Three great wines in the company of three esteemed gentlemen.
Chevalier Montrachet 1996, Domaine Leflaive
We opened this bottle over pre-dinner amuse-bouche of caviar and blini. It is a legendary wine that I had not tasted in a long while. The colour a wonderful light gold, showing the enticing viscosity typical of the great mature white Burgundies. On the nose: a complex pot-pourri of tertiary aromas; giving porcini and damp earth. The palate is racy, has focused minerality and offers a flavour profile ranging from ceps to lemon peel. Rich mouth feel. Enjoy now and for the next 10 years.
Grands Echézeaux 1985 DRC
With a main course of wild Atlantic salmon. This was brought straight up from the cellar and we decided to let the aromas develop in the glass over a couple of hours. Beautiful colour, just beginning to turn a burnt orange at the rim. Aromas of crushed rose petals and forest floor jumped from the glass. As we sat outside enjoying the sunset, the intensity of the nose continued to grow. The palate is rich and sweet from the warm vintage, bergamot and concasse de tomates, I wrote. The two hours in the glass did wonders for this wine. Now and for the next 5 years.
Château d'Yquem 1983 (half-bottle)
A light caramel colour showed the wine was in the best of health. A little dumb on the nose right now, but the wines from this cellar often drink youthfully. Palate exploding with orange crème brulée, honeysuckle. The sweetest of the 1980s vintages and one that I would keep for at least another 5 years.
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
Friday, 3 July 2009
DRC- 1934-1969
A triptych of DRCs recently enjoyed over dinner with a very special client:
Grands-Echézeaux, DRC 1969
Burnt orange at the rim. Tomato on the nose, a hint of spice. In the mouth a beautiful sweet, ripe wine. Fully resolved and at full maturity. A beautiful balance, plump but with an acidity to counter-balance. An elegance that belies the hot vintage. The greatest 69 Burgundy in a long time. Perfect storage.
Romanée-Conti 1934
At first rather reticent. 30 mins later a dry spice nose with a savory and smoky nose like Kansas BBQ. The palate: what a treat, phenomenal bergamot tea and rose petal infusion layered with cherry jam. Stunning peacock's tail of a finish, length incredible.
Romanée-Conti 1937
A completely different animal - and animal is the world. Wild, gamey and meaty on the nose. Palate sweeter and marked by an incredible fragrance of crushed rose petals like little girl's home-made perfume...The finish goes on and on for over 30 seconds , an exceptional bottle. The second best Burgundy I have ever had after a 1906 La Romanée from Bouchard Père et Fils.
Life does not get better than this...
Grands-Echézeaux, DRC 1969
Burnt orange at the rim. Tomato on the nose, a hint of spice. In the mouth a beautiful sweet, ripe wine. Fully resolved and at full maturity. A beautiful balance, plump but with an acidity to counter-balance. An elegance that belies the hot vintage. The greatest 69 Burgundy in a long time. Perfect storage.
Romanée-Conti 1934
At first rather reticent. 30 mins later a dry spice nose with a savory and smoky nose like Kansas BBQ. The palate: what a treat, phenomenal bergamot tea and rose petal infusion layered with cherry jam. Stunning peacock's tail of a finish, length incredible.
Romanée-Conti 1937
A completely different animal - and animal is the world. Wild, gamey and meaty on the nose. Palate sweeter and marked by an incredible fragrance of crushed rose petals like little girl's home-made perfume...The finish goes on and on for over 30 seconds , an exceptional bottle. The second best Burgundy I have ever had after a 1906 La Romanée from Bouchard Père et Fils.
Life does not get better than this...
Leroy Trois fois
Had the pleasure recently of three Leroy wines in the one sitting. It taught me that the conccentration, high color and passionate wine making pay dividends after 20-30 years and that we need incredible patience with these wines!
Chambertin, Leroy 1985
A lovely burnt-orange rim. Slightly dusty nose at the early stage, a nose reflecting the warmth of the vintage, ripeness but with background of 'undergrowth' so typical of Chambertin. In the mouth, first impression was weight, viscosity and richness. The fruit profile was still so youthful, the structure came across as liquorice, the mid palate deep dark fruit. The finish was long and complex, a breath of freshness and brightness of fruit that signals a long future for this wine.
Mazis-Chambertin, Cuvée Madeleine Collignon, Hospices de Beaune, Leroy 1985
Less visibly mature at the rim than the previous. A nose of bilberry, tart fruit and earthy tones. The first thing that struck me was an exceptional balance between acidity and structure. The whole thing held together by a concentration of fruit, even sweeter and riper than the previous wine. A huge rich wine, with legs longer than a swedish model. A tour de force of terroir and wine making!
Mazis-Chambertin, Leroy 1978
A nose altogether more mature than the previous two. Rose petals, gamey and meaty, wet dog and spice. On the palate: another warm vintage Burgundy. Incredibly feral, wild, heat of the vintage, blueberry jam. Anincredible demonstration of what Mazis can produce - for me a great by any standard - but I would not leave it any longer.
All in all a fabulous evening of wines from Leroy. I truly hope that her 1991s and 1993s will be this exciting in 15-20 years!
Chambertin, Leroy 1985
A lovely burnt-orange rim. Slightly dusty nose at the early stage, a nose reflecting the warmth of the vintage, ripeness but with background of 'undergrowth' so typical of Chambertin. In the mouth, first impression was weight, viscosity and richness. The fruit profile was still so youthful, the structure came across as liquorice, the mid palate deep dark fruit. The finish was long and complex, a breath of freshness and brightness of fruit that signals a long future for this wine.
Mazis-Chambertin, Cuvée Madeleine Collignon, Hospices de Beaune, Leroy 1985
Less visibly mature at the rim than the previous. A nose of bilberry, tart fruit and earthy tones. The first thing that struck me was an exceptional balance between acidity and structure. The whole thing held together by a concentration of fruit, even sweeter and riper than the previous wine. A huge rich wine, with legs longer than a swedish model. A tour de force of terroir and wine making!
Mazis-Chambertin, Leroy 1978
A nose altogether more mature than the previous two. Rose petals, gamey and meaty, wet dog and spice. On the palate: another warm vintage Burgundy. Incredibly feral, wild, heat of the vintage, blueberry jam. Anincredible demonstration of what Mazis can produce - for me a great by any standard - but I would not leave it any longer.
All in all a fabulous evening of wines from Leroy. I truly hope that her 1991s and 1993s will be this exciting in 15-20 years!
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
75 years of Haut Bailly
Château Haut Bailly with Véronique Sanders
At the Institute of Directors
2005-1985 – all ex-château stock
My overall impression of the wines of this somewhat under-rated château was an over-riding feeling of freshness, balanced acidity and purity of fruit. I think that the wines since 1998 are indicative of a great future for Haut Bailly.
2005
Jet black core, pink rim. A fresh blakcurrant nose with a touch of vanilla for this youthful vintage. A lean, precise and concentrated palate of crushed blackberries. Deeply complex, tight-knit structure. Despite the powerful fruit, somehow light on its feet, deeply tannic and packed with potential.
2004
Vibrant purple core. A cooler expression of the Haut Bailly terroir. A nose of blackcurrant creams, chocolate and tobacco. On the palate a purity of fruit that marks the wines of Haut Bailly in recent vintages. A broader, looser-knit structure than 05, starting to show savoury notes. Does not have the length of 05 but will drink well in the near term.
2001
A slight development of a ruby rim – showing the first signs of maturity. The nose has started to develop tertiary aromas; truffle, cedar and crushed rose petals. More CS in this blend. A defined palate of plums, chocolate covered raisins and a rich mouth-feel. A long, lean finish that brings freshness.
2000
Vibrant purple core. A nose focused on cedary notes, hedgerow fruit and liquorice. A little dumb. The palate of Chinese spices, anise backed by power and tannin. A linear, rectangular wine, four square and for the future.
1998 (MY WINE OF THE NIGHT)
A beautiful nose, exceptionally complex: Hawthorn, ripe damsons, wild strawberries as well as chilli pepper and chocolate. In the mouth ripe and full, an exceptional balance, wonderfully fine tannins. A long finish, full of freshness and rounding of an excellent wine with a refreshing, clean finish.
1995
Bricking at the rim. A nose of wood smoke, dried curry spices and nutmeg, but also with a leafiness from the Merlot. On the palate a splash of the 1995 sweetness, spice, black pepper and a minerality – a real Graves component. The finish is still tannic and this wine shows very young on the palate.
1990
Garnet core. Sous-bois (undergrowth) on the nose, underneath which a bitter-sweet chocolate and blackcurrant jam. In the mouth: silky, fully resolved tannins. A delicate, lacy, feminine. Easy to love, if 1989 is the wife then 1990 is the mistress!
1989
A first the nose was a little dumb. Later warm winter spices, Christmas cake and a cedary undertone. On the palate a leathery, dry texture. The presence of alcohol from this hot vintage. Needs a little time to find the true quality of this wine. The wife to the 1990 mistress.
1986
100% CS. A nose of cedar but underneath this a creamy blackberry fool. On the palate lovely tarte aux prunes. Exceptional balance, crisp acidity and great length.
1985
Garnet core, brick orange at the rim. A nose of tertiary aromas, truffles, chocolate but backed by sloes. The palate is open, broad and yet has a wonderful backbone running down the middle. A beautiful wine of excellent balance. One of my favourites of the night.
1970
Fully mature colour. Sweet spice on the nose. A lovely claret that is drinking well now. Some may say a little ‘fatigué’.
1964 MY ‘WINE I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE TO DINNER TONIGHT’
Brick core. Orange rim. A little bit of volatile acidity that carries the wine. On the palate, a sweetness that typifies this exceptional vintage in the Graves. A perfect beverage for now. I thought this was excellent – but it divided opinion.
1961
Not rated. Despite the genuine cork, I maintained the opinion that this was not a pure Haut Bailly 1961.
1929
Victorian brick core, orange rim. On the nose caramel, orange liquor and a freshness that was the signature of all the wines in the line-up. The Haut-Bailly signature of crispness and minerality ran through this 80 year old wine. On the palate, ‘chocolat chaud’ and lovely creamy texture.
At the Institute of Directors
2005-1985 – all ex-château stock
My overall impression of the wines of this somewhat under-rated château was an over-riding feeling of freshness, balanced acidity and purity of fruit. I think that the wines since 1998 are indicative of a great future for Haut Bailly.
2005
Jet black core, pink rim. A fresh blakcurrant nose with a touch of vanilla for this youthful vintage. A lean, precise and concentrated palate of crushed blackberries. Deeply complex, tight-knit structure. Despite the powerful fruit, somehow light on its feet, deeply tannic and packed with potential.
2004
Vibrant purple core. A cooler expression of the Haut Bailly terroir. A nose of blackcurrant creams, chocolate and tobacco. On the palate a purity of fruit that marks the wines of Haut Bailly in recent vintages. A broader, looser-knit structure than 05, starting to show savoury notes. Does not have the length of 05 but will drink well in the near term.
2001
A slight development of a ruby rim – showing the first signs of maturity. The nose has started to develop tertiary aromas; truffle, cedar and crushed rose petals. More CS in this blend. A defined palate of plums, chocolate covered raisins and a rich mouth-feel. A long, lean finish that brings freshness.
2000
Vibrant purple core. A nose focused on cedary notes, hedgerow fruit and liquorice. A little dumb. The palate of Chinese spices, anise backed by power and tannin. A linear, rectangular wine, four square and for the future.
1998 (MY WINE OF THE NIGHT)
A beautiful nose, exceptionally complex: Hawthorn, ripe damsons, wild strawberries as well as chilli pepper and chocolate. In the mouth ripe and full, an exceptional balance, wonderfully fine tannins. A long finish, full of freshness and rounding of an excellent wine with a refreshing, clean finish.
1995
Bricking at the rim. A nose of wood smoke, dried curry spices and nutmeg, but also with a leafiness from the Merlot. On the palate a splash of the 1995 sweetness, spice, black pepper and a minerality – a real Graves component. The finish is still tannic and this wine shows very young on the palate.
1990
Garnet core. Sous-bois (undergrowth) on the nose, underneath which a bitter-sweet chocolate and blackcurrant jam. In the mouth: silky, fully resolved tannins. A delicate, lacy, feminine. Easy to love, if 1989 is the wife then 1990 is the mistress!
1989
A first the nose was a little dumb. Later warm winter spices, Christmas cake and a cedary undertone. On the palate a leathery, dry texture. The presence of alcohol from this hot vintage. Needs a little time to find the true quality of this wine. The wife to the 1990 mistress.
1986
100% CS. A nose of cedar but underneath this a creamy blackberry fool. On the palate lovely tarte aux prunes. Exceptional balance, crisp acidity and great length.
1985
Garnet core, brick orange at the rim. A nose of tertiary aromas, truffles, chocolate but backed by sloes. The palate is open, broad and yet has a wonderful backbone running down the middle. A beautiful wine of excellent balance. One of my favourites of the night.
1970
Fully mature colour. Sweet spice on the nose. A lovely claret that is drinking well now. Some may say a little ‘fatigué’.
1964 MY ‘WINE I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE TO DINNER TONIGHT’
Brick core. Orange rim. A little bit of volatile acidity that carries the wine. On the palate, a sweetness that typifies this exceptional vintage in the Graves. A perfect beverage for now. I thought this was excellent – but it divided opinion.
1961
Not rated. Despite the genuine cork, I maintained the opinion that this was not a pure Haut Bailly 1961.
1929
Victorian brick core, orange rim. On the nose caramel, orange liquor and a freshness that was the signature of all the wines in the line-up. The Haut-Bailly signature of crispness and minerality ran through this 80 year old wine. On the palate, ‘chocolat chaud’ and lovely creamy texture.
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