1952 and 1953 Talbot in magnums

18 Jan 2011: We're celebrating Richard's birthday a day earlier at Amuse-Bouche on 22nd Floor of The Hennessy in Wanchai.  Kent and his team as usual looked after us extremely well.  We almost all had the truffle soup as the first course, followed by the black truffle pasta, where perfection expressed itself in the most delectable and simple presentation.  For main course, I had the lobster and penne, which was tasty but perhaps not as good a match with the wine as the duck confit or the rib-eye.  For this evening, we started with my favourite 1996 Pol Roger Cuvée Winston Churchill, rich, aromatic, full of mature charm and a beautiful rounded character.  I just adore the layers of acacia, honeysuckle, pineapple, toast and marzipan, and the firm acidity, all wrapped up with a beautiful robe of creamy mousse.  18.5/20

Then we had side by side two magnums of Talbot, from the vintages of 1952 and 1953.  The 1952 was by comparison the more modest of the two, equally attractive in its bouquet, showing blueberry, violet, cedar and tobacco.  It tasted less fulfilling in the mid palate and it was lighter in style, though still holding very well together.  16.5/20

The 1953 Talbot however was much more complex, concentrated, sumptuous and generally had more character.  Almost sweet caramel on entry, followed by violet and tobacco.  Richer in style, fuller in body, with a firm structure.  Finishes extremely long.  18.5/20

What a revelation!  The 53 Talbot definitely performed well beyond our expectations!