BBQ at Pokai Parera

Whitebait fritters

North Carolina pulled pork

Potato salad

Coleslaw

Baked beans

• NV Veuve Clicquot Champagne Extra Brut Extra Old 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Essence of the Veuve Cliquot style. Utterly refined, gorgeous mouthfeel, and a beautiful, gently modulated palate. This wine feels complete to me and in no need of more cellaring.

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• 1997 Harlan Estate 94 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Massive wine, with extraordinary concentration. The nose is certainly on the porty side, and the levels of volatile acidity are close to out of control, but the over the top nature of the nose and the extreme structure and inner core of this wine make for a serious party in the mouth. Extremely ripe, but the overall impression is one of intense muscularity. In terms of intensity and ripeness, it could be accused of being a one-note wonder, except that there is considerable complexity. Still an absolute baby - it will be interesting to see how this evolves over time. If you can tolerate VA and can appreciate the intense style, 93-96+++ points, for those who can't, a considerably lower score will be in order... Certainly outstanding for me, and this may very well become something special (in a wild and woolly way...). Next to the outstanding Beringer Private Reserve from the same vintage, this came across as far younger. Easily a 30 year wine, based on this showing...

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• 1997 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Drunk at a BBQ, alongside a couple of Harlans and a Pichon Lalande. The wine wine opened beautifully in the glass, showing a broad Napa fruit quality, in a proportion similar to the Bordeaux (although without the PL's intense graphite nature). Textbook new-world Cab nose, ripe, but wonderfully judged. In the mouth, warm and broad, but extremely well structured. It is showing excellent bottle age character, and feels like it is in a good place in its maturity, even though the positive evolution in the glass suggests that there is no hurry. Next to the Harlan 97, this is far more traditional, and without the obvious flaw of the Harlan's VA, but it also does not have that wine's extreme levels of concentration. As a wine to match with food at the dinner table, this is brilliant. Without question , fine wine.

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• 2001 Harlan Estate 97 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Drunk next to the Harlan 1997, this is by far, the greater wine. More floral in nature, with the ripeness of the wine never hinting at overripeness. The dimension of the wine is very similar to the older wine, but its refinement levels, less obvious VA (although certainly very high), more supple tannins, and perfectly modulated palate mark this as a great wine. It has nothing to do with traditional Bordeaux (or Napa), but on this showing, makes a strong case for its extraordinary style. Apart from the VA (which does add lift), it is difficult to poke holes in the wine. All fine wine has an inner core that frames the structure and experience, but this wine's core seemingly reaches out to the very edge of the wine's dimensions. There is plushness, structure and suppleness, but there is no fat - the wine is all muscle (like the 97, to be fair). It might be called monolithic, except for the extraordinary level of complexity that lurks under the fruit. The main issue is how long this wine will take to get into its peak drinking window, where bottle age complexity and transparency begin to moderate the primary fruit. At the age of 17, this is not yet happening. Ageing potential? I don't know - let's call it conservatively, now - 2076..... 97-100

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• 2001 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Outstanding wine from a less intense vintage, showing superb wine making skill and a real sense of place. Classic lifted Medoc nose of graphite, currants, green olive, and oak. In the mouth, pinpoint structure, fine length and a great live of complexity. Its overall mouthfeel and impression is one of balance - in a leaner, earthy, and ethereal manner (certainly compared to the warmer Napa wines it was served with). Fine ripeness and an ease of drinking make this a great experience. I think this would be a fabulous choice for a restaurant wine (if someone else is paying - also those Harlans!).

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• 2007 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 94 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Opened by a friend, to balance with the Harlan cabernets (in terms of fruit intensity and ripeness), and also in terms of its appropriateness with the food it was served with (BBQ Pork). New style CNdP from a monstrous vintage. Fabulous Grenache fruit, powerful palate, and great length. Unfortunately, the wine suffers from a common problem of 07's, namely a hot finish. There is currently a searing quality to the back end of the palate, that I feel detracts somewhat from the overall experience. The quality of the fruit is absolutely not in doubt - there is a purity and intensity that mark this as an absolutely brilliant example of winemaking. In that respect, the wine was an interesting match to the Harlans, as this was a nature that all of the bottles shared. I'm not convinced that the heat will ever be subsumed into the wine with time, so one's score will depend on one's tolerance for the effects of alcohol on the structure of the wine. Many will rate this higher, or lower than me! My score is based on my admiration for the fruit, in the context of the style and vintage..

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• 2007 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 91 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Really delicious example of a 2007, in a less alcoholic style. Very funky nose, but with gorgeous fruit and plenty of provencal herbal complexity. In the mouth, large, but balanced, spicy and complex. Drinking beautifully (and possibly enjoyed more than the Janasse VV drunk at the same time). Outstanding greanche.

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