My Birthday Dinner

A fabulous Friday night dinner with close friends to kick off my birthday weekend.....a great opportunity to open some special wines from my cellar.

• 1996 Dom Pérignon Champagne Oenothèque 94 Points

  France, Champagne

  Another fantastic showing for this perennial favourite........ it is currently in a gorgeous equilibrium between richness of maturing nose and body and the classic younger zingy freshness that the Oenotheque bottling adds. Drank as an opener to my birthday dinner......drank too quickly to fully contemplate, which would have yielded it a higher score. Utterly gorgeous.

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Perfectly grilled Langoustine on a bed of lentils followed by three other variations on the dish. The wine paired perfectly with all the dishes, given its combination of fresh acidic cut and attractive weight and complexity on the palate. This was taken from the restaurant wine list and was great relative value.

• 2007 Château Malartic-Lagravière Blanc 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Straw gold colour. Nose of saddle leather, "Imperial Leather' soap from my childhood, Chinese white pears. Palate is really intense ozone and super-concentrated crushed oyster shells - very intense. It has the slightest touch of pleasant mild oxidisation and cedar resin but the Sauvignon Blanc is very my forward in this wine compared to the Semllion. It continued to develop impressively in the glass, especially when the Langoustines appetiser arrived. Mineral emerge on the nose and grapefruit too but not in an overly acidic way. A very multi-dimensional and harmonious wine. Heady and resonant on the finale. Really excellent......everyone loved it. I think this will remain one of my white wines of the year.

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Perfectly cooked fish with the various wild mushrooms adding extra complexity....fantastic with the two red wines.

• 1976 Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Rouge 94 Points

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

  "Collection Privee de la Famille Drouhin Sortie de Cave Juin 2014". Transparent lamb's blood colour with a surprising amount of sediment. Nose is Swiss goats cheese and stinky straw from a cow shed mixed with a slight mustiness that finally blew off afer a couple of hours to reveal an impressive brightness. High notes, almost volatile......hints of plummy fruit then raspberry and strawberry breaks through. Palate is tightly strung piano wire, tart, light wild strawberries. Very light and beautifully mellowed but possibly slightly past its peak. Very billowing and chiffonesque in the head.....the length and reverberance go on forever. Fabulous......like a high single piano note struck in a cathedral that resonates forever. Amazingly, it blossomed into greater depth and richer power after 2-3 hours in the glass. Not an 'easy' wine to immediately appreciate but very rewarding if you contemplate it. Fabulous with Wild Roast Turbot and Morel Mushrooms.

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• 1942 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Bosconia 92 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Opened a couple of hours before serving but not decanted, which was a mistake.......I think this wine needs an 8-hour decant or another 10 years in the bottle. Totally opaque red/purple coloue just opening slightly at the edges. Nose is deep-noted and powerful black and red cherry fruit, vanilla cream, shoe leather and a monolithic linearity and power like a Bordeaux First Growth.: alluring - it pulls you in to depths and then more depths but without giving much back. Palate is pinpoint fresh acidic attack, smoked bacon, cherry stone pitt. lots of tannin. Light and tight.....it needs a lot of time to open in the glass, frankly more than an evening! High-toned. Enormous growling reverberance and power. Too young......in the same way that a 1959 Ch. Mouton is too young. No-one could believe that this wine is over 70 years old....what a treat for my birthday.

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Greg insisted on adding an Yquem from the restaurant wine list to round off the evening........wow, fabulous!

• 1998 Château d'Yquem 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Popped and poured then drank over rich chocolate cake desert for the next two hours as a finale to my birthday dinner. Deep gold colour. Immediately captivating nose of candied orange peel and caramel. Palate is deep burnt caramel and thick milk chocolate, tell-tale D'Yquem burnt rubber, creme brulee.....unctious, real depth, opulent, gorgeous. A bit short on length and reverberance compared to the best vintages but very open for business and perfect for drinking now.....thanks, Greg!

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What a great evening. Fantastic company and the food and service at Pierre was stupendous.