A Night in London
Planet of the Grapes; The Hide
Tasted Thursday, September 1, 2011 by grafstrb with 749 views
Introduction
A couple fine gents from the CT forum met-up with Ashley and I while we were in London a couple weekends ago. We started the night at Planet of the Grapes, where we enjoyed dinner and a few bottles, and then finished the evening with some Leoville Barton and martinis at The Hide Bar on Bermondsey. Many thanks to the gentlemen who welcomed us and showed us a great time!
2009 Olivier Leflaive Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Dent de Chien Blanc 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru
-- tasted a couple glasses non-blind over 30 – 40 minutes --
I thought this was quite tasty, although not very complex. Certainly on the riper end of the white Burg. Spectrum – I wish it had the additional minerality I’ve come to expect of Chardonnay from this part of the world, but it did not. Rather, this came across as a very solid ripe-but-not-overdone Chardonnay. Medium-full bodied on the palate. Given the wine-bar pricing on this bottle, I suspect this offers incredible value at retail. My wife enjoyed this more than I did, as it was one of the more memorable wines of the evening for her.
B: 50, 5, 11, 15, 7 = 88
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2002 Domaine Louis Remy Chambolle-Musigny Les Fremières Vieilles Vignes 84 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
-- tasted a couple glasses non-blind over 30 – 40 minutes --
Nose seemed a bit “off,” but the palate proved this bottle was just fine. Nose was a bit vegetal, imo, but perhaps that’s merely a strain of “Burg. funk” with which I am not familiar. Slightly hazy orange-garnet color of medium depth. Medium-light to medium bodied on the palate. Zesty spice and red berry flavors on the palate --- fruit was not incredibly concentrated, but still had good power (i.e.: not watery). Good acidity; not very tannic; drinking well now --- if this bottle was representative of this wine, I don’t think I’d hold any bottles a whole lot longer. Drink now through 2015. FWIW, I liked this more than my score indicates, but I just can’t get-over the weird off-putting Nose this bottle gave me.
B: 50, 4, 9, 15, 6 = 84
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1999 Sesti (Castello di Argiano) Brunello di Montalcino 93 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
-- tasted a couple glasses non-blind over 30 minutes --
Ooooh, this wine I really liked. For me, this wine – the third of the evening – was the first to really stand out and give me the impression of, “Hey, this is a pretty darned good wine.” Dark purple color of medium-deep depth. Expressive on both the Nose and the palate, with typical Brunello aromas and flavors – cherries, leather, flowers, and minerals. Definitely a ripe Brunello, but not over-blown. Medium-full bodied. Seems to just be entering its prime drinking window, which I feel will be open for quite some time. I feel this still has room to improve, and will probably hold in a nice place for a bit thereafter. Call it drink now through 2025.
B: 50, 5, 13, 17, 8 = 93
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1978 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 97 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
-- tasted a couple glasses non-blind over 30 – 40 minutes --
Just “Wow.” If served blind, I couldn’t have guessed within a decade of this wine’s actual age. This came across as significantly younger than its 33 years --- I can only assume this bottle was a shining example of this wine. Expressive leather-laden red-fruited Nose. Medium-light to medium bodied on the palate. Zesty/tangy acidity, with flavors of bing cherry, sweet tomato paste and leather dominating the complex palate; although this was clearly Spanish, it had the personality of a high-breed Burgundy. Not overoaked or overripe. Simply a stunning example of aged Rioja. I have no idea how long this wine will continue to drink well, but considering how well it’s drinking today I wouldn’t be surprised to find it still drinking well a couple decades from now. Very close call between this wine and the 2000 Leoville Barton as my WOTN.
B: 50, 5, 14, 19, 9 = 97
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1983 Château Montrose Flawed
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe
Sadly, obviously a little corked. Bottle from Planet of the Grapes in London.
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2000 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 88 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
-- tasted a couple glasses non-blind over 30 – 40 minutes --
Hmmmm, good Rhone typicity, but not a special example of CdP by any stretch of the imagination. Although this was open for business, I’m going to continue to hold the one bottle I have in hopes that a little more time will bring this wine together some. It was a bit rough on the palate, with its alcohol poking through more than I would prefer --- perhaps greater fruitiness would’ve hid the alcohol, but this wine seemed to only have moderate concentration of fruit; leather, spice and garrigue also present in this underwhelming wine. To be clear, this wasn’t bad, but it did perform below my expectations. Definitely not a long-ager, and I’m not even very confident there’s much room for improvement here. (almost scored this 87).
B: 50, 5, 12, 14, 7 = 88
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