Dinner at Gunther's

E and I had a impromptu date at Gunther's, and decided to take the chance to celebrate my birthday a little early. Food was good as always, especially a stunning crepe suzette that they whipped up for us - the best I have had in a long time - and wines were very decent. However, the big treat came when they wheeled out the cheese trolley, and we noticed that they had a fantastic selection of vintage Ports from a trio of great vintages - 1963, 1970 and 1977. Joy! We picked two, both of which had already been stood up and aired for a good long time, so they were all ready to go. A real treat indeed.

• NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  This remains one of the most reliable NV Rosés around. This may not have been the best bottle I have tried, but it was nevertheless still quite good. It had a very pleasant nose, with top-notes of earth and yeast, almost a hint of walnut bread playing on background of strawberry and cherry aromas. The palate was very bright and lively as always, with sprightly acidity running through green strawberry notes spiked with some citrussy lemon and a touch of stony mineral at the decent finish. A fine, lively mousse kept it dancing through the mouth. This could have done with a touch more complexity, but it was otherwise a very nice champagne. As usual, it was a nice foil for a lot of the seafood on the table, perhaps showing best with a lovely Carbinero prawn dish.

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• 2007 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Rouge 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  This was very good. I thought there was a touch too much oak on the nose at first, but that lifted a bit to show nice savoury notes of mushrooms and earth, some chalky mineral and cream, and then typical Chassagne tones of apples, honey and a bit of spice. A very attractive nose. The palate also needed some time to come together. It had typical Morgeot depth in its fleshy white fruited attack, some really bright 2007 acidity after that, and nice lemony flavours on the midpalate. However, these stuck out a bit in rather disjointed bits, only really coming together as the wine warmed up a little in the glass and had a bit air. With time, there was a better sense of integration, especially towards the lovely long finish that showed a savoury mineral undertow beneath some creamy, oaky accents. Overall, a really nice wine if rather ungainly in its youth. I think it will develop very nicely over the next three to four years and go on for far longer than that though. As a bonues, this went beautifully with some Morels in cream.

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• 2004 Château Giscours La Sirène de Giscours 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  This was a real surprise - very impressive for a second wine from a decently good, rather than great vintage. There was lovely Margaux character on the nose, with notes of tobacco and spice, flowers and a hint of green vine stems floating around some sweet blackcurrant aromas, with a nice pat of earth bringing up the rear. I really liked that. The palate was very fresh, clean, and just all round pleasant to drink, with a silky mellowness and a really nice balance to its lithe blackcurrant and black cherry flavours. These were seasoned on the midpalate with more tobacco, spice with a little floral hint at the edges. Very pretty. Rather on the light side, and quite short on the finish, but all considered really very nice for a second wine. I may have been just a bit biased by the fact that was a ridiculously good pairing with a roast rack of baby Pyrennes lamb, with the minty, tobacco-ey notes of the wine echoing around the gamy meat in wonderful fashion. This was just right for drinking now and very much enjoyed.

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• 1977 Fonseca Porto Vintage 95 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  This was quite spectacular. It could easily have been wine of the night on most nights, except that it had the misfortune of coming just before a far more mature and astoundingly good 1963 Grahams this time round. Make no mistake though - this was a marvelous vintage Port in its own right. It had a beautiful nose, with nicely integrated aromas of sultanas, dried apricots and figs, some malt honey scents, and then dried cranberries and a pretty little whiff of maraschino cherries unfolding all the while. A lovely bouquet. The palate was incredible. Still a tad too young perhaps, but this was certainly starting to approach its peak drinking window, with a beautifully rounded feel to its pretty flavours of plums and berries, figs and cherries, and a little earthy, truffley nuance - this had a gentle, un-showy complexity to it, wrapped in a package of velvety tannins and absolutely pitch perfect balance. While starting to mellow, it still had a lovely sense of structure and energy to it, along with a sense of something still being coiled up in its depth, waiting for time to unfold. The finish just refused to quit, haunting the backpalate with a wafting linger of dried figs and mushrooms and herbs and spice thta filled the mouth wonderful. Incredible stuff. I loved this - it will be quite amazing in a decade or so.

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• 1963 Graham Porto Vintage 96 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Truly, truly exceptional. The best Port I have had to date, besting an already fabulous 1977 Fonseca that preceded it on the night. What an amazing nose this had, with layer after layer of earthy undergrowth notes and herbs and wood spice and subtle coffee scents, and then sweeter aromas of figs and dried berries and cranberries, and finally a little whiff smoked nuts - incredibly seductive stuff. Attractive and compelling, in true Graham's fashion, yet not once in-your-face or alcoholic. In fact, this smelt almost like an old Grand Cru Vosne Romanee at points. I was really taken by that nose. However, if anything, the palate was even better. Time has melted this bottle of wine into a perfectly integrated whole which wrapped the mouth in a lovely, velvety caress of dried grapes and figs, cranberries and dates, then sweet cherries on the midpalate, and a charming little waft of dried flowers, all melded into a glowingly delicious perfume that lingered and lingered away, only slowly fading into the distance as complex, savoury nuances of herb and spice and earth started emerging from the mellow depths of the wine to take their place amongst the fruit. There was a tremendous sense of purity to the red-fruited flavours here, but the wine was so mellow and friendly that you could blink and miss it. It was a perfectly balanced too, with barely noticeable but still fresh acidity carrying the wine into a wonderful finish laced with sweet spice, sasarapilla root and caramel accents that cossetted the back-palate in a warm, gentle, yet ever so elegantly cloak of yumminess. Amazingly, it kept growing and developing in the glass as well. With time, some notes of honey and prunes started drifting out to dance alongside the red fruit and sweet spice flavours, these peeked out playfully and then quickly integrating with the rest of the wine, adding to its sense of effortless complexity and depth. Incredible stuff, and drinking quite perfectly too - this was not only one of the best ports, but one of the very best wines I have had in some time.

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