Vosne v Vosne-side Nuits

Seared scallop with pearl barley and chanterelles

• 1998 Pol Roger Champagne Vintage Brut 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  En magnum. Nicely toasty brioche nose. Some depth. More structure and line here than I remember of previous bottles. A touch of smoke. Long and satisfying. ****

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Tartare and rare roast venison with baked celeriac, salt baked beetroot and radishes

• 2001 Joseph Drouhin Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots 85 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Blind. Mid garnet. Some spice. Some flesh. Mature. Sweet fruit but really quite dry on the finish. Earthy. Less spice and no focus. Really not enamoured of this and whilst some interest this is very disappointing for what it is. **1/2

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• 2001 Sylvain Cathiard Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Murgers 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  Blind. Deep garnet. Mellow spice on the nose. Spice and deep red fruit on the attack. A little lactic on the mid palate. Still quite grippy and bright with acidity. Needs to relax a little. Prefer the nose to the palate currently. ***

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• 2000 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Reignots 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Blind. Fuller garnet. Spicier on the nose. A little more polish and gloss. Fatter on the attack. Plush upfront, a little leaner through the mid-palate. Fatter on the very end. ?VR. ***1/2

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Raviolo of suckling pig with smoked bacon and ceps

• 1996 Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Blind. Mid garnet. A meaty, minty nose. Served quite cool. Some meat and spice. More upfront than on the mid-palate or finish. Quite evolved front end and still quite full-on. ***1/2

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• 1997 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Blind. Dark garnet, dense core. Dark, dense, spicy gloss on nose and palate. Lovely. Savoury. A little licorish-like with the dregs. ****

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Roast breast and pie of mallard with crushed swede and blackberries

• 1999 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Murgers 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  Blind. Dark, quite dense, full ruby. Ripe, spicy, smells quite plush. Ripe, glossy, modern. Harmonious and really quite long. Develops well and shows lovely line and elegance. Really quite long. I like this a lot. ****1/2

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• 1999 Domaine René Engel Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Brulées 86 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Blind. Paler ruby. Lighter, more spice. Very fragrant, spiced mid-red fruit. A floaty quality to this without being insubstantial. A little dry and it gets more so with air, losing initial charm. Hmm, something not quite right here. Shame, because after the initial floaty promise it really went downhill. Bare ***

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• 1999 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  Blind. Another full and spicy number. Dense, dark ruby. Lacks the brightness of the Meo in the glass. Dense fruit. Some minerality through the middle. Nice spice too. ****

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• 1999 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Blind. Dense ruby. Dark fruited, quite spicy. A little broader here, and more upfront - less elegant and focused on the finish. A ripe character to this. ****

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Damson soufflé with almond and bay leaf icecream

• 1993 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru En Orveaux 86 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Blind. Fullish garnet. Dark fruited. Served quite cool. Redder fruit on the palate, relatively lean and without any gloss. One for the classical palate. Better with food but still a bit lacking. Some interest, but...
  Bare ***

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• 1993 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains Flawed

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  Blind. Deep, dark. Dark and dense on the nose, some liquorice. A touch curious and slightly lactic on the nose. Plush and rich, surprisingly full, but also a little corked (some debate around the room here - mixture of corked, another fault and no fault). Coming through more as a dryness on the finish. Shame, because there's a rich wine underneath.

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• 1985 Domaine Jean Chauvenet Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Bousselots 87 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

  Blind. Mid garnet. Lots of sediment. A touch of orange peel lift and some sweet meatiness. The sediment comes through with a dry liquorish element. Fully mature and possibly fading, but still very drinkable assuming a sed-free glass. ***

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• 1976 Château de Rayne-Vigneau 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Mid to full gold. Bright and vibrant. Fresh, coconut, botrytis, sweet. Fresh with lovely line and poise. Impressive. ****

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We thought it should be fairly straight-forward, but we were horribly wrong. Double blind, with us knowing the permutations of vintage and village but not the specific wines, or the serving order. Wines revealed after each flight. We got the last flight of one correct, but that was it. No consensus through the flights, apart from the last single bottle, and the preceding flight of two which reached an unanimity which turned out to be incorrect. A mug's game! On the whole, the wines were underwhelming bar a couple of highs.

Thanks to Filippo for organising, and to all for their wines and company.