Even given the global economic crisis, Bar Boulud is teeming with diners coming and going, enjoying what is probably the country’s finest assortment of charcuterie, terrines and patés. Not to be missed, however, is the bistro menu, with gorgeous dishes like coq au vin, beef cheeks, and on this occasion, we had a small dish with some black truffles. It is a very casual place, and a beautiful setting across from Lincoln Center in New York City. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

The brilliant sommelier and wine importer, Daniel Johnnes, looks after a wine list that is a treasure trove of gorgeous wines and sensational bargains from the Rhône and Burgundy. We started with a magnum (a rarity, at that) of 2000 Marcassin Upper Barn. (I believe this is the last vintage where Helen Turley and her husband, John Wetlaufer, were able to buy fruit from Jess Jackson’s vineyard on Alexander Mountain.) This wine displays plenty of honeysuckle and sealing wax notes, intermixed with tropical fruit and some earthy undertones. It is a full-bodied Chardonnay, not my favorite vintage of Marcassin by any means, but a top-flight Chardonnay even in a vintage where they didn’t hit the magnificent highlights they do so frequently.

With this food, Rhône wines seem even better than Burgundy. We had four magnums of 2005 Châteauneuf du Pape, as that vintage was the theme. The perfection of the Barroche 2005 Châteauneuf du Pape Pure has been well-acknowledged by me. It is an amazing expression of old-vine Grenache from sandy soils – unadulterated, unmanipulated, and exquisite in every sense. I am not a big believer in aging this wine for more than another ten years, as I don’t see how it can get any better than it is at present. A wine that could evolve to become even better, despite my rating of 100 points, is the 2005 Clos St.-Jean La Combe des Fous. It is a mystery why it was that, when I had these wines several times after bottling, I preferred the 2005 Châteauneuf du Pape Deus Ex Machina, and every time I have had them since, about a half dozen times each, I have consistently rated the Combe des Fous as pure perfection and the Deus Ex Machina slightly behind. This is nit-picking, since they are both great wines, but the Deus Ex Machina seems a little more backward, more tannic, with the Mourvèdre component in it perhaps giving the wine a slightly more structured, muscular feel than the seamlessly built Combe des Fous. Another bruising, broodingly backward, blockbuster wine is the Domaine de la Janasse 2005 Vieilles Vignes. The great thing about these wines, despite how youthful they are, is that they work fabulously well when you get a great deal of protein and fat running across the palate, as you do with the charcuterie, terrines, and patés.

This was a fabulous night – noisy, filled with activity, great wines, and sensational country French cuisine at a world class level.