Brilliant wines on a cold Wellington Night

An impromptu invitation from wonderful friends on a night off in windy and wet Wellington resulted in an amazing display of generosity and delicious well matched dishes.

The menu was:

crostini of sardines
kingfish on beluga lentils
rack of venison on savoy cabbage with roast parsnips, shallots and macadamia nuts
Danish and Swiss cheeses
poached oranges with vanilla gelato

• 1998 Ayala Champagne Blanc de Blancs 88 Points

  France, Champagne

  This wine felt a little undefined. Lots of autolysis and bottle age. It needs a little more verve in my opinion and could possibly be a bit past its best. Plenty of flavor here. It is certainly a very good wine but I wouldn't call it outstanding.

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• 2002 A. R. Lenoble Champagne Grand Cru Gentilhomme Blanc de Blancs 89 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Very tight wine with a slightly bitter edge and finish. Sauteed apple nose with spice, very crisp palate with huge intensity and focus. The flavors currently need time to integrate. Unusual style that currently does not float my boat but this could well become outstanding with time. This is not a wine that I would have in my cellar as I simply do not particularly like the flavours but I can see why many would call this outstanding. 89+?

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• 2007 Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Great young Puligny. Brilliant focused nose with textbook caramel, nuts, oats and a minerality that ties it all together. In the mouth - superb definition, bright textures and lengthy finish. Even at this early stage - which to my taste is a few years shy of its plateau of maturity - this is fine wine.

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• 1995 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 93 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Fragrant nose of leather, white pepper, animal and bright raspberries. In the mouth, very direct and lean with wonderful definition and balance. It is not yet at its plateau of maturity and I would open this at age 20 to see how it is showing. True to the form of red Chave, this is not a sipping wine but rather a linear, flinty and slightly rustic wine of uncommon focus that is brilliant with food. This should drink well for decades in cool cellars.

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• 1995 Château L'Evangile 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Outstanding modern bordeaux style that stresses beautiful toasted oak, currants and light plum aromas. In the mouth, just in early maturity - nice balance and multi-layered with toast and round plum and blackberry flavours with a very subtle hint of herbaceousness. This is not a monstrous Pomerol but has ample flesh and outstanding focus. Great as a sipping wine, with food, the worked nature of the wine may make this slightly ponderous if the match is not considered. A very classy wine that is in a particularly luxurious yet balanced style.

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• 1996 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

  Drunk well before its plateau of maturity has begun, this superb wine from a cool vintage offers up candied raspberry fruit of spectacular focus and concentration. Currently it feels as a pinot made slightly in the style of Bordeaux. It is massive, intense and just a little bit monolithic currently. It is certainly superb wine and I would give this wine 9 - 10 years to see where this wine goes as it makes old bones. 92+

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• 2005 Elio Grasso Barolo Ginestra Casa Maté 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Really gorgeous wine drunk in youth. The exotic and fragrant nose offers up wonderful panforte aromas, redolent of cocoa, dried orange peel, tar and vanilla. Gorgeous red fruit and dried rose petal aromas complete the picture. The nose is spectacular at the moment and I hope that in maturity, this wine still has echos of these exotic aromas. In the mouth, the wine is clearly not close to maturity - it has classic Barolo tannic grip, tar and some red fruit and mineral notes, leading to an involving finish. Wonderful wine that will age to grace.

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