2012 BMDP Charity Dinner and Extras
Meritus Mandarin / Giant Garoupa
Tasted Friday, March 23, 2012 by Paul S with 604 views
Introduction
The annual BMDP charity gala rolled by again, and this was a chance for us to don our black-tie and gowns and grab a few bottles of wine along to a fun night of catching up. We had Brian, Ming and Marlene as guests, and they brought some really nice bottles with them. All blind as usual.
Still unsatiated after a long night of partying, a few of us popped down to the usual spot for a late-night supper accompanied by two more blind bottles - quite coindicently both benchmark Aussie whites.
2000 Domaine Amiot-Servelle Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
This was excellent - a lovely wine that was enjoyed by everyone on the table. It had a beautiful nose that was classic Chambolle, with perfumy, flowery accents floating around black cherry aromas lined with a nice hint of mineral, some sweet spices and a pat of wet earth and undergrowth. A nice mix of sweet high-tones and more savoury low notes that made for a really enticing bouquet. The palate had a clean, fresh brightness to it, really unusually so for a 2000, so that the wine had a lovely sense of lightness and focus to its delicious Chambolle flavours of red cherries and little flowery nuances wed to more, earthy, umami notes - almost like a whiff of swiss brown and white button mushrooms on the midpalate. There just a hint of silky tannins as the wine rustled into an elegant finish where it was kissed with a soupcon of spice. As often the case with Les Amoureuses, this was bit on the lighter side - a wine that was more about charm and delicacy than power and depth. Really delicious though, and very ready to drink. This over-performed both in the context of its vintage as well as its producer. A great way to start the night.
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1998 Falesco Lazio Montiano 92 Points
Italy, Latium, Lazio
This was really impressive for a mono-varietal Merlot, let alone one coming out from Lazio. Most other tasters have noted that the wine is either at peak drinking or starting to go over the hill. HOwever, this bottle was stunningly young, drinking like something from the mid-2000s rather than a wine approaching its 15th year. Opened an hour or so before pouring, it showed a lovely Merlot nose, with plums and black cherries laced with lots of earthy, spicy accents. It could well passed-off as a right-bank Bordeaux if not for its ratehr sunny disposition, with slightly ripe, dried fruit scents and a hint of Italian herbs at the edge of the bouquet. The palate was really youthful, with bright, sprightly acidity and fine tannins puckering the mouth and forming a nice framework for flavours of black cherries, blackcurrants and some sour plums. Very delicious. These were sprinkled with a delicious spiciness, redolent with cloves, cinamon and cardammon notes, as the wine stretched away into a long, fresh finish with almost a touch of the citrus to it. Yummy. This bottle still needed a lot of time, and I am sure it would have aged really well given its solid structure and lovely depth of primary fruit. Very nice.
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1989 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 93 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
This was lovely. Yet even with more than 20 years under its belt, one could not help but feel that its best years are still some ways ahead of it. No complains though, it was a real pleasure to drink even on the night. It had a beautiful CdP nose - a nice melange of barnyardy, dried earth nuances alongside a nice bit of red cherries, suggestions of garrigue and a stony mineral lilt. The smell of Provence in a glass - it brought a smile to my face. The palate was quite delicious as well. Still stunningly young, it had fresh, sprightly acidity and fine tannins running alongside almost primary flavours of juicy cherries lined with touches of dried earth, a bit of meat, and more lovely notes of garrigue and spice. Very charming. This still had a lot of structure and fresh fruit, so that it came across like something from the late 1990s. However, it did show a delicious depth to it wed to a typical elegant Clos des Papes feel that made for a very enjoyable, delicious drink. Nice enough now, but this really needs a lot more time. I would give it at least 5, maybe 10 more years before peak. Quite amazing given how many 1989s are drinking well now.
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2006 Domaine Francois Lamarche La Grande Rue 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Grande Rue Grand Cru
Popped and poured, this started out far less impressively than the last bottle we had, only slowing opening up in the course of an hour in the glass to show some excellent promise. On first pour, the nose was rather dominated by oaky nuances of vanilla and milk chocolates, which only slowly opened up to show classic Vosne notes of sweet spices and herbs floating around a core of rich cherry and plum aromas that had a lovely sense of natural ripeness in them. By the end of the evening, there was quite a bit of complexity on the nose. The palate was very impressive. It had lovely depth to it, marrying power and elegance in its deep, juicy flavours of cherries and berries streaked with vibrant acidity and finely integrated tannins. Quite the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove. No doubt that this was a Grand Cru here. While still barely out of its childhood, this was already showing hints of bugeoning complexity as well, with little motes of earth and toasty wood spice moving into a long, velvety finish. A very complete wine. Rather too young at the moment of course, but this continues to be on track to be a beauty in the next decade or so.
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