside some leather notes. The finish was very rustic, i.e. plenty of earthy grip rather than the soft finish of a luxurious cuvee.
Old School Clos de la Roche. We took our time with the aromatics and the juicy squab (I even specifically asked for a slow fire call for the following course), and yet, writing this note now: I wish weâd had even more time. Such a beautiful example of the Grand Cru. Less Silk, more leather. Wonderful array of aromatic character. A wine at its apex.
2001 DRC La Tache
I am simultaneously speechless & bursting with notes about this wine. I feel so privileged to have drank this in the perfect conditions. With ample time among great friends amidst tremendous conversation and a fantastic venison course with hints of middle eastern spices.
An utterly magical nose of fresh, young strawberries, hints of tea garden, and then a subtle under-layer of spicebox. The venison brought out this layer of spice superbly. Joyous in the glass, fantastic with the interaction with the venison. The style of Strawberry was just so perfect. Always fresh, not candied or pungent. And those little intricate hints of tea coursing through the fruit.
And then thereâs the finish. Huge energy and electricity, but utterly devoid of tannic bite or wrenching grip. Like energized velvet. An utter magic trick: To have the finish come alive and be so explosive and big, but utterly silky upon the actual swallow. To corral the energy so superbly.
This alignment of the hedonistic with such technical components of winemaking is so special. What came to mind on Mondayâs drive home was a musical analogy. Pretentious as it may be to spend a few hours searching for a poetic expression of this combination, I found myself thinking of a Paganini Caprice. The building of such tenacious energy in the bowing, the suggestion of overexuberance, and yet: perfectly in harmony & in control of its verve. (Embarrassed chuckle) Look, itâs not every day one gets 90 minutes with a gorgeous La Tache. Please allow me some license 
.
2001 Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze
My first time having this wine. Of any vintage. I found this remarkably light & silky. Iâm especially curious for Michaelâs thoughts given his deep experience with Rousseau and this vineyard. This was so subtle in its aromatics, and yet incredibly clean & perfect in its silky texture. Soft fruits and a touch of earth. But not leaping from the glass. A very meditative Beze.
On the mid-palate and in its finish is where I think this wine showed its elegance most. Utterly silky but with touches of grip. A beautiful, special mouthfeel. The balance & finish were the antithesis of the Clos de la Roche. Exceptionally rich and luxurious but with its own spices and deeper notes being subtle and wrapped in a soft blanket.
I found this in its own Goldilocks zone compared with its two tablemates. A unique showing without the flashy energy of the La Tache or the rustic traditionalism of the Clos de la Roche. Very subtle, and yet incredibly pure. A thoughtful, evocative wine. Somewhat shy, even.
Conclusion
We finished the evening with a gorgeous '01 Yquem & seared foie, but I wanted to focus on these six wines which made up the core of the evening. I spent many hours playing back their characteristics and signatures these last two days.
Iâm so grateful to have the chance to have these special wines with people who are so engaged with the world. Whether in sharing stories from our travels, stories of our families, and, yes, getting occasionally deep & exploratory in the details of the wines, all our conversation was so alive and vibrant. I am so lucky to join these evenings. Michael & Mark did incredible work crafting the perfect evening. And all the wines showed up.
Thank you 
