Dinner at Liu Fu

Plenty of Champagne tonight, which suited the food. However, the trio of Dom Perignon bottles was wholly serendipitous. Thankfully no repeat of vintages.

Reds were lovely, early drinking bottles that went a treat with Chinese food - both very enjoyable.

• 2011 J.L. Vergnon Champagne Grand Cru Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Hautes Mottes 92 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  A neat little grower's Champagne, though rather overshadowed by the trio of very nice Dom Perignon bottles that we had alongside. Disgorged on 14 Jun 2018, this was still very tight, but had definitely benefitted from some time in bottle. The nose was the one part of the Champagne that felt quite developed, with notes of caramel, browned fruits and some kumquats along with just a shade of earth. The palate on the other hand was fresh, round and powerful, with a dry spine spearing through flavours of white fruit shading into riper kumquat territory, and then notes of mineral and spice at the long finish. Still rather tight all round, but there was a nice sense of texture and power, and plenty of character to it. The fresh balance made it very drinkable as well in spite of its zero dosage. All in all, a decently good Champagne.

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• 2008 Dom Pérignon Champagne 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Always a winner - this was another lovely bottle of 2008 DP. The nose showed a bit more development than earlier bottles, with lovely little notes of honey, butterscotch and caramel biscuit alongside fresher aromas of apples. It was lovely on the palate too, with more of the apple and sweet lemon notes held in a remarkably pure and balanced mouthful, with a wonderful sense of integration between fruit, acidity, and the wine's fine mousse. This felt a little more powerful than some of the previous examples, yet there was a clear sense of grace and elegance behind that weight. Lovely long finish too, with the biscuity note from the nose peeking out again. Yum.

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• 2012 Dom Pérignon Champagne 94 Points

  France, Champagne

  Super. A different animal from the more exuberant 2008 that we had alongside, but I actually preferred this bottle on the night. This had more of a typical young DP character on the nose, with notes of strawberries and apples laced with hints of mineral and spice. The palate had a sense of richness to its lovely flavours of strawberry flesh and red apples, but the wine still came across as sleek, almost spare, with a fresh, linear, elegant feel to it, lent partly by the wine's fine mouse and perfect balance. Lovely finish too, long and linear, with hints of minearlity stretching on the backplate. Such a classy Champagne. Still in its infancy, but already screaming with potential. Given its balance and finesse, no harm drinking now, but this is really a vintage where some bottles should be laid down for the very long term.

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• 2003 Dom Pérignon Champagne P2 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  A nice Champagne for sure, but on the night, not necessarily better, not any more enjoyable than either the straight 2008 or 2012 DPs that we had alongside. I unfortunately lost my detailed notes on this wine, but what I noted down hastily was a nice nose of apples, strawberries and a little toast, while the palate felt rich, round, ripe and creamy - reflective of the the warmer 2003 vintage. Rather different from your regular Dom Perignons, P2 or not. I liked this for what it is, but I can see it dividing opinions.

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• 2019 Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Orchis Mascula 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune

  As with previous vintages I have tried, this was an easy to like, easy to drink wine. Nothing spectacular, or really complex - but certainly a pleasurable bottle. The nose on this was especially lovely: really perfumed and floral, with a savoury and sweet melange of violets and cherry aromas playing against an earthier backdrop. The palate had a very clean, clear feel to it, with notes of dark cherries, brighter red berries and then a little touch of earth, and some bramble. Simple, forward, but very nice. It felt balanced and pure, maybe a little on the sweet side at first, but then putting on a more savoury weight and depth with time. This is one of those wines where one feels they were built to be drunk relatively young. Yet I cannot help but suspect that it would benefit from some age - it will really be interesting to try another bottle in say 4-5 years down the road.

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• 2018 Fattoria Poggio di Sotto Rosso di Montalcino 92 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino

  Almost like the spiritual twin of the Naudin-Ferrand Bourgogne that was served alongside, this was such an easy, enjoyable wine. A perfumed, flowery beauty; not the greatest depth or complexity, but such a joy to drink. What a striking nose this had - rose water and condensed milk, smelling for all the world like a bandung drink, and then drifts of potpourri and talcum powder wafting along a core of sweet cherries and raspberry accents. With time, some soil aromas started coming out, to add some base notes to the otherwise very perfumed bouquet. The palate was perhaps just a tad less exuberant, with nice flavours of sweet cherries and raspberries, seasoned with a little spice and a little herb. This felt very elegant, very classy, with silky tannins and fresh acidity making for a very lively palate. My only faults with the wine was that it felt a little candied at points, and I would have called it simple on the palate, if not for a sneaky complexity that came in on the finish, where some rose petals came up alongside the fruit. Such an enjoyable wine, and it did really well with food too - where the fresh acid worked well, and the sweetness was somewhat tamed. A lovely Rosso, drinking really nicely in its relative youth.

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