Lunch at Les Amis

Leyland's birthday, plus a surprise

• 2018 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Excellent. This was surprisingly accessible young and very enjoyable on the day. It took just a tiny bit of time in the glass to open up, but when did, it showed off a light but attractive nose of chalk and mineral, pear and white peach, along with a little kiss of florals and citrus zest at the edges. Very inviting. The palate was really nice too - a mix of the soft fleshiness of the 2018 vintage with the mineral and cut of a good Chablis, this glided through the mouth with lovely notes of white fruit - think pear and apple flesh, maybe a bit of melon - and then a spine or stone and mineral pulling away into an open knit, juicy finish. This was a really harmonious, integrated wine, which made it so easy to drink. I really liked the cut and definition of it thought. The structure and dry extraction was not in your face, but still present enough to make this both a delicious and very focused Chablis. Great stuff, and a perfect foil for both lobster and turbot dishes. Really nice now, and it may yet improve over the next few years.

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• 2016 François Lumpp Givry 1er Cru Clos du Cras Long 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Givry 1er Cru

  Such a delightful wine - this has really evolved nicely over the past 9 months since my last bottle. It was a beautiful pairing with duck margret too. I just loved the nose on this, with black cherries and berries, spice and violets, and then a little trail of stony mineral and brambly herb running alongside. A really perfumed bouquet. The palate was still on the youthful side, with fine tannins and bright acidity still lending the wine a little chew, but this was a lot more evolved than the dense, slightly tight bottle from last heat. In fact, that bit of youthful structure aside, this was actually quite pleasingly open and drinking rather well, with juicy cherries and blueberry flavours garlanded with a fragrant wreath of warm spice and earthy mineral trailing away into a neat finish. Transparent, pure and with a lovely sense of midweighted presence - this was a delight to drink. It will continue to improve in the bottle over the next few years as well.

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