Mature Bordeaux: Recorked versus Original

18 Sep 2014: The theme of 'Recorked versus Original' was a rather original idea...but we soon realised that the tracking down of these precious recorked bottles proved quite a challenge. So we relaxed the theme a little to include some original bottles from the 50's and 60's.  Yu Lei Restaurant (part of the K.O. Dining Group) at Harbourfront Landmark, Hung Hom, was our chosen venue for this momentous tasting and dinner. Opened in 2012, K.O. Dining (K.O. for Kazuo Okada) is a restaurant complex that features 3 types of cuisine: Japanese, Chinese and Italian, in a 25,000 sq ft space, offering harbour view and a wine cellar that boasts 10,000 bottles! Our room featured a dramatic and exuberant chandelier cascading glistening strands of yellow gold, against a backdrop of wall painting of a giant bright pink peony on both sides of the room. The wine service, overseen by Akihiko Nosaka and his team, was impeccable. No decanters were used, except for the port at the end. Every bottle of mature Bordeaux was carefully handled and poured without agitating the sediment at the bottom. We were able to keep all our glasses throughout to check the evolution. It was extraordinary to learn that Executive Chef Miki Imagawa acquired his culinary skills in Chinese cuisine in Japan!! I was particularly impressed by the Pei Pa duck and the grilled eggplant with minced pork and mushroom served with Chinese bun.  (And if you're not bothered by food and wine pairing, a must try is the sweet and sour pork, made using 3 types of vinegar!)

The Pei Pa duck, marinated with homemade sauce

We started with a magnum of 1989 Krug (served with parma ham from Messina, the Italian restaurant at K.O. Dining). A lovely pale gold colour. An alluring nose exuding toasted hazelnut, lemon confit, ripe pear, preserved ginger, honey and shortbread, with hints of hickory smoke. Creamy in texture, with gentle fine bubbles delivering intense flavours, still laced with lively freshness, across the palate, leaving a smokey and almost saline aftertaste that lasted a couple of minutes. Truly sensational. The 750 ml format would probably require earlier drinking whereas for well-stored large formats, this was nowhere close to the declining path. 19/20

1989 Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet, Ramonet: a deeper shade of gold here than the Krug. A mature nose of marzipan, ripe pear, liquorice, butterscotch and nougat. There was still sufficient acidity to give the wine the necessary structure and balance against the richness on the palate. On the palate, it was creamy and lush, with a lingering aftertaste. The pairing with stir-fried Boston lobster with creamy sauce was definitely a good recommendation by Chef Miki. 17.5/20


The first pair of recorked versus original was the 1945 Cheval Blanc. The 'recorked' bottle was fitted with a new cork in 1985, without any topping up. The level of the original bottle was about mid shoulder. The original bottle started to show bricking at the rim, and the core lacked limpidity. On the nose, if you could get past the very noticeable volatile acidity, you could find notes of coffee, plum, leather, tobacco, dried fruit and caramel. As one of us noted, it was almost Amontillado-like! There seemed more flesh and weight on the palate than the recorked version. This deteriorated rather rapidly with aeration, and about 45 minutes later, the VA almost dominated the palate, to render this unpleasant. 15/20


As for the recorked bottle, there was also VA on the nose, but there was perhaps more freshness and brighter fruit accompanying the notes of coffee, leather, plum, nutmeg and cinnamon. It felt more silky on the palate, a bit more elegant than the original version...sadly this bottle also succumbed to the aggression of VA in about the same amount of time. 15.5/20


Next pair was the 1953 versus 1959 Latour,both original bottles. The 1953 Latour, though not a blockbuster vintage, held its own rather well in the line-up. Garnet core. It offered notes of leather, earth, plum, with hints of blueberry and violet. It was rather attractive, though in a more delicate frame. Lovely finish. Like a gracefully aged gentleman, still charismatic and distinguished, even though the passage of time has left its indelible mark. A charming wine, definitely drinking now....and probably should drink within the next 3 - 5 years. 16.5/20 (This paired so well with the Pei Pa duck!)


Even though well within expectation, the contrast with the 1959 Latour still took a little while to adjust to! This was youthful in every sense, from colour to the palate. There was hardly any sign of bricking at the rim here. It was power and strength in the glass. Cooked blackberry fruit and liquorice spice, layered with leather, cedar and tobacco notes. A strong tar and meaty character came through with aeration in the glass. All the elements were seamlessly integrated, giving a robust structure, if lacking charm today. A masculine wine that finished very long. Drink over next 10 - 15 years. 18.5+/20

The amazing line-up, thanks to everyone's generous contribution

Then we had the pair of 1959 Lafite, recorked versus original. The recorked bottle had come from a private collection in Bordeaux, which had been recorked and topped up with the same wine at the château in 2010. I had spotted a high dose of VA and some brett on the nose. If you could look beyond this, then you would find the unmistakable Pauillac nose of sweet tobacco, cedar and black fruit. The VA lent an exaggerated lifted vibrancy to the finish. 16/20


I thought that the original bottle had also suffered from the attack of VA, but to a much lesser extent. The nose showed much more cassis than the Latour, and complemented by notes of tobacco, blackberry, leather, mint and hints of savouriness. Silky on the palate, with more definition and charm than the Latour. A classy mature Pauillac. Finishes very long. Drink now and over next 8 - 10 years. 18.5/20 (marked down for the VA)


The next flight was the 1961 Margaux, recorked versus original. The original bottle showed a limpid garnet core. I was immediately seduced by the fragrant bouquet of cedar, sweet tobacco, some forest floor, earthy, plum and bilberry fruit and a hint of violet. The palate was silky and wonderfully balanced, delivering an abundance of finesse and charm. A very harmonious wine and a glorious Margaux. This was the wine of the evening for me. This wine is for drinking now...I probably would drink over next 6 - 8 years, to capture this sense of elegance and harmony. 19/20


The recorked bottle came from the cellars of Mähler-Besse in Bordeaux and the bottle had been recorked and topped up at the château in 2008. The colour was an intense garnet, but lacked limpidity. Apart from the noticeable VA, the nose bore much resemblance to the nose of the original bottle, but the palate showed just a bit more density and weight compared to the original bottle. 18/20


Unfortunately, the 1964 Margaux in the last flight was corked. So we only had the 1964 Haut Brion which put up a very good showing. Bright garnet core, with good limpidity. There was a sweet fruit entry, followed by olive, leather and stoney mineral notes. Medium bodied, nicely balanced. A quiet and unassuming wine, but a very decent drop for the vintage! Drink now.....but will not hold out too much longer. 16.5/20


This we paired with a baked Iberico pork rib with a very very mild spicy sauce.....I find a little bit of spice probably helped lift the palate a little, without detracting from the enjoyment of these fine bottles!


We finished with a 1963 Warre's Vintage Port. This tasted so fresh: dried date, prune, walnut and a hint of balsamic. This was beautifully harmonious, with no sharp edges at all, even if it didn't have the concentration of some of its peers....and so easy to slip down.....loved the way the fresh finish lasted so long in the mouth. We could still taste it the following day! 17.5/20


The port went very well with the baked egg tart and lotus seed paste pastry, which was presented like a peony flower in full blossom!

Such as special evening, thanks to everyone's generous contribution and the outstanding wine service.....I think it would be difficult to draw any useful conclusions on these bottles, as so much depended on the storage conditions throughout their lives and the vintage conditions.....but suffice to say, you need time and patience with great Bordeaux bottles......do not drink them in a hurry!

 

The dramatic chandelier!