1985 Volnay Santenots, Ampeau

23 Sep 2013: As Super Typhoon Usagi swept in to thrash the city of Hong Kong yesterday evening, we settled in to enjoy a very refined 1985 Volnay Santenots, Ampeau. Medium garnet core. Beautiful mature Burgundian bouquet of undergrowth, wet leaves, prune, mushroom, overlying notes of dried strawberry and plum. Silky texture coating the sophisticated palate, highlighted by vibrant freshness, depth of character and an understated elegance, all within a mid-weight frame. Just a hint of dryness on the long finish. A magnificently harmonious expression of this Volnay terroir that has aged most gracefully! Drinking at peak now and over next 3 - 5+ years! 18/20 

We also had a 1993 Volnay Santenots du Milieu, Lafon recently. This seemed more angular, and somewhat ungenerous on the palate.....although still flaunting some primary red fruit and spice, as well as tertiary notes of sous-bois....but the prominence of the acidity made it seem rather unyielding at this point in time....not sure this would get any better than this. 16.5/20

The 9 Crus of 2008 Produttori del Barbaresco

14 Sep 2013: It was really a great treat to be invited to a tasting of the 9 crus of the Produttori del Barbaresco, all from the 2008 vintage, over a nice long meal at Si Mangia, a private kitchen focusing on Italian cuisine, overseen by Chef Ben and his wife. 11 of us occupied a table at the centre of the dining area of Si Mangia (www.simangia.com.hk), with plenty of space to fit 9 glasses per person, our plates and even room to scribble down your tasting notes! A real luxury as far as wine dinners go in HK! Although the restaurant did not have so many glasses for us, our thoughtful hosts arranged for Lucaris to supply the excellent array of glasses. Again another indulgence!


Produttori del Barbaresco is a Cantine Sociale (co-operative) that started in 1958. From the 19 founding families of growers whose holdings included majority control of some of the best vineyards such as Ovello, Montestefano, Moccagatta and Pajè, the Produttori has now grown to a membership of 54 families controlling 110 hectares of vineyards (approximately 22% of the entire DOCG), adding other prime vineyards such as Rabajà, Asili and Montefico, etc. The Produttori respects traditional winemaking practices and today, although it uses stainless steel tanks for fermentation, the wines all go through lengthy maceration of 40 to 60 days, depending on style and vintage. The crus are all aged for 3 years in large old botti before bottling. Typical production volume is 35,000 cases per year, including 40% of cru bottlings, 40% of bottling as Barbaresco and the remaining 20% as Nebbiolo della Langhe. There are 9 crus altogether: Ovello, Pajè, Pora, Rio Sordo, Moccagatta (Muncagota), Montestefano, Montefico, Rabajà and Asili. Our hosts had organised these 9 crus into 3 flights for us to taste and appreciate:


Flight 1 - common trait of rich soils?
Pora
Rio Sordo
Asili

Flight 2 - very good aromatics?
Pajè
Ovello
Muncagota

Flight 3 - structure and ageability?
Rabajà
Montefico
Montestefano


Here are my brief notes:

Pora: Notes of blackberry, black cherry, minty herb, tar, earthy and liquorice. Quite fleshy but in a rustic manner. Firm ripe tannin. Lovely aromatics. Lacks the refinement of the other crus.

Rio Sordo: Also quite rustic in style, more red fruit here, savoury and sinewy in structure. Astringent finish.

Asili: Both red and black fruit here, floral (violet), with herbal notes. Intense, weighty and powerful, but extremely well balanced. Almost a nice sweetness on entry. Refined firm tannin. Finishes long, beautiful.

Pajè: Quite closed initially. Reticent nose. But plenty of freshness from cool climate vineyards. Red fruit dominates.

Ovello: Black fruit, tar, liquorice and minty herb. A more forward style, quite opulent.

Muncagota: Almost Burgundian like. Medium bodied, delicate and refined, quiet and unassuming. Very elegant. Lovely long finish.

Rabajà: Aromatically intense, with herbal and floral notes. Well balanced, richness in body, but quite broad-shouldered, with robust tannic structure.

Montefico: Very linear, almost muscular, quite firm tannin. A poised and stylish wine....that needs some time to unwind.

Montestefano: Very ripe cherry fruit, plenty of complexity, vibrant acidity, firm ripe tannin. A very complete wine.

If I were to pick 3 best wines of the evening based on my experience this evening, they would be Montestefano, Rabajà and Muncagota for me......Ovello would be a close 4th! Then there would be Asili too!

Thank you so much to our most generous and thoughtful hosts! This was definitely a very well-organised tasting which allowed us to appreciate the great progress towards the highest quality that the Produttori had made in the past decade and in doing so, had preserved traditional practices and ensured that the wines would remain expressive of their individual terroirs. These are extremely impressive Barbaresco wines and most definitely will reward long term cellaring....if one can wait that long! And they are still reasonably priced compared to other big names!

Cote de Beaune Evening

17 Sep 2013: Richard set a very broad theme to this dinner........Côte de Beaune! And so we did have a very diverse range of wines!

We began with a Roulot Bourgogne Aligoté: citrus fruit, herbal note and refreshing, a perfect start!

The 2007 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Vergers Clos Saint Marc, Jean-Marc Pillot was a highlight amongst the whites. Such purity of fruit, raciness of acidity, linearity of structure, complete with intense minerality on the palate. Lemon, pear and nutty notes frame the broad-shouldered character, with the oak-infused notes still evident, but not detracting from the purity and intensity of the fruit flavours. Rich but superbly balanced and refined. Very long finish. Definitely can be enjoyed now....and over next 8 - 10 years! 17.5/20

The 2009 Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes, Louis Carillon needed a bit more time to open up.....we noticed some reduction initially. The nose was rich and complex, with floral (honeysuckle), fig, honey, almonds, pear and citrus. Rich and generous mouthfeel, with balancing acidity. Nice long complex finish. Probably better enjoyed in a year or so. A long life ahead. 17.5/20

The 2005 Batard Montrachet, Leflaive, was rather monolithic at the moment.......and would need another 3 -4 years to fully unwind. The nose reminds me of acacia, lanolin and lemon confit.....the palate was a phenomenal concentration of flavours....so dense and complex that it was almost too much to cram into one mouthful! A very powerful expression. I would wait a couple more years at least before trying again. 18.5/20

As for the reds, we began with 2 old burgs......which formed great contrasts when tasted side by side. The 1959 Hospices de Beaune Cuvée Nicolas Rolin (which Charles brought back to HK from Beaune a few months ago) was sensational! A gloriously rich and intense mature Burgundian bouquet, underscoring wet leaves, sous-bois, truffle and coffee notes, with some savoury nuances. A most sensuous and silky texture caresses the palate, elegantly carrying the intensely rich and complex flavours, with such vibrancy, leading to a finish that goes on and on. A very suave and aromatic expression of Beaune Premier Cru, with such finesse and poise, at this fine mature age! Mesmerizingly enchanting! Definitely for drinking now! 19/20 (And such a beautiful label too, with an etching of the Hospices on the side!)

Etching of the Hospices on label

The 1969 Santenay, Remoissenet was a very different expression. Here there's more muscle and less flesh. Still a very fine savoury and leather note to the bouquet. Four-squared but remarkably holding so well together for a village level Bourgogne at this age! 17/20

The 2000 Volnay Clos du Château des Ducs, Michel Lafarge was another highlight of the evening. A very charming nose of red cherry, sweet spices of cinnamon and nutmeg. Silky texture with such fine-grained ripe tannin, with a very long finish. 17.5/20 (I liked the Lafarge Volnay Caillerets less....found it rather uncharming.)

We rather hurriedly opened the 1985 Corton Clos des Cortons, Faiveley towards the end. This bottle combined a very fine expression of terroir, complexity, intensity and a long finish. Earthy, gamey, sous-bois still showing remnants of plum and raspberry preserve. A remarkable wine, that delivered the Faiveley signature extremely well. 18.5/20

Despite the lack of coordination, this was a great tasting, educational and interesting in many ways!

A 70th birthday bottle: 1943 Canon

21 Sep 2013: To celebrate my mother's 70th birthday, we decided to cook for her at home and open a special bottle from her birth year: 1943. I found a bottle of 1943 Château Canon. A war vintage, not particularly spectacular...but the level for this bottle was very top shoulder and we thought it would be worth a try!

We started the evening with 1996 Dom Perignon Rosé. Savoury, fraise des bois, candy floss. Fleshy, opulent, creamy and generous texture with vibrant acidity. Still plenty of energy and freshness. Very appealing and very long spicy and fruity finish. A brilliant start - so yummy! 18.5/20

Then it was time for the moment of truth for the 1943 Canon......good level and a firm cork.....we might be in for a treat??  And we were! Deep garnet hue. Aromas of violet, tobacco, coffee, leather, laced by caramel notes in the nicely mature bouquet. Medium bodied, very smooth texture. Harmonious and persistent finish with just a hint of dryness and acidity pushing through the end. Otherwise still energetic and much life ahead. 17/20 (It went rather well with my roast chicken, caramelised baby carrots and roast potatoes!)

As with all great mature wines, the 1943 Canon slipped down rather nicely, and almost too quickly. So we opened a half bottle of 1949 La Mission Haut Brion. A deeper colour, ruby-garnet. An extremely sensual bouquet redolent of cassis, dark raspberry, blueberry, leather saddle, mocha, sweet tobacco with bacon fat, herbal and bell pepper notes. Still vivacious with a firm structure. Not particularly fleshy but there is a very fine minerally graphite and smokey note on palate. A persistent finish. Simply jaw-dropping! 19/20

We finished with a 1975 Rieussec (half bottle). A tawny colour. Fully mature notes of marmalade, dried fruit (raisin and apricot), with honey and treacle. Rich and intense on the palate. A little dryness on the lusciously sweet finish. It went beautifully with the birthday cake (orange marmalade cake, served with vanilla flavoured yoghurt)! For my style, I would have preferred this Rieussec a few years earlier.....16/20 (the 1975 Coutet that we had recently contrasted quite interestingly with the Rieussec....the 75 Coutet was made in a lighter, less concentrated style but showed a little more freshness, purity of fruit and elegance at this stage.....16/20)

The Enigma of Clos de Vougeot

11 Sep 2013: Clos de Vougeot: this iconic enclosed vineyard, initially created by the Cistercian monks in the early part of the 12th Century, is a Grand Cru appellation that accounts for almost 75% of the Vougeot appellation area. Given its large size of almost 50 hectares, and the number of producers (about 80 in all), it has often been criticised for its lack of consistency across the myriad of producers and terroirs within the 'clos'. At the top where there is a thin (40cm) topsoil of chalk and gravel on limestone , the vineyards that abut Musigny and Grands Echézeaux, enjoy better drainage at 255 metres above sea level. The middle part (250 metres) offers moderate drainage, with a shallow topsoil of softer limestone and brown clay, with some gravel, overlying broken limestone. The vineyards at the bottom (240 metres) that extend towards the D974 and having regional and village level vineyards as neighbours, have a deeper topsoil of brown colour (90cm) on top of a layer of marl, rich in clay and alluvium. Blending across the clos is a possibility for producers owning different plots.

The Clos de Vougeot Line-Up

A few days ago, a group of us got together over dinner to try some Clos de Vougeot bottles, across different vintages and producers, to see whether we could differentiate between the terroir expression and the winemaker's style. I looked up some official sources for a description of Clos de Vougeot, and here's an amalgamation of what I found: "a suave bouquet.....roses, violets, mignonette,......blackberry, raspberry, wild mint, liquorice and truffle.....underbrush.....fur.......on the palate....succulent and mellow....full-bodied and fleshy......combining elegance and delicacy with meaty fullness.....discreet acidity.....muscular and quite long on the finish......long ageing potential".

Before we started with the reds, we enjoyed some Vougeot 1er Cru Clos Blanc de Vougeot by Domaine de La Vougeraie. We had a magnum of 2006 Clos Blanc, which seemed to be drinking a point now, rich and concentrated, perhaps a little lacking in acidity. The 2009 showed much more tension and structure and paired rather well with the smoked trout pâté!


We decided to start from old to young this time, allowing the younger wine further aeration and a chance to pair with some French cheese (sadly no Cîteaux, the cheese still made by the monks of the Abbey of Cîteaux, which would have been the ideal marriage)!


1959 Clos Vougeot, Joseph Drouhin: Level was upper to mid shoulder. Brick colour, with a warm and sweet bouquet that suggests richness and a fine maturity, reminiscent of prune, coffee, sous-bois, truffle, earth, animal and savoury notes, with a complementary nuance of caramel. Almost sweet on entry. Mouth-coating silkiness, delivering a refined degree of richness and depth of flavours, which just went on and on. Just a hint of dryness on the finish. Simply sublime, elegant and mature! A very well-stored bottle, showing perfect pedigree and character of the vintage. 19/20

1969 Clos de Vougeot, Jospeh Drouhin: Garnet colour. Underneath the strong note of volatility and evidence of maderisation, there was a bouquet of undergrowth, wet leaves and earthy notes. Sound underlying material for the wine, but sadly succumbed to oxidation and volatility.

1961 Clos de Vougeot, Leroy: This needed some time to coax the plethora of Burgundian aromas, including dark fruit, Asian spice, mushroom, violet and some sauvage character. The complex flavours glide across the palate, affirming intensity, concentration and a fine robust structure. Good level of acidity keeping the palate fresh. I feel that we did not quite give it enough time to breathe and blossom......18.5/20


1988 Clos Vougeot, René Engel: Initially, a little subdued....except for nuances of animal, earth and farmyard. With aeration, this revealed a core of red fruit and mineral note underneath the firm structure. Lithe and elegantly poised. Rather attractive, except for the dryness on the finish. I would drink this wine now! 17/20


1988 Clos de Vougeot, Méo-Camuzet: A suave and stylish interpretation of Clos de Vougeot. Mature bouquet of dark cherry, plum, Asian spice, violet with some earthy notes. Not a wine that impresses by its volume or concentration, but rather its velvety texture, fine backbone of vibrant acidity and velvety tannin. Very fine indeed. 17.5/20


2001 Clos de Vougeot, Georges Mugneret: Here's a very fine Clos de Vougeot. Notes of dark fruit, coffee, sweet tobacco and sauvage character. Intense, with profound concentration, and a muscular core. The linear structure deftly balanced by richness. Finishes extremely long. Excellent winemaking here. 17/20


2003 Clos de Vougeot, Méo-Camuzet: From a warm vintage, this showed a warm and rich bouquet, a mouthcoating velvety texture but also a fantastic freshness, keeping everything in balance! Dark fruit, cloves, liquorice and coffee. Ripe but firm tannins and vibrant acidity giving an opulent but not clumsy structure. Perhaps there was none of the minerality or restraint that we love to see in Burgundies but this was a very fine effort for the vintage. 17.5/20

We finished with a 1971 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Beerenauslese, S.A. Prüm. A golden amber colour. Notes of dried apricot, mango and marmalade leapt to the nose. Medium-bodied and firm acidity. Finishes long......Quite fine, good complexity and balance, but not an intensely rich or profound example. 17/20

Did we reach a conclusion? I think we certainly did reach one: in the right hands, Clos de Vougeot was certainly capable of living up to its long-ageing reputation......the 1959 and 1961 were very fine examples of how well they aged!