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A 1990 Dom Perignon that followed was tough to drink thereafter. It was pungent and grassy, and despite being very fresh and with a great finish, I wanted to go back to the Mercier. It ain’t easy to go young after you’ve gone old, at least for wine (92+).

A pair of Leflaives guided us off the runway beginning with the 1999 Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet. There was a big dose of sulfur at first, but behind that smoke, citrus and bright, fresh fruit. There was great game and spice to this buttered banana of a nose. The palate was big up front but surprisingly soft and tender on its finish. Etienne de Montille was with us for dinner, and he remarked that ‘1999 was not a great vintage for white. It lacks a little energy’ (93).

A 1996 Fleurot-Larose Montrachet was fruity and ‘cauliflower soup,’ per someone. It was pungent and unexciting, average at best (85).

A 2007 de Montille Puligny Montrachet Caillerets was a personal favorite of Wilf’s for ‘just drinking,’ and it had a great nose with caramel and butter toffee aromas. It was smooth and tasty, with full flavors and a full finish. Etienne is doing some special things these days, and is a winemaker to watch in Burgundy (92+).

It is still a red, red world, so we obliged with a 1989 Leroy Richebourg. The ’89 had a smoky, peaty nose with a touch of latex to its date and purple fruit aromas. Its flavors were light beef, big grape, dark fruit and black forest. ‘Rustic ratatouille’ wrapped up my notes for this excellent and big-boned red (93).

1989 DRC La Tache? Ok, why not. Any night where a bottle of La Tache is opened is officially special. Its nose was very perfumed and open, although there was some dirty underneath, one of the issues with ’89. The palate was much more expressive than the nose with its rich, meaty and earthy personality. Its finish was thick and showed me its peacock tail. Insert your own joke here (94).

The DRC parade continued with a 1986 DRC Romanee St. Vivant. 1986 has provided me some great surprises over the years at the top level; typically its reputation is hard, tannic, acidic and not a lot of fruit. The RSV was a little mildewy at first, but musk and cereal emerged along with dark fruit. There was this dirty side again to the ’86, but its palate and dry finish were impressive. It stood toe-to-toe with the La Tache (94).

We went back to Leroy with a 1978 Leroy Mazis Chambertin, which was a beauty. It was feminine and tender, some kind of wonderful with its pretty, smooth and satiny sides. Pure, fine, feminine again, that’s all she wrote (94).

1996 was the main event on this night, and DRC and Leroy went head to head again, beginning with a 1996 DRC La Tache. Its nose was intense, with all the screech of 1996, aka acidity. The inevitable mint and spice came second, along with cedar and green wood. The palate was finally starting to show some flesh and fruit; the knock on the vintage is the opposite. The great acidity of 1996 shone through, along with forward strawberry flavors. Jean-Marc Roulot found it ‘powerful yet elegant’ and preferred the LT to what followed (96).

So did I, but it was an ‘Any Given Sunday’ thing more than a ‘Smackdown.’ The 1996 Leroy Chambertin had everyone talking, from ‘more opulent’ to ‘masculine’ to ‘verve tannins.’ It was nutty, brothy, thick and creamy. 1996 is a vintage that plays into Leroy’s style well, although this was perhaps a bit too muscular and a touch stemmy if looking for flaws (95).

The 1996 Henri for Georges Jayer Echezeaux that followed was spectacular. I always find this wine (George’s bottling) to be one of the best values in finest and rarest Burgundy, because according to Martine Saunier, long-time importer, this was always the same wine as Henri, even when there were two labels, which there weren’t after some time in the early 1990s anyway. People pay so much more when George’s name isn’t on the label, but the smart money is on the Georges. The nose was full of that deep purple, Jayer fruit. The palate had unbridled power and breadth, with enough vitamin supplements for a pro-Football team. ‘Red twizzler’ came from the crowd for this bright and pleasure-giving red (96+).

I think I can, I think I can…as soon as I saw the 1962 Leroy La Romanee, I knew I could. Alexander the Great found ‘ash of the fire,’ and here was another great nose, with red fruit, dust, zip and tender earth. The palate was milky and tender, round and lush. As my beautiful, 2-year old daughter Katerina might say, ‘Duhlishussss’ (95).

By now, we were all up and about, stumbling, some bumbling. Wild Bill, one of San Francisco’s local wine sheriffs, had a bottle of 1998 DRC Montrachet in his hand, ready to fire. I referenced this bottle in the Nomadness article; a bottle of this a month definitely keeps the doctor away. This bottle was Botrytis City, which felt like a block away from Alphabet City with much higher rent. It wasn’t too far over the top despite its honeyed and Caramelo Anthony sweetness. It tasted great and was more filling with its coconut cream flavors (95).

That was enough for me for night number two, as there was still one more night left, the grandest of them all.