40th B'day (spread across several meals)

Several dinners at home and a lunch at The Square with family for my 40th.

Pig's trotter stuffed with partridge and morels and served with a morel sauce

• NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée 94 Points

  France, Champagne

  (1/10/2013)

  Five years post purchase. Straight cork. Pale to mid straw. Fine stream of small bubbles. Nicely rich note nose, toasty and nutty. Crisp attack, opening o a rich mid-palate with plenty body and a little spice. Full and rounded and really quite long. Lovely. ****1/2

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• 2001 Domaine de la Vougeraie Bonnes Mares 91 Points

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

  (1/10/2013)

  Mid to full garnet. Mid weight in the glass with an obvious rim around the bowl of the glass when swirled. Starts off with quite an evolved, sweet, slightly rotting vegetal, pruney nose. After an hour or so it seems to freshen up and lose the pruniness on the nose. Again, quite evolved and slightly pruned on the palate. Some richness coupled with a sense of decay. With air, as the nose cleans up the palate tightens a little, shows some mineralitu, but at the same time gives a slight sense of heat on the finish. Quite bright on the finish with nice acidity. There is some bite to this. Moderate length. Very decent and a good match with pig's trotter stuffed with morel and partridge, especially initially. Finishes up a little herby with a licorice edgeand a slight dryness on the finish.

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Sauté of Scottish Langoustine Tails with Parmesan Gnocchi and an Emulsion of Potato and Truffle

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Leg of Pyrenean milk-fed lamb with Jerusalem artichoke gratin

• NV Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Cuvée Sainte Anne 88 Points

  France, Champagne

  (1/11/2013)

  Light and fresh, some chalky minerality, quite clean without lemony flavours. Effective aperitif. ***

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• 2007 Domaine Bertheau (Pierre et François) Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  (1/11/2013)

  Pale ruby to almost clear at the rim. Lovely, quite delicate nose of strawberry-led red fruit, some minerality. Quite precise on the palate with good focus through the mid-palate, that is dominated by pretty red fruit, to a more minerally finish. Quite light in weight and only moderate length but pretty and quite beguiling with its filigree silk character. Apparently the Charmes is weightier and darker currently. As so often, as much pleasure on the nose here as on the palate. Matched well with Phil Howard's langoustine with truffle puree and then leg of Pyrenean milk fed lamb. Bare ****

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Rack of Lamb

• 2000 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  (1/12/2013)

  Decanted and drunk over 90ins. Mid straw. Nice and fresh on the nose, minerally with a touch of custard apple. Similar n palate, good grip on the attack, mineral, really quite intense and long. Mid weight, quite viscous in the glass, silky smooth but persistent on the palate. Really lovely. Shows its class. Top ****

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• 1989 Château Rausan-Ségla 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  (1/12/2013)

  Decanted approx 90mins before starting. Mid ruby, to a garnet at the rim. Sweet fruited nose with some cedarwood. Sweet-fruited atatck, drier rhough the mid-palate with classic claret flavours intertwined with a lighter red-fruited character. positive finish and quite long. Lovely. Consistent with previous bottle at an offline. Went well with a rack of lamb. ****

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