Relaxing Saturday Lunch @ Park Palace

Park Palace, Grand Park Hotel
Tasted Saturday, April 26, 2014 by Paul S with 460 views

Flight 1 - WHITES (3 Notes)

  • NV Ulysse Collin Champagne Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Les Pierrières 91 Points

    France, Champagne

    Disgorged on 29 September 2011, so this had a smidgen of age on it. I found it to be a very characterful Champagne, but a bit brutal (bad pun intended) at the moment. It had a very interesting nose, super-minerally, with rings of steel and stone amidst little touches of spice and some citrus fruit peel aromas. In spite of having some bottle age, the palate still came across as very young and very assertive, with citrus flavours of kumquats and limes at the fore, streaked with firm but well-integrated acidity and punctuated with a fine mousse. Those lovely minerally shades picked up on the nose came out again as a strong undertone from the midpalate and stretching away into the finish. There was a nice spiciness behind that, along with just a little white meaty oxidative note. This was a nice enough Champagne, well-built and with a lot of character, but it really needed some food to tame its strident acidity and firm structure. Even then, it is clear that this needs time in the bottle yet – 4-5 years at least I would say.

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  • 2001 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Auslese 92 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    This was very pretty and drinking precociously well for a 2001. The nose was quite lovely, with lots of honeyed notes, then aromas of red apples, sweet lemon curd and a touch of vanilla cream, all drizzled with tiny droplets of petrol. Very attractive. The palate was yummy, showing a burgeoning maturity in its flavours of honey lemon and loquats at the fore. It still had a good chew of citrus acidity and structure at the on the midpalate, and finished with a more youthful ring of grapey sugar, suggesting it still could do with a bit more time, say a couple of years in the bottle. Otherwise, it already had a lovely softness and really integrated balance, drinking almost more like a 2002. Not the strongest wine in a great vintage like 2001, maybe just lacking a touch of depth, but very enjoyable indeed.

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  • 2002 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese 91 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    This was very advanced, drinking at peak, or even somewhere just beyond that. It had a lovely nose, with tons of honey and nectar aromas neslting amidst tropical, mango-like tones and bits of toasted coconut scents and typical Wurzgarten spice – a complex and interesting bouquet. The palate was marked by slightly salty oxidative notes, starting with kumquats on the attack, then rounding up in sweeter, very matured tones of honey and caramel and toffee, all laced with little mineral notes. As with so many 2002s, this had great balance, just melting into the mouth on a bed of soft, wonderfully integrated acidity. Time to drink up I think, but this was very yummy.

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Flight 2 - REDS (3 Notes)

  • 2000 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges 91 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru

    A serious, noble Nuits St-Georges – this was classic Henri Gouges. The nose showed touches of funky undergrowth and a ring of meatiness, together with minerally wet stone scents and a little ring of smoke, on a tight backdrop of dark fruited scents on a background of meat and earth. The palate was rather austere, with a strict structure that was just beginning to soften over some subtle dark fruited flavours, with a touch of bramble and herb on the midpalate, and then a ring of warm spice on the finish. This was very well put together, with a serious structure, noble balance and solid depth – it was all just a bit austere at the moment. This is a wine of stature and quality, but still lacking generosity and charm. It is very commendable and admirably built though, especially in the context of the vintage – all it needs is patience and time to bloom I think. I would say another 8-10 years would do it a world of good. 91+

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  • 2002 Domaine Bertagna Vougeot 1er Cru Clos de la Perrière 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vougeot 1er Cru

    A Vougeot 1er Cru – such a rarity. None of us could have hoped to pick this up blind. It needed some time to open up, but was actually quite decent. With some time and air, the wine showed a very rich nose, with ripe berries and dark cherry aromas nestling amidst melted rose petals and just a small touch of sweet vanillin oak scents. It smelt sweet in an almost new-worldly way, but there was something attractive about that nose. Quite surprisingly, the palate displayed a more savoury character, showing a clear streak of dried earth and a nice meatiness, with the sweeter fruit flavours of dark berries and cherries layered on top of that earthier background. It finished decently, with a little blush of spice. While quite structured and decently balanced, the wine still seemed not entirely integrated, even a little rustically shaped, lacking some of the seamless, polished feel of the best 2002 wines. One did get a sense that it was just starting to come together though. Decent now, it should be better in another 3-4 years.

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  • 1996 Château La Gaffelière 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

    Decently good, but not fantastic. This showed again how much stronger a left-bank vintage 1996 is. True to the house style, this was on the more muscular side of St Emilion, with a smoky, meaty tone on the nose, where sweet tobacco scents swirled around black-fruited cassis aromas. The palate was rather rich and thickly textured, clearly quite extracted in style, with big black fruited notes and some chewy tannins leading into the smoky, spicy finish. Still though, there was a supply muscular structure and nice, fresh acidity that made the wine very drinkable. All in all, not bad, but not brilliant either. Starting to drink well now, with some upside over the next few years.

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