WTN: Champagnes, Burg and a d' Yquem

Dining at Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago has been on our bucket list for some time. Being that he is closing his doors in August we decided that now was an appropriate time to join some friends in in crossing it off. We decided to go ahead and BYO even though there is a hefty corkage fee.

The wines we enjoyed with dinner were:

1996 Palmes d’ Or Brut Cuvee Nicolas Feuillatte
Our contribution. Light straw yellow. Fine beads with limited percolation. Great nose of apples, caramel, and ginger. Citrus fruits, and lightly toasted bread on the palate. Super crisp with wonderful balance. Not quite as good as the ’96 Feuillatte PdO Rose that we tasted last year, but still a fantastic champagne.

1998 Dom Perignon
Just a bit darker yellow than the Feuillatte. An explosion of fast moving fine bubbles made the wine look as if it was going to boil out of the glass. Nose of canned meat and burnt toast. Lots of nuts and toast on the palate. A very intense and interesting champagne in a style that I struggle to appreciate.

2002 Faiveley Mazis-Chambertin
I decided to bring this wine after our recent fantastic experience with the ’02 Chambolle-Musigny. Sat in decanter for about one hour before serving. Dark blood red. Great burg nose of earth and cherry. Loads of tongue drying tannins which were a struggle to overlook. Very tart. After about 30 minutes in the glass with lots of swirling the wine began to loosen up and a nice dark cherry and raw meat character began to emerge. This was definitely infanticide. The sommelier said that this Mazis wines needs at least ten more years in the bottle. I guess that patience does pay.

1996 Chateau d’ Yquem
Decanted for about an hour per the Sommelier’s suggestion. There was so much going on with this wonderful wine that it is hard for me to put it into words. Dark yellow, with the viscosity apparent in the glass. Overwhelming nose of Silly-Putty, cinnamon, and honey. The mouth feel was silky smooth syrup. Super rich with notes of pineapple, honey, cinnamon, and floral perfume-like stuff on the palate. This truly was one amazing wine.

PS: The food at Trotter's was outstanding.

Hey Sam. The '96 d'Yquem is special - and I don't think it's even going to hit its peak for 10 more years. Just imagine . . . . !

Hi Ryan. The somm at Trotters told us that the '96 would continue to improve for at least the next 25 years, may continue to get better for the next 50 years, and would likely remain an exhilarating drink for the next 100 years. He insisted on decanting it due to its extreme youth at 16 years of age. Were that I could afford more of that fine juice.

Hi Ryan. The somm at Trotters told us that the '96 would continue to improve for at least the next 25 years, may continue to get better for the next 50 years, and would likely remain an exhilarating drink for the next 100 years. He insisted on decanting it due to its extreme youth at 16 years of age. Were that I could afford more of that fine juice.

I've got two half bottles of it!

I've got two half bottles of it!

You are a lucky man Ryan. Stash those bottles and forget about them for a couple of decades.