Beef Night

Jillian got a few of us together to try several cuts of the lovely beef that she has been importing. It was a rather warm, balmy night - a bit too warm for outdoor dining, but the company was great as always, and the yummy beef was well prepared by the team at Palate Sensations cooking school.

• 2010 Domaine Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  Decent enough, but this was way too young and felt rather overworked and extracted on the night. The nose started out with a blast of popcorny, buttery oak that shaded fruity aromas of sweet black cherries, cassis and plums. More nuanced accents of minty eucalyptus and floral herbs and a savoury meatiness started drifting out in time. The palate was almost paintfully primary, with tons of acidity and lots of oak laced through a thick mouthful of sweet plummy fruit and creamy raspberry ripples notes leading into a spicy finish. This had a whole lot more depth than one would normally get on a village and it was balanced very nicely, but I could not help thinking that this could easily have been a top-notch new world Pinot Noir with its current characteristics. It will get better – this is just a baby now, but it is not a style of young Burgundy that I enjoy. Try again in 6-8 years.

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• 1993 Domenico Clerico Barolo Pajana 92 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  I am not a big fan of Clerico’s hypermodern style, but this was not bad at all, with the 20 years or so in the bottle softening its overwrought edges somewhat. It had a nice nose, with thick aromas of sweet red fruits – cherries and raspberries – and then a sprinkle of rose petals and a whiff of smoke, spice and a little earthiness. I found the palate quite yummy. Again, it had a slightly thicker, creamier mouthfeel than the more traditional Nebbiolos that I favour, but it was nicely balanced and structured, with a decent amount of acidity and still chewy tannins framing flavours of sweet black fruit and savoury touches of meat and earth. It was a bit more austere on the finish, showing a typical Barolo bite as it drifted away with a little touch of smokiness. No bad, drinking quite nicely now, especially with a nice hunk of beef, but this could still use another 4-5 years in the bottle, perhaps more.

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• 1995 Château Canon 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  What a coincidence – two blind bottles of Chateau Canon brought by two different people on the same night. This was decent, but not quite as enjoyable as the charming 1978 that we had alongside. It had a nice right-bank nose, with sweet scents of plums, cassis and blackberries wreathed in a little halo of tobacco smoke and pencil shavings. The palate had quite a round, fleshy feel for a 1995 Bordeaux, showing sweet blackberry and plum flavours and slightly more lifted suggestions of black cherries. It felt soft and ripe and very drinkable, but there was also a fine tannic spine and decent acidity that carried the wine into a rather more delineated finish, where the fruit ceded way to an earthy, minerally leanness and a blush of spice. Unspectacular, but this was a nice enough drink that is just starting to come into its own.

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• 1978 Château Canon 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Charming – we all enjoyed this wine quite a bit. It had a nicely matured nose of dark fruited cassis aromas along with drifts of smoky gunflint and minerally notes and a bed of damp earth and brambly herb. The palate was rounded and softened with age, but still had a freshness to its clear flavours of cassis and blackberries that made it seem very youthful for 1978. These were laced with more minerally gunflint and smoky notes that added a gentle complexity to the wine. Not a blockbuster, but this was a lovely drink that was showing charmingly well on the night.

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