My 50th at the Ledbury

Potato cracker, brown crab and tomato emulsion
Iberian collar, loin and salami
Six year old dairy beef bresaola
Cod jowl with dill and nori
Acorn biscuit and duck liver parfait
Celeriac waffle and Cornish Gouda

• 2010 Bérêche et Fils Champagne Premier Cru Le Cran Ludes 92 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

  Mag. Nicely fresh. Not quite the richness of the 06 a year ago, mid weight with a lovely line. ****

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Portland crab, swede, buttermilk and apple marigold
Poole Bay grey mullet, radish, dashi and smoked cream

• 2004 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Pale to mid straw. Properly saline on the nose. Similar on the palate with a pithy grip. Mid weight. Long. This is the best bottle of this yet. GC weight and texture with an extra breadth cf the more laser-like Preuses. *****

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• 2004 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte Bouguerots 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Mid to full straw. A slightly sickly sweet nose of the early stages of oxidation, manifesting on the palate as vanilla and custard apple. A little too rounded. After several hours it does seem to sharpen up and gain a bit more mineral grip. A pale imitation of previous bottles from the case but nonetheless enjoyed more by others around the table. (*)**1/2

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• 2004 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Pale to mid straw. Saline, densely mineral nose. Grippy attack, real bite and intensity through the mid palate. Lime fruit, some oyster shell, GC weight and intensity but balanced with a lightness, elegance and laser-like precision. *****

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Veal sweetbread, parsnip, black garlic and Perigord truffle
Cornish lobster, butternut squash, pumpkin seed and yuzu
Mushrooms from the cabinet, potato, yeast and rosemary

• 1973 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Gran Reserva 95 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Mid garnet, starting to show some orange at the rim. Classic mature VR nose, a little coffee/mocha, red fruit, leather, spice and a drop of orange oil. Silky. Puts on some weight with air and despite an early double decant holds up well for seven or eight hours. *****

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• 1973 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 92 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Palest garnet, more transparent than translucent. Cranberry and orange peel. Bright acidity. Light to mid weight. Quite floaty but with a good mineral line and relatively long finish. ****

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• 1973 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Imperial Gran Reserva 93 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Deep garnet, denser than the other two. Classic Imperial nose, coffee, mocha, leather and dark red fruit. Finely velvety texture. Nicely rich, though lightens over a few hours after an early double decant. ****

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Hay-aged Anjou pigeon, beetroot, quince and Sarawak pepper

• 1989 Château Haut-Brion 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Double-decanted seven hours. Full garnet, still a hint of ruby at the core. Rich nose, warm gravel, tobacco, spice cake. Power, but above all elegance and an ethereal lifted quality that keeps drawing one back in. Very, very lovely. *****

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• 1989 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Double-decanted seven hours. Deep garnet. Nose of warm gravel with a Madeira cake richness. Similar on the palate, richer than the HB alongside and far better balanced than a bottle three years ago that showed some heat but not as exotic or flashy as some notes suggest. Lovely wine, but lacking that extra wow factor the HB shows. ****1/2

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Sauternes custard, Hoshigaki and bee pollen
Bergamot meringue, pear, sour cream and Douglas Fir
Mille Feuille, rhubarb, stem ginger and green tea

• 1973 Château Coutet Barsac 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

  Two halves, absolutely consistent. Mid to deep amber. Orange blossom, barley sugar and obvious botrytis on the nose. Still a good sense of sweetness on the attack, mid palate balanced with good acidity, and a positive mid length finish. ****

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• NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée 94 Points

  France, Champagne

  Mag. 2007 purchase, red label. Full straw, still a reasonable mousse. Initially a bit mushroomy and seemingly slightly woody, so dropped from the start of the meal. Revisited at the end, this has transformed, a touch of white mushroom, but nothing corky. Deep, rich and full, this has the traditional Krug profile. A lovely way to finish the meal. ****1/2

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