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As we turn the page to Fall, I wanted to sneak in a quick, special evening I recently had in late August. I know, Rob, I never got to the Krug vertical amongst a dozen other special summer soirees. Catching up seems to be something perpetual in my world.

Summer evenings in the Hamptons are always special, even if I am a Fire Island guy at heart. Recently, I spent a most memorable evening in the Hamptons, arriving from Fire Island in fact, welcomed into the home of Jay and Anne for a fantastic dinner where the number of wines ultimately outnumbered the number of guests. Good thing I only had to drive upstairs at the end of this night. I found out the hard way that there is a reason many call Jay ‘the Hedonist.’

There were some other noteworthy guests staying at their place for the weekend, but since they didn’t join us for dinner, they will have to live without infamy. I was joined by Alexander the Great, and one other couple joined us, dear friends of Jay, Roger Waters and his wife. Yes, that Roger Waters. Having met Roger on a couple of other brief occasions, I knew this was going to be a fun night. Roger always enjoys a good joke or three, and he won’t hesitate to make you pull his finger lol.

Roger was running late, and Jay and I started to become dizzy and confused without a bottle open between us. He quickly remedied that situation with a 1990 Dom Perignon. The 1990 DP had a toasty nose, just right in that regard. There was great balance with its granulated sugar sex appeal, and bread joined the aroma party with a rye twist. Alexander admired its ‘floral’ qualities, and Jay its ‘freshness.’ This was about as good a bottle of 1990 Dom that I have had, and there have certainly been lesser ones, a fact echoed by Jay. Hints of apple were on the palate, and it got cracker crispy in the glass. It s acidity was outstanding, and so was the bubbly (95).

Inspired by the 1990, Jay dug deep into the cellar early on, pulling out a pristine bottle of 1971 Dom Perignon from his cellar. The bottle lived up to its appearance, as it was practically perfect. Jay pegged, ‘apple cider and armagnac.’ I wrote, ‘so complex, what a wonderful nose.’ There were warm, mature notes in its aromas and flavors despite its youthful character, and I could see the consistency of the style of Dom Perignon travel back in time from the ’90 to the ’71, which was impressive. The apple, the bread and the crackers were joined by a dash of sea salt. Its flavors were meaty and full of vanilla oil, musk and citrus jam. Despite its creaminess and more secondary nature, it was still almost as fresh as the 1990! What a bottle (97).

We sat down to dinner and were greeted by a pair of whites, the first being a 2004 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet. ‘Smells like Leflaive,’ Jay confirmed. Aromas of sweet musk and citrus jumped out of the glass like an adolescent in gymnastics class. It did a forward roll into hints of tangerine, cold butter and rainwater. The palate was fresh and round, long and satiny, giving off more butter than anything else. While sexy juice and possessing a bit of pubescent tension, it didn’t quite have the crispness I wanted out of it just yet. It still needs time to come into its own (94).

The next wine was truly extraordinary, sick as sick can be, love at first sip. The 1996 Lafon Montrachet was so good I think I heard trumpets canoning in the background as I raised the glass to my mouth after nearly inhaling it. It had that 1996 spark, its vibrant acidity screaming and whispering at the same time. This was a white wine on which buildings could be built. It was most fascinating to watch this wine develop in the glass, as it went through multiple personalities. After about fifteen or twenty minutes, it started to become brothy and tea-like, hinting at tutti-frutti, and I was afraid that perhaps the wine was suffering from a little premature oxidation. A refill kicked the wine back into kill mode, and it regained its taut, smacking personality, full of unsweetened lemon ice flavors. Rich, thick, slaty, long and dry, the Montrachet had a lot going on despite a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde conflicted personality. It definitely found itself, and its long, lip-smacking finish made everyone warm and fuzzy (96+).

A pair of Vogue Musignys were next, beginning with a 1991 Vogue Musigny Vieilles Vignes. Roger noted a ‘strong hint of urine.’ He then looked down at the ground and said, ‘Oh, shit!’ Just kidding :). There was also a core of very sweet raspberry fruit along with forest aromas. Jay noted ‘a litte VA.’ Its sappy core had hints of mint, and its gamy palate hinted at fig and leather. Jay admired its evolution in the glass, citing ‘a little barnyard, a lot of forest, but the funk blew off and it is now elegant in a Burgundy way.’ The acid was still sturdy, and this 1991 was still solid, getting a little coconutty in the end (94).

Roger was warming up, and he found the 1998 Vogue Musigny Vieilles Vignes ‘faintly Cuban.’ Jay added ‘a hint of Montecristo.’ The boys were jamming. I couldn’t pin the exact cigar but did get the cigar thing in this taut and leathery nose. There was definite tension here, and a hint of rubber tire that wanted to burn. Roger honed in on the leather, finding it more like ‘sweaty bridles.’ There were much more vitamins present in the 1998. The Vogue also had this back of a ruler thing going on, and hints of earth and cereal were present in this sturdy, long and thick red. It was an impressive 1998, a vintage that is still taut and developing, and one that might provide a lot more long-term pleasure than many think (94+).

Roger is a true claret lover, British to the core, but these Burgundies definitely made their mark on him, and he appreciated them to the last drop. Nonetheless, he was beginning to playfully grumble about having some real wine, so the boys all went down to the cellar to dig around and find him some claret before he trashed Jay’s dressing room. Jay pulled out an ’82 Haut Brion and a 1989 La Mission, and we tried to make a decision. When Roger told us while he has had the 1961 La Mission about two dozen times but has never had an ’89, the decision made itself.

The 1989 La Mission Haut Brion was a whole new world. Alexander the Great purred, ‘now this is leather.’ Its deep, dark fruit had lots of slate and gravel supporting it, and that classic toasted kernel of this particular wine was alive and popping. A pinch of salt was there, but the rocks and fruit dominated the nose. The palate was so rich and concentrated, and coffee flavors emerged after a little cheese. It was almost too much wine, the wine itself that is. Satin took over its palate after time in the glass, and its finish stayed long and special. Jay quipped to Roger, ‘we are making you look right.’ To be fair, it was a handicap match, as the ’89 La Miss is an all-time great Bordeaux, although a separate, recent head-to-head matchup with an ’89 Haut Brion after being uncorked two days prior had the La Miss a noticeable second (97).

We closed with a couple more Champagnes, beginning with the 1990 Dom Perignon Rose. To be honest, this is a Champagne that shouldn’t be touched for another decade. It was bone dry, long and with excellent acidity but everything about it was about the dryness, even its red fruits. Strawberry tried to creep in, but it was so dry. Alexander found it ‘talc-y’ (95+).

The 1990 Krug was the closer, and I think we were all just about closed for the evening, anyway. The Krug had the classic toast, bread, musk and vanilla cream in the nose. It was furry in a mink kind of way, and the vanilla morphed into a liqueur-like ecstasy. Flavors of butterscotch and white chocolate abounded in this long and still so young bubbly. There is Champagne, and then there is Krug (96).

And then there is hangover.