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'Farewell Jason' Long Lunch
Hong Kong Wine Vaults, Aberdeen, Hong Kong
Tasted November 29, 2014 by Goldstone with 528 views
Introduction
Gourmet burgers, 1 KG of white truffle, a ton of nibbles, Iberico ham and different salamis, tempt-destroying chips, rock music, rare Cuban cigars, raconteurship.......the full Jason nine yards to mark version 1.12.16 (and still counting....) of his departure from Hong Kong. A great get-together of 14 guys with 6 hours and too many great wines contributed.
Flight 1 - Champagne (1 note)
There was a Pol Roger Winston Churchill 2002 and a Cristal 2002 on offer as well but I lost my taste after the disappointing Krug......and the allure of the white Burgundies that had been opened.
White - Sparkling
N.V. Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée
87 points
(Magnum). Drank a bit too cold and in flutes. As the first drink at lunchtime I found this quite acidic in the stomach........I wouldn't have guessed it as something so lauded had it been served blind. I still don't 'get' this champagne.
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Flight 2 - White Burgundies (2 notes)
Definitely a step up from the Champagnes today......
White
1999 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet
90 points
Lovely rich medium gold colour. Nose is burnt rubber which blows off to burnt honeysuckle. Palate is similar burnt rubber and burnt lemon skins. Good acidic counterpoint but this never reached the heights of the two Ramonets. Good length and superb resonance but just missing that extra dimension. Two bottles....... no variation.
White
2000 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Ruchottes
95 points
Delicate lemon gold. Nose of delicate but very poised and elegant lemon....light but captivating. Palate is wonderful richness and huge depth of dried lemon, lemon balm, acacia honey, amazing depth. Thunderous resonance and reverberance. I am in reveries. Fantastic
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Flight 3 - Jason's Hand-crafted Beefburgers (3 notes)
Red
2000 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche
94 points
(From Magnum) Dusky transparent faded ruby. Slutty shitty nose. Palate is quite thin by previous tastings but then wow....all the lightness and power comes through. Heady resonance and reverberance. Fantastic.
Red
2009 Sine Qua Non Grenache Upside Down
90 points
Translucent purple, with a touch of red. Nose is very pure high-toned blackberry and black plum fruit, some clean funk, fried bacon. Palate is surprisingly silky smooth, like plush new velvet, tons of red and black plum fruit, very clean and carries its alcohol well. But too much like fruit juice for my taste. Big and blowzy and very primary. My first SQN and something of a letdown. Completely outclassed by most of the wines today.
Red
1990 Château Léoville Poyferré
95 points
Plush semi-transparent plum-red colour. Nose is OMFG......rich, full, raw beef, cedar planks, huge depth of black and red currants, brown shoe polish, spicy cigar box.....incredibly complex. Palate is fresh uplifted blueberry on entry, lovely cedary mid-palate, firm but softened tannins. Head-filling and hedonistic. Very long length. Fantastic.....and this stayed brilliant as a long afternoon wore on. I would call this " a point" right now but with 5 years or so before it might start to fade. My wine of the day in terms of over-delivery.
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Flight 4 - 1 KG of White Truffle and a bit of Pasta underneath (2 notes)
A brilliant pair to compliment the centrepiece of the lunch.......the femininity of the fading 1973 Ch. Mouton and then the power of the masculine and still young 1986 La Mission Haut Brion.
Red
1973 Château Mouton Rothschild
91 points
Faded but clean plum and damson colour. Nose is high piano note of phenolics..... just super complexity. Palate is thin and faded but still showing its former glory. Not much length or resonance but still a treat......thanks Steve!
Red
1986 Château La Mission Haut-Brion
95 points
(Magnum...12 hour double decant by me). Semi-translucent deep rich plum red colour with a watery meniscus being the only sign of its age. Nose is incredibly fresh and vibrant: pencil lead and graphite purity, cigar, sweaty socks, cigarette smoke. Palate is gorgeous fresh lifted pencil lead and graphite. Extremely poised, linear, high cheek-boned and very sophisticated. Growling long and low resonance with endless length. Close to 'silence creating' - which would have been near-impossible with this crowd today. Still a young wine.
Flight 5 - Intermezzo........ (1 note)
White
2001 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet
95 points
Rich yellow gold. Nose is silence-creating and totally mesmerizing: temple smoke and expensive ginger biscuits from Fortnum and Mason, fumey. Palate is wonderfully integrated and complex multi-layered myriad of minerals and lemons. The lemons have incredible depth and complexity. Quietly very very assertively resonant. Huge length. Subtle. 95+.
Flight 6 - Cigars, Cheese, Rock Reveries........ (1 note)
Red
2001 Bodegas Uvaguilera Aguilera Ribera del Duero Palomero
91 points
(Minimal decant) Thick totally opaque black-red colour. Nose is iodine, black ink, black liquorice and impenetrable black fruits. Palate is dark, brooding, very tannic but with a vital purity that will blossom in the next 20 years. Brooding resonance that growls like a bear that has been awakened early from hibernation. 91 for now. Revisit in 10 years.
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Closing
Absolutely fab. Looking forward to the next one :)