Grand Designs Reveal Week - Dinner #3

Wedge House, Queensberry, Central Otago, New Zealand
Tasted Friday, August 16, 2019 by Marc with 124 views

Introduction

Alsatian Onion Tarts
Salmon Seviche with Green Peppercorn Sauce
Sautéed Gurnard with Brown Butter
Composed Farro Salad
Lamb Loin Sautéed with Macademia Nut Oil, Sautéed Whitloof
30 Month Comté Cheese
Coffee Ice Cream, Chocolate Nibs

Flight 1 (7 Notes)

  • NV Taittinger Champagne Brut Réserve 89 Points

    France, Champagne

    Broad, yet fresh. Super Champagne with excellent balance, and great definition. With Alsatian Onion Tarts, for the final scene of G Designs.

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  • 2006 Hiedler Grüner Veltliner Maximum 92 Points

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal

    Golden straw, caramel and honey aromas, in the mouth, huge presence, rich mouthfeel and opulent texture. Not a trace of the 15% is felt at the end. The fruit is still very much vibrant and alive. Gorgeous finish. Outstanding aged GV!

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  • 2006 Hiedler Weissburgunder Maximum 91 Points

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal

    Tasted directly after the Hielder GV Maximum 2006, this felt slightly more developed, with a hint of herbaceousness that was not present in the far more opulent GV. A beautiful match with a composed faro salad, this wine had wonderful bottle age development, allied with a sense of acid structure that worked well with the herbal flavours of the salad. Rich and textural, but not as opulent as the 15% GV (this was 14.5%). While very opulent, the fruit intensity just drops off on the finish, but in no way hinting at drying out. I would drink this in the next 2 -3 years.

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  • 1989 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 95 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

    Stunning, mature Hermitage that showed considerable farmyard character. Goregous focus, with a still-tight, lean purity of fruit expression. Impressive for its tannic backbone. This is all animal, leather, cow-pat and black berries. Beautiful complexity. Next to the even more focused 1999, this was (for me) the better match with a Lamb Loin dish with a macadamia nut oil reduction. While at a developed plateau of maturity, this will continue to evolve for a decade or two into the future. Whether it improves will be a different story, but it will certainly develop and always be a wine of extreme interest.

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  • 1999 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 97 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

    Clearly an extraordinary wine. Tasted next to the more developed 1999, this came across as riper, more focused, more intense, and far more floral in personality. Still rather primary, compared to the quite tertiary (but still young!) 1989, this is beginning to show signs of the development that will occur in the next 10- 30 years. Tight in the mouth with a massive tannic structure, the purity of the blackberry fruit is exquisite, and almost Burgundian. Approachable now, but good things will come in time! This should be flirting with perfection within the next generation... A great, great Chave. 97+

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  • 2004 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 93 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

    Tasted after the 89 and 99, this feels quite suave, supple and modern - albeit with a classic Syrah/Hermitage intensity. Rather less structured than the older wines (but only in comparison to them), this wine is approachable now for its purity of blackberry and plum fruit, but I see this wine developing in a more supple manner over the next 15 years. Lip smacking acids, alongside pinpoint clarity, brings a lot of interest to the table. Not a great Chave, but a great wine.

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  • 2004 Craggy Range Syrah Le Sol Gimblett Gravels Vineyard 93 Points

    New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay, Gimblett Gravels

    Tasted with the 2004 Chave, this showed the clear style of Hawkes Bay Syrah. Rather more bright and black pepperoni personality than any of the Chaves, I actually felt this wine to be equivalent in quality to the 04 Chave! Luxurious elevage, succulent Hawkes Bay Syrah fruit, fabulous structure, supple texture, very modern. As per normal, Le Sol strikes me as a brilliant mid-Tasmin wine.Sadly this was my last bottle, as there is absolutely no hurry on the wine, and I see strong reasons to believe this will age positively for at least 5 - 10 years.

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Closing

Justine, John, Chris, Boris, Sharee

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