William's Bachelor's Party

Bachelor boy William is finally getting married, and his bachelor's night dinner was a great excuse to whip out some really good bottles. All were served blind except for the Pétrus from William's birth year, which was actually the first Pétrus that I have ever really enjoyed, and my wine of the night. I hope it was not bottle bias! This was really quite a Bacchanalian night, with great wine and even better company; and, as always, we serendipitously ended up with a really nice symmetry in the wines that each person brought. Cheers to William!

• NV Egly-Ouriet Champagne Premier Cru Les Vignes de Vrigny 92 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

  100% Pinot Meunier, disgorged in July 2011. This was a big, bold, intense Champagne that really needed food to show its best. I must sayI enjoyed it a lot more than an earlier bottle (disgorged in Sept 2009) I had a couple of years back. This wine really had an intense nose, which sprung out of the glass in wafts of yeasty, biscuity, buttery shortbread aromas, with flecks of savoury white meat - salt-baked chicken someone said - and then ripe yellow fruit, zesty lemons and bits of spice. Here was a nose that just grabbed your attention. There was a bit of a Krug-like character on the power and savouriness of the bouquet actually. However, while the palate was pretty yummy in its own right, with an equally powerful, intense drive as the nose, it was definitely not a Krug. This was a lot clunkier and less harmonious, with buttery notes riding slightly oxidatvie flavours of kumquats, lemon zest and fig skin, then a bit of fleshy cherry fruit, all speared through by large gobs of juicy acidity. There was a lot of muscle on the wine, with a deeply grippy structure and an almost chewy mouthfeel on the midpalate. However, it seemed as though it was not quite integrated yet, with its bright acidity and fleshy depth sticking out at odd angles at points, especially when drank without food. There is interesting raw material though, and it is very yummy, especially when paired with caviar and, more unusually, with a hot soup. It probably needs some time in the cellar though - I would give it a good 2-3 years more.

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• NV Paul Dethune Champagne Grand Cru Brut Cuvée à l'Ancienne 93 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir; Disgorged in June 2011. This was excellent – it was easily the better of the two Champagnes we started out with. The nose here was equally expressive, if rather less in-your-face than the 100% Pinot Meunier Egly-Ouriet, with lovely fragrant notes of apple flesh and sweeter yellow-fruited peach and apricots; a touch of ripe lemons and some floral notes; and then more savoury aspects of earth, meat and mineral and Chinese herbs. A really complex, multi-faceted nose. The palate may not have been quite as complex as the nose, but it was nicely layered as well, with a gentle mousse and well-integrated acidity cossetting rich, fleshy notes of apples and lemons seasoned with a warm spiciness. There was a full, satisfying roundness to the wine. While clearly having nice mouthfilling depth, even power, this was a lot more balanced and harmonious than its flight-mate. Lovely stuff; drinking very nicely now.

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• 1968 Fabien Coche-Bouillot Meursault 1er Cru Gouttes d'Or 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

  A gob-stoppingly good wine, especially at its age. This was so youthful that most of us guessed late 1980s or early 1990s. It had an incredible nose, with deeps draws of buttery, creamy scents alongside matured aromas of honey, beeswax, figs and lemon peel, all underscored by a lovely salty, briny, sea-shelly twang. With a bit of time, a little twist of menthol drifted out of the glass as well. This was a bouquet with real character. If anything though, the palate was even more complex, with crisp, lemony acidity enlivening really matured flavours of kumquats and limes, and saltier, more savoury accents of dried fig skin, orange peel and lemon zest. It seemed a little on the thinner side at first, but quickly opened up with a little air to show a layered depth and creamy, almost fatty Meursault texture on its browned apple tinged midpalate. We really should have been able to guess the commune with this wine - it was very correct actually, but such was the quality that everyone thought it was a Grand Cru and veered towards Puligny instead. I loved the finish here as well – long, complex and succulent, it filled the mouth with fleshy honeyed tones seasoned with peppery spice and herb, and a long tail of minerality that just refused to quite. Superb stuff, drinking absolutely brilliantly at 45 years of age. Wow.

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• 1986 Gagnard-Delagrange Montrachet 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru

  Quite a few of my friends on the table were very taken by this, but I thought while it was an excellent wine, it was not a truly great Monty. In fact, it was just slightly overshadowed in my estimation by the two other superb dry whites on the night,though perhaps by virtue of this being slightly less expressive rather than having less quality. It did have a wonderful nose however, with sweet scents of ripe apples and drizzles of honey alongside citrussy notes of kumquat and lemon curd, then a curl of lanolin and chalk that brought the Chenin of Loire to mind, before a really nice lick of buttery tones. Wonderful stuff. The palate did not quite have the same breadth of complexity as the nose, but it was really solid in its own right, with a beeswaxy depth on the attack and yummy flavours of sweet apples with slightly tropical shades at the sides on the midpalate. There was a rich thickness to this, and a nice honeyed tone throughout, so that most of us managed to guess it correctly as a Chassagne rather than a Puligny Grand Cru. HM was the only one who got the Le Monty correct though, with the others mostly leaning towards Bâtard or Criots-Bâtard (perhaps in a reflection of the quality of the wine). While the acidity was not the sprighliest, the wine did have a great sense of balance and a subtle structure, with some wonderful underlying minerality showing up in limestoney notes that underscored the long finish, with touches of honey and spice and lemony notes showing a nice lift of lively freshness right at the end. Very good indeed, and while drinking nicely now, it has the legs to last for a long time yet. In the end though, this was an excellent rather than truly great wine.

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• 2000 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc Le Méal 94 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  This was a memorable bottle, possibly the best white on the night, and that it really saying something given the company it had. I loved the nose with its layers of honeycomb and beeswax and cloves wafting out of the glass alongside rich aromas of apricots and peaches, a twist of kumquats and some lovely floral tones. The palate had a very rich, fleshy feel on, with white melon and mangosteen flavours on a bed of beeswax and sweet floral notes wrapped in a thick, almost olive-oil textured attack. It shifted gear on the midpalate though – it was really minerally, full of chalky note and flinty accents, almost like liquefied rocks being poured over the white fruit and honeyed tones. There was lovely complexity to it all. Previous notes seem to have criticized the wine for being fat (this was a 15.5% monster) and lacking acidity and cut. However,on the night we actually found it to be quite brilliantly balanced for its size, with a nice focus and precision to it, especially as it wound its way into a nicely dry finish. My only criticism was that it was just a bit hollow on the backpalate, with the wine rambling off in a less than fully convicted fashion, with pinpricks of spice nestling amdist some honey and kumquat notes. This was perhaps the one thing that prevented it from being a really monumental wine; otherwise, it was quite brilliant. At a good place now too, though it should last in the bottle for some time yet.

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• 1970 Pétrus 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  I absolutely loved this. It had wonderful old Pomerol nose of dried herbs and sweet tobacco, toasted vanilla and fragrant sandalwood spice, all swirling around a core of beautifully sweet plums, raspberries and lovely floral notes. I could have sniffed this all night long, if not for the fact that the wine actually drank (almost) as well as it smelt. The palate was at its seductive peak, with a lovely sense of freshness and energy and perfectly resolved tannins - silk rather than velvet here – setting the scene for a full, plump attack filled with ripe plums and berries. Very yummy, even opulent, and though it did lean out a little by the midpalate, no one would ever accuse this wine of being thin – it always had a wonderful seductive fleshiness to it, even if it seemed rather less voluptuous around the waist and hips than initially promised. Lovely finish too, wonderfully resolved and developed, with gentle but insistent notes of earth and spice and more of those seductive sweet plums drifting away into the distance. This was in fine form and ridiculously delicious. Paired perfectly with roast goose. Yum.

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• 1998 Tenuta di Trinoro Toscana IGT 94 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Brilliant, but rather too young. It is quite remarkable what Andrea Franchetti managed to craft out of very young vines (planted in 1992 I think) in just his second vintage. It was a testament to just how good this wine was that, served blind along with the other wines, a couple of people on the table actually preferred it to a 1970 Pétrus that was absolutely singing. I begged to differ (especially since I brought the Trinoro), but I must say that this was really not too far behind its illustrious flight-mate. It had a rather reserved, but rather noble nose, with meaty, earthy undertones, a bit of funk there, and then notes of roasted capsicum and beetroot working their way through a deep core of sweet blackberry and cassis aromas. After a couple of hours in the decanter, a nice, high-toned drift of tobacco, herbs and spice started coming out as well. This was a very Bordelais, rather Cab Franc-ish nose, drawing guesses of Cheval Blanc and Vieux Chateau Certan from the table. Very nice, but I thought it was the palate that was really the wine’s strong point. This is one of those perfectly complete wines, with great depth, almost a thickness, to its cassis and black cherry fruit, but also with a lovely purity of expression, and a great structure of fresh acidity and beautifully well-sculpted tannins - all this wonderfully woven and integrated into a solid whole. In spite of all that power and depth, there was actually a real sense of finesse here as well - quite the iron fist in a velvet glove. I was a bit disappointed that it has hardly developed since I last had a bottle in 2008. It was still a bit monolithic - with little complexities of spice and meat and tea leaves and orange peel only just starting to litter the super-long finish. However, this was very impressive, and it was just about drinking well enough with the appropriate food after some time in the decanter. It is, of course, a far cry from the soft, seductive, bewitchingly complex Pétrus, but all that may well come in time. I would give this at least another 10 years in the bottle, but I suspect 15 may be closer to the mark. Great stuff.

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• 1999 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Chambolle-Musigny 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny

  This is one of those wine that I have quite forgetten having had before. It was a very strong village, but rather big and clunky for a Chambolle; so while acknowledging its quality, I am not sure I really enjoyed this that much. What we drank this time came from a bottle had been opened the night before; half of it was decanted into empty 375ml, from which the wine was served. I was told it was very tight when first popped, which would accord with how I remembered it from 3 years ago, but it was certainly much more opened when we got to it. It had a beautiful nose, full of rose petals and red cherries, dried earth and mushrooms and gentle drifts of wood spice. Very Chambolle, I thought at this point. The palate was a real shift in gear though. It was very fresh and alive, with orangey acidity racing through still rather clenched flavours of dark cherries and berries. However, while hinting at the elegance once expects of a Chambolle, this was also a very structured, tautly muscular wine, with plenty of power and extract, especially on the midpalate. If I did not know what I was drinking, I would have thought Vosne or a Northerly NSG instead. The finish was still quite tight, but had a really nice, juicy length to it with a lick of herb and spice and a kiss of floral notes. A solid village - this could easily pass for a very decent 1er Cru, but it needs quite a few more years though. On reflection, while impressive, it was not all that enjoyable at the moment, and certainly not worth the price it fetches these days.

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• 1999 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées 92 Points

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

  A very good wine, but a little disappointing for a Mugnier Les Fuées from such a great vintage. In fairness though, like so many of the top 1999 1er Crus, this still seems a long way from being anywhere near its peak drinking window. The nose was quite a knockout I must say, with tones of sweet roses and fragrant red cherries patted down with a bit of earth, mineral and some meaty tones - melting, perfumed and seductive. Wow - this could be hardly anything other than a Chambolle. The palate was way, way tighter though. It had an impressive finesse and elegance, with super-fine, silky tannins, and a crystal clear feel and balance about it that was so very Mugnier. The flavours were still rather one-dimensional though, with red cherries on the attack shading into blueberry notes on the midpalate, than a slightly more savoury finish, with earth, a bit of meat and a nice spicy, minerally tail. Quite lovely actually, but one gets a feel that there is a lot coiled up in here yet. At the moment, you get tantalising glimpses of 1999 strength and depth below the clean, high-toned fruit, but it is still rather deepy buried. I would lay this down for 5 years at least, although I suspect 10 years would be even better.

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• 1971 Domaine Grivelet Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru 93 Points

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

  Very charming for a 1er Cru that has passed its 40th year of life. In fact, this was probably the best of the three Chambolles that we had on the night. It took awhile to wake up from its decades of slumber, but when it did, there was a rich fragrance on the nose, with sweet notes of haw flakes, dried cherries and raspberries and a waft of dried flowers behind - the kind of gentle sweetness suggestive of preserved fruit that is so lovely in old Burgs. The palate still had a rich sappiness to its yummy flavours of red cherries and berries and sweet haw flakes wrapped in a rather wooly cloak of softened tannins. It seemed a bit flat and lifeless at first, but with a bit of time and air, it really opened up to show some lovely freshness, with a sense of bright acidity weaving its way through the fruit. Decent finish too, with a sweet linger of dried cherries and berries flecked with herbs and spices. I do not think this was ever the greatest wine in terms of depth and complexity, but it is very good indeed and a real joy on the night.

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• 2002 Nicolas Potel Chambertin 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru

  On a night where many older wines from the 60s' to the 80s' were stunningly youthful, this was paradoxically over-advanced and tired - a far cry from the last two experiences I have had with the same wine (the last coming just a few months back). The nose had a prematurely old feel to it, with lots of gamey, meaty, sous bois tones, with dried leaves and wilted flowers sprinkled amidst some lovely red cherry aromas, followed by sterner drifts of briar and bramble and spice. I liked that nose, but it got us guessing that this was a wine from the late 1970s or early 1980s instead. The palate still had some fresh, lively acidity. However, the tannins seemed to have completely resolved into a soft, mellow feel, so that one got a sense of a noble structure slowly crumbling into dust. Flavours were very mature too, with soft, sappy, sur-mature notes of black cherries and dark berries tapering off into a fine-boned finish with some spice and a rather ditrsctingly bittersweet twist of bramble. Still pleasaurable, but clearly tired and rather less than complete. While this would have been enjoyable enough on its own, it was at a severe disadvantage amidst the other stars on show tonight. I hope this is down to provenance rather than the wine going downhill.

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• 2002 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru

  This was really lovely - it completely blew its flight-mate, an underperforming bottle of 2002 Potel Chambertin, out of the water. This had such a lovely nose, with black cherries and violets and fragrant Morey spice nestling amidst funkier notes of earthy sous bois - a really nice mix of feminine wiles and masculine charm. I really liked the palate too. There was lovely generosity and richness to it, with ripe black cherries and blackberries having an almost liquered tone to them, and then a nice prinkling of spice and menthol and a savoury, mushroomy note as the wine moved into a gentle backpalate. It may need a few more years to gain some complexity, but structure and mouthfeel-wise, this felt just right - full, complete and integrated, with the freshest acidity and the finest tannins still giving the wine a nice, firm chew towards long finish with its twist of orange peel. Lovely stuff, just on the cusp of being at peak. Give it 2-3 years, and it should be absolutely singing. Very enjoyable indeed - this was the best performer amongst the Burgundies.

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• 1999 Ceretto Barolo Grignore 91 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Decently good, but a little modern and soulless. Its nose was shaded with oaky notes of vanilla milk alongside ripe blueberries and black cherries, a bit of eucalyptus and some spicy, smoky, ashy notes. Overt oak aside, it was actually quite nice. The palate had a rich thickness and strength that was quite symptomatic of the wine's origins in Serralunga, showing deep notes of blackberries blue berries and dark cherries along with a good bit of chocolate and spice. The finish had a long tail of powdery tannins with earthier notes taking their place amidst the black fruited tones. This was quite well made, decently proportioned and well-balanced with good acidity, but it was all a bit uninteresting. Should get better with time though - I think a good 5-6 years more in the cellar will do this wine a world of good.

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• 1982 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia Soprana 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Very nice - this was a fitting ending to a great night. In fact, I think it may have been disadvantaged coming at the end of many bottles of great wine - it may have done even better in a slightly less crowded line-up and with fresher palates to appreciate it. Still though, there was a lot to like here. In contrast with the Ceretto on the same flight, this really showed that you could have modern leanings and still show a lot of soul. It had a really expressive nose to start with, very big, with bold black cherry aromas, smoky spice, flowers, earth and mineral. The palate was very full, very complete, with mouthfilling flavours of black cherries and dark berries showing both a nice ripe sappiness as well as a lovely clarity. I also really liked the balance on the wine, with its bright acidity and firm but fine tannins. This came across so youthfully that it was hard to pick it as being any older than the 1999 Ceretto - it certainly still has structure aplenty for further aging. In fact, the finish was still a little tight, pulling away with bits of spice and mineral riding on firm tannins. It lacked a bit of charm right there I thought, but that aside, this was very nice indeed. The bottle we had seemed in really good condition and, on that evidence, I would have gladly held the bottle for another decade for the wine to soften and develop more. In fact, it would have benefitted from just being opened for a longer time before serving. Good stuff though.

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