Shane's Birthday Dinner

A quiet Thursday night dinner to celebrate Shane's return from university and his birthday....er, right.

• 2002 Louis Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Perrières 92 Points

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

  Surprisingly light honeyed gold colour. Nose is delicate melted unsalted butter and the merest hint of butterscotch, with lemon zest freshness and cut in the background. Palate is honeyed, sharply-delinated citrussy themes and lots of minerality, with a lot pf pleasant dry chalk on the finish. Very delicate but powerful. Gosh, this has an extremely beguiling resonance on the finale....endless light will-o'-the'wisp reverberance. Gorgeous.

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

• 1985 Château Haut-Brion 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Decanted for several hours before serving. Colour is deep purple-red at the core and moving to translucent then transparent at the edges. Nose is OMG.....fantastic, poised, linear, black and red fruit framed by drop-dead gorgeous French oak.....like the dashboard and leather seats of a Bentley.....mesmerising but actually smells very young still (a new Bentley, not a vintage one). Palate is lovely accessible red fruits, cinnamon stick, cedar shingles in the sunshine, earth....then more cinnamon stoick and white chocolate shavings sprinkled on a cappuccino coffee. Very precise but not angular...balanced by quite light and feminine tannins that are perfectly melted and soft but still structured. I am loving this! The finish is wonderful feminine, multi-layered chiffon with an endless inside your head resonance and reverberance. Heady and very pure. Great depth of fruit emerges with long evolution in the glass. An absolutely first-class 1st growth from a feminine year and an incredible pleasure to drink now.

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

• 1982 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 890 94 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Double-decanted for 10 hours before serving. Light dusky cherry red colour. Nose is slightly high-toned red cherries and warm, soft furniture cream on cherry wood furniture. Even on the nose there is a deep reverberating resonance created in the head. Palate is a sharp acidic initial attack then it explodes into superb multi-layered fruits, anise, liquorice root and smoky wafts of different incense sticks. Middleweight mouthfeel....actually light, but with a totally disproportionate and all-conquering thunderous finish that resonates forever. I scored this higher on the two previous occasions I have drank it in the past 12 months but tonight it had a hard act to follow in the 1985 Ch. Haut Brion.

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

• 2000 Château Léoville Poyferré 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  Decanted for 2 hours before serving over cheese behind a 1985 Ch. Haut Brion and a 1982 La Rioja Alta Gran Riserva 890 that had been served with the main course. Black-red totally opaque in colour. Nose is young purple berry fruit and fresh-sawn new plank wood. Palate is monolithic but very pure cassis fruit but the tannins are still way over-dominant......like cold black Typhoo tea. Quite closed....er, that's an understatement and hence no length. Revisit in 5-7 years or give it a much longer decant (8+ hours) if you must try it now. One day this could become a superb St. Julien. Really rather unfair to score it after the two older and exceptional wines that preceded it.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No

• 1986 Château d'Yquem 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Depp and burnished but brightly gold colour. Nose is an initial Wham! of Botrytis....then fresh almonds, fresh marzipan, whole apricots compote, some smoky element at the back.....burnt creme brulee. More elements of lovely heady light acacia honey come out over time and the burnt elements recede to the back chorus line. Palate is thick, mouthcoating walnut shells, almond nut shells and husks...burnt nutshells, sandalwood, very deep sweet black molasses and damp dark demerera sugar. Wonderful multi-dimensional smoky element on the palate and with excellent balance of acidity to keep it all fresh and nimble on its feet. This is singing! Very deep and resonant cathredal organ notes on the finish. This is really complex and beguiling....it just unfolds and unfolds....really super, but still a work in progress. A very special treat.

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

What a fantastic evening......