RSV and Richebourg Dinner + Montrachet and La Tache

Holland Park, Singapore
Tasted Tuesday, May 28, 2019 by Paul S with 239 views

Introduction

Lovely potluck, anchored by Milton's wonderful saitoh fish noodle

Flight 1 - WHITES (3 Notes)

  • 2015 Benjamin Leroux Bourgogne Blanc 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc

    Good - noticeably ripe and fatty, but this had plenty of presence for a Bourgogne along with a good sense of balance. The nose smelt of sweet stone fruit, ripe gooseberries, and then a bit of florals and a kiss of minerality. The palate had an oily richness to it that made it seem bigger than a Bourgogne, with flavourful tones of ripe stone fruit lined with a bit of spice and mineral.

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  • 2014 Samuel Billaud Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 93 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    This was absolutely delicious - everything you would want from a Chablis. The nose was beautiful, full of flinty mineral and just a little soupçon of spice, all zipping through more neutral white fruited aromas. On the palate, it did not have the weight and length of a top Grand Cru, but boy there was plenty of strength and intensity here, with clean white fruit and a squeeze of lemon curled around a real solid core of stony, sinewy minerality, all this stretching into a beautiful long, detailed finish. So pure, so clean, so laser-like in its focus, yet with an easy elegance to it that made it a delight to drink. I was floored by this. Drinking well young, but will continue to improve in the near to mid-term.

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  • 1999 Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) Montrachet 94 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru

    So lovely. This had such an archetypal Montrachet nose, with layers of sweet cream, plump white fruit, ripe melons, pinpricks of spice, and a halo of white flowers, all this with a kiss of oak still in there. Amazing. The palate was not quite as astounding as the nose, but there was still plenty of Montrachet magic to go around. Not the most detailed or defined, but this was power and intensity - with mouthfilling flavours of white fruit and flowers and mineral and cream - wed to supreme elegance, and balanced to a perfect pitch. The midpalate was pierced with a lovely bit of kumquat acidity that just pulled the wine into a tremendsouly long finish of preserved limes, mineral and spice. Superb stuff, and drinking wonderfully now.

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Flight 2 - INTERLUDE (1 Note)

  • 1988 A. et P. de Villaine Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise La Digoine 89 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise

    Very decent indeed. The nose smelt of Vosne strangely, with dried earth and spice laced through dark cherry notes. The palate had a hint of the lean 1988 structure of fine, firm tannins and bright acidity, but there was also a bit of nice round black cherry fruit leading into a smoky, slightly peaty finish. Nice.

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Flight 3 - RED FLIGHT 1 (the oldies) (2 Notes)

  • 1974 Charles Noellat Richebourg 94 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru

    Delicious again - wooh. Lovely nose. Sarasarapilla root, sweet florals, then bits of mineral, spice and meat, along with drifts of red fruit and bramble. Lovely mature stuff. The palate was delicious, with layers of meat and smoke, floating alongside a superb mouthful of soft red fruit and gentle spice, this trailing away in a quiet but insistent finish of root beer, spice and caramel, underlined with a twist of bramble. Completely soft, mellow and mature, yet nicely still nicely kept up with a decent bit of acidity. Old for sure, but yummy.

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  • 1972 Moillard Richebourg 94 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru

    Gorgeous, and so very alive. The nose was wonderful, forest floor, and mushrooms, and earth, and then an absolute burst of red cherries and strawberries, spice and fragrant flowers. Wow. A crazy bouquet. The palate was an absolutely top drop. This just exploded in the mouth with layers of red cherries and berries and strawberries, all gently seasoned with a lovely bit of earth and spice and garrigue that lingered beautifully on the back-palate.

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Flight 4 - RED FLIGHT 2 (3 Notes)

  • 2000 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Romanée St. Vivant Flawed

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

    Unfortunately corked. Still shows some prettiness, but the TCA was there.

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  • 1995 Joseph Drouhin Romanée St. Vivant 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

    Nice enough, but very 1995. A classic RSV, but still so young and rather tight. It started with pretty nose of sweet red cherries, fragrant Vosne spice, and crushed flower petals. Nice. The palate was layered with fine but firm tannins and a bit of acidity, and then fairly pure flavours of dark cherries, mineral and spice. Good weight, nice balance, but a bit tight and reserved like so many 1995s. The finish pulled away with a surprising amount of sinew, with a mouthful of fine tannins and minerality. I am not sure if the fruit will outlast the structure, but this has some quality on it.

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  • 2001 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Richebourg 95 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru

    Wow. Best example of this I have had so far. What a superb Richebourg nose it had, with smoke and meat and earthy forest floor, then black cherries and plums, all laced with a wonderfully fragrant waft of exotic Vosne spice. Solid stuff. The palate was full of youthful vigour and power, with a punch of dark cherries and berries, and a lovely spine of minerality, all infused with an absolutely mouthful of Vosne‘s wood spices. Pure and transparent, yet chock full of effortless strength and elegance. Wow. This was absolutely superb. Fine tannins and wonderfully judged acidity then led the wine into a beautiful long, insistent finish, which just unfolded on the back palate with a lovely flush of spice. Amazing.

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Flight 5 - RED FLIGHT 3 (2 Notes)

  • 2002 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Romanée St. Vivant 95 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

    Tremendous. Opened 6 hours before service, this was absolutely singing. Wonderful stuff that stood toe-to-toe with a 1996 La Tache without batting an eyelid. The nose was amazing - mossy earth, and sweet exotic spice, toast, then a deep waft of dark cherries and crushed violet petals. Just magic. Perfume and earth. Lovely stuff. One of the best noses on any Burgundy I have drank in a long time. The palate was still a bit young and tight. It gave tons of pleasure for sure, with an already opened mouthful of dark cherries and plums, seasoned with earth, mineral and spice - but there was still a certain primary thickness and a clench of 2002 structure to it, with plenty of fine, firm tannins and bright acidity underlying the more elegant fruit and spice character. The finish felt especially structured, with fine tannins undergirding an otherwise mouthfilling burst of orange peel and wood spice. Absolutely wonderful stuff, but not quite as giving and open as the beautifully pure 2001 Hudelot-Noellat Richebourg just poured before. My next bottle will be kept unopened for at least 2 years more.

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  • 1996 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 94 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru

    A lovely way to end the night. The nose, in pure La Tache fashion, was a killer - whole cluster herb and bramble and wood spice, a crunch of fresh dark cherries and blackberries, and then brushes of tobacco and wet leaf - almost Bordeaux-like I thought. The palate was huge. Less lush and generous than one would expect from a La Tache of this age I thought, and marked with plenty of 1996 character in it’s fine tannins and bright, juicy acid structure. There was still a certain deliciousness to it though, with a yummy crunch of sour cherries and red berries, and then a good bit of spice and a little touch of bramble leading into a nicely pure, defined finish full of prickly spices. A lovely, pure wine, but needs time yet - there were just so many tight, structural elements that stood out amongst the fruit on the night that distracted quite a bit from the overall enjoyment factor. Maybe we caught it at a wrong time, but this felt rather more monumental than hedonistic - I would love to try it again in another year or two.

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