Dave's 60th lunch

Porcine for Dave's 60th: various dishes starting with fish/oyster/scallops (whites) then terrine/pate en croute/creton (pinot/Clape) then whole pigs head/cote du boeuf (rest of the reds) though the matching was more of a guide than a rule as we just swilled, slurped and sloshed our way through the meal

• 1984 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Further to earlier note took this along for lunch. Aromas of cream, honey, bruised apple, sweet spice, slightly butter. Medium plus intensity acidity tending to sour green apple and bruised red apple, a little textured burr, honey. A good idea to tidy this up.

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• 2003 Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon Single Vineyard Lovedale

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  Honey, fresh grass, a little lime, green apple, very slight butter and toast notes. Juicy, fleshy, tangy, medium plus intensity acidity, a little textured, muted lime, slight bitter apple skin and green apple on the finish. Despite being under cork this struggle to show well - Given the opportunity again I think I would decant this; it starts to reveal a little more with time but is fairly reticent today.

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• 2013 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir Home Block

  New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough

  Splash decanted. Slightly savoury notes over black hued fruits; berries and plums, sweet oak spice. Juicy, tangy, slightly savoury black fruits on the palate, the savoury impression from the nose is enhanced by the slightly coarse and woody drying tannins, still quite primary despite that splash decant...a screwcap challenge but this is still nice.

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• 2015 Domaine Auguste Clape Le Vin des Amis

  France, Rhône, Vin de France

  Blackberry, a little meaty, gamey, touches of Ribena and red berry underpin, touch of jubiness. Those red berry and Ribena notes are more to the fore on the palate, slightly chalky drying tannins, touch of smokiness (whole bunch?). Lovely, with time the meaty gamey notes morph into Brett.

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• 1995 Penfolds Grange

  Australia, South Australia

  Double decanted about 2 hours before consumption. Plums, blackberry, a little red berry underpin, biscuit, slight vanilla, caramel, sweet spice, a tiny little oxidative note, a little leather. In the mouth it's rich with black and red fruits, dense, slightly sour notes, talc textured tannic burr persists long with fruit. It's a bit hmm for me.

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• 1998 Penfolds Shiraz St. Henri

  Australia, South Australia

  Gently decanted. Cream, black hued fruits, a little red fruit underpin, sweet spice, berries, a little savoury note, leather. Medium plus intensity acidity, blackberry, sweet spice, fleshy, slightly chalky tannic burr, a little leather, nice.

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• 2008 Clarendon Hills Astralis

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Clarendon

  Decanted. Ripe, concentrated, non-delineated black fruits, plenty of sweet spice plums, slight prunes, a little alcohol prickle lends a peppery note. Juicy, dense, tends to the jammy showing black fruits but less prune on the palate, tight and drying tannins, slightly grainy tannins, long, still quite primary. Balanced, probably a little on the large side for me but very good with pigs head.

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A lot of fun with some lovely wines...and a few that didn't perform as well as one would have wanted...