The Class of 1990: a great all-round vintage

8 Apr 2013: Alfred and Maria treated us to dinner at Ming, a new restaurant in Causeway Bay (5 Moreton Terrace) that seems to be on everyone's lips and comes with very good pedigree: a manager-owner with great track record gained from Victoria City and Fan Tang and a team of chefs who have worked at Victoria City, Fan Tang and Fu Ho. Alfred chose the menu extremely well, heeding the fact that we were expecting some rather big wines. We started with a number of starters, including Shun De style spare ribs, deep-fried lemongrass spare ribs, and Shanghainese style stir-fried shrimps. This brilliant array of starters was followed by steamed crab in chicken fat and Shao Xing wine. The braised garoupa with bean curd was simply delicious and worked wonderfully with the 1990 Ausone. The rich sauce of the braised goose webs and dried Chinese mushroom was no shy partner to the 1990 Haut Brion. The skin of the deep fried chicken was wafer thin and crispy, topping the succulent and flavoursome meat. A pinch of the five spice-salt on the chicken did wonders to the enjoyment of the 1990 Haut Brion! The final dish was a stir fried beef cubes with wild mushrooms was just what we needed to go with the bigger 1990 Hermitage La Chapelle.

The class of 1990

My brief notes on the wines:

1990 Dom Perignon: Deep lemon core. Notes of brioche, acacia, nuts, rich apple tart, coffee and caramel. Still preserving the very fine persistent bubbles but less of that zest on the palate. Much more evolved than the last bottle we tried. 17.5/20

1990 Krug: Deep lemon robe. Compared to the Dom Perignon, this showed much more energy and verve. The very mature Krug nose of toffee apple, digestive biscuits with acacia, stem ginger and cinnamon. Mature, but still vigorous.Still very fresh on the palate, the creamy mousse delivering a very long and complex finish. Seriously delicious. It went very well with the steamed crab in chicken fat and Shao Xing wine. 18.5/20
1990 Chevalier Montrachet, Michel Niellon: Lemon core. A very expressive bouquet of saffron, cinnamon, ginger, fig, pear, honeysuckle, with layers of beeswax, toast and grilled hazelnut nuances. Some mineral notes still linger on the palate, enhancing the rich and intense flavours, just balanced by the assertive acidity, and finishes long and spicy. 18/20

1990 Mas de Daumas Gassac: Garnet core. A very sauvage and aromatic bouquet of garrigue, dried lavender, herbal, plum, with notes of menthol. Supple, good acidity, smooth texture, slightly astringent finish. We tasted this wine blind and it took all of us by surprise how well it showed because one would expect this wine to be drunk within 10 years of its life! 17.5/20

1990 Ausone: Bricking at the rim. Very tertiary nose of animal, leather, graphite with some blueberry and five spice notes, and a hint of orange peel. Lowish in acidity. Rather weak mid palate, the fruit seems to have receded. Dryness on the finish. This bottle probably past its peak and on the decline. I think storage could be a possible explanation here. 16/20

1990 Haut Brion: A very unmistakable and alluring Graves nose of blueberry, cassis, plum, graphite, gravel, cedar and cigar smoke. Supple and well-chiseled. Very classy palate that shows intensity, breed and complexity, within a medium frame of fine ripe tannin and a good level of acidity. A long and fine finish. Can definitely be enjoyed now and for the next 10 - 15 years. 18.5/20

1990 Montrose: Ruby core, just a little bricking at the rim. A bold and intense bouquet of dried fruit, raisin, fig, cassis, stewed blackberry, with hints of eucalyptus and graphite. More mineral notes on the fleshy palate, with palate-staining flavours coating every corner of your palate. Remarkable richness, concentration and power, bolstered by vibrant acidity. This wine took a while to open up. A massive (in every sense) and brooding wine that is going to take some years to unwind fully but it is drinking perfectly well today with all its pomp and fanfare. Try again in 5 years' time and drink over the next 20 - 25 years! 19.5/20

1990 Hermitage La Chapelle, Jaboulet (from magnum): This would be my favourite wine of the evening, with the 1990 Montrose closely behind. A very sophisticated expression of Syrah and its most pedigree terroir. A gloriously youthful bouquet of black cherry, blackberry, plum, violet, pot pourri, black pepper, with spices of cloves and liquorice and savoury notes. On the palate, the wine showed plenty of vigor and power, with very profound depth and multi-dimensional character. The velvety structure belies the very ripe tannin, which has totally integrated into the texture of the wine, and a freshness that begged you to return to the glass (and the magnum bottle) again and again. Incredibly long and complex finish. Totally seductive! There is definitely no hurry to drink up this wine, which will continue to drink well for 25 - 30 years. Yet why wait, when it can be so dazzingly beautiful and an absolute nectar to imbibe right now! 20/20

What a marvellous line-up! One thing that was clear was the importance of storage and provenance. It's a very good sign that a fabulous dinner was enjoyed by all when the next dinner date was already agreed before the end of the evening!