Champagne and Burg Dinner: 96 Dom Perignon, 96 Dom Perignon Rose, 1991 H. Lignier Clos de la Roche
So great to have these three show incredibly well at a sushi dinner at 15 East. I’ve had great experiences with the 1993 Lignier wines but never had a chance to taste any of the ‘91s. We paired each wine with what we thought was an appropriate flight of sushi. Blanc with Hamachi, kinmedai, akamutsu, and a few salmons. Rose with variations of fattier Japanese tuna. We opened the red with tea-smoked Kurobuta pork belly, wagyu gyozas, and koji marinated black cod. The smoky tea elements in the pork went fantastically with similar notes in the Lignier. Stunning all around. Tried to also get into a 96 Oeno but didn’t open it though the picture shows all three. Next time.
1996 Dom Perignon: This wine has so much concentration, power, and richness right now. Lemon curd and yellow apple as well as very eggy brioche notes. Incredibly textural and nearly chewy on the palate with ample acidity to cut through it all. This wine is singing right now.
1996 Dom Perignon Rose: Super racy on the nose giving way to lots of strawberry, blood orange, and more minerality than the blanc. Drinks more youthful than the blanc. The amount of structure and power this wine shows makes me feel it will really age well.
1991 Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche: This wine blossoms in the glass and only got better with more air— could have even decanted. There’s great depth and intensity here: pure black fruit, sous bois, hoisin, soy, tea, and loads of spice. The nose leans rustic but the wine overall is all finesse with that perfect acidity that so many ‘91s have. Perfect for now and probably will last a lot longer.
