19 Jan 2012: Richard's birthday. We had a good honest meal at the Hong Kong Club and a couple of bottles of 'grown-up' wine. The 1997 Meursault-Charmes, Comtes Lafon showed a golden colour with amber glints and was unfortunately madeirised, which didn't bother me as a dessert wine to go with cheese! So we ordered a bottle of 2005 Corton-Charlemagne, Bruno Clair. White blossom, lime zest, green fruit, flinty and chalky, with the slightest hint of toast. Crisp acidity. Medium-full bodied, in a rather delineated and muscular style, with some complexity and understated power. This perhaps could do with a bit more time to develop in the bottle. 16.5/20
1988 Richebourg, Meo-Camuzet. Medium garnet colour. A mature and developed bouquet of tinned raspberry, coffee, Asian spices (cloves and nutmeg), tobacco, leather, earthy and gamey. The wine effortlessly coats the palate and gives the most ethereal and enchanting sensation of what great burgundy at its peak must taste and feel like: silky, elegant, sublime, harmonious and otherworldly! A very classy finish. Drinking totally at peak now and will drink well at this plateau for another 4 - 5+ years (depending on storage)? 18.5/20
1988 La Tache, DRC: Deep garnet colour. As if the two wines were separated by a good decade, the La Tache was still relatively developing its bouquet, a little closed on the nose initially. After some time in the glass, it revealed a nose of bright cherry and strawberry, floral, tea leaves, savoury, floral, Asian spices, with a hint of eucalyptus on the nose. Medium bodied, tannin still not fully integrated, needing a bit more time to round off the edges. Though a little backward and unforthcoming, I was rather impressed by the power yet to be unleashed, and its vibrancy and energy. It was for me the better wine to go with food...It might not be as elegant and accessible today as the Meo-Camuzet Richebourg but I am confident it has the potential to develop into the better wine in 5 - 6 years' time? 18.5/20
So happy to finally taste the 1988 Richebourg, Meo-Camuzet as our last effort was met with cork taint!
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