Hurricane Sandy Charity Dinner at The Modern

9 West 53rd Street

New York, NY 10019

(212) 333-1220

Wines:

2002	Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises	98
2004	Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises	90
1982	Krug Vintage (Magnum)	98
1982	Dom Pérignon (Magnum)	97
2000	Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet	95
2000	Domaine de la Romanée Conti Montrachet	96
1990	Domaine Dujac Bonnes Mares	97
1993	Domaine Dujac Bonnes Mares	98
1947	Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino	95
1955	Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino	96
1961	Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino	95
1971	Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino	99
1978	Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino	100
1982	Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino	97
1990	Soldera Case Basse Brunello di Montalcino	97
1990	Soldera Case Basse Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	100

Food:

Caviar Beggar’s Purse with Gold Leaf and Lime

Crispy Shrimp with Lemongrass Dipping Sauce

Yellow Fin Tuna Tartare wrapped in Cucumber and Shiso White Truffle Toast

Hamachi, Black Truffle and Foie Gras Millefeuille, Truffle Vinaigrette

Sturgeon and Sauerkraut Tart, American Caviar Mousseline and Applewood Smoke

Roasted Maine Lobster, Kohlrabi Purée, and Jamón Emulsion

Chestnut Fettuccine with Poached Egg and Truffles

Squab and Foie Gras Croustillant, Caramelized Ginger Jus, and Farm Vegetables

Roasted Mangalitsa Pork, Sopressata “Ravioli,” Marcona Almond, and Blackberry Gastrique

Comte with Walnuts and Hazelnut Oil

Apple Strudel with Prune Armagnac Ice Cream

Truffle Assortment and Marron Glace

Like many New Yorkers, I was deeply affected by Hurricane Sandy, although not to the extent of the millions of people who had their lives turned upside down by the sheer devastation caused by the storm. I was thrilled and honored when Danny Meyer and John Ragan asked me to host a charity dinner as part of their auction to support the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. Meyer and Ragan raised over $250,000 for Hurricane Sandy victims through their enormous passion and dedication.

I thought it would be fun to do something different, so this charity lot included a private tour of several galleries at the Museum of Modern Art, followed by dinner at The Modern. Executive Chef Gabriel Kreuther prepared a menu full of his signature Alsatian-inspired dishes to pair with our wines. The Sturgeon and Sauerkraut Tart, Chestnut Fettucine with Poached Egg and Truffles and Brandt Family Farm Beef Skirt Steak were among the many highlights. Readers who want to learn more about the charity and some of the wines might enjoy this short video I shot with Ragan in The Modern’s cellar just before dinner.

The table is set

We start with a side-by-side comparison of Bollinger’s 2002 and 2004 Vieilles Vignes Françaises, one of my favorite Champagnes. The 2002 is spectacular, as it always is. Rich, warm and resonant, the 2002 covers the palate with seemingly endless layers of burnished, honeyed fruit and the most finessed, subtle mousse imaginable. I don’t see the 2002 making old bones, but it is flat-out great tonight. The 2004, on the other hand, is disappointing. More advanced in its flavors and with quite a bit less structure than the 2002, the 2004 is already maturing and needs to be enjoyed sooner rather than later.

Next it’s time to see some of the galleries upstairs at the MOMA. I have to say, walking through the galleries with no one else around is an incredible privilege. We spent most our time looking at works by Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, two of my personal favorites. The total silence in the gallery makes it possible to get totally lost in these canvases.

Both 1982 Champagnes are utterly spellbinding. It is amazing to taste these wines at 30 years of age and see that their signatures are all very much intact. Of course, the magnum format is so ideal for Champagne. The 1982 Krug Vintage is warm, toasty and totally expressive, with gorgeous exotic orange peel and white truffle overtones. This is one of my very favorite Krug vintages. Although fully mature, the 1982 is going to continue to develop at a glacial pace. The 1982 Dom Pérignon is just a little more focused and vibrant in style. Here it is the wine’s salivating minerality that really sings. It, too, is quite youthful and vibrant for its age. What a flight.

Is there anything better than fine, aged white Burgundy? What a treat it is to taste these two spectacular wines. Domaine Leflaive’s 2000 Chevalier-Montrachet is wonderfully aromatic, lifted and precise. The texture is that of an aged wine, but the flavors remain so bright and vibrant. Subtle and layered to the core, the 2000 Chevalier is simply stunning. Hints of almond, pear, apple and white flowers linger on the celestial finish. Domaine de la Romanée Conti’s 2000 Montrachet takes us into the stratosphere. Here the flavors are deeper, richer and bolder, but still very much fresh and vibrant. Readers who own the 2000 should not be in a hurry, the wine will drink well for many years. Subtle botrytised notes are just beginning to appear in this gorgeous, utterly compelling Montrachet.

Champagne and white Burgundy; what’s not to love?

The two wines from Domaine Dujac alone would have made for a magnificent evening. What a flight. The 1990 Bonnes Mares is flashy, ripe and totally seductive. The flavors are silky, racy and impeccably balanced. Today, the 1990 is firing on all cylinders, its obvious ripeness, very nicely balanced by bright acidity and plenty of structure. I much prefer the 1990 Bonnes Mares to the Clos la Roche, which I tasted a few weeks ago. The 1993 Bonnes Mares is initially quite firm, but then after an hour or so it transforms into an electric Burgundy of simply extraordinary finesse and complexity. The aromatics are more floral, lifted and savory than in the 1990. Everything is simply in the right place. The 1990 will continue to drink well for many years, although I am not sure it will necessarily improve. The 1993, on the other hand, appears to still be acquiring complexity. What a magical bottle of wine it is!

What follows is easily the greatest collection of Monfortinos I have ever tasted. All six wines are off the charts. Pre-1970s Conterno Barolos are nearly impossible to find in good shape, so the first three wines were especially amazing. Conterno’s 1947 Barolo Riserva Monfortino takes a little bit of time to open up. Iron, smoke, intense red fruits and a host of ferrous notes. I have not had a lot of good luck with Monfortinos from the 1940s, but this bottle is superb. The flavors are intense and earthy in a virile Monfortino that delivers the goods, and then some. What a bottle. The 1955 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is pure silk on the palate. Perfumed, gracious and beautifully lifted, the 1955 is as feminine as Monfortino gets. Hints of orange peel, spices and sweet tobacco linger on the close. The 1955 is tough to follow, but the 1961 Monfortino proves up to the task. Here it is the wine’s pure textural finesse and inner sweetness that dazzle most of all. In this flight, the 1947 and 1955 got better with air, while the 1961 was at its most beautiful early on.

Six magnificent Monfortinos spanning five decades

As good as the older wines are, the 1971 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is just insanely beautiful. Still deeply colored and intense to the core, the 1971 delivers a classic Monfortino experience. Layers of dark, mineral-infused fruit flow across the palate in a deep, muscular Monfortino endowed with stunning depth. The 1971 shows why it is one of the all-time greats. This is a mind-blowing bottle.  The 1982 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is layered, perfumed and pretty seductive, it is also the most open of the three Barolos in this flight. I have always adored the 1982, but in this flight, its place in history is pretty evident. What a thrill it is to drink the 1978 Monfortino. This is my last bottle, and I can’t think of a better occasion to enjoy it. The 1978 has everything; expressive aromatics, deep, resonant fruit, and the structure to age well for another 20 years, perhaps more. Waves of black fruit, balsamic-inflected spices and minerals stain the palate on the endless finish. The 1978 Monfortino is an iconic wine, and this bottle is off the charts.

Can things get even better? Yes. I haven’t tasted Soldera’s two 1990 Brunellos side by side in years. The 1990 Brunello di Montalcino, from my cellar, is extraordinary. I tasted the wine alone, I would say it is the single greatest Brunello I have ever had. The fruit is so dense, vibrant, pure and layered. Wow. But then the 1990 Riserva arrives and we are transported into another world. A dazzling, voluptuous, full-bodied wine, the 1990 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is simply breathtaking. I have had the privilege – and it is a privilege – to drink the 1990 Riserva four of five times over the last few years and it has never been less than spellbinding. This is quite possible the very best bottle I have ever encountered.

Gianfranco Soldera’s 1990 Brunellos side-by-side

It’s a shame when evenings like this have to end, but the memories last forever. I am deeply indebted to the wine lovers who bought this lot and shared precious wines from their cellars, and to Danny Meyer, John Ragan, Gabriel Kreuther and the entire Union Square Hospitality Group for hosting a magnificent, truly once in a lifetime dinner.

-- Antonio Galloni