Impromptu lunch at ITSPD

Last minute lunch with Alex and William (with baby and confinement nanny in two after her two-month check-up)

• NV Diebolt-Vallois Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 89 Points

  France, Champagne

  From a 375ml with a bit of bottle age on it (though no clear indication of disgorgement date). This was decently good, but I thought it was quite a few steps down from the really nice magnum of the same I had some weeks back. This one needed some time to open up. The nose was rather subtle throughout, with some flowers and sweet apple aromas, a light dose of cream and just a hint of exotic spice. Nice though. The palate, on the other hand, was a bit more open, showing developed flavours of kumquats, yuzu and preserved limes - all in the citrus family of flavours, but with a certain preserved fruit peel savouriness to them that comes with age. Beneath that though, there was a bountiful amount of bright, youthful energy and structure, with zippy acidity and a fine, vigorous mousse running through the length of the wine, and then a firm mineral backbone that tailed off into a decent finish, where a hint of spice showed up. I found this a little too acidic, almost stern when served well-chilled and without food. Paired with some fried dim sum and drank at a more appropriate temperature though, it rounded up, fleshed out and took on a more friendly, more agreeable mien. Even then, it was probably not as easy-going and generous as I remembered the magnum being, perhaps less harmoniously integrated as well. Overall though, it is an interesting champagne with a nice amount of character on it.

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• 2006 Paradigm Hill Pinot Noir L'ami Sage 88 Points

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula

  I thought this was okay. As William put it, a commendable effort for a 7 year old wine from the Mornington Peninsula. Not what I would call a great Pinot though. The nose struck me as being very sweet, with quite candied expressions of raspberry and cherry and some orange peel shading into a rather Pepsi-cola-like overtone. This just about screamed New World Pinot with a nose like that. The palate was a bit more controlled though. There were rather simple flavours of sweet raspberries, strawberries and redcurrants on the attack, but these were pleasant enough, especially given how they were rather less confected flavours than one would have expected after that nose. There was also a little truffley undertone in there somewhere. In terms of balance, there was a juicy sensation on midpalate, but that strangely faded into rather lowish acidity towards the finish. where slightly woody, green tannins and a touch of bitter root emerged in place of the fruit. This needed to be served a bit more chilled then say a good Burgundy in order to preserve a decent, food-friendly balance. Overall, decent but not great.

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