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Nyetimber Vertical + some Unexpected Gems
Park Palace, Grand Park Hotel
Tasted July 20, 2013 by Paul S with 891 views
Introduction
The Loire (aka wine geeks) group got together for our first dinner for a long time, and this one was about as wine-geeky as it gets - a vertical of Nyetimber, the Rolls-Royce of English sparkling wines. I missed these ultra-geeky gatherings, with everyone poured over their notes and Chad leading some really serious discussions on the wines.
Tonight, we had a rather shocking 10 sparklers (9 Nyetimbers of various ilk along with a Champagne ringer), all served half-blind, with the deck shuffled by the maitre'd, amongst 6 drinkers. The notes are arranged in the order that they were served. Thankfully, alcohol levels were blessedly low and that we had reinforecements in the form of Leonard and Jillian coming late in the evening! To compound matters though, it turned out that Desmond Foo and friends were in the next room drinking some really top-notch stuff, which they generously shared with us. Add a super-tasty 1979 Haut-Brion that Peter brought to the mix, and it made for a quite a night indeed.
Just a note on the Nyetimbers. The only one I had tried previously was an almost undrinkably acidic 2000 Blanc de Blancs some two-and-a-half years ago, so I was not expecting much coming into the dinner. I am glad to say that I was very pleasantly surprised though. All the wines were decent, and the Blanc de Blancs, in particular, were consistently good and, in the case of some vintages, excellent. They all had a rather pronounced character - chalky mineral, appley fruit, bright lemony acidity, subtle mousse and a round, fleshy character when a bit older - all enjoyable wines; given a bit of age, the vintage differences come out very nicely as well. I was very impressed. These are wines that will put some of the soulless drivel produced by big Champagne houses to shame.
Flight 1 - NYETIMBER VERTICAL + A RINGER (IN THE ORDER THEY WERE SERVED) (10 notes)
White - Sparkling
2008 Nyetimber Classic Cuvée
90 points
A decent start to the night. Pleasant, but probably the last complex and interesting of the wines on the night. The nose showed a pronounced chalky note, some flinty mineral, a touch of spice, and then some bread and a hint of chicken broth floating amidst apple flesh aromas and some green strawberry notes. Nice. The palate was marked by a lot of nicely bright acidity, but past that, you could actually see that it was quite ripe and round, with some savoury chicken soup notes and a very appley midpalate couched in a rather subdued mousse – in fact, this was so subtly sparkling that it almost came across like a white wine at points if not for that really bright freshness. A bit simple, especially at the finish, which drifted out gently on a bed of some chalk and spice, but pleasant. Very good value at its price.
White - Sparkling
1992 Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs
93 points
Really excellent - this was my favourite wine of the vertical. It had a beautiful nose, full of golden honeyed tones and lovely red apple notes chased by sweet lemon aromas, a drift of osmanthus flowers and, finally, little savoury scents of earth and soup stock and mineral - a very complex, alluring bouquet. The palate was excellent too. Obviously developed, but still very much alive, it treated us with beautiful flavours of red apples and ripe lemons on a base of slightly savoury earth and mushrooms, all draped with a lightly honeyed patina. Just ridiculously delicious. This was at a perfect place - absolutely integrated, wonderfully balanced, subtly complex – a complete wine all the way from its attack into a long, lacy finish seasoned with little touches of spice and baked bread. So yummy, I just could not stop drinking this. A Champagne ringer – served blind, I doubt many would have picked this as English. It may not have the depth or power of the great Champagnes, but boy this was a solid sparkling wine.
White - Sparkling
1996 Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs
91 points
Pretty good. This too had a really nice, complex nose – some honey and chicken soup notes suggested a bit of age, as did subtle scents of dried pineapples and sultanas which emerged alongside red apples aromas, and then a dried floral drift, a bit of spice and some nuttiness at the sides. Really interesting. The palate seemed a bit simpler than the nose suggested, but it was very nicely balanced and drank really well, with warm flavours of baked apples and some sultanas paried with a touch of puff-pastry. A rather ripe expression, but still underpinned by a good bit of freshness. Nice fine mousse too, pulling out in a nicely full finish, with mineral notes running through ripe apple fruit. Unlike the 1992 that preceded it, this was not very Champenois at all but it was quite yummy all the same. Pretty yummy, and about ripe for drinking. I do wonder if it will grow more to take on the lovely complexity of the 1992 in the coming years though.
White - Sparkling
2001 Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs
91 points
Rather different from the 1996 on the same flight, but equally pleasant. If anything, this would be more easily confused with a decent Champagne if served blind. The nose showed nice hints of spice and mineral, some fragrant almond tofu accents, and a toss of white flowers, all on a base of slightly oxidative red apple and white meat aromas. With time, some caramelly, burnt sugar tones emerged as well. Very nice. The palate showed round, fleshy flavours of red apples and sweet lemons with a touch of honey. This had a very full, substantial mouthfeel, with a good sense of depth and power wed to lovely, juicy freshness and a fine, subtle mousse. Good long finish too, with sweet lemons laced with bright acidity and a nice tail of flinty mineral and toasted caramel. Enjoyable. Probably good for drinking now, although it should develop nicely over the next 4-5 years.
White - Sparkling
N.V. Pierre Moncuit Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Pierre Moncuit-Delos Blanc de Blancs Brut
91 points
A nice drink. This was so very different from the English sparkling wines that no one had any hesitation picking it out as the ringer. To Nyetimber's credit though, this was not qualitatively better than many of its English cousins in the night. This had a far creamier nose, with biscuit and yeast alongside rather neutral white fruit aromas and sweeter lemons with a hint of lime zest. The palate had the most noticeable mousse of all the sparkling wines - round, frothy, rather creamily textured, it formed a nice backdrop for fleshy red apple flavours, some kumquats and a distinct note of Khong Guan brand lemon-cream biscuits on the midpalate. It was well-integrated, had good depth and nice, soft acidity – a very nicely drinkable Champagne. Nice long finish too, with fleshy lemony fruit and green apples lined with a little mineral and spice. It may not be the longest aging wine, but it was certainly very friendly and enjoyable. A good NV Bdb.
White - Sparkling
1998 Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs
92 points
Very good indeed. The 1992 was the most ready, complex and giving wine of the vertical, but give this a few more years and it may well overtake its older brother. I really liked the nose here - red apple aromas at the forefront, some gingko nuts, white flowers, a little hint of caramel, and then gentle notes of mineral, spice and a twist of yeastiness. Nice stuff. The palate had a nice roundness to it, with a rather rich, ripe expression of sweet lemons and green apples with just the hint of golden raisins alongside. This had the best depth of any of the Nyetimbers, yet it was also superbly balanced, with a dashing cut and precision to go with that depth, and a nice fine mousse to lift the wine. Brightly floral hints and more gingko nuts accents on the palate led the way into a long, well-integrated finish, with apple flavours seasoned by warm spice. The most complete of the wines, this was nice on the day, but still held some promise for the future. One to try again in 3-4 years.
Rosé - Sparkling
2007 Nyetimber Rosé
89 points
The couple of Rosés we had were decent, but a bit ho-hum. This had a pretty nice nose, with apples and flashes of red berry touched by some floral notes and a bit chalky mineral. The palate was pretty pleasant too, but rather straightforward. It had friendly, round mouthfeel to it, with fresh lemon and bright red fruit notes lined with a spine of serious acidity as the wine threaded its way into a very bright finish with a nice mouthful of spice. Very nicely mouthwatering, but also very primary and a bit simple. Pleasant as an aperitif, and perhaps with some simple food, but this does not look like it will ever be a great wine.
White - Sparkling
2003 Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs
89 points
Okay, but this was one of my least favourite Nyetimber BdBs in the vertical. The nose was pleasant enough, with some cidery apples aromas, a bit of bread and yeast and just a touch of mineral. Surprisingly for 2003 though, the palate was very much dominated by tons of bright acidity. Like many of the other wines, there was a certain roundness to the way it was shaped, with a fine subtle mousse, but this was very direct, rather in your face, with very linear notes of ripe lemons and citrusy grapefruit accompanied by just the slightest hint of red berries. Very primary I thought, especially as the midpalate gave way to the very lemony finish, where some spicy cinamon notes and a little floral waft struggled to make their through the citrusy tail. This needs quite a few years yet; while not unpleasant, it was still dominated by hard acidity. I am not entirely convinced it will ever be near as good as either the 1998 or the 1992, but it should certainly be a lot better in say 5-6 years.
Rosé - Sparkling
2008 Nyetimber Rosé
88 points
The second of the Rosés, this too was a pleasant enough, but rather pedestrian wine. Like the 2007, it had a rather pretty nose, with bits of yeast and some minerality floating around scents of red berries and raspberries, a bit of red apple, with a nice floral accent at the edges. The palate came across rather austere, certainly very linear and defined, with red berries and slightly green strawberries tossed around with some citrussy green apple flavours. It did have a long finish, with the tiniest little bits of mineral and spice along with all those citrussy notes. At the moment, however, it still is very simple, very plain. Well-balanced though, so it will be interesting to try this in say 5-6 years down the road to see how it develops.
White - Sparkling
N.V. Nyetimber Demi-Sec
90 points
Pretty nice. Finally, this was the last of 10 sparkling wines served blind and at random, and quite serendipitously, this turn out to be the demi-sec – perfect for our dessert at the end of the meal. It had a nutty, yeasty tone on the nose, alongside sweet melon and ripe red apple flesh aromas, a toss of flowers and a bit of chalk. The palate showed some of those nice sweet red apples and some white melon notes, but these were pierced with lemony acidity, so while clearly fleshier and lacking in some of the bright energy of the white wines, this still came across a lot dryer, fresher and livelier than many demi-sec Champagnes. Pretty nice finish too, with melon fruit lined with a bit of mineral and lemon. Very pleasant.
Flight 2 - THE UNEXPECTED GEMS (6 notes)
White
1985 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre
93 points
A village Meursault that was truly punching above its weight at almost 30 years of age. It had such an interesting nose, with pine nut and sweet lemon curd aromas, white melon and white flowers, white chocolate and cream, with a stream of gunflinty notes running behind - wow! The palate showed tons of character too, with a lovely, bright acid spine and lots of gunflinty minerality running through sweet lemons and ripe apple flavours. Lovely depth, great complexity, this was very impressive indeed. It had a certain Meursault richness, with a soft buttery texture and a cream feel to it; yet beneath it all, the wine gave the impression of really flinty dryness, especially as it stretched towards a super-long finish, where lemon rind, mineral and spice nestled amidst lovely yellow fruited notes. Excellent stuff. It is interesting to read Burghound's note from way back in 1995 (almost 18 years back!) praising the wine and saying it was at peak - this seemed to be perched right at the apex of its drinking window tonight. Sure, it is a Lafon Clos de la Barre, but even then, this was an amazing village wine.
Red
1979 Château Haut-Brion
93 points
Great stuff. I was just complaining to the missus that I have not had a good, matured Bordeaux for some time, and this comes along. Served blind, it had an unmistakably Graves nose – tobacco with a hint burnt rubber, some licorice spice and herbal tea notes on a backdrop of dried plums and cassis. Classic Graves, and quite lovely indeed. The palate, while clearly not from one of great vintages, was very solid and really drinking deliciously. It showed silky tannins, wonderfully-integrated acidity and lovely round flavours of plums and black cherries with a bit of cassis at the side. Very soft, approachable, and glowingly yummy. It may have lacked some of the supreme depth or complexity of say a 1989, or even the quality of the 1995, but there was plenty to hold the interest here. The finish was decent, rather than great, almost a touch short, but it did have a lovely little drift of tobacco and herb amongst the fruit. A very charming wine, quite clearly a Haut-Brion, and a good one, quite at peak at that. Yummy.
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Red
1970 Château Lafite Rothschild
93 points
Really delicious. This came from an impeccably stored bottle; the label had mostly peeled off, but the fill was superb. You could tell it on the wine too – served blind, it was so fresh and young that most of us thought it was a far younger. It had a lovely nose, sweeter than that on the 1979 Haut Brion that preceded it, with cassis and blackberries, some floral notes, then pencil shavings and cedar, and a little puff of tobacco – classic Pauillac notes, but with a high-toned prettiness to it that is so very Lafite. The palate was drinking very nicely indeed, with soft, silky, almost Burgundian tannins and juicy acidity that lent a lovely ringing clarity to its fruit - this time with high-toned red cherries taking their place amongst the cassis notes and a little undelayer of earth and tobacco leaf. Not the most complex wine given its age, and it did not have the greatest depth either, but boy this was delicious - mouth-wateringly fresh, very bright, very mouthfilling – a real pleasure to drink. It had a surprisingly long finish too, ending with a yummy crunch of cherry and cassis amidst some smoked tea leaves, spice and mineral notes. Very nice indeed - I was very taken by this wine. I guessed Pauillac when blind, but could not quite place it as a Lafite. On reflection though, it bears all the hallmarks of the house - elegance, energy and sheer seductiveness. If only these wines were not as crazy expensive as they are these days.
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Red
1989 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Ornellaia Vino da Tavola
93 points
Sweet seduction - I was charmed by this wine. It had such a beautiful nose to begin with, almost dripping out of glass with sweet notes of ripe cherries and red berries, rich, even with an edge of candy, before they ceded way to deeper cassis aromas and then bits of herb and tobacco and a pat of earth - really nice stuff. It could almost have been a Bordeaux if not for that extra edge of sunny sweetness. Just lovely on the palate too – very round, ripe, but so wonderfully balanced and juicy, with mouthwatering flavours of sweet red berries, sunny cherries and cassis laced with delightful little notes of herb and spice. So very yummy, and so youthful too; this was practically glowing with a lovely verve and energy lent to it by lovely, supple acidity. It ended very suitably in a long, wonderfully integrated finish sprinkled with some warm spice and the lightest shades of tobacco and tea leaf. Wow. It may lack some of the complex nuance of a great Bordeaux at its age, but this was nevertheless beautiful stuff, already drinking well now, with its tannins having softened into a velvety robe, but this was still so youthful and lively that it could easily go one for decades yet. This was easily a match for both the excellent and far more expensive 1970 Lafite and 1979 Haut-Brion that we drank alongside.
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Red
2004 Château Cheval Blanc
92 points
A clear step-up from a bottle 4 years ago, but this was still infanticide. It had a nice ring of quality to it, but was clearly way, way too young. The nose still carried a good bit of sweet oak, alongside very primary scents of ripe cassis with just hints of red peppers and a shake of spice. The palate was almost as primary as the nose, with black-fruited notes of plums and cassis riding on a bed of dried earth and a smoky, savoury with a little spicy ring towards the finish. This was rather thick, rather ripe, but still nicely balanced. A few swirls and the fruit lifted somewhat to reveal some chalky mineral mingling with the fine, slightly dusty tannins on the finish. A bit hard to judge given how very primary this was, with little in the way of nuance or complexity to recommend it, but I liked the way the wine was shaped and structured even though it may have leaned a little toward the modern side. Give it 8-10 years more though, and it should be quite a nice wine.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2003 Château d'Yquem
93 points
I may be in the minority given the rave reviews this wine has received, but while I found it to be a very good, even excellent Sauternes, it was certainly nothing earth-shaking. The nose was classic young d’Yquem – plenty of coconut shavings, a whiff of pineapple tarts, red apple and fragrant peach aromas, sweet flowers, perhaps a sweeter than normal tinge of pineapple juice, and then a twist of burnt rubber. Young, primary, but quite pleasant. The palate carried on from where the nose left off, with sweet coconut on the attack along with dried peach and apricot flavours shading into sweeter dried pineapples on the midpalate. I thought it was just a bit short on acidity for all that sweetness but, even then, it was still decently balanced enough to make a good drink, albeit rather hulking and monolithic, lacking some of the balance and energy of the better vintages. The finish was good, long, with more classic notes of desiccated coconut, caramel and spice. All in all, very yummy, but not what I would call a great d'Yquem. Of course, from a full bottle like we had, this is still barely out of its adolescence and should really be left aside for a decade or longer. It will be interesting to try it then
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