Wines of Strength and Elegance - Kelvin and Marlene's Combined Birthday Dinner

Quite an epic night. We had a large private room, all the glasses we could use, tons of food and an absolutely fantastic line-up of wines to celebrate two good friends' birthdays. Mostly BYO blind as usual, the overall quality of the wines were brilliant, save perhaps for the two bottles of Jurancon that we bought of the restaurant's list on their recommendation. All in all, a great night though, with strange little coincidences like the pair of 1998 Gevrey GCs and two bottles of 1967 Gaja! Cheers to the birthday boy and girl!

• 2009 Weingut Keller Riesling trocken 90 Points

  Germany, Rheinhessen

  Pretty nice. This got better as it sat in a decanter, showing an expressive nose of earthy mushroomy notes, some chalk and plenty of fleshy pear and stone fruit accents laid over a base of minerally aromas. The palate showed typical Keller richness with stone fruit and ripe pear flavours on the attack undergirded with a strong mineral seam and a dusting of spice. Pretty decently balanced except for some alcohol hovering around. Altogether, very decent. Not super-good, but this was certainly punching above its weight.

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• 2008 Domaine Bertheau (Pierre et François) Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  Woah. This was quite a show stopper. The bottle had been opened a few days back, so I thought it may be going downhill, but W, who poured it, said it was actually better now than when first popped. It had a wonderful nose, just absolutely bursting with violet flowers and beautiful aromas of cherries and red berries ringed with a little touch of earth and mineral and a sprinkle of spice - this was a nose that just screamed "drink me!". The palate did not disappoint either. A bit on the light side, but it was perfectly balanced, almost on tip-toes, with a juicy mouthful of lively, almost tangerine-fruit-like acidity running through deliciously pure, high-toned cherry and strawberry flavours. Those little earthy, minerally bits picked up on the nose emerged again towards the finish. This was not the longest not the deepest wine, but it was gorgeous nonetheless - a pure, ethereal expression of Chambolle that was showing wonderfully in its youth. Beautiful.

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• 1996 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon 95 Points

  France, Champagne

  This was stunning - one of the wines that stood out on a night of many great wines. It had a glorious nose - wider, deeper, more profound in every way than on a regular Billecart-Salmon Rose. This was on a different scale altogether, tumbling out of the glass with a wonderful melange of deep cherry and strawberry aromas, earth and white meat, seashelly mineral, dried flowers and fresh herbs. Gorgeous. The palate was perhaps a bit younger than the nose suggested, less developed, but every bit as stunning, What stood out most of all was the beautiful definition and precision it had, with laser-like motes of lime and lemon weaving their way through rich, creamily textured flavours of cherries, strawberries and raspberries with little twists of herb and a sprinkle of rose petals at the side. A veritable summer garden, yet one that was so well put together that the wine always seemed pure, graceful and effortless. With time, some orange peel, white meat and yeast notes started showing in a subtly long finish. Supremely elegant, incredibly integrated and pitch perfect in balance, this was a pearl of a wine. Brilliant now after a bit of air, although I suspect it will still improve with time.

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• 2008 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc 94 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Absolutely wonderful. This was yet another beautiful wine. Not quite as profound as the 2004 we had sometime back, which still remains the benchmark white Hermitage for me, but the coolness on the vintage that helped to lift the 2004 was very much present in this bottle as well. This had a crazy nose, full of slatey minerality, white flowers, beeswax and honeyed pears. With time, a little hint of apricots emerged, adding sweeter aromas to the edges of the bouquet. The palate was equally delicious. Incredibly integrated, it opened with a crunch of honeyed pear, a hint of apricots and some accacia and honeysuckle accents melding into a midpalate with rich creamy almond and lemon curd flavours. Lots of weight, but it was perfectly balanced, pulling away into a wonderfully dry, absolutely minerally back-palate and a haunting finish that lingered away with little wafts of honey, white flowers and stone fruit. A beautiful wine that went ever so well with a grilled prawns in a rich pine nut sauce. Good now, but this is really still a baby. It has the structure to age for a long, long time yet.

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• 1995 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain 94 Points

  France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru

  This was quite special. A beautifully glowing golden orange colour, it gave out an amazingly alluring nose of lychee creme and dried longans, honeyed aromas and dried apricots, and little pinpricks of sweet spice sprinkled over an earthy, minerally underlayer. It might have been a Gewurztraminer on that nose at first, but with time, a little hint of orange blossoms and bittersweet orange zest aromas started floated out, shifting the firmly into Pinot Gris territory. The palate was wonderful too, filling the mouth with rich flavours of tangerine and orange peel and orange blossoms arrayed amongst dulcet honeyed notes, with dried apricots and sweet spice on the midpalate, all underscored by a lovely stream of fresh acidity and a little twist of bittersweet almonds. Complex, haunting and perfectly balanced, so that each sip called out for another. A gorgeous wine.

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• 2001 Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothenberg Riesling Auslese 94 Points

  Germany, Rheinhessen

  Wow. This rounded up an trio of absolutely superb white wines. It had wonderful nose, exploding with tropical notes of pineapples and apricots, sweet red apples and ripe peach, all drizzled with a little bit kerosene. Still young, but already so expressive. The palate showed off all that was good about the great 2001 vintage, with a wonderful, melting balance to its ripe, voluptuous flavours of pineapples and apricots, peach and sweet lemons, all melded into a beautiful whole. It did not quite have the tingly nervosity of a top Mosel, but there was a lemony, citrus balance to the whole mouthful that lent the wine a lively energy in spite of its rich, creamy power. Beautiful. The finish was pure Rheinhessen - a veritable fruit orchard just blooming in the back-palate along with wafts of sweet florals. A peach of an Auslese, absolutely delicious. It easily needs a decade more, but it was beautiful even now, especially when paired with a fatty pork belly dish.

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• 2010 Domaine de Souch Jurançon Sec 88 Points

  France, Southwest France, Jurançon Sec

  Decent, but nothing special. This was a wine of searing acidity that was meant for food. It had a pleasant, if rather uninteresting nose of chalk, honey, white fruit and lemons aromas. The palate attack with super high acid and really sharp lemony flavours. Almost a bit too sharp by itself, but it was a really nice foil for a salt-baked John Dory. Simple, young wine. A real step-down after the tremendous whites that preceded it.

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• 1998 Louis Jadot Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Domaine Louis Jadot 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

  A real treat. This had a classic Gevrey nose, with a touch of blood and guts underlayering its prettier top-notes of flowers, and sweet red cherries, alongside more savoury aromas of dusty earth and umami mushrooms, meaty bacon inflections and a little bit of rusty, iron mineral, and just that touch of spice at the side. Lovely. A beautiful nose. The palate was super-impressive for a 1998. It was still very well structured, with finely detailed tannins undergirding the whole wine, but it was also very fresh and lively, with bright acidity dancing through a rather savoury mouthful, with notes of brandied cherry, earth and meat woven together in a beautifully integrated yet ever so focused and well-defined mouthful. This was beguiling. Masculine, yet elegant; full, yet wonderfully defined. With a bit of air, lots of complex , spicy nuances starting to emerge on the midpalate. Very nice indeed. The finish was not the longest, ending with a little tail of sour plum and orange peel. But that aside, this was a superb wine - a real, real pleasure to drink now. I thought it was quite a big step up from a 1998 F. Esmonin Chambertin served together.

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• 1998 Frederic Esmonin Chambertin 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru

  A pretty good wine, but not a great Chambertin. The nose came across as rather rich and ripe smelling, with deep, slightly sweet aromas of stewed cherries and dark berries nestling amidst secondary notes of wet earth, coffee grounds and a bit of spice. Pretty nice, if a bit in-your-face. The palate carried on in the same vein. Rich, thick, ripe, a lot more extracted than the 1998 Jadot Clos de Beze on the same flight, with sappy dark fruited notes of black cherries and plums alongside more damp earthy, undergrowth notes. Lots of ripe dark fruited notes all around all the way into the finished where some boiled herb accents emerged. What I did like about the wine was that there was a nice bit of fresh acidity that held the whole thing together. A bit on the simple, rustic side for a Chambertin perhaps, but that aside, it was a pretty good drink.

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• 1981 Domaine Potinet-Ampeau Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes 91 Points

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

  Surprisingly good. There was a bit of a disconnect between the killer nose on the wine and a rather weaker vintage, but this was still rather enjoyable. What a gorgeous bouquet though, with really complex, beautiful aromas ranging from salted vegetables and broiled Chinese herbs to fruit tea, dried longans and red dates, dried cherries and a drift of dried flowers that spoke of the wine's terroir. With time, a touch of bloody, rusty mineral notes started emerging. Really nice stuff. The palate was rather less compelling, but it was remarkably clean and fresh, still holding up very well for a weak vintage, with juicy cherries and red berries underlined by some metally, iron mineral notes. It was not the most complex, and the finish was not the strongest nor the longest, but there was a charming little hint of Volnay florality that rounded the wine off in a charming fashion. Very good for a 1981 - just about time to drink up too.

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• 1967 Gaja Barbaresco 96 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Wow, wow and wow. This was probably the best Nebbiolo I have ever tasted. By a strange coincidence, we had two bottles of the exact same wine on the table, and it is a testament to the strength of the wine that, even towards its 45th year, both bottles tasted so similar when blinded that no one was in any doubt that they were the same wine. This was a profound experience, starting from a lovely nose with balsamic hints hovering over deep layers of sous bois and truffles, wilting flower petals and cherry liquer, spice and smoke and herbs, all with an edge of bassy sauvage, animale nuances. Very complex and absolutely compelling. The palate was brilliant. Seductive, enchanting and super-complex, it caressed the mouth with layer after layer of flavour, with dark cherries and blackberries, earth and spice, dried flowers and a little layer of dusty, herby notes in a long finish, all freshened with beautifully lively acidity. As would be expected, the tannins have mellowed into a velvety robe with age and the wine has integrated into a perfectly elegant whole. Yet far from thinning out, it still had a voluptuous depth and volume to it. This was stunningly youthful and absolutely delicious. Wine of the night in the midst of quite an epic line-up. A special experience, doubled on the night by the presence of a second bottle.

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• 1986 Château Léoville Las Cases 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  This was mind-blowingly good. Too young even after a half a day of slow-oxygenation in an open bottle and another 3 hours in a decanter, but it still out-punched a top-notch 1986 Gruaud-Larose that was singing on the night. This had a wonderful nose, with tightly interwoven aromas of tobacco and spice, truffley earth and meat, and dark cassis tones floating out of the glass in a warm, deep, lush bouquet. Wonderful, yet if anything, the palate was even better. This was all grace and nobility, especially when compared with the Gruaud-Larose's earthy, rustic masculinity. There was beautiful definition and clarity to this wine wed to a tremendous amount of power in its deep flavours of dark fruit, cassis and tobacco spice. Almost first growth purity and transparency I would say, augmented by its pitch perfect balance and a fine-boned tannin structure that was just starting to mellow and soften out into a velvety robe. Such a classy wine this, very complete and effortless from the attack all the way into a long, superbly integrated finish, where a little waft of cigar smoke and mineral joined in the chorus of black fruit and spice that ran the length of the wine. While superb on the night, especially with a nice cut of Wagyu Cote de Beouf, there was clearly a sense that this was still at the cusp of maturity and had quite a bit more to reveal given enough time. At least a decade more I would say, by which time it should be absolutely stunning.

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• 1986 Château Gruaud Larose 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  Superb. After my last experience with a rather tight popped and poured bottle, this was opened and double decanted half a day before serving. It was drinking perfectly at dinner. There was a wonderful nose here, with thicks wafts of tobacco and spice, truffles and undergrowth, rich cassis aromas and a touch of milk chocolate. Really nice, classic stuff. The palate was at a beautiful place too, with a wonderfully more-rish richness to it, showing loads of perfectly integrated cassis and blackberry flavours layered over a truffley, earthy, minerally backdrop - all this swathed in soft, melting tannins and juicy acidity. The long, satisfying finish was chocked full of fragrant cigar notes. There was no pretense to this wine - a Gruaud Larose par excellence: warm, earthy, masculine, with a rustic charm and all in all absolutely delicious. At a lovely place now with proper preparation, but it should continue to show well over the next decade or so.

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• 2008 Domaine de Souch Jurançon Cuvée de Marie-Kattalin 90 Points

  France, Southwest France, Jurançon

  A nice enough wine, this was pretty good, but unfortunately a real step-down from the overall quality on the night. I liked the nose on this, with its gentle aromas of apples and lemons, some honey and chamomile and subtle grass and earth inflections. The palate was quite simple though, with a off-dry, German Spatlese sweetness to its apple, pear and maybe nectarine notes laced with some lemony acidity. Went quite well with a selection of soft cheeses. All in all, good rather than great. Pleasant to drink, but not a wine I would rush out to buy.

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