1959 Margaux (half bottle) and 1991 DRC Montrachet

18 June 2011: After a dinner of salt-baked seabass (our new favourite), Richard was gasping for red wine.  Disappointed by the seriously corked half bottle of 2004 Cos d'Estournel, he proceeded to open a half bottle of 1959 Margaux. Bright garnet.  A very fragrant bouquet meets the nose, reminiscent of a walk in the autumn forest, splendid with the rich aromas of fallen autumn leaves, cedar, figs, dried blossoms, spiced up with cardamon, nutmeg and tobacco, and just a hint of sweet leather.  Harmonious, charming and graceful, but the seduction was more on the nose than the palate, which faded to a hollow mid-palate.  Good length.  This bottle probably should have been drunk 10 years ago for better enjoyment.  Wonder if larger formats would have weathered the years with more vigour.  17/20

Not a great believer in food and wine matching, Richard also opened a 1991 DRC Montrachet. Golden colour, with copper highlights.  On the nose, a rich and layered bouquet of lemon confit, honey, macadamia nuts, shortbread and dried fruit (apricot) and creme caramel, showing rather distinct botrytis character, almost like a dry Sauternes. The alcohol was sticking out at 14% giving it a somewhat unbalanced hot finish, but the evident acidity managed to balance the richness of the wine, to avoid it becoming cloying.  We don't think this wine would benefit from further ageing, but in fact it should have been drunk a while ago! 15/20

The Shangri-La Hotel in Paris

June 2011: We took a (very) short break in Paris recently and tried out the new Shangri-La Hotel in Paris.  Snuggled in the Avenue d'Iena, it took up a demure existence between the Iranian Embassy and the offices of Nomura.  Once inside the reception, we were welcomed into this haven of serenity by the familiar fragrance of the Shangri-La hotels and very friendly staff (even at 6 in the morning!).  For us, it was a very nice touch to see some Asian faces amongst the staff.  It became apparent that the hotel was very thoughtfully designed, down to the minutest detail.....Nespresso machine, stationery tray, fruit basket, free internet acess, note pads/pencils everywhere.  The hotel has nonetheless retained a few French touches...a copious plate of ham at breakfast was one third the price of a plate of artistically arranged berries, for example!  Dinner at the hotel restaurant, L'Abeille was another experience to be repeated!  The lighting in the dining room was augmented by summer twilight filtering through the windows that opened out to the garden. (I love dining rooms with a view - an aspect quite often omitted in fine Michelin-starred establishments!) 


Morels and gnocchi

Richard had for starter a gorgeous plate of morels and gnocchi - they looked so succulent and moreish! Then we both had a fish dish - Richard had the turbot and I had a most delicious piece of wild salmon that literally melted in my mouth with every bite! As we were both a little jet-lagged, we left without sampling the comprehensive cheese trolley nor the desserts. The souvenir of a bee-shaped jar of honey from Corsica safely made it back to Hong Kong!  Highly recommended!  A quick word on the wine list. There is a very decent selection of Coche-Dury wines on the list but perhaps a little weak on the reds, mostly young wines.Nevertheless, I hope we'll see a well-deserved mention/star-rating for this restaurant in the 2012 Michelin guide! 



The melt-in-your-mouth salmon!

 By the way, do stop by at the bar before dinner - it has a very decent list of champagne!  We tried a bottle of 2002 Pierre Péters Les Chétillons - it was absolutely classy and delicious, if perhaps a little young to drink now (probably best to wait another 4 - 5 years)! The lieu-dit of Les Chétillons is found in Le Mesnil.  A lovely complex nose of green fruit, grapefruit, honey, jasmine, enriched by nuances of biscuit and staggering minerality.  A little spicy on the palate, perked up by racy acidity, which was what I needed given the jetlag!  Finishes long.  Very refined, expressive, elegant, pure and precise.  A very fine champagne!



Richard's Turbot dish