That’s what I have tried to do, live wine and love wine, and Champagne is always a good place to start. And so we began with a spectacular 1947 Krug Collection magnum. There were only four possible people in the world that would have brought this out of magnum, and Wolfgang was still in Europe. Three of the others were at this dinner, but Big Boy will get the credit. What an incredible magnum this was, possessing a great nose full of creamy vanilla fruit and sex. The King of Champagne (one of Big Boy’s many aliases) was already finding ‘tertiary’ aromas. This was a rich, long, round and delicious magnum, with just enough fizz to make it more interesting than the most interesting man in the world. I mean, obviously the guy would drink fine wine, right? The bar had been set high, early (98M).

The 1966 Bollinger came close to the ’61. It was rich and full with more orange flavors, but it didn’t quite have the length or acid of the ’66. It was still outstanding (95).

We segued to the reds with a couple of white magnums, thanks to Big Mike and The Punisher, in that order. These two whites made me wish more people brought white wines to events, it’s ok . Especially when the whites are like a magnum of 1949 Haut Brion Blanc…f*ck me very much, talk about rare. This was a combination of bloody rare and crime scene bloody. ‘Christmas tree’ came from the crowd. Sir Robert Bohr found it ‘waxy with lanolin.’ There was this cray cray glue-like complexity to the nose, and a ‘wow how you like me now?’ oomph to the palate. It was full of honey flavors, in a perfect spot. It was like this insane mix of potpourri and a Rocky Mountain high. Lady Agah noted, ‘little Japanese white mushrooms,’ you know, those emoji lol. It was still so sweet and so great, Big Boy contributed ‘apricots’ while another ‘white pineapple’ (97M).

The Red Burgundies on this night were not so starry, beginning with an oxidized 1952 Vogue Musigny Vieilles Vignes. I could see how a good bottle would be great, but this wasn’t one of them (DQ).

A 1952 DRC Richebourg was a better showing for this secretly fabulous vintage for red Burgundy. The Riche had lots of red rover fruit and fresh garden aromas. It was round, lush and creamy with a softer finish yet long acid. It got better in the glass and was fuller than the 1940 La Tache that would follow. The ’52 DRC got ‘The Empty Glass Toast’ from La Machina, formerly known as The Cardinal, but we’ll get to that a bit later. (94).

The 1928 Haut Brion that followed was a bit controversial, good at first revealing signature coffee and espresso in the nose, but turning quickly sour on the palate to the point of (DQ).

Our first Right Banker was a solid 1952 Cheval Blanc. It had a great nose, full of rich spice and decidedly different. It felt heavy in a loading up for winter way, dark red in hue. Its palate was softer and easier, round with some vim. There was still some oily, meaty and gamey goodness in this tasty wine (94).

It was another winning showing for La Miss with the paired 1952 La Mission Haut Brion. Its nose was great, with lots of asphalt melting out of it. This was another rich and tasty wine that was big and black with its midnight fruit. There was hot summer sweat here, even though it was the heart of December (95).

We were almost finished with the Bordeaux, but we had to have a couple ’61s to close. 1928-1961 is a pretty good lesson when it comes to Bordeaux, and the 1961 Haut Brion was up for the final chapter. Its nose was full of slate and meaty fruit, along with tobacco, forest and mint. Its palate was also minty, and it had some good horsey to it. This was a bottle reconditioned in 1980 or 1982, I couldn’t quite read it. This was a long, smooth and satiny wine (96).

Everyone started to stumble out one by one, but those of us that were left were treated to a perfect bottle of 1979 Salon thanks to Bad Boy. That’s what we call ‘and one’ (97).

It was the happiest of holiday parties. 2014 was starting to feel pretty good.

Every year, we here at Acker have a fun, holiday tradition – a BYO party at The Tribeca Grill where over 100 people get together and share bottles from their cellars. It is an evening that underscores the essence of wine itself – sharing and love. It is also an evening that can get a bit out of control, as there can be a dizzying amount of wines in the room, not only moving around at any given table, but also moving around the room with their owners. It is always an amazing, random mix of so many great wines, a kinetic winergy rarely equaled.

Last year, somehow the schedule got messed up, and I could not attend. I was determined not to miss it two years in a row, and I flew back from Hong Kong just to make it in time to step off a plane, sleep for four hours, and wake up for dinner. It was worth the effort. Perhaps the jet lag got the best of me, as my record # of tasting notes for this event was 52 this year I had only 26, but what a 26 they were.

It began innocently enough with a 2008 Sauzet Chevalier Montrachet. 2008 White Burgs can be ripe and rich, and this had some yeasty, sweet fruit and a round finish. I wanted a little more out of this wine, which felt a little simple by the usual Sauzet and Chevalier standards (92).

I couldn’t ask for anything more from the 2000 Coche-Dury Meursault Perrieres. What a wine. This was fabulous from first sniff, full and quite rich for 2000. It had signature white fruits and that Coche kink, and it still felt young and ascending. This was a monumental expression of Chardonnay (96).

That was it for the whites yes, it is still a red, red world, although I am a big consumer of white wines personally. We began with Bordeaux a debate would ensue the next night about Bordeaux before Burgundy or Burgundy before Bordeaux, but on this night we went South to North. A 1949 Lafite Rothschild was a little weedy and musty but classic underneath. It was a gentle giant with classic pencil aromas and tender tea flavors. This was a wine enjoying its retirement, although affected by the cork (93A).

A shot of 1990 Vogue Musigny Vieilles Vignes quickly interrupted the Bordeaux courtesy of the Rapmaster, and this was better than usual. This has been a controversial wine for a while now, often coming across stewed, gamey and/or milky, but sometimes not. This was a solid wine, displaying some richness and robust qualities along with roasted red fruits. It was still a bit square and rugged, but I didn’t mind the flavor profile of this particular bottle. Perhaps this wine will always be a tale of two bottles (92).

A 1982 Margaux was classic all the way. It had really nice fruit with fifty shades of black and purple. While there was deep fruit, there was delicate spice and that typical Margaux seductiveness. Its palate was round and lush with nice tannins. This is still grace in a glass (95+).

The 1970 Petrus remains one of my favorite wines from this important Chateau. Why? Well, it’s a great vintage and it’s about the same price as the ‘lesser’ young vintages. The smart money that drinks will stick with the ’70, or other oldies of the sorts. The Petrus had rich fruit and a coconutty kink. This was meaty and chewy accordingly, a rich brew courtesy of some Pomerol witchcraft. Lush and complete, the ’70 sang like a baritone and stung like a bee (96).

A Holiday Flight

We finally made it to the red Burgundies it was a lot of work to get here, but we were primed and ready. The Copperhead signed, sealed and delivered with a 1990 Rousseau Chambertin. This was a ‘wow’ wine, possessing green bean goodness in its nose along with some wet bamboo. There were delicious and rich red fruit flavors that had that green, stalky goodness. The bamboo stayed and had no zled. This was a long, elegant yet substantial wine. Someone mentioned ‘Catherine Deneuve’ (97).

I brought a 1990 Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes. Why would I bring the 1990 Ponsot? Well, it happened to be the best bottle of Burgundy hanging out in the store, and I had just stepped off a 16-hour flight it was an easy decision. Unfortunately, it was slightly corked. If you could get past its corked qualities, there was a rich, beefy and saucy wine that was one of the most concentrated of the night. There were menthol and meat flavors, but this was definitely corked to the point where it was tough to continue. Someone mentioned ‘Brigitte Bardot.’ If I had to guestimate, I would put this wine in the (96A) category. It would definitely be outstanding were it not corked.

1990 Greatness

The 1993 Roumier Chambolle Musigny Amoureuses let me know that 1993s weren’t all shut down at the moment. This had a fantastic nose that was rich and much more complicated than either of the previous ’93s. This had juice that was loose, and it ‘KO’d the Bonne Mares,’ as one guest put it. Although it was clearly better on this night, I wasn’t 100% certain it was the better wine. This was rich, open and dare I say ready. For a 1993 red Burg, that’s almost an insult lol (97).

Seeing Double

I probably took a swallow of another 6-8 wines, but I stopped writing after two of them, an excellent, hearty and solid 1990 Faiveley Chambertin Clos de Beze (94) and a sweet, buttery and corny 2001 Ramonet Batard Montrachet (93).

That’s all folks!

The Ugly Aftermath

It’s tough to find a good bottle of Bordeaux in New York City…an open one, at least. Well, there just happens to be a few good Americans left that still love their Bordeaux…old and mature, of course. Thanks to The Mogul, who is probably atop the Bordeaux drinking charts in the USA, many of New York’s wine cognoscenti were reminded of just how good a great old Bordeaux can be, or visa versa.

True to form, The Mogul got up and excused himself from his own dinner, leaving us all in blissful shock and awe. He had another date after dinner. Actually, he had two.

I don’t really keep up with all the wines I drink. Not sure if that is a problem, I kind of look at it as a pleasure. Writing gives me joy, but sometimes joy is best kept behind closed doors lol. Not sure if I am getting wiser, but I am definitely getting older, but as long as there is wine on my dinner table, it’s all good.

So September saw me taking two trips to Asia in the same week. I am the worst travel agent, by the way. By the time I came back and gave birth to October’s HK sale, Fall was in full swing. Everyone was back in New York, and my first official week back had me seeing a few familiar faces such as The Don, The Rev, The Inspector and The Queen. Yes, if you don’t have a ‘The’ in front of your name, then you aren’t the one lol. I have a new one on the way, by the way, my fourth and final chapter. Thinking about naming him Kareem Abdul Kapon, has a nice ring to it.

The 2007 Lafon Meursault Perrieres was smooth and direct like NFL Sundays. It had clean fruit, white with a touch of yellow along diamonds and minerals. There was nice flex to its muscle in this cut and fit white (94).

A stellar bottle of 1986 Leflaive Bienvenues Batard Montrachet made one of my nights. It had just the right amount of sweetness, not over top like many siblings from the vintage, ‘deelish’ came to mind. This was an impressive and lingering ’86, still young and still tight, just how I like it (95).

A 1999 Roumier Bonnes Mares was another ballgame, delivering a game-winning hit. This was still young, hinting at its wealth, but it kept its wallet in its pocket. There were cascades of red, purple and black fruit but none on obvious display. It had flesh without being fleshy, and flavor without being fruity. Earth and cedar sprinted up and down its sidelines, trying to get in the game. I loved the wine, but it still felt way too soon (95).

We began with the Rhone, so let’s end with it. A 1995 Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape was a bit shut down, simpler than I expected, not the usual extrovert. It didn’t get better over a long evening, either. Hopefully this was just any given bottle or any given phase, it just wasn’t any giving wine on this night (92).

It was a busy week, indeed, although no Bordeaux, but The Mogul would take care of that rather quickly and in the finest of fashions…