25 March 2011: We love serving magnums at dinner parties, and we now know that for 10 people, we should have prepared 3 magnums, rather than 2! We also tried a new chef at home - Chef Yip - I thought his orange peel flavoured spare ribs and deep fried pomfret were rather tasty! (Plus I am still enjoying the almond cream with eggwhite while nursing a very bad cold and bursting head at home. I am geting rather fed up with the erratic weather patterns in HK - the temperatures this spring have been going up and down with no rhyme or reason, like a yoyo!)
We started with a Jacques Selosse Brut Initial. We probaby should have served this wine in white wine glasses because it's first and foremost a mature Chardonnay, second a champagne! (In fact on the back label, it says the wine should be decanted or served after a couple of hours of aeration!) Rich and ripe fruit nose of toast, pear tart, hazelnuts and honey, with a very creamy mousse and opulent texture, bolstered by racy acidity and a precise minerality. Lovely long finish. Disgorged in 2009, this Brut Initial was a mix of vintages 2004, 2003 and 2002 of parcels from the grand cru vineyards of Avize, Cramant and Oger. 18/20
1995 Leflaive Puligny Montrachet Les Pucelles: First bottle slightly corked. Second bottle showed a classy nose of lemon curd, passion fruit, guava, nutty, spicy and buttery. On the palate, balanced and structured. Well matured now - would advise drinking up within next 2 - 3 years for optimum enjoyment. 16/20
1990 Chevalier Montrachet, Michel Niellon: Medium golden and medium-full bodied. Somewhat subdued initially. I had it decanted for an hour. Grapefruit, floral, ripe apple, toasty, very spicy, minerality, with some creamy character. Persistent finish and very refined. A quiet and unassuming Chevalie Montrachet, albeit well-made, offering plenty of complexity. Drinking at peak now until 2016 for optimum enjoyment. 17.5/20
1996 Chambertin, Armand Rousseau (magnum): Classy nose, sous bois, wet leaves, farmyard, over strawberry, red fruit and dried rose petal. Still firm tannin and vivid acidity. Not the most dense and concentrated of the Rousseau Chambertins, but a great effort. Took at least 3 hours of decanting to reveal its finest. This wine could do with more development in the bottle. Drink from 2015+. 18/20
1996 Musigny, Prieur (magnum): Gained weight and complexity with 2 hours of decanting. A very charming nose of ripe red fruit, raspberry and redcurrant, perfumed and rose petal, interluded with some wet leaves. Very appealing, silky texture, allowing the ripe (but not intense) flavours to coat the tastebuds. I probably would have expected a richer and more fulfilling mouthfeel. Slightly vegetal and stalky on the finish. Drink now (further bottle development could be expected) - 2018 to enjoy it at its best (especially for normal bottle formats). 17.5/20
1991 Chambertin Clos de Beze, Armand Rousseau: A class act. Behind the silky tannin and very ripe fruit, the wine revealed an astonishing freshness, firm sturcture and great concentration and intensity of flavours. Ripe red fruit, violet, earthy with some chocolate. Hardly spent any time in the decanter as this was the last minute addition to fill our guests' fast emptying glasses (always a good sign for us!). Drinking beautifully now and for next 8 - 10+ years, with further evolution expected. 18.5/20 (And 2 bottles of this went down rather quickly too! Excellent!)
1988 Climens: Honey, dried apricot, sultana, floral, quince, marmalade, etc. Medium bodied, harmonious acidity, richly balanced. A marvellous effort, impressive, but not flamboyant. Drink now - 2016 before the acidity runs out. I had bought a chocolate gateau called "Voyageur" from Jean Paul Hévin as alternative dessert because the almond cream probably wasn't everyone's cup of tea! And the Climens went beautifully with it! 18.5/20 (Richard's wine of the evening!)
I had saved a glass of the Selosse Brut Initial for the following day and it tasted just as marvellous! I can't wait to try the Substance, of which we have one bottle!
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