2004 Red Burgundies

26 November 2011: We’ve been dining at different restaurants in the UK and France this past week. When we eat out, especially with the mark-ups at high-end restaurants, we tend to be quite modest in our choice of wine. So we restrict ourselves to a certain budget. Another restriction we have is that Richard is rather fixated on his two-region wine preference (Bordeaux and Burgundy, never mind the rest of France and the rest of the world) that we find ourselves choosing from a very limited range. Working within these parameters, we have been choosing a number of Burgundy reds from the 2004 vintage, a vintage rather prevalent on restaurant wine list at the moment, given its drinkability and lack of material for long-term ageing. 2004 was a very challenging vintage for Burgundy and picking with optimum phenolic ripeness was the exception rather than the rule. So the exceptions have been generally rather well-received and the norms not so well, ranging from undrinkable to just about acceptable.


We were at L’Hostellierie de Levernois in Burgundy earlier this week and we went through 3 bottles of 2004 vintage and the results were:

2004 Ruchottes-Chambertin, Christophe Roumier: corked!

2004 Bonnes Mares, Drouhin-Laroze: rather indifferent and insipid, quite herbaceous, wouldn't qualify for Grand Cru level of quality

2004 Bonnes Mares, Georges Roumier: some very good material here, juicy red fruit, a little spicy and minerally, a little herbaceous, but definitely got structure, reasonable concentration, nicely presented complexity, and beautifullly integrated acidity and only slightly astringent tannin, perhaps not for the very long haul, but certainly drinking well now and for next 10 - 12+ years and excellent with food.  Definitely in the class of Grand Cru and very fine for this vintage.

Then we were at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in London and we had:

2004 Pommard Rugiens, de Courcel (first bottle): too funky a nose, terribly bretty, not pleasant at all

2004 Pommard Rugiens, de Courcel (second bottle): too acidic, not balanced at all, totally undrinkable

(So I grabbed the wine list and ordered a bottle of 2006 Saumur-Champigny…and it was lovely!)

This was followed by dinner at Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, and this time we ordered:

2004 Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Chaignots, Henri Gouges: there was sufficient amount of red fruit, spice and earthy character, interlaid with some stalkiness. Lacking in intensity and concentration, but still got some structure and acidity to go well with food. Drink now.

Lessons learnt?? Be a bit more adventurous with the wine list!! Lesser vintages can still produce very respectable wine, in the right hands!

2006 Chateauneuf du Pape, Domaine Charvin

26 November 2011: Continuing with the theme of looking for good value items on the wine list - quite challenging at top tables in the UK with very high mark-ups, and if you're used to the BYO or corkage-friendly restaurant scene in HK.  Richard let me have a go at the wine list at our second dinner at Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons.  I made a beeline for the regions of Languedoc-Roussillon, Italy, Spain, Rhone and even Austria.  I would be quite keen to try the Blaufrankisch on the list but that might be taking too much risk (with Richard, I mean)....I also spotted a well-priced 2002 La Muntada, Domaine Gauby, an interesting wine from Terra Alta, Turriga from Sardinia, and finally I decided to go for the least risky option!  2006 Châteauneuf du Pape, Domaine Charvin.  And it did a very fine job pairing with Richard's partridge.

Roughly 85% Grenache and the balance made up of equal portions of Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Vaccarèse. Tank-fermented. The estate Charvin was established in 1851 but sold its wine to negociants until 1990 when the estate took up domaine bottling. The domaine, now looked after by the 6th generation Laurent, has been producing great wines in recent vintages, albeit in limited quantity of 2,500 cases annually. This 2006 is a very fine example!


A deep ruby core. Intense nose of red cherry and crushed red berries, cloves, liquorice, freshly ground white pepper and a savoury note. Full-bodied, packed with concentrated sweet ripe fruit, balancing acidity and velvety tannin. Voluptuous and rich, but there is a very admirable freshness and elegance about it. A seriously great effort from a new generation winemaker who has been going from strength to strength and whose wine has been much compared to that of Rayas. As a vintage, 2006 is less intense and dense and probably reaches its peak much earlier than 2007. Drinking well now and for next 12+ years. Still relatively well-valued. I highly recommend! 17.5/20

16 Vintages of Meo-Camuzet Richebourg

The Line-Up

Bouilland, France, 22 November 2011:  It was a great privilege for me to take part in this spectacular tasting of 16 vintages of Richebourg from the domaine of Méo-Camuzet, alongside serious Burgundian experts as well as Jean-Nicolas himself from the domaine. Becky and Russell very kindly allowed us to organise this tasting in their homely farmhouse so that we could effortlessly move into the dining area after tasting to indulge ourselves over a most delicious buffet of peat-infused smoked salmon, ham, roast pork and salad, prepared by Russell, plus a few magnums.  It has become a bit of a tradition for us: there's the year-long preparation in making sure there would be as few gaps as possible in the line-up, the heightened anticipation of how the wine would show, and the opportunity of being able to discuss the wines with so many Burgundy lovers and experts during the tasting.  Russell very sweetly said that every time we turned up, he knew that Christmas would be a bit closer!
We were very lucky with the bottles……all of them were presented in perfect condition and only one managed to disappoint us with cork taint. Jasper, who kindly organised the bottles in the right chronological order and prepared the tasting sheets, remarked, “Well, these bottles are running out of time to spring any surprises on us!”, after pulling the cork of the 12th bottle (starting from the youngest).

Etienne Camuzet was deputé for the Côte d’Or from 1902 to 1932. He purchased some significant vineyard holdings as well as the Château de Clos de Vougeot, which he later gave to the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin. Upon his death, his vineyard holdings passed to his daughter, Maria Noirot, who died childless, and subsequently to a distant relative, Jean Méo in 1959. At this time, the vineyards were looked after by sharecroppers, notably Henri Jayer, and the wine sold off in bulk. Domaine bottling began in 1985. Jean-Nicolas took over in 1989. The domaine’s 0.35 ha holding of Richebourg is situated at the top of Les Verroilles.

I think it would be fair to say that it was a very rare occasion to be able to taste all these vintages in one go and that we would generally concur that that the wines showed much consistency in style over the years (since Jean-Nicolas took over) and they all demonstrated true vintage characteristics.



Jean-Nicolas diligently writing his tasting notes

 So here they are and my impressions of them:

2006 Richebourg, Méo-Camuzet: Still very youthful. Quite closed on the nose. Spicy red fruit and floral. Nicely structured and in total harmony, but lacked concentration and depth for me. Good length. Drink from 2014+. 17/20

2005 Richebourg, Méo-Camuzet: Purity, concentration, intensity and much depth of character. Ripe wildberries, plum, violet, spicy and with plenty of minerality. The wine expands on the mid-palate, leading to a seriously long finish. A very serious wine, skilfully crafted, with a very long life ahead. Drink from 2018+. 19.5/20

2004 Richebourg, Méo-Camuzet: This bottle has evolved much more than expected. Typicity of the vintage is evident: slight stalky, herbaceous character, underlying the red cherry, spicy, dried rose petal and gamey (animale) notes. Lighter frame than the others and slightly weaker on the palate (vintage characteristics), but the skill of the winemaker is definitely evident – well balanced acidity and mellow tannin. Very enjoyable with food. Drink now and for next 8 – 10 years. 15.5/20

2003 Richebourg, Méo-Camuzet: Another challenging vintage. This time the heatwave across Europe. Again bravo to Jean-Nicolas, in avoiding the excessive jammy character seen in some less skilfully made wines from this vintage. Dark fruit, just a hint of burnt blackberry preserve, Asian spice, starting to show some gamey notes. Firm ripe tannin balanced by fresh acidity. A bold and structured wine, but very stylish and elegantly crafted. (I also really like his Clos de Vougeot, but Jean-Nicolas said, for him, his Cros Parantoux would be his best wine from this vintage.) 16.5/20

2002 Richebourg, Méo-Camuzet: A garnet core. An alluring bouquet of farmyard, red cherry, coffee and leather, and plenty of minerality. Beautiful long finish, with a sweet aftertaste. Very typical of vintage. Love the acidity here. Great to drink now, but will continue to evolve over next 10 – 15 years, with a long life ahead. 18/20

2001 Richebourg, Méo-Camuzet: More evolved than expected. Asian spice, cherry, rose petal, coffee, leather, with the unmistakable farmyard and wet saddle character. Elegant and mellow, but lacking in intensity for me. Drinking beautifully now and for next 10 – 12 years with good cellaring. 17/20

1999 Richebourg, Méo-Camuzet: Slightly reduced at the beginning. Still very closed. Rather austere, still rather wound-up within a tight girdle. All the elements beautifully integrated though and it would turn out to be a gorgeous wine. Drink 2015+. 17.5+/20

1998 Richebourg, Méo-Camuzet: Manure, red cherry, toasty, spicy and mineral. Chewy and broadly structured, succulent, full of energy and tension. Great aromatics and phenomenal equilibrium. The finish goes on and on. Drink now and for next 15 – 20 years. (I like this wine very much!!) 19/20

1996 Richebourg, Méo-Camuzet: Rusty nail at the beginning….on the palate, more red fruit and spice. Weaker middle palate for me….and a drying finish. The tannin still resolving itself…not quite integrated. Drink now and for next 8 - 10 years? 16/20

1995 Richebourg, Méo-Camuzet: A rich and mature bouquet of farmyard, plum, Asian spice and leather. Stylish, with a lot of poise and character. Great acidity and a remarkably long finish. Drink now and for next 10 – 15 years. 17.5/20

1993 Richebourg, Méo-Camuzet: Show-stopper classic beauty. Savoury, animale, cherry, plum, pot pourri. Perfumed, silky, totally seductive, with just the right amount of nervosity to keep it tasting fresh. This is drinking at peak now and will continue to drink beautifully for another 20+ years. Simply stunning. 19/20

1991 Richebourg, Méo-Camuzet: Coffee, redcurrant, floral, plenty of minerality. Very sophisticated and harmonious, with a very endearing sweet finish. Not quite at peak yet…drink now and for next 20+ years. There is a chance this could eclipse the 1993! 19/20

1990 Richebourg, Méo-Camuzet: A bit more density, weightier on the palate. I feel that this wine has more concentrated ripe fruit, energy and intensity on the palate, which I like, but perhaps less of the finesse that was seen in the 1991 and 1993. Minerality, dark fruit, savoury and violet. This will continue to evolve for a while….perhaps 5+ years before reaching peak with a long life ahead? Excellent with food. 18.5+/20

1989 Richebourg, Méo-Camuzet: Gracefully aged beauty, holding together very well in total harmony! Leather, gamey, minerality, rose petal. Slightly drying sensation on palate, but very very long finish. Drink now. 18/20

1988 Richebourg, Méo-Camuzet: the corked bottle of the flight!

1985 Richebourg, Méo-Camuzet: funky nose, coffee, caramel, something liquorice and herbal like, like that cough candy Ricola. Silky tannin, still nicely structured. May already be well on its path of slow decline. Drink now, with no further improvement. 15/20

All the wines showed tremendously well and it really was hard to score them not within a point or two of each other. I took a vote from some of our friends who were just amateurs like ourselves and the clear favourites were: 1991, 1996, 1995 and 2005. And I happened to favour the dark horses of 1998 and 1990!

Over lunch, we had 5 magnums plus a bottle of 2003 Chambolle Musigny Premier Cru, Comte Georges de Vogüé that was brought to us by Jean-Luc. The 5 magnums were 2005 Bâtard-Montrachet, Ramonet, 2000 Meursault Perrières, Roulot, 1989 Clos de La Roche Cuvée William, Ponsot, 1989 Chambertin, Rousseau and 1988 Chambertin, Rousseau. Sadly I was so behind with the drinking that I didn’t get round to taste the Meursault Perrières that was kindly contributed by Anthony, but I was assured by everyone that it was sensational. There seemed to be an equal number of people who preferred the 1988 to the 1989 Chambertin, to those who preferred the 1989 over the 1988. I liked the energy, power and acidity of the 1989 but I also admired the 1988 for the complexity, finesse and harmony. The 1989 Ponsot seemed a little subdued on this occasion.

Now, it's time to start planning for next year's tasting!

6 Decades of Wine

13 Nov 2011: We were invited to a dear friend's 60th birthday party last night.  Every detail was meticulously considered and organised by our host (I should say hostess, as Anne was the mastermind of the surprise party): the result was a beautifully orchestrated soirée, with a trio of musicians serenading the guests who indulged in the fine cuisine prepared by Jeremy, the chef from The Mirror, the decadent cakes from Sevva and the amazing selection of 6 decades of fine wine, culminating in the enthralling performance by a duo of baritone and tenor. 



The baritone performing to an enthralled audience
with the tenor in the background having just delivered an amazing performance

 Following are the 6 decades of wine wih my impression - each wine was chosen for the style and for the vintage qualities that best represented the particular decade:

2002 Dom Pérignon - fresh and lively, floral, some tropical fruit, mineral, great acidity; a great champagne in the making, but for my personal preference, I would cellar this for a few more years to build complexity. 18/20

1999 Bâtard Montrachet, Domaine Leflaive (in magnums) - Double decanted about 45 minutes before serving. Rounded, well-textured, showing some maturity in the nose, layered notes of toast, hazelnuts, white peach and floral, with minerality, very endearing and approachable now. Good length.  Drink now and over next 10+ years for optimum enjoyment (longer for larger formats).  (All 6 magnums came in one original case.) 18.5/20

1982 Château Léoville Poyferré - Double-decanted about 2 hours before serving.  Deep ruby colour. Showing no signs of fatigue at all.  Still showing a firm but velvety tannin structure, with some acidity,  and a dense and concentrated cassis and plums, with liquorice and violet undertones.  Brooding, and unrelenting still. This was easily enjoyed last night but could do with further cellaring to mellow out.  Drink now and over next 20+ years.  17.5/20

The bottles of 1971 Echezeaux, DRC

1971 Echézeaux, Domaine de la Romanée Conti - Pale garnet core.  A wine of immense delicacy and finesse, that still showed lovely intensity and much energy, underneath the delicate appearance. Mature bouquet of rose, spice, leather, game and truffle, with still a hint of red fruit on the palate. Silky texture, effortlessly coating our palate with the most charming sweet flavours and leaving behind a very memorable aftertaste. (Richard said he just couldn't stop himself from drinking it!)  All the corks came out very well. Consistent levels of around 4- 4.5 cm for all 12 bottles that came from one original wooden case. Slight bottle variation but on the whole an impressive demonstration of the characteristics of this vintage and the impressive quality of DRC. Drink now and over next 5+ years, depending on cellar conditons. 18.5/20

(And a case of 2003 Clos de Vougeot, Méo-Camuzet, had been slipped in as back-up, and just as well it had been , as it did a fine job keeping up the drinking!  Plum, cherry, with plenty of spice and mocha, and some hints of leather and earthy character.  Juicy and mouthfilling, with ripe and firm tannin and lively acidity. An elegantly crafted wine for this very challenging hot vintage.  Drinking well now and over next 8 - 10 years. 17/20)
   
1967 Château d'Yquem - Bright and deep amber colour.  Plenty of botrytis here: honey, dried fruit (apricot and pineapple) and marmalade. Full-bodied but not overly unctuous, still showing plenty of lively acidity and much intensity  on the palate.  The sweetness building up on the palate, with a slight dryness at the finish.  Lovely to enjoy on its own! 17.5/20

1951 Burmester Colheita Port - Lovely mature bouquet of mocha, prunes, walnuts, figs and fruitcake, with burnt sugar notes on the palate.  Tasting very fresh still, with mouthcoating texture and a long sweet finish. (It went beautifully with the chocolate cake, I thought!)  17/20  

A beautiful drink from the birth year of our dear friend, and a very appropriate way to mark the end of a very indulgent and generous evening!  


The wines plus the reserve wine of 2003 Clos de Vougeot, Meo-Camuzet
minus the 2002 Dom Perignon



Hong Kong: City of Wine

11 Nov 2011: 3 days of 'wining' at the HK Wine and Spirits Fair and 3 days at the Winefuture Conference in HK added up to be quite a heavy toll on my system, not least my teeth, which bore the brunt of the pigment and acidity attack from the seriously staining young reds. However, in the name of wine, it was all very worthwhile. Apart from attending some very well-organised and educational tastings including the well-publicised 2009 Bordeaux Magical 20 Tasting conducted by Robert Parker, I focused my tasting on the lesser known regions and grape varieties....and in most cases, was rather encouraged by what I saw and tasted.

Robert Parker conducted the Magical 20 Tasting of 2009 Bordeaux

I did not exactly take notes during my booth-hopping, but the following made a distinct impression on me: the Tannat from Uruguay, the Blaufränkisch, pinot-noiresque Saint Laurent and fruity and vigorous Zweigelt from Austria (the grassy and minerally Grüner Veltliner relegated to yesterday's story!), the Nero d'Avola and Frappato contributing to Cerasuolo di Vittorio DOCG from Sicily, the waxy Grecanico with a slight pungent nose of herbal and citrus, with bitter almond aftertaste from Sicily (another alternative to Sauvignon Blanc), the blend of Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera making juicy and well-structured Salice Salentino DOC from Puglia,  the Öküzgözü and Boğazkere (both black grapes) and Narince (white grape) from Turkey, the Cabernet Franc from the Maule Valley in Argentina (yes - old story, but exciting new expression), the Hungarian Furmint and Hárslevelű both made in a dry style and a medium sweet version made from Zéta, and also Icewine from China. 

Chester d'Arenberg Osborn demonstrating new marketing ideas - a world without boundaries

The future of wine is without borders and boundaries.....it will be fascinating to watch how some of these regions rise to realise their full potential in the years to come, and to see how the birthplace of viticulture, the countries around the Black Sea, would once again be resurrected to its former glory!  The future of wine is very exciting and HK managed to attract vinous people from all over the world to be cocooned in these concrete monstrosities of exhibition centres, complete with the standard issue of terrible coffee and buffet lunches!  HK is now truly the epicentre of wine - at least for now, with at least a wine-related auction taking place almost every other week.....and a formal wine dinner taking place somewhere in HK every other day.  There has never been so much interest in wine  here, thanks in one part to the elimination of duty, a bold decision taken 6 years ago but in another perhaps bigger part, the attraction of the massive hinterland of China! 

I may be wrong with my statistics but I thought there were as many people making a beeline for the better known regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy as there were people experimenting with new regions and varieties at the Wine and Spirits Fair.  Bordeaux will always be there - as Robert Parker said, it represents the pinnacle of winemaking and has a very unique wine style and ageing profile, not quite equalled by another wine region at the moment.  A lot of Bordeaux-inspired regions and wineries aspire to become the next cult wine, gaining overnight fame and status with a high rating from a worthy critic.  I rather admire individual personality in a wine, a wine that speaks of its origin and DNA, a wine that has a personna, a character that puts it in its own class and category, not Bordeaux-inspired, not Burgundy-wannabe and not chasing a certain style to ensure a high rating.  These are the wines that deserve our support so that they continue to improve and evolve.  I shall always remember how Randall Grahm profoundly talked about the 'chi' of wine - wine as a living organism, the 'chi' giving it energy, the 'chi' connecting it to mother earth!  When the wine is harmonious and at peace, we will enjoy it better........

If you haven't yet, I urge you to try Randall Grahm's wines - the reds are Grenache-based, harmoniously structured, very expressive and very elegant, and all within 14.5% alcohol.  I particularly liked his new experimentation with maturation in bon-bons.  I also liked the Roussanne and Grenache Blanc  white blend, refreshing, zingy, great food wine - Randall recommended sushi with fresh wasabi.  The vin gris is very interesting as well, with a creamy texture from the malolactic fermentation.....not sure how it got there but it did a great job giving the wine a new level of sophistication, uncommonly found in pink wines!

Randall Grahm on the 'chi' of wine

The Winefuture Conference was enlightening in many ways and I felt that there were many points one could take home to ponder over......the Chinese market remained a magnet to some and an enigma to others. Sparkling wine still struggles to to find a way to woo the Chinese palate (the racy acidity and sometimes too aggressive bubbles don't help - perhaps the much longer-aged prestige cuvée champagnes with more delicate mousse and intensified complexity would find their way to the Chinese hearts??).  We are seeing more consumption of white wine in China....hurrah!  Finally, the awakening of the Chinese palate.....I find that in general white wine demonstrates more versatility in the matching with a variety of flavours in Chinese cuisine.  Red wine still remains the wine of choice but pinot noir is the flavour of the moment and long may this last!  This 'deviation' from Bordeaux, however minor, may encourage an accelerated 'normalisation' of crazy Bordeaux prices, which is long overdue so that the playing ground can once more be better levelled for those of us without those thick wallets who have felt much sidelined.   



The Promising Wines from Spain

 But hey, look what we've found: impressive Argentinian Cabernet Franc, promising Turkish reds and Hungarian dry whites, silky and perfumed well-crafted Austrian pinot noir and plenty of delicious, food-friendly and ageworthy wines from Spain and Italy (if only the alcohol level could be slighty better managed - 14% or below would be ideal!).....we're not without choices!  In fact, as the Chinese market opens up, this has just propelled the development of wine in more directions than one and this development has offered all of us better quality wine (at a range of price points) and more diversity, and we the consumers now  more so than ever have the opportuity to identify our own style, much less influenced by critics and others.......Like the wine we drink, we too are evolving! 

Borrowing the words of Forrest Gump, the world of wine 'is like a box of chocolates'.......how exhilarating!  Gan Bei!  Yum Sing!  Santé! Salute! Cheers!!!

1973 Vega Sicilia Unico

1973 Vega Sicilia Unico

11 Nov 2011: Last week I had the opportunity to try the 1973 Vega Sicilia Unico.  I thought it had a slightly funky nose, reminding me of rusty nails and something savoury,  mushroomy and spicy.  There was some fruit character still on the palate, but more towards the lean and ungenerous end of the spectrum, not helped by the high-ish acidity.  Perhaps it should have been drunk a while ago?  14.5/20

The 1989 Pichon Baron was the complete opposite, with masses of fruit concentration and ripeness, showing blackberry preserve, cassis, mocha, and tobacco notes.  On the palate, it was mouthcoating, with firm but ripe tannin fully integrated into the texture of the wine.  Lingering finish.  Still evolving, this bottle was so different, so much more vigorous, chewy and substantial than the other bottles from the same case - the other bottles showed much more of the cedar and forest floor character.   Drinking now but will be a long while before it reaches peak....I would give it another 15+ years before peak would be reached.  18/20

We started the evening with a 2000 Pavillon Blanc du Chateau Margaux.  I felt that the wine was rather reticent on this occasion....showing some nutty, honey, acacia, quince and spicy character, but the palate seemed a little one-dimensional, not really engaging us.  There was some zingy acidity, but not in abundance.  The wine worked rather well with the duck rice, I thought.   It would be interesting to see how and if this vintage would come out of this disinterested phase to blossom into something much more exciting.  15.5/20 

First time I went to Nino's Cozinha (Queen's Road East, Wanchai, HK)....I thought the duck rice was a very good dish here - hearty and savoury, as was the suckling pig.....under the crispy skin, the meat was firmer than the version at Olé, that I had recently.  The African chicken was also not to be missed - firey and spicy (not sure if it's authentic but I loved the spice!).  We didn't get the mussels but the clams were just cooked, served in a delicately flavoured broth, with potatoes - yummy!  Highly recommended!  Perhaps next time, we'll try some Portuguese wine with it....Vinho Verde and some toothsome and elegantly structured Douro red!  

La Rioja Alta Dinner in HK



The audience regaled by Daniel Pecina Lopez
with his introductory talk on Rioja, as a cultural and historic region.

 11 Nov 2011: Last night, I attended a wine dinner featuring the wines of La Rioja Alta at Olé Spanish Restaurant in Hong Kong.  Rioja Alta is one of 3 regions of Rioja, on the south side of the River Ebro.  From its start in 1890, the winery achieved a number of milestones and is now established in 3 different regions: 2 wineries in Rioja, 1 in Rias Baixas and 1 in Ribera del Duero, all with different climates.  The evening began with an introduction on some cultural and historic aspects of Rioja, by special guests from the Spanish Trade Commission.



Some of the wines from La Rioja Alta

 Despite the modern approaches adopted by various wineries in Rioja, La Rioja Alta has stuck to its traditional winemaking, while making room for some technical advances where appropriate.  The Rioja Alta area is still close enough to the Atlantic Ocean to receive a bit of the maritime influence and is well sheltered by the Cantabrian mountains.  It was the 1982 Gran Reserva 890 that had all of us unianimously voting it as the wine of the evening.  It was the epitome of finesse and elegance, with the complex bouquet of pot pourri, spice, animal, tobacco, savoury, leather with mineral nuances.  Silky texture, showing no signs of fatigue at all, instead plenty of vigour and freshness even at almost 30 years old. The resemblance to Burgundy was not lost on the keen wine lovers amongst us. Drinking now at peak and with a long way to go.  This blend apparently had some Mazuelo added to it. The more recent vintages would have a blend of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano.  Gran Reserva 890 is really only made in the best years, going through 6 years in cask and 6 years in bottle. The 1995 vintage, which was an excellent one particularly noted for the excellent acidity, structure and aromatic intensity and complexity, was still quite angular and would definitely benefit from quite a few more years in bottle to become better integrated and harmonised.  The 1994 vintage was interestingly much more evolved (more of the leather and savoury character) than the 1995 vintage on this occasion.   I was convinced that the 1995 would eventually develop to be similar to the 1982 vintage. Both would have a score of 18/20 from me. 



Guests busily tucking into the delicious food and wine!

 Going backwards, we had 2 vintages of Gran Reserva 904 (1904 being the year La Rioja Alta merged with Bodega Ardanza): 1998 and 1995.  1995 was a clear winner here, being the more perfect vintage and having benefitted from the extra ageing in bottle.  Gran Reserva 904 is made from the same blend of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano, but with only 4 years in cask and 4 years in bottle.

Together with this flight, we had the 2001 Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial.  This wine is made from 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha.  The result of 3 years in American oak has this wine showing a complex bouquet of strawberry, incense, vanilla and smoke. Velvety textured, with plenty of freshness and a lovely finish.  Drinking well now, with an hour of decanting, and will continue to drink well for the next 8 - 10 years.  This wine is only made as Reserva Especial in the very best vintages and the last time it was made was 1973 and before that 1964.

The first 2 reds were both from the Ribera del Duero: 2006 Aster Crianza and 2004 Aster Reserva.  The Crianza was simply delicious, already mouth-filling with 15 - 20 months in oak (mix of French and Amercian, new and old), and rather quaffable with a very approachable nose and palate of wild berries, smoke, chocolate and liquorice.  Excellent acidity from this region of extreme day and night temperatures (as much as 20 degrees Celsius diurnal range) and very good sun exposure to ensure phenolic ripeness, while retaining acidity, deepening colour and enhancing aromatic complexity.  The 2004 Aster Reserva showed slightly more astringent tannin and perhaps it should have been paired with beef casserole or roast lamb, instead of red pepper stuffed with salt cod, which received a big thumbs up by our Spanish friend as rather authentic!

We began the evening with the 2010 Albariño from Lagar de Cervero.  With the help of ageing on fine lees and partial malolactic fermentation, the wine showed a slight creamy texture, with racy acidity and a refreshing nose of grapefruit, lime peel, mineral and yeast.  Slight bitter almond on the finish.  Lovely as aperitif or with the yummy garlic prawns!



Exquisite seafood paella being served

 The restaurant did a great job with the food - the signature Seafood paella, simply grilled baby lamb rack and the succulent suckling pig were all well accompanied by the delicous wines.  The only problem was a lack of wine glasses, which caused some chaos and challenge to the pouring, especially with so many different wines and vintages! 

Well, perhaps this little bit of chaos just kept everyone on their toes and stayed interested till the very end!!  

I have tasted so much Spanish wine recently, at both the HK Wine and Spirits Fair and also at the Winefuture Conference in HK that I was left with no doubt about the future of Spanish wines.  There is some way to go and every wine dinner like this one just helps Spanish wines edge forward one step further towards their being recognised as a great wine country setting benchmarks for fabulous indigenous grape varieties such as Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Cariñena and not forgetting the white grapes of Albariño, Verdejo, Viura, Xarel-lo, Parellada and Malvasia.   All these grape varieties are increasingly associated with various world class wines!  The future is so very exciting!!!
      

The 1959 bottles that restored my faith in old burgundies!

2 Nov 2011: Dinner at Caprice, Four Seasons, HK. The restaurant team of staff did a fantastic job with the food and service and the cheese trolley was certainly not to be missed (they even had Citeaux, one of my favourite cheeses from Burgundy, from the tiny production of just 500 cows and rarely available outside of France).  I was a bit nervous about the wines, given how many times we had poured over-the-hill or madeirised burgundies down the sink!  This evening, for a change, we were 'very pleasantly' bowled over by all of them!  What a revelation!  (To top it up, George presented us with a glass each of both 1998 and the just-launched Krug Clos du Mesnil!)

1992 Chevalier Montrachet, Leflaive:  Bright golden colour.  On the nose, acacia, ripe pear, quince, butterscotch, hazelnuts, honey, hints of white chocolate, with plenty of liquorice and mineral nuances on the palate. Very ripe, very seductive, round and fleshy, richly mouthcoating, but still showing sufficent acidity to keep it from being flabby or excessively rich.  Loved the very minerally, spicy and honeyed finish....it went on for almost a minute! Drink now and over next 6 - 8 years.  17.5/20

1959 Chambertin, The Wine Society: Medium garnet colour. Mature bouquet of red cherry, violet, hoi sin sauce, leather and savoury, further developing in the glass to take on more earthy, sous-bois and incense-like character.  Muscular, still showing well the power and concentration, a little austere still.  Still tasted very fresh and remarkably lively for its age.  Drink now and for the next 5 - 6 years. 17/20

1959 Vosne-Romanee La Grande Rue

1959 La Grande Rue, Lamarche: Pale garnet colour. A mesmerizingly enchanting and complex perfume of dried rose petals, liquorice, coffee (mocha), toasty, spicy, and minerally.Hint of caramel on the extremely long finish. Silky textured and all elements in total harmony.  A very fine expression of the ethereal qualities of Vosne-Romanee, Burgundian finesse, perfume, subtle power and concentration, complexity, and elegance at its apogee.  Though a monopole of the Lamarche family covering only 1.65 hectare in area, La Grande Rue only became the 31st Grand Cru of the Cote d'Or in 1992, so on this label, it was still a village level (Vosne-Romanee) appellation.  We enjoyed this over 2 hours and it did not show any signs of deterioration. A remarkable effort! Drink now and for next 8 - 10 years. 18.5/20

And look at the corks for the two 1959 bottles......how they held so well despite the age!