William & Gina's Wedding

William and Gina's big day had finally arrived, and we all came to the wedding with a nice blind bottle in tow. Coupled with the multiple (non-blind) magnums served by the couple, this was really a wine night to remember. Congratulations to two of our favourite people!

NB: the wedding was actually 19/10/2013, but the night stretched on into the next morning, so all the notes are reflected as 20/10/2013 instead.

• 2009 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Second time round, this was even more advanced and fleshy than the first bottle, but it was every bit as good - this oversahdowed a really nice bottle of 2004 Valmur from Christian Moreau that was served alongside. The nose struck me as particularly un-Chablis at first blush, with sweet, ripe aromas of stone fruit and flowers - almost pretty I thought. With time and air though, it picked up more classic undertones savoury, earthy mineral. Very nice indeed. The palate was sweeter, rounder and more approachable than one would expect from a regular Raveneau, with an attack that replicated those ripe stone fruit notes picked up the nose, before fanning out into sweet red apples on the midpalate, with an unusual strawberry-ish tone underneath. However, while the fleshy flavours spoke very clearly of a warm vintage and perhaps warmer, more Southerly terroir, the structure of the wine was pure Chablis - this had a wonderful balance to it, with a lovely purity, cut and precision that escapes so many of the wines from lesser producers in 2009. Really lovely stuff. Great finish too - long and powerful, it clung to the backpalate with insistent notes of mineral and spice interlaced amongst the fleshy fruit. Not exactly your typically austere, serious Raveneau Montée de Tonnerre, but a lovely wine all the same. Give it another 3-4 years, and it should be even better. 93+

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• 2004 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Valmur 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  A lovely wine, but this did not have the same amount of time to breathe as the last bottle a couple of months back, and seemed to suffer from that. The nose showed some funky earth and slightly mushroomy aromas at first, before opening up into green apples and melons traced by saline scents of seabreeze and chalky mineral. Very nice, very classic Chablis bouquet I thought. The palate started out in a differnet gear though - it was rather round and creamy, with a nice layer of flesh to its green apple notes and a honeyed depth that made quite a few people on the table guess it as Puligny. And while very balanced and pure, it certainly had a softer acidity profile than one would expect from a 2004. It was only after some 20 minutes in the glass that the wine really opened up, with the fruit giving way to sone lovely notes of chalk and spice and mineral in a really long finish. I liked the depth and feel on this - it was full and satisfying, yet beautiful harmonious and integrated. However, put next to a wonderful bottle of 2009 Raveneau Chablis Montee de Tonnere, it did seem a little simple, with less complexity and character than the younger wine. Still though, this was a very nice wine in its own right, and one that has started taking real strides into its peak-drinking window. If you have a bottle, I would suggest either laying it down for another year or two, or giving it a quick decanting before serving.

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• 2006 Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Garenne Domaine du Duc de Magenta 92 Points

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

  From a magnum, this was very youthful, a bit too oaky, but I thought it was a very nice wine overall. The nose was still rather dominated with toasty oak notes, with vanilla and some roasted hazlenut tones amidst white fruited aromas. This needs some time to shed the overt oakiness. Thankfully, the palate was rather more expressive. It had a 2006 richness to it, with ripe notes of peaches and apricots and sweet lemons; very fleshy and voluptuous, but it was also balanced by a nice freshness and focus. Still a bit primary I thought, but yummy. Good finish too, with a long draw of nutty flavours and a little sliver of mushroomy truffle. I liked this. Nothing too complicated, but it was a solid 1er Cru that will give a lot of drinking pleasure over the next 5-6 years. It is not one I would keep for the long term though.

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• 1989 Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) Montrachet 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru

  Remarkably good - after a very good but not entirely convincing 1986 Gagnard-Delagrange Le Montrachet at William's bachelor's party last weekend it was clear that this was the real thing, a full Monty firing on all cylinders. Served blind, it had a huge nose that left one in no doubt that this was anything but a Grand Cru Burgundy, with deep layers of butter and cream and almond tofu lapping up against rich aromas of apples, melons and ripe fruit. Quite something. After that, the palate was surprisingly lithe, lean and refined, especially for a 1989, with a beautiful freshness and cut to its otherwise warm notes of ripe apples and white peach laced with honey, spice and honeysuckle flowers. There was a real sense of finesse on the wine, with a great clarity and superb definition that belied the heat of the vintage; there was depth for sure, but there was also such an elegance on this that I guessed this as a 1992 instead. And while there were ripe, sunny overtones in the fruit and honey expressions, these were all laced with lovely lemony acidity that carried the wine effortlessly into a super-long finish, where honey, apples and toasted almond flavours filled the mouth along with a little hint of spice. A great wine, at quite the perfect place now. This blew the other (very good) white wines on the night out of the water.

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• 2011 Quinta da Pellada Dão Primus Branco 92 Points

  Portugal, Beiras, Dão

  What a delicious surprise this was - served blind, we placed it somewhere in the Mediterrenean regions, but could not figure out where exactly it came from. What was clear though, was that it could stand toe-to-toe with two excellent Chablis that were served alongside and have nothing to be ashamed of. It had a rather pretty nose, with really distinct aromas of green pears laced with stony mineral scents and touches of herb and spice. It was on the palate that the wine really impressed me though. Again, there were that really pure expression of green pear drizzled with a nicely honeyed tone, showing both a nice fruity sweetness along with a real intensity, especially at the spice and mineral infused midpalate. It was very nicely balanced without having noticeably high acidity - more about purity than actual freshness I thought. Very impressive on the finish too - really long, with fleshy fruit underscored by a serious minerality, almost like crushed rocks streaking to more honeyed tones. Very good indeed, and drinking quite nicely now. I would really like to see how these develop in the bottle though.

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• 2008 Domaine Bertheau (Pierre et François) Chambolle-Musigny 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny

  Such a pretty little Chambolle village. It may not have had that much going for it in the way of depth or complexity, but it was so harmonious and silky and elegant that it was very difficult not to love the wine. This started fittingly with a hauntingly pretty nose, where a little shade of funky earth and boiled herb quickly ceded way to sweetly perfumed aromas of flowers and ripe cherries, with almost a touch of candy there, but all nicely underlined with some mineral and spice. Lovely. The palate had a seductively soft, melting texture to it, with a lovely purity and glowing sweetness on its sour cherry and raspberry flavours. Not a hint of confection here though, just honest to goodness freshness of fruit. While not the most complex, this always had a lively grace to it that made it quite a delight to drink. It was only right at the end where there was a little lean sourness that may just suggest that the wine is starting to shut down a little. I am not quite sure where this going from here. While it seems to be built more for the short term, there was a also a little layer of fine tannins and nice sense of balance that suggests that it may age a bit better than I expect it to - it will be interesting to try in 4-5 years. However, if you only have one bottle, I would say drink now - no point risking it given how lovely it is in its youth.

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• 1999 J. Confuron-Cotetidot Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots 93 Points

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

  Mmm... this was lovely. It had a wonderful dark fruited nose, with blueberries and blackberry aromas on a bed of flowers and violets. Still quite primary, but really attractive. The palate had a real sense of presence to it, not only with the usual sappy depth and ripeness of the vintage, but with an almost Grand Cru-like fullness and thickness of texture in its lovely flavours of blueberries, sour cherries and orange peel, all with a nice drift of violets wafting around. These were rather brighter, higher-toned flavours than you would expect from the nose I thought. In fact, the wine had a very clean, fresh and open feel for a 1999, with some lovely juicy acidity that came up with time - absolutely delicious stuff. Great finish too, long and delicious, with a kiss of blue fruit and flowers, and then a linger of Vosne wood spice and bittersweet herb, all built on a substructure of earth and mineral and a layer of ripe, chewy tannins. This was a great wine - very full, very complete, yet wonderfully elegant at the same time. I think it is just about coming into a good drinking window too; but give it some 4-5 years more, and it should be superb. My favourite red wine of the night. 93+

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• 2007 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques Domaine Louis Jadot 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  From a magnum, this was a lovely effort for 2007, coming across as an unusually gentle and elegant expression of the Clos St Jacques terroir. The nose actually reminded me of warmer terroirs, say a Clos de Beze, with lovely scents of sweet red cherries and strawberries and lifted floral hints, with little flecks of meat, earth and mineral underneath. Really nice, and very expressive for a young CSJ. The palate was very forward too - it was all fresh and lively, with plenty of the tension and nervosity that makes 2007 reds a delight to drink in their youth, but also with a sappy depth to its cherry and berry flavours that belies the vintage. I thought the fruit expression here was just a shade darker than on the nose. Beneath the sweetness of the fruit and the wonderful, juicy clarity of it all, there was also a firm chewiness of Clos St Jacques structure that gave the wine a nice backbone. Good finish too, with a nice, lengthy pull of stony minerality on the backpalate. My only issue with the wine is that it lacked a bit of substance - this was clearly 1er Cru territory, with no pretensions to Grand Cru status. It was indeed telling that the wine could not really stand up to a lovely roast-duck dish, something that would would have been surprising with a Jadot Clos St Jacque from stronger vintages. That aside though, this was a really lovely wine - enjoyable young, but with the structure to age nicely over the next decade and more, it was far better than a bottle of the 2004 that I had the day before.

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• 1996 Louis Jadot Clos Saint-Denis 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru

  Very good, if not exactly firing on all cylinders. This bore a real family resemblance to the 2007 Jadot Clos St Jacques that was served earlier in the night - both were rather spare, elegant versions of usually fleshier, more generous wines, so much so that I guessed this as a 1996 Jadot Clos St Jacques when first served blind. On reflection though, the profile was quite classic Morey, especially on the nose, which showed the typically darker fruit profile of blueberry and dark cherry aromas, along with some stony mineral earth and a good whiff of Morey spice. A little subdued maybe, but a pelasant bouquet. The palate was still quite markedly influence but the more austere elements of the 1996 vintage, with well-shaped but slightly stubborn tannins and lots and lots of juicy acidity running through otherwise nicely pure flavours of blue fruit along with sour cherries and a touch of orange peel. This had the feel of a wine that still needs a few more years to really show its best - at the moment, it was all about transperancy of fruit and nobility of structure along with decent, if not entirely impressive depth and scale for a Grand Cru. I liked the overall elegance and polish of it all though - this was very stylish. It had a nice finish too, which slid away with amother brust of Morey spice nestling amidst juicy blue-fruited tones. I would wait a good 3-4 years more on this to see how it goes. It is one of those 1996 wines that seem to promise more, but that also make you wonder if they will ever come around. If the fruit does not die out before the structure softens, I think this will go on to be quite a lovely drop.

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• 2002 Louis Jadot Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru

  From a magnum, this was excellent - the best of three solid Jadot reds on the night (including a 1996 Clos St Denis and a 2007 Clos St Jacques). I thought it was quite a revelation after a series of tight, stubbornly one-dimensional 2002 red Burgs in recent months; open for business and completely on song, it was a delightful reminder of just why the vintage was so highly rated in its early days. Starting out, it had a typically masculine Pommard nose of earthy sous bois and savoury meat, along with black fruit and ferrous iron accents. Nice stuff, but it was actually on the palate that the wine really shone. This was really complete, with superbly fresh 2002 balance wed to muscular Rugiens strength, and a lovely sappy depth to its black cherry and blueberry flavours - all harmoniously integrated into an open, generous, even graceful whole. More masculine inflections of meat and earth on the midpalate, and then a long pull mineral and spice drifting through blue fruited notes on the finish added a nice touch of nascent complexity. Really lovely stuff. This is quite ready now, with the tannins having softened into a nice silkiness, but given the balance and depth on it, this should still age very nicely over the next decade or so.

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• 2001 Nicolas Potel Romanée St. Vivant 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  From a 1.5 litre. After a great experience with another magnum a year back, this was a great disappointment. Served blind, I thought this was a decently good Burg, but would never have placed this as a Grand Cru, let alone one of the quality of Romanée St. Vivant. It seemed really advanced. The nose certainly smelt like something a lot more mature, with a wildness to its herb and meat and sous bois notes along with prettier notes of dark cherries, wild berries and some violet flowers. It was far from unpleasant, but this was nowhere near the aromatic fireworks that I recalled from the nose of the last bottle. It was the palate where this was a real let down though. There was nothing quite wrong with the wine - it was very clean, almost a bit lean, with fresh acidity and rather ripe tones of dark cherries and blackberries held in fine but firm tannins that seemed to be just on the verge of softening. Not a bad drink at all, but it was just that everything seemed a bit ho-hum, with not much complexity or even much interest to go around. While the finish had good length, with a little bit of earth and mineral and spice, it also seemed a bit light-weight, a little soft for an RSV. All in all, a decently good wine, but a bit boring. I am not sure whether it was shut down or whether this was an odd bottle. Whatever the case, the last bottle we was so much better that this seemed to be a different wine altogether.

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• 1998 Simon Bize Latricières-Chambertin 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru

  It is a bit surreal to think that we were drinking this wine while the winemaker, Patrick Bize, was lying on his deathbed after a tragic car accident - something we only found out later. This spoke so eloquently of the quality wines crafted by Bize. There was a very masculine bouquet on the nose, with a lot of savoury aromas - meaty bacon, sous bois, mineral, along with blueberries and dark cherries and a little whiff of wilted flowers. Nice. The palate was perhaps a tad austere at points, but it really had a very nice, sculpted feel to it. There was a veneer of sweetness to its pure tones of dark cherries and berries, good depth here, but peel that layer away and there was a sterner structure and minerality underneath, with fine-boned tannins and pleasingly juicy acidity that lent it a lean, spare, very cooly elegant feel. This would almost have been aloof but for the lovely quality of the fruit on it. It had a strong finish too, with fine tannins and acidity wrapped around fresh flavours of black cherries, and then a liner of boiled herb that was very 1998. A really nice, well-made wine, but somewhat needing a little more time to hit its prime. Perhaps a fitting, but rather sad tribute to the person who crafted it. RIP Patrick.

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• 2001 San Felice Chianti Classico Il Grigio Riserva 89 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

  Another one that was served en magnum; this was a decent, rather undemanding Chianti Classico. The nose was typically Tuscan, with sunny notes of dark berries and cherries seasoend with herbs and spices, and then some earthier, meatier aromas alongside. Pretty nice. The palate showed a little layer of meaty, leathery funk laid over a rather pure expression of black cherries and berries - the strength of the 2001 vintage coming out there I thought. The wine still had a pretty firm backbone, along with a good burst of sour tomato acidity, so that it was a little harsh on the finish. I do not think this will ever be a great Chianti, but it is a pretty easy-going drink that goes well with food. In a magnum format though, it may still improve over the next few years, but I do not expect a whole lot of upside from this.

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• 1996 Albino Rocca Barbaresco Vigneto Brich Ronchi 92 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Very nice. From a magnum, I thought this was several notches up from the 1996 that we had a few weeks back. It had a lovely nose, drfting out of the glass with smoky ash and spice and dried flowers around a core of dried earth and subtle black-fruit notes. Very nice indeed. Really lovely on the palate too. There was a slightly savoury, salted meat note at the forefront, and then youthful notes of dark cherries laced with earth and spice on the midpalate. There was a nice balance and purity to the proceedings that I like about many of the better 2006 Piedmontese wines, and the overt moderness noted by other tasters over the years seems to have receded into the background quite nicely. The finish was probably the weakest link to the wine though. There was decent depth and presence to it, but it was still very firm, with a rather austere tail of fine tannins and mineral that did not last long on the back-palate. Good, but it needs time - in this format, I would have laid it aside for another 5 years at least. I think it will pick up a touch more complexity, even as the little stubbornness on the back-end softens somewhat. 92+

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• 1970 Château Talbot 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  From a magnum, this was a lovely, mature St Julien, with lush notes of tobacco, tea leaf, earth and spice on the nose riding alongside brighter aromas of black cherries, cassis and a twist of capsicum. The palate was absolutely singing, with really delicious flavours cassis, plums and black cherries wreathed with tons of tobacco smoke and spice, leather and herb, all pulling along in a wonderfully integrated whole into a lovely finish blessed with fresh acidity and silky tannins. A bit straightforward, perhaps lacking the layered depth and complexity of a great Bordeaux, but this was absolutely at peak and really yummy.

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• 1989 Château de Fargues 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  A very good rather than great bottle of Sauternes, especially in the context of the vintage. I had quite forgotten having had this before, but with both bottles having been served blind, I found this to be rather weaker than on the previous showing. Nevertheless, and to take nothing away from it, this was a very good wine in its own right. It had a lovely nose, with honey and caramel, dried apricots and kumquats, and just that touch of coconut that should have got us guessing d'Yquem or de Fargues (which somehow nobody did). With a bit of time, some thinner, iodine scents came out as well, perhaps a sign that the bottle was starting to tire. The palate very much told the same story. It was lovely to start out, with sweet, lush flavours of honey, dried apricots and candied apples, unfolding across the attack with lovely depth and sweeping breadth. I was mighty impressed - really delicious stuff. Unfortunately, it leaned out slightly past the midpalate, with some metal and iodine notes creeping in and the wine betraying a slight lack of conviction towards the finish, showing a little thin for a 1989 Sauternes from such a good house. That aside though, this was actually quite a delight, trailing away in the end with complex little suggestions of spice and coconut husks. Very nice, but this bottle needed to be drank pretty soon. Given how strong the bottle consumed some 6 months back was though, it may have been down to bottle variation rather than a sign that all 1989 de Fargues should be downed in a hurry.

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