11 August 2010: Technically, it's a pre-birthday celebration for our friend Pin, as the actual day is on 19th August, but his fellow connoisseurs of fine wine and cuisine came all the way from Singapore to Hong Kong to pre-celebrate Pin's birthday at Otto e Mezzo in Central.
We kicked off with a Cristal 2002. A ripe fruit nose of pear, apple puree, custard tart, is enriched by notes of brioche, honeysuckle and honey. Medium-bodied, very fine mousse, the very embodiment of elegance and power. Probably drinking a little too young, will benefit from further bottle age. 18/20
Then followed the Gaja Rossj-Bass 2008. 100% Chardonnay. The citrus and lime blossom character was very apparent in this young wine, supplemented with lusciously rich notes of marzipan, honeysuckle, spicy oak, toast and vanilla. Full-bodied, rich and characterful. A little light on the acidity for my personal preference but still a very well-made wine. Good length. Would be interesting to try older vintages of this wine to see how it develops. 16/20
Served side by side for comparison was the 2000 Patrick Javillier Cuvée Speciale Corton-Charlemagne. It needed decanting time of 1+ hour and further time in the glass to develop. When it eventually opened up, it was a grand vin and went particularly well with Chef Bombana's signature dish of poached egg in artichoke puree sprinkled with delicious winter black truffle from Australia. Initially slightly closed nose (also because of over-chilling!). Complex bouquet of pear, melon and passion fruit, overlaid with butter, toast, spice, vanilla and mineral. Richness on the palate is well-balanced by a good level of acidity and youthful vigour. Benefitting from time in the glass, the wine opened up to reveal its complex, intense and rounded character, with immense concentration of flavours. A lingering finish. Perfect for drinking now, but will continue to evolve and drink well for another 6 -8 years. 17.5/20
Then came a pasta dish and Pin arranged for us to have a "small" portion of the lamb with rosemary pasta. We then served two reds, allowing them to further develop in the glass.
We tasted the 1993 de Voguë Bonnes Mares first (already decanted for 1 hour). Bright ruby colour. A most alluring and intense perfume of red fruits and floral aromas, raspberry, red cherry and violets, layered with spicy, mineral, tobacco, chocolate and tea leaves. Seamless integration of acidity and fine tannins, giving this wine a silky textue yet a vigorous structure. An elegant and sensuous wine, exuding extreme sophistication, classic beauty and leaving me with the memory of a great wine, showcasing Burgundy at its best. Finishes long and sweet. Drinking extremely well now and will continue to drink well for 10+ years. 19/20
Next we tasted the 1999 Gaja Conteisa. The ‘conteisa’ was the medieval quarrel between the zones of La Morra and Barolo over the prime vineyard land of Cerequio. Not entirely classic Barolo. It's 92% Nebbiolo with 8% Barbera, benefitting from the added freshness contribution from the higher acidity Barbera. (Hence the Langhe DOC.) Deep garnet-ruby. The wine had been decanted for 1.5 hour. A beautifully warm bouquet of rose, violets, mushroom, earthy, sweet spices, chocolate, prune and dried fruit rose to greet the nose. An extremely well-made wine, with a lively acidity, smooth tannins, velvety texture, concentrated fruit character, depth of character and a very fine structure. Lingering finish. A very fine wine indeed! 18/20
Seeing the last drops of Gaja Conteisa being emptied from the decanter, our palate yearned for another red. The 1999 Joseph Phelphs Insignia was called into action, but first it needed to be double-decanted. Predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon (71%), 21% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec. Deep ruby. A complex and classic bouquet of blackberries, black cherries, bell pepper, sweet spices, cedar and tobacco. Full-bodied, rich mouthfeel and a long and powerful finish. Drinking well now, but will definitely benefit from further bottle ageing for another 5 - 6 years. 17/20
Pin and his friends had lamb for the main course. Richard had a rich beef dish! I had the turbot, which was delicious but I didn't quite get the red wine sauce as was mentioned on the menu! Wondered what sort of red wine Chef Bombana used for this reduction!
We finished the evening with the second 2002 Cristal. A rosé this time. A lovely pale salmon pink colour. Savoury and fruity character, redcurrant, strawberry, frangipane, with hints of thinly baked apple tart. Just a very elegant wine with great poise, concentration and finesse and a perfect conclusion to our evening! I liked it slightly more than the blanc. 18.5/20
Chef Bombana came at the end to join us for a few drops of our wine (he kind of got there a bit late!). Richard and I told him about how a taxi driver in Positano had heard about his famed truffle cooking and showed us a magazine in Italian with an article on the chef. The chef looked quite bemused about how far his reputation travelled! Found out that Chef was from Lombardia. Perhaps after our discussion last night, we might find more Valtellina and Valtellina Sforzato on the wine list at Otto e Mezzo! We all thought Chef Bombana's cooking was superb and was definitely of 1 Michelin star quality!
Thank you very much, Pin, for inviting us to join in your pre-birthday celebration! I can't wait to hear what you will be drinking on the actual day!
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