December WIMPS, Bordeaux Table

Roast Scottish scallops with pumpkin, mandarin and ginger

• 1999 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  Nicely creamy, struck flint nose that gives it some complexity initially before opening up to a more obviously reductiveness. Quite precise on the attack, nicely focused and mineral with a creamy edge and a touch of lime on the finish. Classy. Fills out a bit and develops well with air. ****

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

• 1995 Dom Pérignon Champagne Oenothèque 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Slightly fuller colour. Creamier nose. Quite rich with a touch of vanilla and custard apple. A lovely freshness coming through the mid-palate. Richer, more open, slightly spicy. Nice depth here. ****

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

Roast pochard with baked celeriac, dried blackcurrant and red wine lees

• 1983 Château Léoville Barton 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Full garnet. Nicely cedary with a fresh lift on the nose. Quite sweet-fruited on the attack. A little drier and leaner through the mid palate. Quite light and pretty but the fruit is fading. ***

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

• 1985 Château Rausan-Ségla 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Lighter on the nose, sweet fruited, dry cedar. Sweet fruited attack, some cedar, quite light but very pretty. A slightly ethereal quality to this, quite haunting and lifting. ***1/2

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

• 1985 Château Palmer 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Palmer richness on the nose with sweet red fruit, cedar and a touch of spice initially. This seems to tighten a little with air and there's discussion as to whether it's corked. I don't think it is, but it Is a little restrained ands seems underwhelming cf other recent bottles. Slightly leaner on the palate too. Still elegant and interesting, but I'd have hoped for a little more flair and complexity. Continues tomprove slowly through the meal, so I remain unconvinced of TCA. ***1/2 for this bottle.

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

• 1966 Château Palmer 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Dark, slightly smoky garnet. Again, quite a rich nose and obviously more evolved. Quite cool on the attack. Some richness on the mid-palate and quite a sweet finish, the sweetness intertwined with a savoury meatiness an a touch of smoke. Starts to show more meatiness on the nose. ****

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

• 1985 Château Gruaud Larose 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Gorgeous nose, some maturity, a touch of sandlewood, red fruit and a hint of leather. The Brett police to my right are out in force here, and verging on the apoplectic, but this is nicely complex and, for me, not as 'fruity' as a bottle at a recent 85 horizontal. Sweet fruited loveliness, complexity and a nice fresh finish. ****

  Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Fillet and short rib of beef with truffle purée and parsnip butter

• 1988 Château Palmer 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Full, deep ruby. Really quite dense on the nose. Deep and dark. Quite tight and minerally on the palate. Palmer nose cf the Baron. Some sweet fruit across the front end, drier across the back. Still, more open and generous than the Cos, but it's all relative. **(**)

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

• 1988 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Again, deep and dense on the nose, slightly spicier with a hint of Baron roasted coffee. Quite dense, long but needs a to open up and show. More coffee and spice than the Palmer. This oes open after an hour or two, but it's still more reticent than previous bottles from this case. Qualitatively, I think all the 88s in this flight are all there, it's just a question of time. **(**)

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

• 1988 Château Cos d'Estournel 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  Darker than the other two 88s, just. Tightly mineral and a dense, wet clay nose. Again, dense dark fruit. Quite tight and closed, perhaps more so than the others. Pretty hard work on the palate. Something behind it, but now is not the right time. **(**)

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

Passionfruit souffle with banana ice cream

• 1988 Château Climens 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

  Gorgeously ripe, sweet, rounded, lovely sweet fruited marmeladey nose. Really lovely and bright on the attack. Fresh, ripe, rounded. Long. A step above the last couple of bottles of this and back as I remembered it from two or three years ago. Really very good. ****1/2

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