Peter's 40th

Peter's big 4-0 arrived, and we feted it in grand fashion, with a great dinner (over 2 tables) in Summer Pavilion and some lovely blind wines, including a trio of 1975 birth-yearers. Happy birthday my friend!

• 1975 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon 96 Points

  France, Champagne

  Amazing – this was what aged Champagne is all about. What a nose this had - nutty and creamy and intensely honeyed, with ripe apples and kumquats and perfumed flowers underlined by shades of earthy minerality - Wow! It was immediately arresting straight out of the bottle. On first sip, the palate did not seem to have the same intensity as the nose, but then it just grew and grew in the mouth until it took on an absolutely palate-staining immensity by the time it hit midstride, just layering the taste buds with layer after deep layer of apples and kumquats and sweet lemons, all this was lined by a tremendous amount of bright acidity and quite stirring, almost flinty minerality that drove the wine into a mindblowing finish - long, full and powerful, yet wonderfully focused, with lots of nutty, umami accents tumbling out amidst the lovely mineral notes. Amazing, complex stuff. This was a wine that was at once explosive, yet also precise and effortless. Wonderful, and quite at peak. What a start to the dinner.

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• 2004 Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs La Parcelle Côte de Béchalin 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Disgorged in April 2011, this was a really nice Champagne if rather too young. The nose here was rather overshadowed by the 1975 Dom Perignon with its amazing bouquet, but this was still really attractive in its own right, with a complex melange of lime, ripe lemons and apples laced with sprinkles of spice and stony minerality. With time, a little nutty, yeasty hint showed up at the edges. This was a big, expressive nose – really nice. The palate, while a bit less developed, had a steely strength that I really liked, with a serious spine of mineral and citrus acidity running through broad-shouldered flavours of green apples and limes. The finish was very good too, showing a nice length to it as it trailed away in a little dance of steely mineral and citrus fruit. There was a juicy yumminess to the wine, but it still struck me as rather primary. It was certainly a Champagne of substance and depth though, and wed to a really clean cut precision. This may not to be to everyone's taste, having perhaps more geek appeal than true enjoyment on the night; but I thought it was good stuff. It needs 10 years easily, but it should age really well.

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• 2002 Zoémie de Sousa Champagne Brut Désirable 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Yet another very advanced 2002 - I actually thought it was a 1996. This was nice though. It had a beautiful nose that shared more than a passing resemblance to the lovely bouquet on a 1975 Dom Perignon in the same flight, with rich scents of kumquats and honey and almonds infused with a little floral perfume. With time, some creamy notes drifted out as well. Very nice. The palate was really lively, with sprightly acidity and the last vestiges of a super-fine bead lending a sense of verve and bright energy to otherwise fleshy tones of lemons and apples touched with a nice honeyed glow. Decent finish too, with a little flush of spice and blush of flowers trailing away at the end. A very attractive drink, and showing very well young, but this does not seem to have the chops for the very long term.

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• 1975 Maison Roche de Bellene Meursault Collection Bellenum 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

  Just lovely. This had a beautiful, Sauterne-like nose, with absolutely honeyed tones of dried apricots and nectarines, poached pears and red apples, all with a nice earthiness hanging about in the background. The palate shared that same honeyed glow to it, tasting almost like a dry Sauternes, except that the dried apricot and kumquat flavours on the attack were underlined by a lovely dry spine. On the midpalate, the sweet fruit flavours very quickly hid behind a cloak of citrussy acidity and metallic minerality that then stretched into a good long finish. There was real Meursault depth to this, with a rich, almost oily texture enlivened by bright acidity, so that it showed beautiful balance and poise throughout. Right at the end, just when the wine seemed to fade after a long drift stony tones, it bloomed again with a blush of orange blossoms and citrus zest wrapped around a core saline, salty minerality. Very good indeed – a beautiful old Meursault.

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• 1990 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières 94 Points

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

  As always with these old Ampeau bottlings, this was very enjoyable – perhaps the best bottle of 1990 Ampeau I have had so far. It had a classic mature Meursault nose, with cream and chalk accents floating alongside sweet apples, white peach and little floral scents, all underscored by a nice dose of Perrieres minerality. Lovely stuff. The palate was a study in balance, with both the richness and clarity of the terroir showing through its sweet, ripe 1990 flavours of stone-fruited peach and apricot tones and red apples, all drizzled with cream and underscored with a nice flinty minerality. The finish was long and lively, with its soft creaminess pierced by a bright lemony juiciness which carried the wine through into a long nutty, minerally tail. This was delicious and drinking amazingly well. A great wine - by far the best of the 3 bottles I have had over the years.

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• 1986 Remoissenet Père et Fils Le Montrachet 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru

  This was moving towards oxidation and needed drinking up. There was already a funky, earthy edge on the nose, with ever so slightly rancio notes alongside more typically mature Burg aromas of caramel, white chocolate and yellow fruit scored with a salty, saline, almost Chablis-like mineral note. The palate was also rather perched on an oxidative knife-edge, with little notes of kumquats and browning apples alonn with soy saucey hints fading in and out of otherwise fine, fresh flavours of rich yellow fruit wrapped in a caramelly, butterscotch glow. Still nice though, and really complete, with a good depth to matched by nice amounts sweet lemony acidity and a good spine of minerality. Decent finish too, with honeyed tones and more lemony notes ending with a kiss of spice and a chew of white meat. Still enjoyable, but certainly not in impeccable condition. Drink up!

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• 1975 Gaja Nebbiolo Fagiani D'Oro 92 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Piemonte DOC

  Charming, especially for what it is. This had a beautiful aged Nebbiolo nose of dried red fruit - with hawthorne and red berries twisted around a garland of dried flowers – and then funkier shades of earth and leather, meat and herb. A beautiful nose. The palate was drinking in quite a lovely fashion as well. Here, fresh, juicy acidity and fine tannins formed a nice frame for simple but satisfying flavours of dark cherries and dried red berries ringed with dried flowers and a flush of warm spice towards a gentle finish that trailed away with a twist of herb. Nice stuff. It was simpler, less layered than the 1958 Borgogno Barolo that we had alongside, but I did love the juicy, elegant delicacy that this wine had. About time to start drinking up though – it is quite at peak and will probably not hold all that much longer!

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• 1958 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo Riserva 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Solid – this had such an ageless feel to it. The nose started out a little too smelly for my tastes on first pour. It had a funky wet earth and barnyard twang, only slowly opening up to show plummy fruit and meat and menthol notes. There was always something akin to wet leaves around the bouquet though. Not the most propitious start. Thankfully, the palate was far, far better. There was still a meaty, bacony character to it, but the chief notes were of black cherries and dark berries, seasoned with dashes of herb and spice and laced with lots of bright acidity. Tannins were nice and mellow, but this was still going very strong. I thought it started out feeling a little thin and maybe hollow on the midpalate, but then it opened up and took on weight quite beautifully with time in the glass, until it filled the mouth with a nice fullness. It was only with some 45 minutes of air that the wine really hit its stride. Really good finish too, with herbs and spice and dried flowers and a little smoky note filling the back-palate. This definitely had more substance and depth than 1975 Gaja Nebbiolo that we had alongside, if perhaps less delicate charm. I did not think it was quite as lively and engaging as the bottle I had last year either. All in all though, this was very good indeed. Drinking well now, it will probably continue to do so for many years to come.

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• 1973 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Clos de la Roche 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

  Quite possibly the oldest Rousseau I have had. This was very nice, but was very much in keeping with my previous experiences with Rousseau’s Clos de la Roches – always good, but never quite at the standard of the house’s other Gevrey Grand Crus. There was a lovely clarity on the nose, with soft red fruited scents wed to more exotic notes of dried longans and boiled peanuts, and then a bit of meat, a touch of earth and mineral, dashes of herb and spice, all wreathed in a little floral note. Complex and pretty – this was a really nice, rather unique bouquet. The palate shared some of that lovely sense of clarity suggested on the nose, with juicy flavours of dark cherries and gummy blackberries flecked with herbs and spices. There was lots of citrusy acidity on this, quite reminiscent of kumquats and dried limes, all lending the wine a lovely clarity and freshness. Neat little finish too, trailing away with a charming kiss of herb and spice and gentle floral notes. A delicious, if not quite superlative wine, drinking quite at peak.

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• 2003 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Clos Vougeot 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  We caught this just as it was entering an upswing I think. Impressive on the night, it will be even better in 5-6 years, maybe even needing a bit more time than that before it hits peak. The nose was very attractive even now though, showing a very assertive, very engaging mélange of dried earth and spice, smoky tar and mineral, and a deep core of ripe dark fruited aromas that reminded me of black cherries. Much in keeping with the nose, the palate was rich and sappy, with a real sense of depth and power to its dark shades of black cherries and blackberries infused with spice and dried earth and mineral notes. While certainly big and broad-shouldered and powerful, there was a really impressive balance on the wine, with surprisingly juicy acidity for a 2003 wine that lent it a certain finesse. Great finish too, with lovely, juicy dark berry notes. This was quite an achievement for a 2003 Clos de Vougeot. Full, complete and delicious, and yet built with the balance and structure to age effortlessly.

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• 1993 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru

  A solid wine, but it probably needs a few more years yet. It had spent an hour in the decanter by the time we got to it, but even that was not enough – the wine was still slowly opening up when we got to the end of the evening. The nose was very DRC, with whole cluster notes of tea and herb and wild brush alongside deeper aromas of dark cherries and berries, meat and mineral – all quite masculine. The palate was full and rich, with powerful, broad shouldered feel to its ripe black cherry and berry flavours wed to notes of meat and herb. Lots of depth and breadth here – quite the classic Richebourg in its masculine feel. In spite of that, this was actually very refined, with a lovely clarity and balance and a nice chewy structure of fine, powdery tannins lending the wine a classy sophistication in spite of its depth and muscle. A long, full, finish then filled the back palate with clear black fruited notes dusted with a bit of spice, herb and coffee. Beautiful stuff. 1993 DRCs have always been haunted by a rather poor reputation but, served blind, I thought this was a lovely example of how good 1993 reds can be – give this 3-4 years and it will be even better.

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• 1998 Faiveley Latricières-Chambertin 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru

  I always thought that Faiveley made a good Latricieres, and this was another fine example. The nose was just what you would expect when you wed the whole-cluster character of Faiveley’s domain owned wines with the slightly woody 1998 vintage – here, nice Gevrey notes of cherries and red berries and some stony mineral were wed to shades of hern, tea and dried twigs. Quite attractive in its own way. The palate was quite nice too. It had a ripe feel on the attack, with dark cherries and red berry flavours wed to a fresh, clean, very clear feel. There was a touch of Latricieres leanness as the wine moved through spice-infused midpalate and into a herb and mineral finish touch by prickly citrusy acidity. Lean though it may be, this was really nicely focused and defined, with a nice precision to it. All in all, quite a solid wine, but this is your classic pre-2004 Faiveley vin de garde that needs a good long time, perhaps 5-10 years more, to soften and open up. 92+

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• 1997 Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva Grandi Annate 93 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montepulciano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

  Supposedly one of the best wines every produced in the Vino Nobile de Montepulciano DOCG, this was a really enjoyable drink on the night. It had such an attractive nose, with yummy aromas of sweet, ever so slightly liquered notes of strawberries and cherries packed in with very Tuscan notes of earth, dried herb and dried flowers. A lovely nose, really pretty. Not surprisingly for a 2007 Italian wine, the palate had a nice intensity and richness to its flavours of blackberries and plums, again showing just the slightest hint of a liquered edge. Yet for all that ripeness and power, there was actually a nice sense of elegance and balance here, with powdery tannins and nice Sangiovese acidity keeping the wine poised and focused. There was plenty of character here, with dark shades of violets, blackberries and a little sprinkling of spice and coffee grounds on the midpalate, and then a good long finish with stony mineral, dried herbs and black tea notes, all coming together to make a nice complex package. Very good and drinking beautifully now.

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• 1994 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Clos Windsbuhl 93 Points

  France, Alsace

  A nice end to the meal. This had a lovely nose, telltale Alsace Gewurztraminer, with lychee, chamomile and honey aromas tied to sweeter base notes of dried apricots. Very pretty. This was echoed on the palate, which had its owned honeyed shades of sweet apricots and more exotic lychee and rambutan tones. As one would expect from a Zind-Humbrecht Grand Cru, this was rich, round and slightly sweet, but it was also surprisingly spry and lively for a Gewurztraminer, with a nice freshness as it moved through the midpalate and into a chalky, spicy, mineral finish. I liked this very much. It is drinking well now, and that marriage of rich and fresh served very well as an ending to a great meal.

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