Dinner at Home

Quickly-arranged invite to our unofficial godson and his girlfriend to come over for Saturday dinner and some hastily selected bottles from my cellar.

• 2002 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Drank in Burgundy wine glasses after a brief opening. Lively mousse that quickly dies down to limpid, languid slow-rising streams of very tiny bubbles. Colour is very light straw-gold colour. Nose is immediate fresh, doughy brown bread straight out of the baker's oven, tons of yeast. Palate is extremely fresh and refreshing crisp green apple acidity and a nice honeysuckle and Epsom Salts then chalky end that, in turn, moves into a subdued but yet-to-be-released length and resonance on the finish. This is sophisticated, refreshing and elegant Champagne.....definitely the least evolved of any of the top 2002s that I have drank. I shall hold back the rest of my case for another year or so before checking its evolution. Impressive stuff. 92+

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• 2004 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières 91 Points

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

  Opened for 2 hours before serving. Rich honeysuckle gold colour. The nose is gorgeously light and fresh acacia honey honeysuckle and whisps of temple smoke....much lighter and more spohisticated than previous bottles from this case. Palate is similar freshness and elegant balance of honey and mouthwatering citrus before the bass organ comes in at the finish with a wonderful reverberence and length. It's a pity that there seems to be so much bottle variance even within the same case.....reviewing my prior tasting notes, I find it hard to believe that they describe the same wine. Hopefully, more ageing is bringing greater freshness.....but I suspect that it is something agricultural in the winemaking that is just allowing too much variance.

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• 1996 Château Smith Haut Lafitte 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Decanted for 3 hours before serving with the final cheese course of dinner at home (Epoisses, Comte etc.). Still an inpenetrably opaque black-red colour and a cork that liiks like it was inserted yesterday. But...wow....this wine has finally blossomed. Nose is lovely clean precise warm blackberry , graphite and ashphalt. Palate is gorgeously seductive, rounded and harmonious blackberry and blackcurrant, a gorgeous richness of fruit counterpointed by elegant medium acidity. The oak is there but has integrated really well whilst still showing some warm vanilla. Nice rounded finish of medium length and resonance. This has finally broken through from a long and truculent adolescence and I think it could blossom further. Absolutely superb QPR if you can find it for USD70 or so.

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Great evening.......impromptu is good, as long as you have ready access to your stored wines.