Dinner at the Bannockburn Hotel

A dinner organised by Andrew with Blair and Mike from Felton Road and other Central Otago wine friends Sarah, Olivia and Chris. I brought most of the bottles down for the dinner although Andrew added a couple of his own wines.

We served the wines double blind with the white Burgundies, Bonnes Mares and Chambertins in pairs, to compare.

The wines were all double decanted about four to five hours before serving and left with the cork in until dinner (except for the Coche-Dury).

• 1999 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Kabinett

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  A lovely wine. A touch of kerosene on opening, which largely blew off by the time of the dinner. A bouquet of citrus, honey, lemon jubes and cinnamon, with flecks of mineral. On palate, an excellent balance between nervy acids and sweetness. Not cloying sweetness. Ripe fruit, reflecting a hotter year, but with good acidity. Fresher than its years, as Mike said. Powerful, viscous and honeyed but with rocky minerals on the finish. There now for drinking, but with many years ahead of it.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2014 Coche-Dury Meursault

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

  Seeing the primary nature of this wine on opening, we gave it an additional three hours' air in an open decanter (which was about right, and definitely improved the showing on the night). A little flinty reduction, particularly on opening. Meadow flowers, pears and spices. On palate, the ripping acidity and green plum profile had receded a little but was still there at dinner. Lemons, limes, struck match and chalky minerals. Bright and clean. What I think of as the Coche signature of vibrant, intense acidity, matched by full phenolic ripeness. Blair described the underlying material as "ripe but shaded", which I thought was a great summary. Palate coating and weighty. Typical 2014 white Burgundy elegance, with an edge of almost honeyed seeming sweetness, on a bone dry wine. Most, including Blair, preferred the Coche over the Chartron. All of the elements are already so well knit together. As you'd expect, 2014 is a top vintage for this wine. It will be even better in three to five years.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2011 Domaine Jean Chartron Chevalier-Montrachet Clos des Chevaliers

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru

  The winemakers were a bit put off by the oak evident here. Even with the decanting there was still some reduction on they nose, with spices, citrus fruit, peach and other orchard fruit, with some touches of exotic fruit. Racy, intense acidity on palate. Edgy minerality, as Andrew said. Limes, greengages and stone fruit. Very 2011. Clean and silky in the mouth with heavy Grand Cru dry extract. On palate I thought the toasty oak pretty well integrated and not overbearing. It was more detailed and non-linear than the Coche. However, the young Grand Cru is not yet the complete package. It needs another 3+ years to fully integrate I'd think. "A bit oaky but I like it", said Blair. Outstanding potential here, in my view.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2006 Domaine de la Vougeraie Bonnes Mares

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

  I was surprised at the very high quality of this wine. It threw a lot of sediment and seemed quite oaky on decanting but the oak notes had reduced by dinner time. An expressive nose of spices, florals, earth, vanillin oak and Bonnes Mares funk. In the mouth, a nice fruit profile ("A ripe, forward, fruity year" said Blair). Savoury and earthy with largely red fruit. Fresh and clean, showing its vintage. Good focus. Orange peel on the very long, surprisingly persistent finish. Most preferred this wine over the de Vogue.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2006 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

  Black cherries, blackberries, dark spices and florals on the nose. Velvety on palate, with lots of rich, dark fruit, with spices. Voluminous and dense. The tannins were present but very fine grained and well integrated. Seemingly speaking less of Bonnes Mares than the Vougeraie, harder to pick the Climat but obviously of Grand Cru quality. I preferred it over the Vougeraie. There were however suggestions of oxidisation (perhaps due to the low sulphur regime?) in this wine I did not really see. It was more in need of extended cellar time than the Vougeraie (5+ years). I thought it was excellent, albeit presently much less accessible than a recent bottle of the 2007 de Vogüé Bonnes Mares.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2002 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  Andrew knew I was serving the pair of Bonnes Mares and thought that this Barthod would be an interesting comparison. It was. It was also a lovely Chambolle from an excellent maker and site ... A pretty, spicy bouquet of dark fruit, musk and dark florals. In the mouth, rich and quite full and muscular for a Barthod. But with racy, lively acidity and minerality, to match the dense, meaty black fruit. It seemed a more complete wine at dinner than when we opened it but it had also tightened up a bit. Blair said that it "seems younger, richer and higher acidity than the two Bonnes Mares." At 15 years old, only a baby, but certainly very enjoyable.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2001 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru

  This is a superb Burgundy. Everyone agreed it was the WOTN. Relatively pale colour. It was beautiful on opening but filled out and improved by the time it was served. A wonderful bouquet of spices, musk, blossoms and red and black cherries. On palate, a perfect balance of elegance and refinement and latent power. Drinking beautifully now but with years ahead of it. One of my wines of the year so far.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 1990 Faiveley Chambertin-Clos de Bèze

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

  These old style Faiveleys need serious cellar time, so I was hoping that this 1990 would be in a good place on the night, with 27 years' bottle age under its belt. It was, being largely resolved, but it actually probably showed at its best 5-10 minutes after opening, rather than 4-5 hours later, at dinner. Low sediment in the bottle. A light ruby colour, bricking at the rim. A nose of strawberries, earth, forest floor and chest of drawers oak. By dinner some mustiness had developed, with sous bois and autumn leaves aromas coming to the fore. On palate, the oak was well integrated, as a mature Burgundy drinking, with those brushwood, earthy, savoury and umami elements emphasised. A developed wine, opulent and rich. "Very 1990" said Blair, but with good acidity, I thought. "Sweet and crisp", said Andrew, "with underlying spice". I liked the Faiveley but there was a discussion about whether it was entirely clean, with people wondering about a fault with the cork or the winemaking. Blair's view was that the Faiveley was clean and uncorked but just made in an old fashioned style. For drinking now.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2014 Donnafugata Passito di Pantelleria Ben Ryé

  Italy, Sicily, Passito di Pantelleria

  An interesting, distinctive wine that matched well with dessert. A bouquet of stewed apricot jam left on the stove, apricot kernel, marzipan and crushed almonds. In the mouth, toffee apple, barley sugar and apricot tart. Not however cloying or over sweet. Decent acidity. Medium bodied.

  Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue