Dinner with Monthly Group at Yantra

Gerald and Jac hosted us for the first time this month, and we had our first ever Indian meal. Really good food - while it may have been a challenge to those less inclined to spice, I enjoyed every bit of it. We had three wines this time round, with the Riesling probably going best with the food.

• 2004 Perrier-Jouët Champagne Belle Epoque 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Still very young, but I thought this was immensely enjoyable - it should make a lovely Champagne in time. It had a really pretty nose of sweet apples and gentle floral notes underlined by a stony, minerally accent. Nice. The palate came across as very youthful and primary, but very fine, with a great sense of focus and definition to its clear, precise white fruited flavours, with sweet apple flesh at the fore. It is unsurprisingly still rather simple, but already very yummy. A good, longish finish with a gentle stream of stony mineral rounded the wine off. This is a very elegant Champagne, made in a fine, silky style that I really enjoy. While good now, it really should come into its own in about 5 to 6 years' time. The easiest and probably least complicated of the three wines on show tonight, but probably my favourite.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2007 Weingut Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Berg Schloßberg Riesling Spätlese 91 Points

  Germany, Rheingau

  I was a bit on the fence with this one. It intrigued me (hence the long note), but I think we caught it in a rather awkward stage, so that while clearly very good, it was missing a little something on the final equation to make it a great Riesling. I must say it had a wonderful nose though, with a whole panoply of fragrant stone-fruit accents, from sweet nectarines to apricots and deep peach aromas, all with a nice bit of chalky limestone hanging in the background. A really attractive nose - almost more Rheinhessen than Rheingau in its expressive fruit-forwardness. Unlike some more developed 2007s though, the palate was still really sweet and almost primary, with a ton of nectarines on the attack giving way to a suggestion ripe lemon tones on the midpalate. It was almost Auslese-like in its heft and power. Thankfully, there was also a beautiful mouthwatering acidity behind all that sweet, ripe flesh that kept it from being cloying. The finish, in keeping with the rest of the wine, was long and powerful, with juicy stone-fruit flavours underlined by a gentle stream of minerality and a nice lift of bittersweet lemon zest. This needs time. At the moment, it has compelling depth and a good sense of presence, but clearly needs more complexity. I would lay it aside for another 6 to 7 years easily. In the meantime though, this was quite the perfect accompanaiment for spicy North Indian cuisine with all that sweetness and acidity - it acted both to douse the fire and to refresh the palate with each sip. On the other hand, the richly flavoured food calmed the sugar down in the wine somewhat and allowed the more citrus nuances to come to the fore. A solid wine, but much patience is required.

  Post a Comment / 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2004 Château Rieussec 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  I am normally a big fan of Rieussec young or old, but this 375ml bottle left me very non-plussed. First of all, there was a ton of oak still present - not a great sin in young Sauternes of course, but this came across very coconutty on the nose, almost d'Yquem like on that count, so much so that it almost overshadowed the finer aromas of yellow fruited mangoes, burnt sugar, and more typical Rieussec notes of spicy cloves and cinamon. Still though, it would have been nice enough a bouquet on its own, but there was also a metallic, iodine-like twang in there that threw me off a bit. Thankfully, that blew off with a bit of time. It was actually the palate that I did not appreciate that much. There was certainly a whole lot of depth and power here, a lot of it actually for a 2004, with a sweet, caramelly attack moving into an equally opulent midpalate of dried apricots and brown sugar. Tremendously primary I thought, but more disturbingly, for all its power, it seemed to lack a bit of the cut and balance I would expect of a top Sauternes, so that it came across a bit cloying and flabby as it slid into an almost corpulent finish. A bit disappointing, especially as it was paired with some North Indian food, which should have been perfect on paper. We may have caught this at a dumb stage - I hope so, because while a decent sweet wine, it was certainly no great shakes. One to try again in 5-6 years' time to gauge its progress.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue