This was another beautiful meal at Baltimore’s finest downtown eating establishment, Charleston. I actually had to get a double order of the yellow fin tartare, it was so fresh and flavorful, and of course, I’m a glutton for Chef Cindy Wolf’s deep-fried cornmeal-crusted oysters. The 1996 Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs was the perfect foil for the appetizers, followed by perhaps the best bottle yet of the Marcassin 2003 Chardonnay Three Sisters (a vineyard owned by the Martinelli family from which, until recently, the fruit was shared equally between the Martinellis and Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer of Marcassin). This wine displayed great minerality, with notes of nectarine, white currant, quince, powdered stone, and lots of honeyed citrus, with hints of marmalade and lemon blossom. It’s a beauty, and to reiterate, the best showing yet of it.

To finish off, we had a magnum of fully mature – and my last one – 1990 Vieux Donjon. This wine was one of those wonderful Châteauneuf du Papes from this great vintage that drank well when it was released in 1992, never went through a dumb stage, continued to develop additional complexity, but always stood out for its velvety opulence and complex garrigue, black currant, black cherry, licorice, and peppery notes, with some meaty grilled steak nuances as well. This wine was still very full-bodied and fleshy, displaying some amber at the edge, and clearly ready for consumption. Any owners of it would be advised to drink theirs up over the next 3-4 years, as I can’t see it getting any better.