31 July 2010: Richard and I had invited my former WSET Diploma classmates (and their spouses) to our home for dinner. Each person was supposed to bring a bottle or two of something interesting. I had prepared some simple snacks as starters followed by two joints of roast beef, mashed potato with black truffle and grilled vegetables.
Our list of wines for the evening read like this:
Alain Thienot Brut NV: our house champagne for the moment!
Equipo Navazos La Bota de Fino No. 15 (saca June 2008): a very elegant fino, with all the characteristic notes of sea salt, iodine, lemon, herbal, camomile and almonds, and piercing acidity and a long finish. Still tasting quite fresh, but I fear that we should drink our remaining bottles with relative speed to retain this freshness. Drinking at peak now. (I just wish more people would share our love for fino sherries!)
Pavillon Blanc de Chateau Margaux 1999: previous bottles had been oxidised and not very pleasant. This one was just perfect. Medium bodied, good level of acidity, notes of honey, lanolin, herbaceous, mineral and grilled nuts. Good length.
Fattoria Petrolo Galatrona 2007 (in magnum and with 1.5 hour of decanting time): Intense ruby colour. On the nose, red cherries, blackberries, plums, chocolate, Mediterranean herbs, liquorice, spices and smoke. Medium-bodied, balanced soft tannins and acidity. Good length. 100% Merlot. Very small production. Drinking well now, will evolve over next 4 - 5 years.
Latour 1999 (in magnum, with 1 to 1.5 hour of decanting time): Deep ruby colour. A complex nose of blackcurrant, blackberries, violet, cedar and tobacco. Took a while to open up. Very lively acidity, with firm but very fine tannins. Lingering finish. Drinking well now, will evolve over next 6 - 8 years.
L'Ermita 1999 (also benefitted from 1.5 hour of decanting): 80% Garnacha, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cariñena. A wine of immense elegance, richness, complexity, concentration and depth. A intensely perfumed nose with notes of raspberries and red cherries, layered with crème caramel, vanilla, dried fruits, sweet spiciness and smokiness. A true beauty with a very long and memorable finish. Really impressed by this wine by Alvaro Palacios. Would have gone better with a gamey dish, such as duck, goose, venison, or even roast leg of lamb, or lamb tagine. Also great with the comté cheese. Drinking beautifully now, will evolve over next 8 - 10 years.
Harlan Estate 2004 (with 1.5 hour of decanting): a wine of immense richness and concentration, with black fruits, sweet spices, vanilla and some jammy character which some found less appealing at the wine's youthful stage of development. Definitely not ready yet and will need much more bottle time to evolve and reveal its potential. Another 8+ years bottle age to be ready for drinking?
Talbot 1982: Bouquet of leather, tobacco and violet. A very elegant drink, with well-aged maturity and finesse. Drinking at peak now.
Shafer Estate Hillside Select 1998: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Complex bouquet of blueberries, blackfruits, violet, bell pepper, tobacco, cedar and a brûlée character. Lively acidity, firm but fine tannins. A very fine drink with a very long finish. We had it double-decanted. Just wish we had given it more time to be appreciated. Drinking well now, but will evolve over next 6 - 8 years.
Weingut Fritz Windisch Spätburgunder Weißherbst Eiswein 2007, Asheimer Sonneberg, Rheinhessen: All I remembered was a very well-made eiswein with an unusual grape variety - pinot noir! I thought it was a perfect dessert on its own, but I still had my share of almond tea made with TLC by Angel! (I saved Maria's Chinese herbal sweet soup for breakfast the following morning and it was very nice too!) By the way, Weißherbst (or Weissherbst) is a special pink wine made from a single variety, and it may be at either QbA or Prädikatswein quality level.
I think we all had a really good time! I shall be savouring the aftertaste of the L'Ermita for months to come! What a treat!!
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