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| Poularde from Bresse, roast with 'Melansporum' black truffle, braised savoy cabbage and polenta |
24 Dec 2013: Our Christmas Eve treat - a glass of Pol Roger 2002 with mince pie (topped with a generous dollop of brandy butter, followed dinner at Otto e Mezzo, Hong Kong! The 2002 Pol Roger was rich, creamy and well-balanced, with notes of floral, toast, spice and honey....but somehow it did not quite have the vibrancy nor the elegance of the Blanc de Blancs of the same vintage that we enjoyed a few nights ago. The 2002 Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs had a lovely bouquet of brioche, shortbread, pear tart, honey, marzipan, dried fruit, hazelnut and acacia. It was rich, voluptuous and complex but the body and weight well balanced by a vibrant acidity, leaving a long crisp finish. I would probably drink this within the next 5 - 6 years for optimum enjoyment but fans of old champagne could hang on to see how the bottle development would add to the complexity. I rated the 2002 Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs 17.5/20 and the 2002 Pol Roger 16.5/20.
At Otto e Mezzo, every single dish was impeccably executed and elegantly presented. We started with a carpaccio of abalone confit, with caviar and blood orange dressing. The abalone was nice and tender and the caviar added some lovely salinity to the taste. A drop of Krug Grande Cuvée did the perfect drop to pair with this dish! This was followed by blue lobster and scrambled egg with white truffle. This was sensational....I probably would have preferred them in two courses, the scrambled egg with white truffle and the al-dente blue lobster separately served!
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| Malaga Wild Strawberry, pink Moscato Sabayon, Strawberry Pastry Cream Bomboloone |
The highlights for me were really the chanterelle risotto - perfectly al dente, with an intensely flavoured mushroom jus and the Bresse Poularde, a signature dish of the restaurant - juicy Bresse chicken, so perfect with a thin layer of black truffle, polenta and braised savoy cabbage.....even a Brussel sprout stuffed with sausage meat! The wild strawberry dessert was another highlight.....wild strawberries decorating a Moscato sabayon, so decadent with the caramel-filled doughnut! This was followed by panettone with a luscious dollop of mascarpone cream!
For this sumptuous meal, we opened a bottle of 1989 Pétrus. A 20/20 wine for me! Deep ruby hue. An intense and ripe nose of blueberry preserve, dried fruit, burnt cream, date, mocha, roasted herbs and fenugreek. Massively concentrated and so perfectly proportioned and detailed, with layers of flavours unravelling on the palate....velvety texture firmly bolstered by ripe but firm tannin and such vibrant acidity. A virile wine of monolithic proportions and power that is still so full of energy of its youth. I would keep this for a while before trying again.......Try again in 2018 and enjoy over next 30 years!. Long long finish. 20/20
On another note, we had the 1989 Lynch Bages recently. A brilliant effort, with lots of intensity, great complexity, perfect proportions and a very long finish. Perhaps a little bit more evolved than the 1989 Pétrus and while still massive and concentrated, this can be enjoyed now with a bit of aeration. Cassis, tobacco, cedar and graphite. Can do with some time to round out the muscular elements, but beautifully integrated, with ripe tannin and refreshing acidity. A remarkable effort that finished very long. Drink in a couple of years' time and over another 20 - 30 years. 19.5/20
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| Christmas Tree of 2013! |
To finish our meal at Otto e Mezzo, we had 1988 Yquem. Bright and intensely golden. Bouquet of honey, dried apricot and pineapple, marmalade, macadamia and rye toast. Beautiful tropical fruit and honey notes on the palate....intensely rich and concentrated but deftly balanced by lively acidity...giving a wonderful lift to the long finish. A powerful wine that is to last ages! I would drink this over the next 50 years! 19.5/20
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| A beautiful Christmassy bouquet.........! |
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