Birthday dinner with good wine friends

Decided to share these wines for my birthday celebration, with the one condition of making everyone work to guess the wines. Results were in line with what I expected: (a) the two most confusing wines were the CDP Blanc and Dominus, (b) the Giacosa and LMHB with the strongest signatures had the most accurate guesses. Overall the guesses were pretty on point and a testament to everyone’s knowledge. Happy to have shared these with those that have educated me with their generosity in terms of time and wines.

Wanted to put a weighty, non-Burgundy against the Raveneau blind but I couldn’t remove the Raveneau's wax, so only the CDP Blanc was blinded.

• 2013 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut Rosé 95 Points

  France, Champagne

  Racy and taut, but so appealing and gulpable now despite the wine's primary nature. Incredibly delicious and balanced with the right mix of fruit, acidity and energy, as I find the normal Cristals too austere for my taste. My first Cristal rose and definitely lived up to the hype. I put this last in the line-up to pair with food and it was finished in no time.

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• 2007 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Not as large-framed as my previous Raveneau experience. Still quite round but the mineral and citrus fruit dominated to give a superb tension to the wine. A balanced and poised wine, was a crowd favourite at the start but started to lose its structure with time. Glad to have shared this since top producers can be transcendental and Chablis as a region can be overlooked.

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• 2019 Rotem & Mounir Saouma Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Magis 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Most guessed this as a Burgundy, ranging from x-Montrachet, Meursault 1er to Corton Charlie. Had one dissenting voice who guessed Chilean. Strong reduction notes and oak signature on the nose that gave the impression of a serious wine. Very Burgundian in style and nobody could place this as a Rhone white, as was the case when I previously opened the 2013. Quite divisive, some loved it but others thought it was horrendous. Liked the tension and zesty green apple fruit, but needs more time to integrate compared to the 2013 which was ready for primetime.

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Decided to put two atypical Rhones side-by-side but the learned crowd spotted both as Rhones.

• 2011 Château des Tours Côtes du Rhône 90 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

  A couple managed to nail this as Grenache while others were in northern Rhone or Burgundy. Natty, jammy nose with lychee notes. Light and sweet palate, fresh strawberry fruit that was telling of Grenache. Texture was not as seamless as previous experiences with this cuvee.

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• 1983 E. Guigal Hermitage 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Most managed to arrive at northern Rhone for this. Similar to my previous impressions - remarkably fresh, attractive dark fruit for its age. Some actually thought this was younger than the 2011 Chateau des Tours! Not nearly as good as the terrific 1990 however.

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The LMHB was the headline act, but wanted to put a new-world and a good value Bdx workhorse alongside it. The latter two certainly didn’t disgrace themselves!

• 1986 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  I wouldn’t have been as confident if I was blinded because of my lack of experience with Bordeaux, but everyone managed to guess Graves because of the obvious ash notes. Most placed this as a decade younger. Took its time to pull ahead of the rest but it was a joy to watch this unfurl and get into its stride. Wanted to share a Bordeaux producer (either LMHB or Palmer) that exhibited a floral and perfumed nose, coupled with a seamless and silky texture that can be hard to find in Bordeaux. Glad this didn’t disappoint, was the runaway WOTN for most.

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• 1989 Château Cantemerle 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  Brought this as a value comparison to the LMHB and it put up a valiant fight. At the start many commented that they couldn’t distinguish the two, some suggested that they could even be the same producer. But over time, its masculine nature with sturdier tannins showed compared to the silky nature of LMHB. Fruit was still very vibrant, most guessed it to be from the mid-90s. My favourite underdog that always punches above its weight.

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• 1992 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  From magnum. Apparently a little plummy and oxidised to begin with but thankfully this recovered and gained structure with air. Distinct old-school greenness on the nose that led everyone to guess Bordeaux, with an even split between left and right-bank. Made in a rustic, traditional style from a bygone era with plenty of forest floor, dirt and cassis. Liked this a lot, albeit a step below the superb 1994 that I tried last year. Thought I might be biased towards a birth year wine (especially since not many regions were good in that year!), but glad the rest concurred at the end.

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Wanted to showcase two of my favourite Italian producers. Admittedly both can be roulettes, but thankfully at least one showed well.

• 2004 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba 94 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  A couple managed impressively to nail this as a Giacosa. Had the producer signature of attractive VA on the nose, rich and pure dark cherry fruit, and impeccable balance. Liked this but lacked a little oomph compared to the brilliant 1998 I had a couple of months ago.

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• 2004 Cerbaiona (Molinari) Brunello di Montalcino Flawed

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Perfect appearance on the cork without seepage but unfortunately it was still flawed. Drinkable but obvious signs of oxidation and plummy notes. I was really willing this to show well as Cerbaionas can be magical, but unfortunately my hit rate hasn’t been great.

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