Birthday Treats

20 Mar 2013:  Last weekend, we were treated to a couple of post birthday celebrations:


The first of which took place at The Principal where the chef delivered a truly Michelin-starred array of dishes for us. I particularly liked the slow-cooked egg with artichoke and truffle and the suckling pig, with lemon puree, endives and thyme jus.

1990 Dom Perignon: Straw lemon colour. A very fresh and fragrant bouquet of apple compote, brioche, honey, grilled almonds and ginger. Underneath the creamy mousse of very fine bubbles, the tension and energy is very evident, with vibrant acidity and minerality on the finish. Finishes long and crisp. Enjoy now or over next 6 - 8 years. 19.5/20

1990 Krug: More golden amber in colour. The evolved nose reveals the richness and opulence from caramelised notes of coffee, nougat and hazelnuts. The firm acidity livens up the richness and smoothness in the texture of the mouthfeel. This is a great food wine (it went very well with the slow cooked egg!), to be enjoyed now but there is no hurry to finish this. 19/20

2000 Chevalier Montrachet, Bouchard: Exotic fruit and white flowers dominate this gorgeous bouquet with herbal nuances. Initially little tight on the palate, but with aeration, this takes on weight, elegance and complexity. Love the minerally finish. 18/20

1993 Chevalier Montrachet, Leflaive: This is class act, combining maturity, flamboyance, concentration and depth, a very authentic expression of the terroir. The fine details are not lost in the layers of liquorice, nutty, toasty and vanilla notes. Finish goes on and on. 19/20

2001 Chevalier Montrachet, Michel Niellon: A nose of citrus confit, spice and nuts. The palate is painfully stony and austere. The wine seems to be encased in a woody corset, refusing to harmonise. Everything about this wine is of gargantuan dimension, but I cannot find the harmony in all this. 16.5/20

2001 Clos Saint Denis, Ponsot: A brilliant ruby core. The nose is all about purity of red fruit, with a sappy note on the palate. Refined and delicate. A very elegant and classy Bourgogne. Finishes long. Drink now and over next 8 - 10 years. 18/20

2001 Richebourg, Anne-Françoise Gros: Sappy, herbal, earthy and gamey notes dominate the nose. Balanced and nicely structured, but not an outstanding effort. Seems to have reached peak. Drink now and over next 4 - 5 years. 16.5/20

2000 Chambertin, Rousseau: I rather liked this. An expressive wine that speaks of class, power and depth. There was the purity of red cherry, layered with savoury, underbrush, coffee,mushroom, and earthy nuances.  This is not a typically powerful Chambertin, but rather a subtle display of character and depth, with plenty of complexity and suppleness. 18/20

1990 Hermitage, Chave: This really is a fantastic wine. Blackberry, leather, pepper and savoury notes pack out the intensively complex bouquet. The palate was a sensational explosion of palate-staining flavours, with a very very long finish. An incredibly complete wine that probably deserved more time than we gave it. My best wine of the evening! Drink now and over next 15 - 20 years. 19.5/20

1990 Clos des Papes: A true to form Clos des Papes. Fullness in every sense: a very complex nose that almost resembled port, medicinal, slightly sappy, with notes of kirsh, prunes and figs. The fleshy palate was a velvety display of very fine and ripe tannins, bolstered by vibrant acidity, keeping this rich nectar fresh and alive. This is drinking beautifully now, and needed the right food to go with it. Braised lamb shank or a venison stew would be quite perfect with this! Loved the long and complex finish. Drinking now and over next 10 - 15 years. 19/20  



The second dinner we were invited to took a rather different format!  We all had to guess the wines, with the help of tasting notes by experts (without the name of the wine and the vintage!).  It was quite interesting to see how we all drank quite a bit more at these blind tastings, which no doubt helped the atmosphere of the room!  We started with 2004 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, which was nicely taut on the palate. The purity and energy of the wine was very admirable and I adore the zinginess and minerality on the palate, with notes of lemon, Granny Smith apple, white flowers and crushed stones!  For white wines, we had a 2002 Chevalier Montrachet, Vincent Girardin with the unmistakable ripe pear, peach, floral, smoke and toasty notes (perhaps more evolved than expected) and a honeyed and lanolin-like 1990 Laville Haut Brion Blanc.    My best wines of the evening were the double magnum of 1995 Masseto (100% Merlot) and the 2001 Domaine de La Janasse Cuvée Chaupin (100% Grenache).  I really enjoyed these single varietal wines and admired how brilliantly they expressed the sense of place!  The 1992 Grange was the final red wine and perhaps it paled a little in comparison to the 2 previous wines.  It did not possess the power and concentration of the best vintages, but it showed a very refined structure of smooth fine-grained tannin, perfectly balancing acidity and lush and spicy notes of liquorice, menthol and blackberry.   The 1997 Yquem was unctuous and a delight to enjoy its bright golden robe, intense notes of honey, marmalade and acacia, with a nice clean finish, not cloying.  I must confess to preferring this to the birthday cake!   Thank you so much to our generous hosts!