Easter Treats - 1990 La Mission Haut Brion, 2000 Guigal La Turque and 1949 Cheval Blanc!

24 April 2011:  A very sumptuous lunch at Patrick and Debra's....we were treated to a wood oven roasted Pyrenean lamb, all the way from France!  It was really yummy and the wines were a definite treat.  The 1989 Latour was not so impressive....rather drying out...but the highlights for me were:

1990 La Mission Haut Brion

Smokey, tobacco, violet. Very stylish. 18/20

2000 Cote Rotie La Turque, Guigal
Vibrant and intensely complex nose of black cherry, blackberry, chocolate, black pepper, cloves, liquorice, with hint of coffee. Powerful, concentrated, showing very ripe fruit and a lot of finesse. Rich mouthfeel, smooth texture, gorgeously spicy and savoury. Drinking beautifully now, but will continue to evolve over next 10- 15 years. The best is yet to come for this wine! 18/20


After attending the choral evensong at St. John's Cathedral, we settled in for a quiet evening.....and a lightish supper, but Richard couldn't resist treating ourselves to a half bottle of 1949 Cheval Blanc..... 

1949 Cheval Blanc (half) - into neck level

Spellbinding, glorious, sensational. Complex nose of tobacco, blueberry, violet, cedar, with just a hint of aromatic spices. Harmonious, totally integrated. Magnificent structure (very fine tannin and lively acidity) and complexity on the palate. Finish that goes on and on and on! Drinking at peak and will continue to drink well for the next 5+ years (better in larger formats!) Definitely one of the most memorable wine experiences for me! 19.5/20

Clos de La Roche

23 April 2011: Saturday before Easter Sunday. Richard and I had wanted to attempt to make beef wellington. So it was quite timely that we learnt of Paul and Julie's availability over Easter. Even better that we were also joined by Paulo and his Burgundian winemaker friend Mounir Saouma of Domaine Lucien Le Moine.

We started with a glass or 2 of 1996 Pol Roger Chardonnay Reserve and Julie's favourite rose champagne, Godmé Père et Fils Grand Cru Rosé.   We hadn't heard of Godmé before...a grower champagne that started producing champagne in 1930, based in Verzenay, Montage de Reims.  The Rosé is based on an assemblage of around 85-90% pinot noir and 10-15% chardonnay, using the best Grand Cru red wines aged in oak barrels for a few years.  Rounded and generous mouthfeel, very harmonious.  Thank you Paul and Julie!   Then I left the group to sit down to smoked salmon and smoked trout paté while I nervously rolled out the pastry and assembled the parcel to go into the oven. With the first course, we served 2 chardonnays from the 1993 vintage. Unfortunately the Lafon Meursault was a little corked. Our friends who tasted it referred to how the domaine's wine style was quite different in the 90's, a bit more extracted and worked on than the style now. The Mount Mary Chardonnay did the trick matching with the dish, with its medium-full body, complex nose of nutty, smokey, spicy and ripe pear notes. Well balanced. Good length.

Then a flight of wines from the commune of Morey Saint Denis:

1989 Ponsot Clos de La Roche
Deep ruby core. Burnt blackberry preserve, plum, creme de cassis, almost liqueur like, with just a hint of earthy and animal character. (Later harvest?) Rather clunky, not a lot of classic character nor finesse. Slightly bitter on the finish - a little too much extraction? Drink now - cannot see how it will benefit from further cellaring. 15.5/20

1989 Dujac Clos La Roche
Garnet core. Quite evolved nose of hoisin sauce, animal saddle and redcurrant jam - much more tertiary than the other wines of the evening. Very elegant, velvety texture and well balanced. I think I would have preferred to drink this wine 5+ years ago - I was not so keen on the finish. (One of our guests said that Dujac wines were superb up to 15 or so years, but not beyond - but he would probably agree that the 1991 disproved this verdict! See below tasting note!  Another friend commented on the usage of stems at this address....were more stems used in the 89 vintage?) 17/20

1991 Dujac Clos de La Roche
Remarkable nose of raspberry, cinnamon, nutmeg and some tea leaf nuancesz. Very elegant and pure. Lovely finish. Quite stylish Clos de La Roche.  Drink now and for next 5-6 years. 18.5/20

1985 Dujac Clos La Roche
Ruby-garnet core. Much more vibrant and fresher than the 1989. Violet, red fruit and spicy. Gained weight in the glass and opened up to a very fine and aromatic bouquet. Really quite refined and delicious now. Drink now or within next 2 - 3 years. 17/20

1969 Clos de Tart
A very distinct nose of farmyard straw and manure, rose petal pot pourri, with nuances of caramel, coffee and smoke. We didn't sense any fatigue here.  Very impressive freshness, the wine holding very well together. Harmonious and complex. Sweet lengthy finish. 17.5/20

The beef wellington turned out not too badly - perhaps a little undercooked for those who prefer their beef medium rare, rather than rare! I was just relieved it wasn't a total disaster!



our first beef wellington!

 We finished with a glass of 1996 Climens and a slice of bakewell tart. The Climens was a little disappointing, rather lacking in botrytis character.

Chateau Musar Wine Dinner

17 April 2011: Last night we went to a Château Musar wine dinner at the Foreign Correspondents Club.  It was so nice to have Serge Hochar talking about his wines (in fact, he talked more when he visited each table individually).  There were 5 wines: Musar Rosé 2006, Musar Blanc 2003, Hochar Père et Fils 2003, Château Musar 1999 and an Arack de Musar.  I brought along a Château Musar 2000 so that we could compare the two vintages side by side. 

Château Musar Rosé 2006
A blend of Cinsault and Obeideh. Aged 6 - 9 months in oak barrels and released after 2 years in bottle.  Salmon-pink hue.  Redcurrant, peach, citrus, green apple, candied fruit, showing some nutty, savoury and spicy character on the palate.  Refreshing, with a slightly rounded character.  Slight bitter almond finish. 14/20

Château Musar Blanc 2003
A blend of Lebanese indigenous white grape varieties: Merwah and Obeideh, grown in vineyards at 1300 metres above sea level.  Fermented and matured in French oak barrels for about 9 months, released after 4 years in bottle.  Almost in an oxidised and mature style, but maintaining its acidity and zestiness.  A bright golden colour.  Quince, lemon peel, marzipan, dried apricot, brioche, tarte tatin, layered with a honeyed character.  Weighty style, but balanced with tangy acidity.  A little short on finish.  13.5/20 (Afraid I haven't quite got the acquired taste for this classic Musar style.....)

Hochar Père et Fils 2003
Made in an earlier approachable style.  Blend of Cinsault and Carignan, with a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache.  Fermented in cement, before ageing 6 - 9 months in oak vats.  Bottled without fining or filtering.  Released after bottling.  Quite pungent and medicinal, animal-like on the nose, gradually filling with blackberry, prune and fig, with some leathery, spicy and chocolate notes.  Very soft tannin, with vibrant acidity.  Reminded me of a Barbera.....a well-made red wine with some complexity, intended for early drinking.  A good food wine.  14.5/20

Château Musar 1999
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan.  Fermented in concrete, followed by brief time in vats, before racking into French oak barrels for 12 - 15 months of ageing, before racking into vats again.  After two years of ageing in oak barrels and vats, the wine is blended and bottled.  The wine then spends 3 - 4 years in bottle before release.  Serge said that the 1999 was a very rich and powerful vintage and it showed in the comparison with 2000, which was a relatively cooler vintage.  He said he would drink his 2000 before the 1999.  The 1999 showed a deep ruby core, with just a hint of brick-red colour at the rim.  An intense and complex nose of dried fruit, prune, plum, stewed black fruit, creme de cassis, warm spices and Mediterranean herbs.  Reminded me of the wines from Languedoc Roussillon.   Rich mouthfeel, robust structure from the very ripe tannin and good levels of acidity.  Finishes long.  Could drink now, with 2 hours of decanting or for further cellaring for enjoyment over next 10+ years.  (Serge is still enjoying his 1959 vintage - the first one he vinified!) 17+/20

Château Musar 1999
Similar blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan and similar winemaking technique.  However, this wine tasted more Cabernet Sauvignon (or Bordeaux) like, made in a cool climate style.  Elegant, well-balanced, with a beautifully crafted structure of fine tannin and lively acidity.  Black cherry, blackcurrant, fig, spicy, chocolate, coffee, tobacco and a hint of Mediterranean herbs. Decanted for about 1.5 hour. Finishes very long.  Drinking beautifully now and will age gracefully for the next 10+ years.  17+/20

Arack de Musar
Distilled grape must aged for 5 - 10 years, before being redistilled in the presence of anis seeds.  Distilled 4 times altogether.  Final ageing in terracotta amphorae for 12 - 24 months before release.  I had a sip but decided to stay with our red wine, which went equally well with the baclava (yummy!)

I really enjoyed this wine dinner and felt that I had rediscovered Musar (after having tasted it before on a number of occasions).  The discussion with Serge and his presence put the whole thing into perspective for me.  I am so glad that I've rediscovered this estate because the wines are truly unique,  not only because they are made in one of the world's hottest spots, constantly at risk of mortar shells, but also they are expressive, characterful and above all, well-priced.  Bravo to Serge and his family for keeping this wonderful estate going!

2003 Gruaud Larose

3 Apr 2011: Double-decanted and left in decanter for a couple of hours.  Deep ruby core.  An almost super Tuscan nose of super-ripe black cherry, creme de cassis, coffee, liquorice and burnt tar, already starting to show some animal and leather character.  Well-structured with firm but supple tannin and good level of acidity.  A reasonable length.  Easy to drink and excellent with food now, flauting its richness, fruit ripeness and warm character, and should drink well over next 6 - 8 years. 15.5/20

Movio Puro Rose

29 Mar 2011: Corinne succesfully bid for a magnum bottle of 2001 Movia Puro Rosé at the AWSEC awards dinner earlier this month.  Naturally, we found a date for dinner to help her consume the bottle!  And I rather bravely (or foolishly) volunteered to babysit this magnum for 2 days before our dinner.  It turned out to be no normal baby-sitting!   

First of all, what is Movia Puro Rosé?  Is Movia Slovenian or Italian?  I believe half of the vineyards are in Slovenia but the Puro is DOC Collio (in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia).  Everything is natural and organic at Movia.  Puro is a traditional method sparkling method, using 100% Pinot Nero. After one day of maceration for the delicate colour, the lightly crushed grapes are gently pressed for fermentation. Only natural yeast is used for the fermentation.  The base wine is then matured for about 4 years in French oak barrels before fermentation in bottle.  I believe that at Movia, they do not use the standard sugar and yeast formula as liqueur de tirage.  Instead they add the must or young wine from the new harvest (with the naturally available yeast) to help put the second fermentation in bottle in action (need some help with the translation from Slovenian)?  The wine then spends more than 2 years in bottle prior to release.  Unlike most sparkling wine, no disgorging takes place prior to release to ensure a long life for Movia.  This wine is released undisgorged, with its lees still at the bottom of the bottle.  The winemaker believes that taking the lees away from the wine diminishes its flavours and the lees help extend the life of the wine (almost endlessly).  So your next question is: how did I disgorge this special wine??   I decided that I would spare my friends of an embarrassing mess in the restaurant and rather make a fool of myself and make a mess at home.

Here's what I did:  First I had to turn the magnum bottle on its head inside the fridge for about 2 days (I said about 2 days because halfway through the first day, I accidentally knocked over the bucket in which I had it precariously ensonced at an angle, upside down, and so I had to almost start again).  Then about half an hour before I took it out of the fridge, I filled the bottom of the bucket with ice cubes so as to chill the settled sediment at the neck of the magnum bottle.  Half an hour later, I took it out of the fridge, with the bucket and fill the bucket half way with water.  Then with one hand holding the magnum upside down with neck submerged in the icy water, I plunged the other hand in the freezing water to first remove the wire muzzle and then slowly ease out the cork.....And the next thing I heard was an explosive noise in the bucket, with crystal-like particles landing on my face, together with a few gushes of sparkling wine!  I spared no time to turn the bottle right side up and discovered that I had only lost about a quarter of the magnum (sorry, Corinne)!  Not too bad for a first attempt, I thought.  Next time, I'll get a bigger bucket and will know when to pull up the bottle much earlier.

So what did it look, smell and taste like???
Very clear!  Salmon pink. Redcurrant, raspberry, earthy, savoury, complemented by some warm spicy notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. Very harmonious and tasting so fresh with a creamy mousse and very fine-textured bubbles. Lovely lengthy finish, without any of the slight bitterness you sometimes find with traditional method rosé champagne. 17.5/20 (I encourage you to buy a bottle and try it for yourself!  Well worth the effort!)

After such an impressive start, the evening continued with a few other interesting wines.....
1978 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
Lemon gold. Honey, lanolin, quince, pain grille, grilled hazelnuts, nougat. Medium body, well-balanced and structured. A fine finish, but I would advise drinking over the next 3 - 4 years, if you still have this wine, before the acidity runs out. 17.5/20

1992 Meursault Charmes, Lafon
Lemon peel, butter, smokey, melon, dried fig, grilled hazelnuts. Medium-full bodied. Firm acidity. Very long, slightly spicy(liquorice) finish. Beautiful!  Drink now and for next 6 - 8 years for optimum enjoyment. 18/20

1987 Leroy Volnay Champans
Animal, savoury, tobacco, red cherry, raspberry, spicy, floral. Some volatility started to reveal itself. Rather lean and ungenerous. A wine that saw much better days 4 - 5 years ago? 14/20

1995 Margaux
Blueberry, black cherry, liquorice, herbaceous, cedar, with just a hint of leather. Beautifully structured, with firm velvety tannin and well-balanced acidity, very soft and elegant but quite subdued.  Lengthy finish. A wine still taking its time to evolve, even after 2 hours of decanting and further time in the glass. 18/20

1993 Hermitage, Chave
Chocolate, coffee, red cherry, blackberry, black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, with a medicinal finish. Medium bodied. Medium acidity. Soft and silky, rather weak mid-palate and short on the finish. 16/20

1996 Yquem (half bottle)
Honey, apricot, orange peel, marmalade, nutty, smokey, biscuity. Medium- full bodied, firm acidity, well-balanced. Expressive and precise, without being flamboyant. 18/20

I would like to retaste the 1995 Margaux, perhaps alongside the 1996 Margaux, again....to see how these two vintages compare!