A collection of stunning older northern Rhônes puts a strong exclamation point on this night of fabulous food, wine and conversation. Guigal’s 1985 Côte-Rôtie La Landonne is thick and sweet in the glass, with plenty of power and overall intensity. Although the fruit is super-ripe and voluptuous, there isn’t quite enough richness to stand up to all the oak and tannin, which leads to a feeling of slight dryness on the finish.

Once again the darkest, thickest, most powerful, and formidably concentrated of Guigal's single-vineyard Cote Roties, the 1985 La Landonne is also the least flattering and most intimidating. Like its two siblings, it is throwing a hefty sediment, with the inside of the bottle resembling that of a 15-year-old vintage port. The color is still a murky, inky purple. The nose offers up aromas of beef blood, vitamins (iron?), minerals, smoke, and truffles. Extremely thick, full-bodied, and massive, with noticeable tannin, this monster wine reveals no hard edges, but it does possess teeth-staining extract and power. It is a remarkable effort! Anticipated maturity: 2000-2025. Last tasted 8/96.