Long lunch with Martinborough winemakers

Mark, co-owner of and part time winemaker at William Grace, and I organised a long lunch for Martinborough winemakers and friends. In attendance were Clive and Helen (Ata Rangi), Larry (Escarpment) and Huw (Escarpment, soon to be Pyramid Valley), Paul (Martinborough Vineyards), John (TK) and Kai (Schubert). Wellingtonians Andrew and Mike were also able to make it over the hill at short notice.

All wines were served double blind unless indicated.

• 2011 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Served blind. To get proceedings underway, as people were arriving, Mark opened this Raveneau as a conversation bottle, to drink before the Champagne. And it almost stole the show … A brilliant Chablis, for me of near Grand Cru quality. Quite deep gold (but no suggestion of premox). A bouquet of lemon zest, wet limestone, seaspray and spices, with a subtle floral lift. Lovely focus and sparkling acids on palate. Refined and very well proportioned and balanced. Limes, grapefruit, peach and chalky minerals with a hint on salinity on the long dry finish. Serious fruit weight and power. Surprisingly accessible this young, but I’ve no doubt it’ll improve with more cellar time.

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• 2015 Domaine Jean Chartron Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Pucelle

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

  Served blind. We’re enjoying the ‘new regime Chartrons’ and, most recent vintages, the Pucelle is often the top 1er at Chartron. The 2015 is no exception. A bouquet of citrus, pears, blanched almonds, minerals and a touch of baking spice. On palate, I recognised the wine. Rich, fully ripe 2015 fruit, but in the citrus and orchard, not the tropical, fruit spectrum. Good focus and sufficient acidity and minerality to balance the fruit.

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• 2009 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier d'Or

  France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

  Served blind. In magnum. Light gold with a fine bead. A fresh and breezy bouquet of lemons, wet river boulder, pears and apples. Only small flecks of toasty, lactic autolysis. On palate, fine and refined. Rich, opulent fruit, but not overripe. Pears, peaches, almond paste and a little brioche. Also some pineapple and other tropical fruit with a backbone of steely minerality. I don’t see the 2009 as a long term cellaring Cellier D’Or, as compared with, say, the 2008 or 2012, but it’s good nonetheless.

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• 2015 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Served blind. Obvious flinty reduction on opening. Spices, citrus, oyster shell and some pineapple notes on bouquet. In the mouth, this wine seemed to be a Chablis with Grand Cru volume and power. It seemed quite developed, I was thinking it was about six or seven years of age. Chablis typical acidity and granite minerality. Serious structure. However, on the day, I preferred the Raveneau. On the reveal, I was surprised how accessible this 2015 Les Clos was already. I wondered about longevity but Larry said “it seems quite advanced already but don’t be surprised if it ‘sits there’ for many years”. A bit of a question mark but, of course, it's so young it deserves the benefit of the doubt.

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• 2002 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays

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

  Served blind. Mike paired the Clos des Lambrays and Clos de Tarts together. The lighter ruby colour of the two wines, transparent at the rim. A lovely aromatic, lifted nose of florals, red berry fruit, earth and dry brushwood. Drinking well now. “Lovely bright acidity”, said Helen. “Sweet fruited”, said Paul, it certainly showed its 2002 pedigree. Red berry fruit, warm earth, dry brushwood, minerals and spices. Fine grained but soft tannins. Good density and structure. A classy Grand Cru, just beginning to turn secondary.

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• 2003 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart

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

  Served blind. The Morey Monopole is a classic wine to compare with the Clos des Lambrays. Deep, very dark red colour. Black spices, earth, liquorice and black olives. On palate, serious architecture, fruit weight and power. Grippy tannins, particularly on the back palate, yet to integrate. Very ripe fruit. Some of the winemakers had the fruit as overripe, at least one of whom pointed out a “Rhone character”. Certainly it is an atypical Burgundy with black cherries, plums, chocolate, liquorice and olive tapenade. I’d give a bottle 10+ more years in the cellar to see if it will integrate better.

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• 2005 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

  Served blind by Helen. Bright ruby colour. Exuberant red and black cherry, earthy, violet and other floral perfumes. A lovely bouquet that took me straight to Rousseau Chambertin. On palate, however I guessed the vintage as 2010. Serious sappy concentration and fruit volume. Red and dark cherries and fresh and some preserved blackberries and plums, earth and spices. A meaty quality. At least one winemaker suspected brettonamyces, but, to me, the wine seemed clean and in no way dried out. I saw any brett as savoury complexity. Great flow across the palate. “It has a poignant fragile quality to it” said Helen. You could see the family connection with the next two Chambertins in structure and earthiness. Like them, this 2005 ideally needs considerable additional cellar aging (8+ years?). Enjoyable now but largely on potential my WoTD. A special wine.

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• 2002 Domaine Perrot-Minot Chambertin Vieilles Vignes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru

  Served blind by me, paired with the Dugat-Py. No sediment on decanting. Like most tasters, on the day, I preferred the Perrot-Minot over the Dugat-Py. Damp black soil, underbrush, black cherries and other dark fruit and a touch of high cacao chocolate. In the mouth, dense and powerful. A lovely rich wine with real matière. “A lot of supple fruit”, said Kai. Nice minerality too. Relatively approachable. Black fruited and earthy with a little funky sous bois. John however again identified brett here that, again, I could not see as a fault. Lovely satiny mouthfeel. For me, not far behind the Rousseau in quality. Still, ideally, cellar for 5+ more years.

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• 2001 Bernard Dugat-Py Chambertin Vieilles Vignes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru

  Served blind. A ton of sediment on decanting. A brooding, powerful, deep bouquet of black cherries, earth, road tar and iron, framed by a little spicy oak. Huge structure and power. Massive fruit weight, concentration and tannins, a level above, even in the context of the other two Chambertins. Very rich, ripe fruit. Black fruited and earthy with truffles, cloves, barbequed meats and a core of tensile iron. Also, as someone said, a nice streak of mintiness. It finishes on those huge, grippy tannins. A statement wine. At present, more a wine to admire, rather than enjoy. Potentially a great wine. I would hold for 10+ years.

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• 2009 Domaine Dujac Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Aux Combottes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Served blind. The three earlier Chambertins were earthy, grippy, serious dark fruited wines, whereas this wine was expressive, the aromas and flavours leaping out of the glass. Red cherries, raspberries, some plum and a floral lift. Also bright, clean, pure, energetic red berry fruit on palate. Additionally a touch of minerality and a herbal undertone (I attributed to the 70-80% whole bunch present). “Supple, integrated, seamless and smooth”, said Helen. “Nice restraint”, said Larry. Elegant and refined. Precise, well integrated acidity for the vintage and fine grained tannins. A lovely 1er. The wine was Huw’s, who worked at Dujac in the era.

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• 2005 Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux

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

  Served blind by Paul. Another deep, powerful bouquet of blackcurrants, black cherries and other dark fruit, earth and dark spices. Some barrel oak yet to fully blend in. In the mouth, large scaled, dense and structured. Ripe black fruit, soil, dark chocolate and slatey minerals. “Bone dry but with evident fruit sweetness” observed Larry, it is rich and almost unctuous. “2005 at its best” said Mike. A quality but relatively backward wine I would expect to be very long lived. Enjoyable on the day though.

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• 1999 Domaine de Montille Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens

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

  Served blind. A bright garnet colour. The Armand was good but, for me, this Pommard was a step up. A lovely Rugiens, one of my WOTDs. Redcurrant, red cherry, warm earth, dry autumn leaf and rusty iron perfumes and some nascent florals. In the mouth, a similar flavour profile. Largely red fruited with clay, dried herbs, dry leaves, smokey meats and Rugiens rust. Lively bright acidity. Crunchy fruit. “Very pretty” said Helen. For me, Grand Cru quality. Drinking beautifully. Drink or hold.

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• 2004 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia

  Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Sassicaia

  Served blind. Clive, a NZ Pinot Noir pioneer, likes his Super Tuscans and often serves them at an event like this … Cabernet predominant aromas of cedar, leather, crème di cassis, plums and red liquorice. Similar flavour profile: cassis, cedar, dark chocolate, menthol and graphite minerality. I thought the wine a Left Bank Bordeaux and guessed the vintage as 2004. Lacy, harmonious, lighter bodied and well integrated. Ultra-fine grained tannins. À point acidity. Very pleasurable. I understand that it is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc.

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• 1977 Graham Porto Vintage

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Served non-blind by Larry who bought a case of 1977 Graham’s on release. Deep ruby with a touch of ochre at the rim. A bouquet of fresh red cherries, plums, spices, figs and chocolate. There were also some preserved or dried fruits aromas that put me in mind of old English Christmas cake. Additionally, there was something slightly medicinal on the nose but not the palate. On palate, the surprise is the youthful, almost primary nature of this 41 year old. Dense, rich, mellow and sweet fruited. Larry wondered if the Graham’s was “losing some freshness, drying out a little?”, but I could not see that, to be honest. To me, presently drinking very well but, obviously, with many years ahead of it. In balance and integrated. Good detail and length.

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• 2010 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Les Forêts

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  We’d finished the Port and no one had left the lunch table, so Mark brought out another Raveneau (served non-blind) ... It was very good but not seemingly quite at the level of his earlier Montée de Tonnerre … Fairly deep gold colour. An attractive bouquet of spices, citrus, yellow apples and pears, with a top note of meadow flowers. On palate, citrus, pear and white peach with a little apple and some stoney, saline minerality. Acceptable acidity but not huge Chablis typicity. Rounded and open textured. Accessible and enjoyable but a little straightforward.

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A great lunch. Thanks to Mark for hosting.