Non-FIGSA Lunch

This was a very unusual, even slightly punishing lunch.

Alex H came up with the "Non-FIGSA" theme - meaning no wines from France, Italy, Germany, Spain or Australia - countries that make up some 80-90% of the wines that we drink on a regular basis. We regretted that decision somewhat. Given that our cellars are not actually well-stocked with top Non-FIGSA wines, we came up with some interesting stuff, but not quite up to the standard of the wonderful food we had. In fact, one or two of the wines were off-themed because some of us just did not have anything on hand.

And then there was the heat; we were eating al fresco on one of the hottest, most humid days in recent weeks.

To compound it all, Melvyn, who convened this get-together got chef Francois to source a hunk of Mangalitsa for us. I had to read the helpful Wikipedia entry to find out that that is actually a highly sought-after Hungarian Sheep-pig, which delivers wonderfully flavoured pork dishes. What we did not know was that there was enough pork to feed an army, and after 5 courses of yummy food, the pork, masterful as it was, was just a bit too much for the seven of us! I stumbled out of this lunch in a stupor.

• 2007 Maison Lou Dumont Meursault 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

  This has gotten better over the last two years in the cellar. Today, it showed as a pretty strong village from a good vintage. I thought it reflected its terroir pretty well too, with quite a few people being able to pick it out as a Meursault. It had those buttery, creamy notes on the nose, along with some sweet white peach and melon aromas, a squeeze of lemons and a little whiff of mineral. The palate also had a touch of creaminess to it, but it was definitely brighter in tone and more citrus than nose, with flavours that were reminiscent of lemon curd, limes and green apples. Very decent depth for a village I thought, and a nice finish too, infused with chalky mineral notes and a nice citrussy freshness. This is really growing into its own as a good little village wine - a couple more years and it should be even better.

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• 2005 István Szepsy Furmint Tokaji Szent Tamás 91 Points

  Hungary, Tokaji

  A nice, interesting wine. I am quite chuffed that a few of us managed to pick it out as a dry Furmint when served blind. The nose was quite distinctive, with chalk, earth and lentil aromas forming the base for high-toned notes of sweet melons and a rather unusual twang Buah Selak (snakeskin fruit); then there were also some green herb notes, a wreathe of smoke and little spicy clove notes. Very complex and characterful. The same could be said of the palate as well. It had a weighty, creamy texture to it, with rich notes of honey, peaches and slightly unripe mangoes, all with a sweet, slightly candied note at the edges. This was balanced, however, with a real sense of structure and bite on the midpalate, with a chewy tail of saline mineral and lots of spice running on behind. Because of the weight of the wine, I thought it was better when served a bit below room temperature than when it warmed up - past that point, the there seemed to be a slight lack of acidity, so that the wine appeared slightly flabby and heavy. That aside though, this was a really interesting, characterful wine that went a treat with fresh prawns and osyters.

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• 2004 Sadie Family Palladius 90 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Swartland, Malmesbury

  This was an early bottling of one of those slightly over-wrought wines that have achieved semi-cult status in recent times. An unusual blend of Viognier with Chenin Blanc and Grenache Blanc; only 11 (500 litre) barrels made, so the back-label says. I thought it was a decently good wine - well-crafted, but not quite my style. The rich nose, with its sweet honeyed tones and wafts of spicy aromas was a good indication of what was to come in the mouth. Here, it was rich, almost thick, with red apples and lemons on the attack shading into sweeter, more exotic fruit tones of mangoes and lychees on the midpalate, and than a long, pwoerful finish layered with some mineral and lots and lots of spice. This was a heavyset wine, with 14.5% alcohol giving it a surfeit of weight on the palate and a flush of heat at the sides. Thankfully, it was somehow bouyed by a streak of citrussy acidity that kept it decently balanced. Not exactly my style of wine, but I can see why some may like this. I would think it would be more enjoyable with a creamy-sauced dish in a South African winter than drank al fresco on a balmy afternoon in Singapore though.

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• 2006 Johanneshof Reinisch St. Laurent Reserve Frauenfeld 89 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Thermenregion

  Having one bottle of the very esoteric St. Laurent varietal in a sitting is unusual enough, but this was one of two that we had on the day. I thought this was pretty good at first, very Pinot-like, if a bit on the light side, but I must say this really paled in comparison to the Tobias Hemling wine that came after, which could well have been a ringer for a good Burgundy village. There was absolutely nothing wrong with this wine though. It had a really pretty nose, with bright aromas of black cherries and deeper plums notes on a bed of earth, spice and a little whiff of milk chocolatey oak. I thought the palate was quite enjoyable too - there was that prettiness to it again, with a flush of violets dancing around a plush core of dark fruited cassis and black cherry notes. I thought the finish was perhaps a little week, showing a slight woody notes and a touch of heat amidst otherwise fine tannins and some nice orangey acidity that provided the wine a good sense of bright balance. That aside though, this was a pretty decent drink, and showing quite nicely at the moment too.

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• 2008 Brigitte & Gerhard Pittnauer St. Laurent Rosenberg 91 Points

  Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee

  The second of the St Laurents, this was also the more impressive. Served blind, everyone thought it was a Burgundy, and a pretty good one at that - this could easily have been a top-notch village or a decent 1er Cru. The nose was about as Burgundian as one could get, with red cherry and berry scents, a touch of rose water, and then bassier aromas of earthy sous bous, boiled herbs, some mineral and a little spiciness. Very nice. The palate had an elegant, clean, clear feel to it, with pretty flavours of red cherries and strawberries in cream framed by fine tannins and juicy acidity. A bit primary, a bit simple, but delicious. Nice finish too, with a little seasoning of spice. I could have sworn we were in the Core d'Or with this. Nice stuff, and it should get better in the next few years as is puts on a little more complexity as well.

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• 1998 Pahlmeyer Merlot 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Not the most exciting wine, but this was a well-made, pleasurable drink that is at a pretty good place now. I liked the nose, with its ripe aromas of cassis and blackberries on a bed of earth and meat, with rather Bordelais tones of capsicums, tobacco and tea leaf chasing behind. The palate had a plush richness to its blackberry and plum flavours that took you right back to Napa though. I would have liked a bit more acidity on it, but that could just be because we were drinking this rather big wine on a hot afternoon. Otherwise, the balance was actually decent, with a touch of juiciness on the midpalate and some powdery tannins adding a sense of structure towards the finish, which fluttered away with a mouthful of spice and a little earthy undertone. A bit anonymous, but a tasty enough drink.

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• 2004 Didier Dagueneau Les Jardins de Babylone Moelleux 93 Points

  France, Southwest France, Jurançon

  A very good sweet wine indeed, but not something to rave about - at least not at the moment. It had a lovely nose, with layers of honey and caramel aromas, poached pears and ciderish apples, sweet spice and some pungent wilting flower scents at the edges of the bouquet. Quite a beautiful nose actually. However, while the palate was impressive, I thought it somehow lacked some of the charm of the nose. I could not quite put my finger on it. This had about everything you would ask for in a sweet wine. There was a rich depth to it, a nice mid-toned sweetness, along with a juicy purity to its flavours of green apples, then more savoury undernotes of earth, figs and sultanas, with preserved kumquats and lemons on the mid palate. The finish had a floral tone overlaid on a malty, caramelly base that reminded me of Pei Pa Ko - a Chinese herbal, loquat and malt sugar mixture that I used to take when I was young. Pretty nice complexity and quite impeccable balance throughout - I suspect that there is actually more sugar on this than the palate perceives, a testament to the great amount of acidity that has been very nicely integrated into the wine. Somehow though, this seemed rather less than the sum of its parts - it could be perhaps it is in a rather awkward stage at the moment. This certainly has a lot going for it though - it would be interesting to try in say 5-6 years time to gauge where it is, and I suspect it has the structure and balance to go on developing in the bottle for a long, long time after that.

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