Gaja Charity Dinner & Tasting for HealthServe

Ming San and Ying Hsien (our newly minted MW) put together a small charity dinner to raise funds for HealthServe, a wonderful non-profit organisation serving the needs of migrant workers and the disadvantaged in society. A great cause supported with some great wines.

After aperitifs, we started with a structured tasting of 7 vintages of Gaja Barbaresco stretching through several decades. All 7 wines were served at the same time and we tasted at leisure. While we knew what wines were being served, we were not giving the order of the line-up, so that there was some degree of blind tasting involved. After that, dinner was prepared by Chef Nicolas Joanny of Nicolas Le Restaurant together with some of his staff, and paired with a really nice line-up of wines served non-blind.

Just a short note on the Gaja wines. The straight Barbaresco bottlings were all, of course, 100% Nebbiolo, sourced from 14 different vineyards across the DOCG. The 1958 was made by Giovanni Gaja (Angelo's father). Angelo himself started taking over in 1962, and was than joined by oenologist Guido Rivella for the 1970 vintage. Angelo's daughters, Gaia and Rossana have now taken over duties at the estate, and the 2010 would have been crafted under their charge. It was thus interesting to have wines spanning the different eras. The styles have certainly evolved, but it is hard to put a definitive finger down on exactly how they have moved with a small sample size of 7 wines. What is clear, however, was that each of the wines bore a similar hallmark of clarity, elegance and purity somehow wed to a slightly richer style of wine making. Not quite as extracted as the most modern of makers, but certainly with a thicker, slightly riper body than the most traditionally style wines. Uniquely Gaja I would say.

Overall, nothing really blew my mind on the night, but the wines were all predictably ranging from very good to truly excellent. A great evening all round.

• 1998 Pol Roger Champagne Vintage Brut 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Delicious and drinking very well indeed - this was a nice little start to the night. It had a lovely nose, on the cusp of maturity, with notes of white meat and yellow fruit shaded with a slight oxidative hint and some lightly honeyed tones. The palate was impeccably balanced, with juicy flavours of sweet lemons and red apples, all round and fleshy, yet nicely held up by a gentle spine of minerality all the way until the wine slid gently into a long finish of warm spice. Not the most complex, but very full and yummy. This is drinking very well now, but still has a nice grip and sinew and a good amount of dry extract. With the nice plump mousse and decent acidity, it should continue to be delicious over next few years.

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• 1996 Pol Roger Champagne Vintage Brut 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Very good - this was much more pleasurable than the last bottle I had a couple of years ago, but still needs a bit of time yet. While it was still not as rounded and ready as the 1998 Pol Roger that we had alongside, I thought this was clearly the superior wine on the night, and had better bones for aging. It had a lovely nose, fresher than the slightly oxidative 1998, with sweet apples and a whiff of stone fruit aromas at the fore and a little shade of spicy scents chasing behind. On the palate, a great vigorous mousse and bright acidity formed a beautifully energetic frame for more of those apple and stone fruited notes, all seasoned with a dash of spice and mineral. There was a lovely depth and presence and energy to the wine from attack all the way into its long finish. It was still very structured and zippy, with a few rough, brightly citrus edges sticking out, but this is becoming a very good Champagne. Give it 3-4 more years and it should really hit its stride.

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• 2010 Gaja Barbaresco 92 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Still tight and monolithic. Clearly a wine of some quality, but way too young to judge and not exactly fun to drink on the night. I must say that it had a rather lovely nose, very lifted and perfumed, with rose petal and sandlewood shavings and subtle red fruited notes that grew sweeter and creamier smelling all the time; all this topped up with just a touch of savoury meatiness, a dash of dried earth and little sprinkle of spice. The palate was still very youthful, almost infantile though, with teeth-coating tannins shading the wine's otherwise beautifully transparent weight and depth, with a subtle backdrop of mineral and spice and then a darker fruit expression of black cherries and plums - a little surprising after that nose. The finish lacked a bit of presence, fading away with a drift drying wood spice and bittersweet herb and a chew of slightly drying tannins. With time, some of the sweetness comes out on the fruit, but that dryness always remained. This really is infantile in Gaja terms and it is perhaps to early to judge it harshly, but it was one of the less impressive wines of the night. Try again in a decade or so.

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• 1999 Gaja Barbaresco 94 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Beautiful. Still in its adolescence, but for a wine from a less than heralded vintage, this was truly excellent. It started out with a rather woodier nose than the 2010 that immediately preceded it in the tasting, with scents of damp oak and dried sandlewood and some earthy touches, even a touch of musty cupboard. It was all a bit muted compared to the other wines at first. With time though, heady tones of stewed red fruits and then roses and even raspberry cream starting wafting out and mingling with the woodier, spicier tones, actually making for quite a pretty bouquet by the time the evening ended. Likewise, the palate was clearly very young, starting out even more reserved than the 2010, which confused quite a few of the table as the wines were served blind. However, even then, the classic Gaja characteristics of transparent weight and clarity shone through in the wines pure dark fruited tones, with black cherries and a bed of brambly brush herbs wound around a sinewy core of fine, mouth-coating tannins and a well of lovely juicy acidity. It had a very long, strong finish too, wonderfully fresh as with the rest of the wine, and marrying strength with effortless grace. With a bit of duck rillette, some smoky, ashy, almost Tempranillo-like shades started coming out right at the end as well. A lovely wine, just starting to truly show its mettle. This will be lovely in 10-15 years.

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• 1975 Gaja Barbaresco 91 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  The most advanced of the wines, which is saying something given that we also had the 1958, '62 and '70 together. Still very charming and certainly alive, but this was clearly on its last legs. In a less well-stored bottle, I think we would have caught a wine in terminal decline rather than the gently fading charmer that we had. In the glass, its amber brown colour was the palest of the flight. This was matched by a very old, super umami nose, with lots of soy sauce and caramel, then Lo Han Guo and dried longans and a herbal Cantonese honey and turtle shell jelly tone. All very Chinese dessert-ish actually, just punctuated here and there with dryer brush and smoky ash notes. Pretty attractive, but this smelt more ancient than it actually was. The palate was rather more interesting. It was really mellow and resolved, very elegant actually, with flavours of browned fruits, tea leaves and more Lo Han Guo, all glowing with a lovely mature sweetness. For all its soft mellowness though, this was also still very alive and juicy, with a nice freshness that carried it all the way into a gently fading finish, with a warm flush of herb and nice spicy nuances drifting away into the distance. This reminded me a little of a few Nebbiolo wines from the 1930s and 1940s that we had recently - past peak for sure, but this was still absolutely enjoyable.

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• 1978 Gaja Barbaresco 94 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Superb - this was perhaps my favourite wine of the tasting. It had a lovely autumnal nose, with lush mushroomy tones that reminded me of morels and forest floor, and then a dash of fragrant sandlewood spice, amd some dark plums and subtle red berry aromas chased by a drift of perfumy florals in the distance. A very nice, subtly beautiful bouquet. It was a great drink on the palate too. Here, the wine was just starting to mellow beautifully, with a little pucker of softening tannins and fresh acidity framing wonderfully clean and clear, but still chewy flavours of dark cherries and berries and plums, and just that touch of bacon, all with a lovely layered depth to them. There was a wonderful juiciness to the wine that made it a great pairing with food as well, with the acidity cutting through the fattier cold cuts on the table and allowing sweeter fruit and more fragrant spice nuances to come out. If I had any criticism, it would be that it lacked a bit of complexity and nuance at its age, but that would be nitpicking. That aside, this was really, really enjoyable, and still in its ascendancy too. I think it will easily hold and even keep improving over the next 5-10 years.

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• 1970 Gaja Barbaresco 91 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Very bretty, which was unfortunate, because this actually felt somewhat more elegant and complete than the unaffected bottle I had a couple of years back. The nose was very funky, with telltale brett notes of gym socks and bandaid overlaid on some meaty, earthy, slightly oxidative aromas. Very masculine I thought, As the funk swirled off, one could just make out some sweet stewed fruits and a drift of wood spice and mint as well. The palate carried both the bretty funk notes and the oxidative tones from the nose, making it a bit challenging to drink at first. I actually suspected that it was tired or a bit scalped. However, as one got beyond the funkiness, a nice mouthful of cherries and berries with a gentle infusion of spice and herb started coming to the fore, all still beating with a persistent strength. The finish was surprising too, coming through round, full and quite complete. This was certainly a lot more giving in the mouth than the last bottle I tried I thought. Pity that it is a bit spoiled by the brett. I am not the most intolerant when it comes to smelly wines, but this was a bit much even for me.

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• 1958 Gaja Barbaresco 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Not as strong as a bottle drank in Nov 2014 perhaps, but this was still very good indeed. Just starting to fade a little I think. The colour was certainly paler than I remembered, with a very orangey glow and brown tints to around its pale ruby centre. There was a touch of funk and some oxidative tones on the nose, but in far more controllable doses than on the 1970 earlier in the flight. Here, there was still a sweet core of stewed cherry aromas and some floral tones bubbling to the surface amidst the meatier accents. An intriguing mix of masculine and feminine nuances on that bouquet I thought. Very nice. The palate was still so very fresh and lively, with lovely flavours of dark cherries and berries draped around a core of chewy tannins and fresh acidity. This had a nice lushness to it, even if it was perhaps less full and deep than last year's bottle. Beyond that though, it was more youthful than one would have though, still grippy and super fresh all the way into a fine, complex finish, where hints of fruit and spice were kissed by a bit more of that funky brett. Altogether, very good indeed, but time to start drinking up!

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• 1962 Gaja Barbaresco 92 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  A lovely matured wine, clearly past its prime, but still very enjoyable. This smelt old, with meaty, funky, forest floor aromas at first, almost broiled tripe at points, then an uplift of herb and spice, sweet scents of wilted flowers and some cooked fruit on the background. Not bretty like the last two wines I thought, just a nice old wine funk. With time though, more of the sweeter fruit and flower petal nuances started coming to the fore. The palate was very mature as well, with mellow flavours of berries and dark cherries, and more funky dried earth and brush herb notes, all lined with fine, slightly powdery tannins and perfectly integrated acidity. There was a lovely round softness and charm, all wonderfully resolved, leading into a gentle finish, where a blush of wood spice bloomed amidst sweeter cooked fruit notes. It was neither the strongest nor the longest wine, but still certainly more than adequate. This really came alive with food too, with the flavours taking on a new vibrancy and energy over dinner. Very enjoyable indeed.

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• 1990 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Vintage Cave Privée 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  From a magnum, this was very good, but somehow rather more backward and less impressive than a 750ml I had last year. It did have the same lovely nose though, with a touch of fresh herb sprinkled over yellow lemons and fleshy red apple aromas. The palate came across very youthful, all super fresh and lively, with pure, juicy but rather primary notes of lemons and apples and just a tiny bit of spice and mineral at the side. There was a nice strength and a wonderful generosity to the wine, with a fine frothy mousse and great acidity all making for an impressive package - it just felt a tad simpler and less interesting next to the layered complexity of the 1990 Dom Perignon we had alongside. Still though, a nice Champagne that will age for many, many years yet - perhaps not surprising given that it was only disgorged in 2008. In a magnum, I would lay it aside for at least another 5-6 more years before broaching again.

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• 1990 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon 95 Points

  France, Champagne

  En Magnum. This was absolutely superb, putting another really quite good magnum of 1990 VC Cave Privee completely in the shade. It had a lovely nose, with whiffs of burnt corn and butter, bread and yeast, all floating around subtle strawberry notes. Really attractive, but it was actually on the palate that the wine really wowed me. One sip, and this just whacks you with wonder, with layer after layer of flavours fanning out like a peacock's tail in the mouth - toast and butter, white fruit and red apple, and an edge of strawberry notes, all riding on a juicy, lemony spine. Fabulous stuff, and in a magnum, this was really beginning to hit its stride. On one hand, it was just on the cusp of a full, gorgeous maturity, with a lovely sense of integration and roundness to it; yet on the other, it still had a fine, gentle mousse and beautiful acidity that lent it a youthful, energetic edge as it blossomed through the midpalate and into a long finish littered with juicy fruit and nuances of flowers and spice. Wonderful. It constantly amazes me how Dom Perignon can produce hundreds of thousands of bottles each year and yet still create real gems like these. This was as good Champagne as I had all year.

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• 1996 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric dël Fiasc 92 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  A nice wine. Enjoyable, though still quite a few years from being truly ready to drink. This started out with a lovely nose that almost nodded towards Barbaresco, showing sweet aromas of blackberries and dark cherries, dried flower petals and fragrant spice, with just a bit of dried earth and a little meatiness suggesting a more masculine side. The palate was pure Barolo though, and quite clearly built in a more extracted modern style too, with robust flavours of haw flakes and dried cherries and berries still wound around a serious spine of firm tannins and juicy acidity, all making for a tough, rather structural feel. Quite different from some of the easier-going 1996s from more traditional makers I thought, yet this possessed a sense of fresh charm wed to a serious nobility that sometimes escapes some of the more modern stylists, with just the last vestiges of oak and extraction showing up in the powdery texture of the tannins and a slight woody grip at the end. With time, subtle notes of meat and black tea started coming up, so that the wine, which seemed rather high-toned at first, took on a more grounded, masculine character. After that, it may have because this was placed next to a lovely magnum of 1982 Gaja Sori Tildin, or it may have just been the wine's age or character, but it seemed to clamp down significantly past the half hour mark. All in all though, pretty good, but this will need at least another decade, maybe even two in the bottle.

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• 1982 Gaja Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn 94 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  In a magnum, this was lovely. The nose was just a bit tight at first, taking a bit of time to come around. When it did, little puffs of smoke and earth and a little meatiness made way for nuances of dark cherries, dried flowers and herbs. The palate was much the same. It was almost a bit tight and seemingly rustic at first, quite uncharacteristic for a Gaja I thought, with fine but firm tannins and earthy, herby, meaty nuances at the fore. With a bit of time and air though, the wine really opened up and softened, showing a lovely clarity and grace in burgeoning flavours of dark cherries and dried berries all wrapped in beautifully integrated acidity. It was quite surprising how the wine went from tight to a wonderfully clean, clear, almost precise expression in half an hour, with an underlying sweetness in its fruit just starting to bubble to the surface. This felt so youthful and effortless. Lovely finish too, with the dark fruit met with a sprinkle of spice and earth and a little hint of meat, all still puckered with a touch of grippy tannins. A lovely wine and, in a magnum at least, this could go on for decades on end.

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• 1999 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Yet another wine from a magnum. This was at peak and delicious, making me suspect that 750mls should be drank up soonish. I really enjoyed this bottle though - it had such a beautiful nose, with typical Leflaive notes of chalk and toast and flint wed to very Folatieres notes of pineapples, stone fruit and a drift of pretty flowers. Like the nose, the palate was really full and expressive as well, with very giving, generous flavours of pineapples and ripe stone fruit laced with more of those chalky mineral notes picked up on the nose. I really liked the minerality here - it cut through the full, ripe depth of the wine and gave it a nice sense of focus al the wayl into the long, powerful finish with its flush of spiciness. From a magnum, this over-performed for both its terroir and vintage. Very good.

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• 1996 Château d'Yquem 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  A lovely end to dinner. After so many magnums on the evening, it was a bit of a surprise to see the d'Yquem come in two small half-bottles. The smaller format seemed to have helped the wine though - these were a lot more developed and certainly more interesting than the full bottle of 1996 I had a few years back. Both bottles showed a beautiful d'Yquem nose from the get-go, with swirls of desiccated coconut, dried apricots and light shades of minerality wafting gently from the glass. The palate was lovely too. It was neither the most opulent nor the most powerful d'Yquem, lacking perhaps a little in botrytis depth, but this had lots of charm in its classically elegant lines, with a lovely clean, fresh feel to its delicious, juicy flavours of apricots and honey, mineral and spice, all laced with a nice coconutty, Gula Melaka sweetness. With time, some tropical shades started coming out as well, all mingling in a wonderful poised mouthful. A lovely drink - long, balanced and compelling; light on its feet, yet with no lack of depth and persistence. This is another wine that is delicious now, but will still keep developing for decades. Yum.

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