The ULD (Ultimate Label Drinker's) Dinner

This was the left-bank focused counterpart to the BBC (Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne) dinner that we had earlier in the year. While that was based around marquee right-bank wines that we captured in a couple of auctions (notes here: https://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp iEvent=19186), tonight was built around the five Medoc first growths along with a few special guests stars. The stand-outs on paper where a 1921 Margaux and a 1847 Madeira, both of which did not disappoint, but for me, the 1990 Laville Haut-Brion was the wine that really stole the show. Wonderful stuff all round though. Much thanks to Alex H for his meticulous planning and execution - this was a special night.

• 2010 Bodega José Pariente Verdejo Rueda 89 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Rueda

  An interesting wine - I thought it was a Castilla y León, but could not quite place it. The nose was a nice marriage of higher-toned aromatic aromas like gooseberries and little floral shades, with deeper, ripe notes of melons and white fruit. This led into a weighty, oily textured palate, where round, fleshy notes of pineapples and gooseberries filled the mouth on the attack, before the wine pulled off in an altogether more minerally finish, with more pear-like fruit flecked with a nice bit of spice and earth. Ripe, but balanced, this was a certainly an interesting Verdelho. Very decent stuff.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2002 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Such a lovely, expressive Bolly, this overshadowed a good but rather sparer and more reticent 2002 Dom Perignon that we drank alongside on the day. With half an hour in the decanter, this had a lovely nose that burst out of the glass in wafts of cream and vanilla floating around a core of white fruit. The palate was deliciously expressive too, showing yummy ripe flavours of quice and brown pear wed to matured appley accents. It was really forward and fruity next to the elegant, reserved DP, but also beautiful balanced in its own right, with a whole lot of lemony acidity and bold, but fine mousse wrapped around the exuberant fruit. Great finish too, ending with a lick of creamy vanillin hovering over a lemony tail. With the way this came together in a full, generous yet wonderful integrated whole, I found it to be an irresistably charming Champange. Really enjoyable even in its youth, this should be absolutey brilliant in 5 to 6 years.

  Read 1 Comment / Post a Comment / 6 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2002 Dom Pérignon Champagne 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Second bottle in the space of weeks, and while this was not as good as previous showings, it still was pretty much in line with the general excellent experiences I have had with the 2002 DP. Even with half an hour in the decanter, I found this closer to the bottle I had in 2010, shortly after release, than later bottles. This was very nutty on the nose, with hazlenuts and toasted almond aromas, a touch of cream, and then fruitier shades of apples and subtle strawberry scents, with a good streak of earthy minerality running underneath. Really nice, but perhaps deeper set and more reticent than some recent bottles. The palate was tighter too, but still very impressive, with fresh white fruit flavours and a squeeze of finger limes couched in lovely juicy balance and lined with a surprising amount of minerality on the midpalate. Past the wine moved into a fresh strawberry and cream finish sprinkled with a charming touch of spice. An very effortlessly elegant show, but maybe just a step behind the last couple of bottles, with the palate coming across tighter and less expressive. It remains a lovely champagne though, and one that we are drinking far too young - if there were less than the gazillion or so bottles of this on the market, I would really wait for a good 8 to 10 years before drinking these.

  Read 1 Comment / Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 1999 Château Haut-Brion Blanc 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Absolutely superb. It has been some three-and-a-half-years since we last tried this, and the wine has certainly grown in the bottle. Rather tight and grumpy when first poured, this opened beautifully on the nose to show lovely layers of ripe gooseberries, nectarines and white peach aromas swathed in a perfumy halo of fresh-cut white flowers and a hint of sweet spice. An amazing nose. The palate started out rather less impressively as well, but give it a bit of time and - wow. Deeper, broader and altogether more powerful than the 1990 Laville Haut Brion blanc on the same flight, it had a structured, grippy backdrop to delicious flavours of lemons and green apples, stone-fruit and gooseberries, with little tropical hints at the sides, all coated with a deep layer of beeswax and nectar. This has certainly grown in power and depth from the last bottle, showing in lovely creamy textures, yet it was still amazingly focused and precise, perfectly balanced all the way into long, powerful finish, lined with seashelly mineral notes. Wow. While the Laville was perfectly matured and singing, this still has some way to go. The former wine captured my imagination on the night, but this was a brilliant wine in its own right, and may well overtake its older sibling over the next three of fours years.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 1990 Château Laville Haut-Brion Blanc 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Wow. This was stunning again - it is a privilege to have had two bottles of this in the sapce of a calender year. While not almost as mindblowing as the last time we had it (this bottle seemed just a tad lighter on the finish), this was still probably the best wine on a night of many superlatives. It had such a beautiful nose, with sweet vanilla and cream aromas, a touch of stone-fruit, apricot maybe, then honeyed figs, some preserved limes at the edges, and a lovely waft of floral notes - orange blossoms, chrysanthemum and osmanthus - and a twist of seashelly mineral running right through the entire bouquet. An awesome nose. Absolutely brilliant palate too, gliding into the attack with a very osyter-ish, seashelly mineral twang - even more saline than most Chablis I thought - and then fanning out in a beautifully open midpalate, where lemons and finger lime flavours mingled with light notes of honey, orange blossoms and osmanthus, with just the lightest shades of apple and stone fruit, and then melons and beeswax at its base. Right at the end, a beautifully spare, elegant finish of mineral and spice lingered away into the distance. Wonderful stuff. This is a wine with everything going on at once. I would have said it was drinking perfectly if not for the memory of the previous bottle we had - this has faded just a tiny shade I thought, but still an amazing wine. While some preferred the younger, more tightly coiled 1999 Haut Brion blanc on the same flight, this was quite my favourite.

  Read 1 Comment / Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 1985 Jacquart Champagne Brut de Nominée 90 Points

  France, Champagne

  Quite tasty, but this seemed prematurely age. Ostensibly a 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot, the colour looked closer to an old, browning Rosé than anything else. The nose was a worryingly funky when first poured as well. Thankfully, the funk blew off a bit, but it continued to show overly-matured notes of soy and balsamic vinegar, earth and meat, along with slightly more pleasant aromas of honey, caramel and dried figs and flowers. I thought it may have been just on the cusp of falling date with that bouquet but, surprisingly, the palate was actually a lot fresher than the nose would let on. The bead had died down completely, but there were really fresh hints of strawberries swimming around a core of citrus lemon and sour berry notes across the attack and midpalate. Very vibrant actually, and quite a pleasure to drink. It had lovely finish too, where the age of the wine showed in deliciously matured flavours of honey and caramel drizzled over browned apples. Not a complete wine at this stage, but very pleasant nonetheless. A great pairing with lobster in superior sauce, which did help its cause somewhat.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 1973 Château Latour Grand Vin 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  This was a bit disappointing. Admittedly not from a great vintage, but I would have expected a Latour amongst all the firsts to be showing its class even in the context of a weak year - this came across as no more than a decently good, mature claret - a far cry from the delicious 1973 Haut Brion that we had alongside. What I did like was the rather exuberant nose here. It was unusually showy actually, with bright aromas of green peppers and spice, cassis and cedar wood just bursting out of the glass. Really nice stuff. Unfortunately, the palate was not quite as good. The flavours were nice enough, with pleasant notes of sweet cassis seasoned with hints of spice, tobacco and cedar wood. Unfortunately, this lacked the usual strength and depth of a proper Latour. The length was rather lacking as well, petering out in a rather lean, austere tail, with a little green leafy linger. If blind, I would probably have guessed Grand-Puy-Lacoste rather than Latour. Okay, but not great, and probably 5-10 years past its peak as well.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 1973 Château Haut-Brion 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  This was quite delightful. Obviously not the best Haut-Brion, but it was very impressive for a weaker vintage, especially when compared to the lackluster 1973 Latour on the same flight. In contrast to the rather leafier Pauillac, this had a beautifully full nose, with sweet cherries and plums and cassis wreathed with lovely wafts of tobacco, spice and a little layer of milk chocolate aromas. It was delicious on the palate too. Neither the most powerful nor opulent, where this excelled was with its beautiful balance and wonderfully integrated feel, with velvety tannins and fresh acidity running through plushly delicious flavours of plums, black cherries and cassis touched with earth, truffles and chocolate. Drinking beautifully I thought. It finished well too, with cool flavours of menthol, orange peel and hints of tobacco seasoning the more dark fruited notes. Delicious stuff, nothing mindblowing, but a real pleasure.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 1975 Château Lynch-Bages Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Unfortunately corked. Wet cardboard aromas haunted an otherwise pleasant nose of ripe black fruit, cassis and blackberries dosed with a good amount of earth and spice. The palate was whole enough with clean acid and fine tannins running through pure cassis notes and a touch of mint, so much so that I could place it as a 1995 Pauillac. I could not get past the flaw though, this was pretty much scalped by TCA, with the flavours turning out quite flat and the finish ringing of cardboard. Pity, because I suspect this may otherwise have been a pretty nice wine.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 1985 Château Mouton Rothschild 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Still an excellent wine, but this was yet another bottle that seemed to have slipped a little since the last time I tried it in the beginning of 2010. I loved the nose though - rich and lush, with warm notes of black cherries and cassis wed to aromas of earth, meat and mushrooms, and then just the slightest touch of tobacco and a little whiff of cedar wood hovering around - very nice stuff. As with the previous bottle, I found the palate here to be at a great place. This was rich, ripe, with round, luscious flavours of cassis and black cherries wrapped in fresh acidity and velevty tannins. A bit on the simple side for a first growth in its 27th year of life, and the structure was a bit on the soft side, so that this was less than compelling, but it was a really enjoyable wine nonetheless. Decent finish too, with a nice savoury meatiness and a delectably lifted touch of mint. A bit on the shorter side if I was being picky, but very pleasant indeed. Really good, if not quite as special as the last bottle - while this would still have lasted quite a few years at peak yet, I could not help feeling that it is about time to start drinking these up.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 1978 Château Lafite Rothschild 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Surprising excellent for a less than great vintage - this was my favourite red of the night. It had a dropdead gorgeous nose - the best amongst the five firsts, with lovely floral notes - violets I thought - difting amidst lovely, lush aromas of dark cherries and cassis, truffles and earth, with just the faintest hints of tobacco and a kiss of sweet caramelly notes carrying the rear of the bouquet. The palate was reflective of mature claret, drinking at its absolute peak. Unsurprisingly, this was the most feminine of the wines, with silky tannins and brilliantly integrated acidity forming a wonderfully elegant backdrop for brilliantly pure, feminine flavours of dark cherries and cassis seasoned with pinpricks of sweet spice, menthol and lovely floral notes. The finish was charming rather than powerful, lingering away with a touch of black cherries, but boy, this was absolutely lovely. A seductive wine, at a wonderful place for drinking. Not a great Lafite maybe, but at this point, harmonious, juicy, giving and oh so delicious. The 1985 Mouton that preceded it was clearly from the better vintage, but this wine was the more pleasing one.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 1921 Château Margaux 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Not quite the sexy Margaux seductress we were hoping for - this was more of a well-preserved grandmother with a kindly twinkle in her eye. No complaints though. A first growth at this age, so long as it is even alive, will always be an experience to remember; and this bottle, while clearly past its prime, was still in really good shape for a wine past its 90th year. A chocolatey brown colour, its nose unfolded in waves of chocolate and caramel, cooked cherries, blackberry jam and a nice spicy melange, albeit with a rather strong whiff of green vine stems pulling along at the rear. Not great, but certainly not a bad bouquet. The palate was clearly old, a bit thinned out, but absolutely alive. It still had pretty delicious flavours of stewed black cherries and blackberry compote lined with bright, fresh acidity and fine tannins still providing a hint of grip. And while there was a noticeable note of bloody and game in there, this was more about sweet fruit than anything else. Nice finish too, with a lick of caramel and a kiss of violets. Not a perfect wine, it seems to be loosening at the seams, but it was still quite a charmer. At any rate, most of the tablr actually enjoyed this more than the disappointing 1973 Latour a few flights back.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 1974 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco 91 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  This was pretty impressive, despite the fact that I did not quite like the nose on it. Opened for three hours or so before serving, it showed plenty of barnyard, fur and game meat aromas, along with barely more pleasant whiffs of soy and balsamic vinegar floating around a light layer of dried fruit. I really did not quite like that at first. Thankfully, it opened up slightly with nicer notes of cherries and dried flowers, with just a touch of smoke at the edges. Still not the best though. The palate still carried a touch of drying tannins, and the fruit was threatening to just dry out a bit, with its flavours of dried cherries, berries and figs, all carrying a ring of preserved rather than fresh fruit on them. Still though, the wine was rather more than the sum of its part, with the structure, fruit and some really nice acidity coming together in a rather yummy package. It finished fresh too, with a nice waft of truffles floating alongside fruit tea and dried cherry flavours. This was a good wine. Just starting to tire maybe, but good nonetheless.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• NV Blandy's Madeira Bual 10 Years 90 Points

  Portugal, Madeira

  It was a bit unfair to place this next to an astounding 1847 Bual, but I must say I was pretty impressed by this humble bottle. A lovely golden-brown in colour, it had a really bright, lifted bouquet, full of tangerines, passion fruit and sultanas ringed with a little bit of honey and a dash of spice - a really nice nose, a bit fumy, but still really attractive. The palate, though a touch simple, was really yummy too. Blessed with lovely fresh balance, it echoed the citrussy notes on the nose with deliciously bright flavours of oranges and sultanas, leading into a long finish with notes of honey and spice. This is very enjoyable for what it is.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 1847 Power Drury & Co. Madeira Boal 94 Points

  Portugal, Madeira

  Brilliant stuff - this was to me the most memorable wine of the night in the midst of a pretty stirring line-up. Like the 1921 Margaux that preceded it, a Madeira of this age is always going to be something special. However, unlike the claret that had clearly seen better days, this was absolutely singing and utterly delicious. It had an incredible bouquet, which soared out of the glass in layer after layer of complex aromas - from creme brulee and toffee, to caramel and sweet spices; from coffee ground and toasted nuts, to dried figs and apricots - just wow! I absolutely loved the palate too. Brilliantly fresh, with juicy acidity streaming through wonderful flavours of boiled pears and apples on the attack, it unfolded into a delicious midpalate, full of dried figs and chocolate, Christmas spice and caramel and coffee, stretching into a beautiful finish with hints of raisin and nice touch of orange peel. I absolutely loved this. I thought the finish could just have been a tad longer, but that was really nitpicking. A 165 year-young wine, drinking every bit as young and freshly as the 10-year Boal that we had alongside. Remarkable stuff.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue