Dinner at Joel Robuchon

E and I met up with a quartet of dear friends for a wonderful dinner at Joel Robouchon. Wines were limited on the day, but the conversation flowed wonderfully. The kitchen helmed by executive chef Tomonori Danzaki who had worked with JR in Paris, Tokyo and Las Vegas was very decent indeed, as would be expected from any Robuchon establishment. Perhaps a notch down from what you would get from his restaurants in Paris or Tokyo, but still very good.

• NV Emilio Lustau Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Fino Jarana Solera Reserva 89 Points

  Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry

  I thought this was pretty decent for a before dinner aperitif. It started off very appealing with a gentle nose showing subtle washes of dried fig and lime peel, some nutty accents and a bit of pear and apple floating around slightly sweeter hints of sweet lemons, dried flowers and spice. Nice stuff, but unfortunately the palate was rather more one-dimensional than the nose would suggest, sounding in a strong beam of savoury fig and preserved lime that more or less flooded the mouth on the attack before only slowly opening out into salty notes of meat, earth and spice at the finish - so not the most complex of sherries. It was decently balanced, but I thought a touch more freshness would have been nice. Nevertheless, a pleasant wine. I bet it would have better with some food.

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• 2000 Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux 93 Points

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

  Strangely enough, I had entirely forgotten having had this bottle just over a year ago when we bought it off the wine list. Decanted for just under an hour before we got to it and paired perfectly with a nice duck breast, foie gras and poached cherry dish, this showed at least a notch up from the previous bottle. With the time and air we gave it, it was drinking quite nicely as well - I enjoyed this bottle tremendously. It smelt lovely, with a wonderful Pommard nose where earth and spice aromas formed a savoury backdrop to gentle scents of red and black cherries crowned by some wafting floral notes - violets I thought. Very nice. Really good on the palate too. Rich, meaty and satisfying, with sappy dark cherry flavours floating around a savoury core that brought to mind forest floor, mushrooms and meat, before moving into a long, velvety finish seasoned with dark, woody spice notes. Balanced, integrated and really delicious - I loved this. Although surprisingly open for business for a youngish Armand Clos des Epeneaux, one cannot help but feel that this really would benefit one or two more years in the bottle at least. However, there was certainly no harm in drinking it after a little decant. In any event, it certainly was a whole lot friendlier and more approachable than the really obdurate 1999 that I had a few months back.

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