11 Nov 2012: Pale lemon. An expressive nose of lemon, pear, frangipane, almond, layered with smoke and herbal notes. Medium weight, supple attack with vibrant acidity and a very distinct chalky and nutty note filling the palate. A very elegant Corton-Charlemagne, subtle, refined and pure, with a very admirable poise. Love the fresh and lingering minerally finish. 18/20
Sunday 11 November 2012
Thursday 8 November 2012
1997 Leroy Pommard Les Vignots
6 Nov 2012: Bright cherry ruby hue. An elegantly rustic nose of sweet raspberry, dried rose petals, sweet leather, farmyard, mushroom and nutmeg, infiltrated with purity and pedigree. The silky texture belies some astringent tannin, and a good level of acidity keeping the structure intact and poised. Slightly drying finish. There is a feeling of harmony and a very well-defined sense of place, a true expression of the terroir. A very admirable effort for a well-aged village level Pommard, drinking remarkably well, given its age and vintage. Just wish I could be having this every day! 17.5/20
Burgundies between 10 and 20 years old
31 Oct 2012:
Theme: Bourgogne 1992 - 2002.
We started with a very characterful Savigny-lès-Beaune Aux Vergelesses Blanc, Simon Bize. At 10 years old, it still showed a lively and complex nose, rounded mouthfeel with weight and richness balanced by racy acidity, an assertive minerality on the palate, with a spicy finish. I very much like this, still relatively vigourous and energetic, a great expression of terroir! Drink now.
The 1999 Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot, Bernard Morey in magnum also remained true to the vintage and terrroir. An expressive nose of honey, acacia, peach, ripe pear, hazelnuts, nuanced with savoury and smokey notes. All the richness and warmth of this vintage framed in a full and almost voluptuous body. The acidity fell short of the necessary level to keep the palate refreshed. Slightly lacking in freshness and elegance. Drink now.
The 1992 Corton-Charlemagne, Tollot-Beaut displayed a very elegant, sleek and sinewy persona, still impressive with layers of complexity, smoke and minerality. This could do with a bit more acidity.....lacking in lift, but nevertheless a very finely balanced wine still supporting a reasonable structure and a persistent finish. A wine for the quiet intellectual. Drink now.
I loved that pure and elegant nose of the 2000 Vosne-Romanée Aux Reignots, Sylvain Cathiard, with the raspberry and plum layered with nutmeg, game and a savoury note. Plenty of freshness, good acidity and silky tannin, presented in a delicate frame. Medium finish. A very fine wine not for longer term cellaring, but an absolute delight to be enjoyed now and over the next 2 - 3+ years!
We then had 2 Pommards. The 1995 Pommard Les Rugiens, de Montille was rather earthy and gamey, and seemed quite ungenerous. The 2002 Pommard Les Pézerolles, de Montille was a nice contrast. Here we have plum, blackberry compote, spice and earthy, but the nose is much more inviting, with a very elegant palate of velvety tannin and good acidity. A good effort.
3 Grands Crus followed. The 2001 Romanée Saint Vivant, Sylvain Cathiard would remain my favourite of the evening, with its very classy nose of spice and red fruits, and a certain stoniness, leather and mocha notes. Not the fleshiest Romanée Saint Vivant, but rather one that shows aristocratic class and poise. Still maintaining a nice balance and fine structure. Lengthy finish. Drink now and over next 5 - 6 years.
1998 Bonnes Mares, Roumier performed well despite the vintage. A hefty wine with an angular structure and muscles, still a little austere, needing a lot more time to tone down those astringent tannins. Not sure there would be enough fruit to see through this finetuning. Plum, earthy, leather notes. A meaty wine, if only lacking in Burgundian finesse and elegance. Drink now and over next 5 - 6 years.
1990 Clos Vougeot, Bertagna showed a very mature and ripe nose of raisins, prunes, game and sweaty saddle, with just a hint of madeirisation. Some velvety tannin and good acidity. Not much character.
Also highly recommended though not related to this evening is the 2003 Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts, Sylvain Cathiard. Gorgeously ripe black fruit, violet and spices. Still very youthful and vigorous. It simply glided over the palate with the mouth-coating velvety tannins. The lively acidity keeping the richness and density in balance and harmony . A very lengthy finish that would take you back immediately for another sip! A deftly crafted wine, that would seem fitting to be called a benchmark wine for the vintage, combining elegance, concentration and power, even if somewhat atypical of a classic Burgundian! Drink now and over next 10 - 12 years!
Theme: Bourgogne 1992 - 2002.
The 1999 Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot, Bernard Morey in magnum also remained true to the vintage and terrroir. An expressive nose of honey, acacia, peach, ripe pear, hazelnuts, nuanced with savoury and smokey notes. All the richness and warmth of this vintage framed in a full and almost voluptuous body. The acidity fell short of the necessary level to keep the palate refreshed. Slightly lacking in freshness and elegance. Drink now.
The 1992 Corton-Charlemagne, Tollot-Beaut displayed a very elegant, sleek and sinewy persona, still impressive with layers of complexity, smoke and minerality. This could do with a bit more acidity.....lacking in lift, but nevertheless a very finely balanced wine still supporting a reasonable structure and a persistent finish. A wine for the quiet intellectual. Drink now.
We then had 2 Pommards. The 1995 Pommard Les Rugiens, de Montille was rather earthy and gamey, and seemed quite ungenerous. The 2002 Pommard Les Pézerolles, de Montille was a nice contrast. Here we have plum, blackberry compote, spice and earthy, but the nose is much more inviting, with a very elegant palate of velvety tannin and good acidity. A good effort.
1998 Bonnes Mares, Roumier performed well despite the vintage. A hefty wine with an angular structure and muscles, still a little austere, needing a lot more time to tone down those astringent tannins. Not sure there would be enough fruit to see through this finetuning. Plum, earthy, leather notes. A meaty wine, if only lacking in Burgundian finesse and elegance. Drink now and over next 5 - 6 years.
1990 Clos Vougeot, Bertagna showed a very mature and ripe nose of raisins, prunes, game and sweaty saddle, with just a hint of madeirisation. Some velvety tannin and good acidity. Not much character.
Also highly recommended though not related to this evening is the 2003 Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts, Sylvain Cathiard. Gorgeously ripe black fruit, violet and spices. Still very youthful and vigorous. It simply glided over the palate with the mouth-coating velvety tannins. The lively acidity keeping the richness and density in balance and harmony . A very lengthy finish that would take you back immediately for another sip! A deftly crafted wine, that would seem fitting to be called a benchmark wine for the vintage, combining elegance, concentration and power, even if somewhat atypical of a classic Burgundian! Drink now and over next 10 - 12 years!
Monday 5 November 2012
Eric Pras in HK
28 Oct 2012: Patrick managed to secure a table at this sell-out event: Eric Pras, chef of 3-Michelin starred Lameloise (Chagny, France), cooking in Hong Kong! Lameloise is really one of my favourite restaurants in the world: culinary skills aside, it's one of those special places that makes you feel that 'at home' every time you visit - the warm and personal service, the cosy dining areas, the very professional and friendly staff who have largely remained the same since my first visit, and the rush of fresh air that greets you in the face as you leave the restaurant. I highly recommend staying there if you are going to indulge on a gastronomic evening at the restaurant. Chagny is this little town in the Côte Chalonnaise region, just south of the more illustrious Côte d'Or, in the Saône-et-Loire departement, and it's a charming little place. The Sunday market is always a highlight for me and there are plenty of walks around the area, along the canal, in the hills taking you to Bouzeron and Rully. And don't forget to explore the wines of the Côte Chalonnaise because they are wines of character and they offer something different for those seeking value and quality in Bourgogne wines: Bouzeron, Rully, Mercurey, Givry and Montagny.
In his earlier career, Eric Pras trained with various legendary culinary figures in France: Troisgros, Bernard Loiseau, Pierre Gagnaire and Antoine Westerman. He joined Jacques Lameloise in 2008 and took over the kitchen in 2009. The style of food at Lameloise? Simplicity and tradition form a very harmonious entirety here.....the kitchen looks for 'innovation' in 'tradition'.
For this menu degustation, he prepared the following:
Scallops and Jerusalem Artichoke, Marinated and Crispy Celery Perfumed Coat
Jerusalem Artichoke Nectar and Sea Urchin Marshmallow
Burgundy Escargots, Tarte Fine, Herbs, Vegetables, Persil and Garlic Coulis and Sprinkled Liquorice
Slow cooked Seabass, warm mayonnaise, mustard and verbena
Lobster Medallion, Artichoke and Coriander, Light Cream of Parmentier Style Potato (my favourite dish, stunning panoply of flavours and texture......so good with the 88 Clos de La Roche!)
Pigeon roasted with gingerbread praline, turnip with prune chutney and pearled jus
Mango soup, yoghurt sorbet, warm madeleine
Orange cream and jelly, manjari mousse, ginger orange sherbet
As this was a special occasion (a birthday dinner), our host had prepared some rather special wines:
1988 Krug: Bright deep gold. A very expressive, intense and complex nose of quince, fig, apricot, hazelnuts, acacia, nutmeg, gingerbread , pastry and smoke. On the palate, the intense flavours find perfect balance with the lively acidity and creamy texture of fine and persistent bubbles, seamlessly integrated. A very complete and harmonious wine, absolutely irresistible (and disappearing very fast from the glass). Drinking at peak now and for another 8 - 10 years? 19.5/20
2005 Meursault Les Grands Charrons, Michel Bouzereau (in magnum): This is very fine village quality example. A classic Meursault nose of peach, apricot, ripe pear, verbena, bracken and hazelnuts. The rich texture and rounded mouthfeel balanced by firm acidity. There is very good ripe fruit quality here, admirable balance and a long minerally finish. A fine effort and can drink for another 5 - 6 years in this format. 16/20
2006 Meursault-Caillerets, Coche-Dury: First bottle was corked. Second bottle shows a very fine and stylish Meursault, with a very elegant and initially subtle nose of peach, melon, floral, hazelnuts and flinty smoke. On the palate, the refined elegance is unmistakable. A little restrained initially, slowing revealing a very precise expression of terroir: stony minerality, Meursault richness overlaid with a stylish elegance and tremendous freshness. A very long finish. Gorgeous now and can be enjoyed over next 10 - 15 years. (Les Caillerets is a tiny Premier Cru climat next to Volnay and Monthelie.) 17.5/20
1989 Charmes-Chambertin, Rousseau: Sweaty saddle, underbrush, with some plum notes on the nose. Mid weight. Elegant, but a little ungenerous on the palate, slightly lacking in character. Drink now. 16/20
1988 Clos de La Roche, Rousseau: This by comparison is a pleasant surprise. Spicy notes overlaid with plum and dried rose petals. Rich mouthfeel, showing a robust structure of fine acidity and velvety tannin, intensity and depth of flavours, with a medium finish. Drink now and over next 45 - 6 years. 17/20
1993 Clos de La Roche, Rousseau: Ripe red fruit, plum, spicy and earthy notes with a touch of the sauvage character. Not a wine particularly defined by finesse and elegance, but rather a wine that delivers solid structure, balance, flesh, concentration and richness of ripe fruit material - a very respectable expression of terroir. Velvety tannin, fine acidity and a long finish. Drink now and over next 8 - 10 years. 18/20
1999 Bonnes Mares, de Vogüé: Still very youthful - slightly austere, not really talking to us yet. Probably could benefit from 2 more years of bottle age before trying again. Notes of red and blue fruit and spices. This is a firm and solid wine, with plenty of concentration and depth, but this is going to take some time to unfurl its greatness and finesse. 18.5/20
1959 Coutet: Richard tried it and said it was really delicious and amazingly fresh!
Sometimes when you have a guest chef from overseas, the expectation far exceeds the actual delivery/enjoyment because of various reasons: chef not familiar with the kitchen, linguistic challenges with the rest of the culinary team, etc....but not for this dinner, all the dishes were as we would expect in France. Chapeau! Well done, chef!
In his earlier career, Eric Pras trained with various legendary culinary figures in France: Troisgros, Bernard Loiseau, Pierre Gagnaire and Antoine Westerman. He joined Jacques Lameloise in 2008 and took over the kitchen in 2009. The style of food at Lameloise? Simplicity and tradition form a very harmonious entirety here.....the kitchen looks for 'innovation' in 'tradition'.
For this menu degustation, he prepared the following:
 |
| Scallop and Jerusalem Artichoke - the scallop with crispy celery coat was divine! |
Jerusalem Artichoke Nectar and Sea Urchin Marshmallow
 |
| Escargots - I think the pastry was not very nice - much better with the classic tarte fine |
Slow cooked Seabass, warm mayonnaise, mustard and verbena
 |
| Lobster medallion - my favourite dish of the evening! Love the rich and warm flavours. |
 |
| Pigeon dish - fleshy and tender (and this went beautifully with the 93 Clos de La Roche) |
Mango soup, yoghurt sorbet, warm madeleine
Orange cream and jelly, manjari mousse, ginger orange sherbet
As this was a special occasion (a birthday dinner), our host had prepared some rather special wines:
1988 Krug: Bright deep gold. A very expressive, intense and complex nose of quince, fig, apricot, hazelnuts, acacia, nutmeg, gingerbread , pastry and smoke. On the palate, the intense flavours find perfect balance with the lively acidity and creamy texture of fine and persistent bubbles, seamlessly integrated. A very complete and harmonious wine, absolutely irresistible (and disappearing very fast from the glass). Drinking at peak now and for another 8 - 10 years? 19.5/20
2005 Meursault Les Grands Charrons, Michel Bouzereau (in magnum): This is very fine village quality example. A classic Meursault nose of peach, apricot, ripe pear, verbena, bracken and hazelnuts. The rich texture and rounded mouthfeel balanced by firm acidity. There is very good ripe fruit quality here, admirable balance and a long minerally finish. A fine effort and can drink for another 5 - 6 years in this format. 16/20
2006 Meursault-Caillerets, Coche-Dury: First bottle was corked. Second bottle shows a very fine and stylish Meursault, with a very elegant and initially subtle nose of peach, melon, floral, hazelnuts and flinty smoke. On the palate, the refined elegance is unmistakable. A little restrained initially, slowing revealing a very precise expression of terroir: stony minerality, Meursault richness overlaid with a stylish elegance and tremendous freshness. A very long finish. Gorgeous now and can be enjoyed over next 10 - 15 years. (Les Caillerets is a tiny Premier Cru climat next to Volnay and Monthelie.) 17.5/20
1989 Charmes-Chambertin, Rousseau: Sweaty saddle, underbrush, with some plum notes on the nose. Mid weight. Elegant, but a little ungenerous on the palate, slightly lacking in character. Drink now. 16/20
1988 Clos de La Roche, Rousseau: This by comparison is a pleasant surprise. Spicy notes overlaid with plum and dried rose petals. Rich mouthfeel, showing a robust structure of fine acidity and velvety tannin, intensity and depth of flavours, with a medium finish. Drink now and over next 45 - 6 years. 17/20
1993 Clos de La Roche, Rousseau: Ripe red fruit, plum, spicy and earthy notes with a touch of the sauvage character. Not a wine particularly defined by finesse and elegance, but rather a wine that delivers solid structure, balance, flesh, concentration and richness of ripe fruit material - a very respectable expression of terroir. Velvety tannin, fine acidity and a long finish. Drink now and over next 8 - 10 years. 18/20
1999 Bonnes Mares, de Vogüé: Still very youthful - slightly austere, not really talking to us yet. Probably could benefit from 2 more years of bottle age before trying again. Notes of red and blue fruit and spices. This is a firm and solid wine, with plenty of concentration and depth, but this is going to take some time to unfurl its greatness and finesse. 18.5/20
1959 Coutet: Richard tried it and said it was really delicious and amazingly fresh!
Sometimes when you have a guest chef from overseas, the expectation far exceeds the actual delivery/enjoyment because of various reasons: chef not familiar with the kitchen, linguistic challenges with the rest of the culinary team, etc....but not for this dinner, all the dishes were as we would expect in France. Chapeau! Well done, chef!
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