100 Year Old Champagne and Other Wonders

This is one lunch that I doubt any of the us will forget for a long, long time to come. I love wines with a story, and this was about as good as it gets. It started with three old bottles of vintage Veuve Cliquot, 1898, 1923 and 1928, that showed up in an auction - precious bottles that had been buried under the floorboards of a house in France to keep them from the hands of the invading Germans in WWII and then forgotten until decades later when the house was being pulled apart for renovations. The owner put them on sale, and we decided to take the risk, sending Alex down with a mandate to bid for them.

This meal was several weeks in the planning after we got our hands on the bottle. Bolstered by Omakase Japanese food prepared skillfully by Chefs Kng and Kam as usual and paired with a variety of great wines thrown in by the guests, we settled down to drink the three bottles, knowing full well that they could be three bottles of very expensive vinegar. The excitement was palpable as we carefully struggled with corroded capsules, rusted cages and moldy, mushroomy corks before each of the bottles was slowly filtered and decanted. Quite to our amazement, every one of them was still alive. And while the 1898 may have seen better days, the two from the '20s were far better than we had ever hoped. Not only where they alive, they were fantastic Champagnes, amongst the best that many of us around the table have ever tasted - more than a match even for the very best of the very good modern bottles that we had brought along to lunch.

This was an experience to savour, and the notes below are set out in the order that we drank the wines with the food so as to recall a bit of a great Saturday afternoon.

• 2010 Michele Chiarlo Moscato d'Asti Nivole 90 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Moscato d'Asti

  First time I have had this from a full bottle rather than a half, but this remains the benchmark Moscato for me. Lovely fresh fun, not super-complex or deep, yet without being facile or boring. It had a pretty nose, full of peach, nectarine, flowers and white musk. The palate carried on just where that left off, with fresh berries, white peach and fuji apple flavour couched in frothy mousse and refreshing acidity. A touch of dried flowers rounding up the rear. A very fun, very yummy wine.

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• 2005 A. R. Lenoble Champagne Brut Rosé 88 Points

  France, Champagne

  I did not think this was great. Decent certainly, but miles away from the top Rosés at this price range. Indeed, the nose was rather odd at first, with a little whiff of stinky, cheesy funk that took a little while to blow off. Beyond that, there were more pleasant aromas of gummy red berries and strawberries punctuated with some flowers and a slightly savoury earth and white meat note. The palate was rather better. Very clean, very fresh, almost zippy in the way its bright acidity danced through pleasant flavours of strawberries and berries. Not bad at all, except that it seemed a bit light, a bit lacking in depth especially towards the rather middling finish. Overall decent, quite fun, but not great. Should get better with time though, but I am not sure this will ever be anything more than decently good.

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• 2000 Devaux Champagne D de Devaux Millésimé 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  This was quite nice. A reductive at first even though we had opened it half an hour before serving, it showed a little whiff of rubber bands when first poured. However, this blew off in a bit to reveal a nose of white meat, white fruit and mineral. Rather subtle, a bit subdued, but nice. At first, the palate seemed even more reductive, but that too faded with time thankfully. Beneath that, there was a really nice Chablis-like salinity and oyster shell mineral notes streaked through its rather more neutral white fruit flavours. The mousse could have been a bit finer, but otherwise, the wine was quite full and fleshy, with a nice presence on the midpalate. The finish was impressive too, tailing off with a nice minerally twist. Good when drank on its own, this was beautiful with a range of sashimi, especially delectable slices of swordfish.

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• 1928 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut Vintage 95 Points

  France, Champagne

  In one word - Wow. This was awesome. We were expecting vinegar, but we got fireworks instead. There was a beautiful nose here - reminiscent of sherry at the start, it showed rancio notes of nut, figs and dried flowers slowly opening up into lovely notes of caramel, toffee and boiled coconuts layered over a core of lemon and yellow fruit scents. Absolutely beautiful. Quite astoundingly, the palate was wonderfully alive as well. Devoid of bubbles of course, but still super fresh. This had lovely bright flavours of figs and mandarins and pear and apple touched with citrus limes and a nice ring of nuttiness. This was perfectly integrated given its age, but was still stunningly energetic and beautifully balanced, displaying all the juicy yumminess you would expect of a Champagne half a century younger. What was most impressive though was the super long finish. The wine just refused to let go, pulling away with delicious notes of toffee, gula melaka (palm sugar) and dessicated coconut sprinkled with spice and earth - all layering the mouth with a velveteen fullness that knocked my socks off. Wonderful. It was hard to choose between this and the equally fantastic 1923, but though I slightly preferred the older wine with its brighter profile, I can well see why half the table chose this as their wine of the day.

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• 1923 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut Vintage 95 Points

  France, Champagne

  Wonderful. Surprisingly far lighter in colour than the 1928, this was also brighter, fresher and, seemingly, rather younger. This too had a glorious nose. Not quite as complete as the '28 perhaps, but beautiful in its own way, with wafts of almond nuts and marzipan, lovely floral scents, apples, caramel, a touch of lemongrass and a bit of spice. Beautiful. Here though, it was the palate rather than the nose that really grabbed the attention. This was stunningly fresh, bright and juicy. Bubble-less, but amazing in the way it was incredibly alive and energetic and yet wonderfully full, round and resolved, with melting tones of lemons, yuzu lime, verbana, green apples and pears zooming across the mouth - a whole spectrum of fruit that made the wine seem so youthfully yummy. Some delicious dollops of caramel drizzled the midpalate. The finish was beautiful as well. Not as amazingly long as the 1928, but more energetic, like a ballet dancer leaping across the palate in a long, garceful arc of sour plum and preserved lemon flavours flecked with savoury white meat and earth tones. A super complete wine and, rather surprising, a wonderful pairing with braised pork belly. My wine of the day, just beating out the '28 and a lovely Jacques Selosse V.O. that was disgorged more than 80 years after this left the cellars of Veuve Cliquot.

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• 2007 Oremus Furmint Tokaji Dry Mandolás 90 Points

  Hungary, Tokaji

  This was surprising. Blinded, we all could not place it, but it was fair to say that everyone in the table liked it. It is hard to gauge the quality of the wine, as it was wonderfully paired with a miso-cod dish, which may have biased us, but it was certainly well-made. There was a nice nose here, with lots of minerally, chalky aromas and saline seashell notes that made some guess Chablis. There were also some rather Burg-like white fruit and lemon scents beyond that. The palate was not very Burg though - more Italian I would say. Clean, fresh, yet with a bed of powdery, chalky, seashelly mineral and some hints of lentil, it was quite impossible to place where this came from. Past that, there were very subtle, almost neutral flavours of white fruit, lime and a long, stony minerally finish touch with a slightly flowery perfume. Very nicely balanced, this was a really good food wine.

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• 2010 Petaluma Riesling Hanlin Hill 90 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

  Nice. The nose was classic Clare, with droplets of kerosene, ripe scents of lemons and green apples and loads of limestoney mineral aromas. The palate was clean and fresh as would be expected, but rather less zippy. In fact, for a wine this young, it was surprising rounded and drinkable, with its ripe lime and lemon fruit flavours showing some heft and weight, especially as the wine moved into a rather fleshy finish, where the ripe fruit was kissed by a greener touch of guava and grass. Well-made and nicely balanced, this good if unspectacular at the moment and should improve with age.

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• 2004 Morey-Blanc Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières 92 Points

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

  I thought this was really nice. Tight when first popped, it opened up over two hours in the bottles to show a lovely classic Meursault nose of chalky mineral and creme fraiche, pears and fleshy apple scents, and a nice floral touch hovering at the rear which was so very Genevrières. Lovely, and the palate was equally good. The freshness of the vintage really worked with the natural generosity of the terroir, adding a lovely sense of focus and delineation to its flavours of white fruit, green apples and a touch of lime playing against a nicely chalky background. While it may have lacked a little in sheer depth, this had a pitch perfect balance that made it wonderful drinkable. The finish was really nice as well - long, clean, elegant, with lovely notes of white fruit and flowers wrapped in a silkily textured cloak. A lovely Genevrieres.

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• 2009 Rapet Père et Fils Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Le Clos du Village Blanc 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru

  Early drinking and very fun, this was an impressive Pernand 1er Cru, especially given the vintage. It had a lovely nose, all fresh cut flowers and bright fruit notes, slightly tropical here with pineapple and melons along with a little touch of lemon. Nice. The palate was very clean and fresh for a 2009, yet it still had the gummy ripeness of the vintage in its apple flavours touched by slightly more tropical, pineapplely notes. The finish was nice too, running off in slightly toasty, nutty notes, spice. Quite a bit of length here. Overall, nothing dramatically complex, but this was a nice fun wine that had a touch of quality about it. Good for drinking now.

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• 1898 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut Vintage 87 Points

  France, Champagne

  One of three auction bottles buried under a house in France to keep it away from Nazi hands in WWII, only to be forgotten and then rediscovered decades later. This was a special experience. It was unfortunate that unlike the two younger bottles from the 1920s this was rather over-the-hill. It was nevertheless astounding that, though not at top-form, it was still alive enough and certainly drinkable. The nose was intriguing. Rather funky when first poured, with lots of earth, soil and more than a hint of dead leaves, this slowly blew off to show a distinct Manuka honey aroma. The palate, which was alarmingly cloudy when decanted from the moldy bottle, was rather creamily textured, tasting of creme fraiche and chevre at first, a bit funky there, before some very savoury, old flavours of nuts and dried tofu, saline seashell notes, dried figs and preserved longans, and a rather inexplicable whiff of dried leaves and old books showed up over the midpalate. Amazingly though, there was still a slightly caramelly sweetness underlying the earthier flavours and a lovely fresh acidity that ran the length of the wine, from its hesitant, slightly awkward attack and into a surprisingly long, vibrant finish which showed more dried fruits, a strange foie gras-like oily creaminess and a distinct note of stewed ginger tea. Past its best for sure, so that this was just about hollowing out, but it was nevertheless complex and intriguing. A real experience.

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• 2002 Guy Charlemagne Champagne Grand Cru Mesnillésime Vieilles Vignes Blanc de Blancs 93 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  I thought this was excellent. A bit young of course, but this is still in its infancy and has all the time in the world to age. Opened a couple of hours before serving, it had a beautiful nose when poured, with slightly oxidative notes of white meat keeping pace with richly fruited aromas of pears and green apples, some flowers, and then touches of cream, almonds, yeast and biscuit. Lovely stuff. After that, what struck me most about the palate was its sheer power - with a very creamily textured mousse, it just spread across the mouth in an inexorable river of white fruit laced with savoury meaty inflections and lots of really nice minerality. Quite a bit of complexity going on there even in its youth. I liked the finish too. It had reservoirs of depth, but also lots of energy as it pulled away with a slightly brighter touch of herbs and citrus fruit. Beautiful stuff. In spite of the wine's obvious girth and weighty heft, it always remained nicely balanced, with a clean, almost pure precision undergirding all that power. Still though, with all its brute force, this did seem a bit of inelegant besides the very stylish 20002 Dom Perignon we had on the same flight. Yummy stuff even now, but I cannot help feeling that it needs plenty of time yet to round-off some of its youthful vigour, integrate a bit better and, perhaps, gain a bit of restrain. Overall though, an excellent Champagne which went wonderfully with some Aburi Sushi.

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• 2002 Dom Pérignon Champagne 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Excellent again - this reaffirmed my impression from the last bottle that this was as good a young DP as any since 1996. Placed next to a very much in vogue maker's Champagne (the 2002 Guy Charlemagne Blanc des Blanc Grand Cru) this scored a point for the Grand Marques - I thought it was just a sliver better then the young upstart. Though tight and a bit thinnish when first poured, we knew from the previous experience to let it sit in the bottle for some 3 hours before serving it. When we did, the nose was classic DP, with toasty aromas of nuts and yeast, a little whiff of soybean, then pure white white fruited apple scents, some meadow herbs and a nice white flower nuance. The palate was as good as I remembered it from the last bottle as well. There was a beautiful fresh balance here with quite some zip to it, though not quite as acidic as say the 1996 when young - this had rounder, more generous fruit, with bright flavours of lemons and green apples showing some lovely depth. What was most impressive though was the sense of suave elegant that the wine had in its super-fine mousse, stylish balance and graceful lines leading into a wonderfully long finish where the white fruit was lined with some spice and mineral. A feminine counterpart to Guy Charlemange's muscular masculinity. Like the previous wine, this was also a lovely pairing with Aburi Sushi. I can only imagine how many bottles of this will be swilled down around the world come this Christmas season, but it really does deserve at least 6-7 years in the cellar.

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• NV Jacques Selosse V.O. Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 95 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Super stuff. Not quite as polished and integrated as the 2006 disgorged bottle we had previously (this was disgorged in April 2009). but I thought this had a bit more complexity and power to it. Opened 2 hours before serving, it had a wonderful nose with all sorts of interesting aromas ranging from juniper berry and sweet spices, almost clove or nutmeg-like, touches of herb, slightly oxidative white meat notes and tons of fleshy pear fruit - an immense nose, big, complex, yet somehow understated and controlled at the same time. Fantastic stuff. The palate was simple gorgeous as well. After such a powerful nose, it was almost surprising that the first thing to strike me was its wonderful purity, with the attack just melting across the mouth in pure, fleshy flavours of apples and pears touched with a slightly lemony citrus lilt, all wonderfully integrated into a nice round whole. Full of power and depth, almost intense over the midpalate, yet so perfectly poised and balanced that the wine was noble, almost elegant as it strode across the palate wrapped in a fine, frothy mousee. The finish was great too - long, insistent, tremendously persistent, it layered the back-palate with layers of white meat, white fruit and gentle citrus notes. Fantastic stuff. As with many of these Selosse NV bottlings, it was drinking well even now, although I would think that a few years in bottle would do it plenty of good. A pitch perfect pairing with Aburi Sushi.

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• 1990 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Goldert Vendange Tardive 93 Points

  France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru

  I thought this was excellent and drinking extremely well. It was a bit reductive when first poured, even though we had opened this to breathe a couple of hours before hand. Thankfully though, the overt rubber band notes on the nose blew off very quickly in the glass to show a very honeyed nose replete with poached pear and lychee aromas alongside white musk and flower petal scents. Just gorgeous. I really liked the palate too. There were little petrolly hints hanging around the attack, and then the wine opened up into rich notes of dried lychee and spice that melted beautifully over the midpalate in a creamily textured caress. Acidity was not all that high given the varietal and the vintage, so that some on the table found it fat, but I thought that this was more fleshy and voluptuous rather than flabby. It was never cloying and, in fact, rather wonderfully drinkable all the way into a long nutty finish, where buts of spice and earth emerged alongside the sweet, honeyed flavours that marked the rest of the wine. I loved this.

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• 1990 Zind-Humbrecht Tokay Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal Vendange Tardive 94 Points

  France, Alsace

  Brilliant. As good as the 1990 ZH Goldert Gewurztraminer on the same flight was, this was clearly one notch up - a fine example of how good a ZH Pinot Gris can be when given enough time in the bottle. Opened a couple of hours before serving, it had a lovely nose that was classic late harvest Pinot Gris - honeysuckle and orange peel, sweet fruit oils, some nuts, a toss of earth, a little layer of yellow plum aromas - all very subtle, especially when compared to the exuberantly exotic Gewurztraminer, but really pretty nonetheless. It was on the palate where the gulf in class showed up though. This was simply lovely. There was great depth to its delicious flavours of orange peel and marmalade, dried longans and apricots sprinkled with baking spices, yet it was so wonderfully balanced and integrated with beautiful clean acidity that it was always graceful, elegant almost in the way it skimmed across the palate in spite of its weight and complexity. Immensely drinkable, yet classy and intellectual at the same time, the wine ended with a lovely detailed finish where a halo of sweet spice ringed its yellow fruited flavours. This should improve even more in the next few years, but it was a beauty of a wine even now.

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• 1977 Royal Oporto (Real Companhia Velha) Porto Colheita 92 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Very good. We had decanted it for 3 hours before double-decanting it back into its rather oddly-shaped bottle, but it really should have been decanted a good bit earlier. Nevertheless, this was a very nice way to round the day off- with the sole red in the midst of a sea of white wines. It had a rather gentle nose, somewhat straddling the mature roundness of a tawny port and the energy of a vintage port with its aromas of raisins, dark cherries, earth and spice. Nice stuff, with not a hint of heat on it. The palate was very nice too. It had a lovely round mellowness and a nice freshness to it as it opened up in deliciously balanced flavours of dried longans and raisins touched with some woody Chinese herbs, a hint of spice and some very tawny port-like mahogany notes. There was a nice suffused warmth to this wine, a generous glow of age that made it very inviting to drink. Interesting. It may lack some of the complexity or depth of great vintage ports from 1977, but there was lots of charm to this.

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