Now I wish I'd tried the Bouchard Chevalier-Montrachet as there is a question about which one Nathan liked (see his notes 8@Vin)
I had the parmesan creme brulee (espresso cup size) without the Champagne.
With the citrus-cured Atlantic char and potato latke (I've had latke twice now during Hannukah) I was sipping the 1997 JEAN-NOEL GAGNARD BATARD-MONTRACHET. It was a burnished gold color with a mature toasty scent but tropical as well (Dale Williams mentioned the tropical aspect of Gagnard wines.) Rich pineapple on the palate. Chewy quality over the lower part of mouth and tongue. Evidence of high-quality oak barrels. Viscosity (is there a "u" after the "o"?) is displayed in vertical lines rather than rounded droplets. A touch of butterscotch toffee. I don't think it's flawed or oxidized but probably mature. Unfortunately, I lack experience with older white Burgs (other than one vertical of Montrachet and Corton Charlemagne at a Nantucket Wine Festival) so I'm no real judge of whether this wine was oxidized or just nicely maturing. I loved it. Maybe I'm in the Jay Miller cult of liking oxidized white Burgundies. Will have to ask Chrish Peel if he had the Batard-Montrachet and his thoughts. He was at Enoteca Vin that evening but I only spoke to him as I was leaving. At any rate I really liked this wine. (Returning to the remnants after the red wines, I picked up a banana taste I didn't like.)
I had two red Burgundies with the wild mushroom risotto. The Livera Chapelle-Chambertin had disappeared from the list, but I had the 1997 SERAFIN PERE ET FILS CHARMES-CHAMBERTIN and the 1998 LOUIS JADOT LE MUSIGNY. To my surprise, I prefered the Charmes-Chambertin to the Le Musigny. Maybe the Le Musigny was immature or caught in an awkward phase but I liked a Digioia-Royer Chambolle Musigny better than this Grand Cru. Both wines had a similar burgundy color. The SERAFIN CHARMES-CHAMBERTIN definitely had cherries on the nose but also subtle violets and sous bois. The cherry flavor adapted to the wild mushroom risotto by picking up a delicate truffle element. The oak appeared well integrated but may contribute to the mouth presence. When held in the mouth for a moment or two, I got a slightly fuzzy/furry but attractive sensation. This paired very nicely with the risotto.
The LOUIS JADOT MUSIGNY evinced cherries on the nose and palate without the sous bois. Medium-length finish. It did not take on the truffle character with the risotto but retained its own character. Some spiciness emerges on the finish and also a little heat when held in the mouth for an extended time. It was dainty and silky except when held on the palate for an extended time. The fruit seemed to emerge more by the end of the meal.
With the braised short rib with potato gnocchi and red cabbage (couldn't eat too much of this) I had the server bring out the remaining two red wines--1998 ARTADI RIOJA "GRANDES ANADOS" and 1998 DOMAINE LE VIELLE JULIENNE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE V.V. Both of these wines were darker and denser than the Burgundies as one might expect. I had been told that Artadi uses a modern style and I was afraid that might mean too much oak, but I really enjoyed the Spanish wine. It conveyed dark berry flavors with a long finish. I felt it was slightly better suited to the shortrib with red cabbage than the CdP but not as smooth a match as the two Clos Vougeots I sampled at Vin in November. The Artadi drank smoothly and tasted quite fruity and concentrated. It was also better with the cheese course (Essex Street Cheese Company hand selected Comte) than the CdP. I felt the cheese paired best with the Rioja and second best with the Le Musigny.
The 1998 DOMAINE LA VIELLE JULIENNE CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE VIELLES VIGNES was a nice blended wine that maybe was opened too early. No one component stood out for me. More development to come?
For dessert I had the vanilla panna cotta with spiced clementines rather than the flourless chocolate torte with huckleberries. Again, I didn't try to finish the course.
My favorites were the Charmes-Chambertin, the Batard-Montrachet and the Grandes Anados.