Belated Birthday Dinner

With only half of the gang due to COVID restrictions

• NV Alexandre Filaine Champagne Cuvée Spéciale 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Lovely again - this bottle has put on a smidgen of age since one we had just over a year ago. The nose had a nice floral sweetness to it, along with stone fruit, melons and a nice bit spice and mineral. Very expressive and attractive, with just a little hint of earthy oxidative tones at the edges. It was superbly drinkable on the palate, with a fine, creamy mousse and bright acidity tingling through energetic tones of green apples, lemons and limes - a whole lot more citrusy here than on the nose. Easygoing, eminently drinkable, yet with a serious bit of structure and definition, and plenty of character to boot. I did not find it quite as impressive as the last bottle I had at first, but this really opened up and put on weight through the night - a lovely bottle to start the night off with.

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• NV Jacques Lassaigne Champagne Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs La Colline Inspirée 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  A very vinous bottle of bubbly - this smelt like a mature Burg, with notes of earthy, oxidative funk alongside red apples, some honey, and then a good bit of yeastiness alongside that brought me back to Champagne. The palate was very drinkable indeed, with fresh, snappy flavours of green apples, again with a bit of honey, all laced with juicy acidity and an energetic mousse that led into a nicely mineral finaih. A touch on the simpler side, but it had a nice weight and heft to it, with the fresh balance and energy making it a very enjoyable drop.

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• 2017 Domaine Testut Chablis Grand Cru Grenouilles 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  This was a quietly pleasing bottle. Quite reductive at first, with a matchstick twang on the nose, and then a bit of sulphur to boot, but these blew off slightly to reveal white flower notes, a little kiss of clotted cream, sunny white fruit, then ripe gooseberry and star fruit notes along the sides, maybe a burst of almost Sauvignon-like aromas of freshly cut grass, all these pierced with a lovely flinty, smoky minerality. The palate felt a touch light for a Grand Cru, but it had really delightful flavours, with a graceful dance of white fruit, winter melon and daisy flowers lightly laced with a quietly persistent spine of spice and mineral leading into a sneakily long finish. Lovely purity and transparency here I thought. Lightness aside, there was actually a gentle persistence and intensity too; along with its lovely cut and freshness, it was a great foil for a whole lot of seafood dishes.

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• 2007 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières 94 Points

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

  This was lovely. It had a beautiful nose, with drifts of sweet cream, white flowers and honeyed pears and ripe apples, some earthy mineral, and maybe with just a touch of butter and caramel my speculos biscuits hinting at new oak running along behind. A charming nose. I loved the palate. It was a beautiful marriage of Sauzet’s conviction and complexity, with the sunny generosity of the Folatieres terroir, and then the bright acidity and lovely purity of the 2007 vintage. This just unfolded across the mouth with lovely notes of red apples, honeyed pears and sweeter pineapples riding on a bed of fresh, lemony acidity. Absolutely lovely. Great finish too, superbly integrated and gently insistent, with a long tail of butter, almond and stony mineral, all trailing away into the distance. What struck me though was the tremendous cut, definition and purity to the wine, with a wonderful transparency shining through the entire package. This is drinking well now, but will continue to shine over the next 5-6 years and beyond.

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• 2007 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune 94 Points

  France, Alsace

  Absolutely lovely - this was everything I like in a Clos St Hune. The nose was a study in power and reserve, with deep notes of earthy mineral laced through a core of green apples and pears, with just a touch of spice and kerosene on the sides. It was on the palate where this really shone though - powerful, intense, yet noble and understated at the same time. This unfolded across the palate with effortlessly deep, powerful notes of red apples and green pears, lemons and lime zest, these punctuated with a beautiful stony minerality that pulled the wine into a wonderfully long, almost briny finish. Purity and power I thought. A tremendous wine, drinking well now, especially with food, but with its future way ahead of it yet. This will aged effortless over the next decade and beyond.

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• 1999 J. Confuron-Cotetidot Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Super yummy. I really liked this. The nose was pure Vosne, with notes of woody, spicy sandalwood and cardamom, floating around a core of black cherries, dark plums and berries, and then a more savoury touch of earth, meat and mineral. Compelling stuff. The palate was lovely too. Effortlessly powerful, this filled the mouth with generous flavours of black cherries and dark plums, earth and meat, liberally seasoned with notes of wood spice, orange peel and an earthy minerality, all trailing away into a satisfyingly full finish. Firm but fine tannins and nicely balancing acidity rounded it off. This was not the most polished or refined wine, but boy was it a delicious charmer. An archetypal Suchots to my mind. Lovely stuff, drinking well now.

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• 2008 Domaine Perrot-Minot Clos Vougeot 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Decent, but probably a half-step behind the other wines tonight. It had a rather funky, muddy, earthy nose, with sous bous and soil, floating around deeper notes of dark cherries and blueberries and deeper blackberry aromas, all with a dose earthy, spicy minerality at the sides. The palate had a Grand Cru depth and texture to it, with fine but firm tannins and deep-set acidity framing juicy notes of dark cherries and blackberries, a touch of blueberries, and then muscular notes of florals, spice, and a deeply wound beefy, meaty, earthy pulling away into a long, full finish. All quite nice - just that it lacked a touch to finesse. There was lots of charming, if rather rustic generosity on this though. Rather delicious stuff, starting to show well now, but with some upside to it yet.

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• 2007 Nicolas Potel Charmes-Chambertin 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

  An absolutely lovely 2007 Grand Cru. This had a lovely nose - red cherries, darker berries, earth, meat, a little sprinkle of spice, some violet flowers. So pretty. Absolutely drinkable on the palate too - here, bright citrusy acidity and silky tannins framed deliciously soft, velvety flavours of red cherries and slightly darker wild berry flavours. Pure, transparent and energetic, with a lovely nervous 2007 feel to it, all leading into a really nicely defined finish - this lined with a touch of spice and a good spine of stony mineral. Delicious. Such a lovely mouthful, and drinking beautifully now too. Super stuff.

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• 2002 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques Domaine Louis Jadot 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Very, very good indeed. The nose was rather subtler and less pretty than the 2007 Potel Charmes-Chambertin that we had alongside, but somehow deeper, perhaps more compelling, with a deep pull of red cherries and fragrant wild berries infused with bits of rocky mineral and peppery spice, maybe a touch of savoury meatiness as well. Absolutely lovely stuff. It was on the palate where this really showed its chops though. This had almost Grand Cru depth, filling the mouth with beautiful layers of black cherries and sweet dark berries, then gentle wafts of earth and spice, all these layered on a bed of stony minerality. There was just a superb sense of depth and balance on the wine as it unfolded across the mouth all the way into a wonderfully long, superbly integrated finish. Bravo. This was superb bottle, drinking wonderfully now.

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