Fine wine at Cornus

Cornus, SW1
Tasted Wednesday, August 28, 2024 by NickA with 232 views

Introduction

Cornus, apparently the London opening of the year, has a tempting menu and does corkage - let's check it out

Flight 1 - Canapes (1 Note)

These were excellent - there was a (very elevated) gougere, a tartelette with extremely fine pastry, and a delicious cube of pork belly. Both focaccia and sourdough were also very good.

2002 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 94 Points

France, Champagne

A fresh, youthful bottle that (according to my knowledgeable companions) was showing better than these sometimes so; it was certainly very enjoyable, and a shame only to have one glass! A pleasant melange of ginger, orange peel and green apple, with some caramel showing towards the finish, and excellent balance. Great way to start.

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Flight 2 - Handpicked Devon Crab, Hass avocado, wasabi and finger lime (1 Note)

2016 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 93 Points

France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

Served fully blind by the somm to accompany a crab starter. Pretty obviously French Sauvignon, but our initial guess was a younger wine (went quickly to 2016 after that, given the rounded acidity) and we were split between Pouilly-Fume and Bordeaux.

A touch of smoky reduction and subtle toffee (presumably from oak) on the nose, with some grass too. Refreshing and gooseberryish on the palate despite the lack of biting acidity, slightly waxy too, and with a crisp bitter finish like biting into an underripe peach. A very good wine - and great with the crab, too.

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Flight 3 - Hand-rolled spaghetti, Cornish Lobster with N25 Oscietra caviar and Amalfi lemon (1 Note)

2009 Marc Sorrel Hermitage Blanc Les Rocoules 92 Points

France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

A great, opulent example of mature white Hermitage. Deep straw colour. Rounded and waxy, and slightly sweet as well as having the trademark nutty bitterness - perhaps a touch of icing sugar towards the finish, or a dash of the juice from a tin of peaches. A pleasing accompaniment to spaghetti with a lobster sauce.

Sadly the Beaucastel Roussanne VV '05 it was to have been served with was practically dead, and its backup '03 was completely so - neither was served.

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Flight 4 - Roast Landes Chicken (Arnaud Tauzin), Scottish langoustines, truffle sweetcorn, roast chicken sauce (2 Notes)

1985 Château Léoville Las Cases 94 Points

France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

In a good spot, although without the magisterial intensity of a bottle last year. Plenty of attractive, ripe fruit on the nose along with savoury and musky top and bass notes. Slightly thick and cherry liquorish on the palate, with smoky, meaty seasoning and a tart, brambly quality towards the long, ashy finish. No-one could fail to enjoy this! Incidentally, the cork seemed riddled with TCA, but luckily the wine itself was unaffected.

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1985 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 94 Points

France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

A fair bit more tertiary than the '85 LLC we had alongside, but couldn't split them for enjoyment. Truffley, smoky nose that got ever muskier with time in the glass. Rather piquant on the palate, although the remaining fruit was a mere hint of raspberry and the predominant flavours were of things like cocoa, coffee and preserved lemon. Finishes sweet, juicy and with warming energy. Really delicious (especially with the food), but certainly not a wine to keep further for my palate.

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Flight 5 - Gouda, Comte and some other English cheeses (1 Note)

2006 Marc Sorrel Hermitage Blanc Les Rocoules 93 Points

France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

This was judged unsuitable to accompany the starters, but worth having with cheese, and it certainly was. Rather browner than the '09, but only gently nutty, the flavours being slightly sweet: lemon curd, custard, honeysuckle. Dense and chewy, especially on the finish. I wouldn't have managed a whole bottle, but shared between six this was delightful.

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Flight 6 - Brown sugar custard tart with blackberries and fig leaf (2 Notes)

1999 Château d'Yquem 92 Points

France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

Half. Deep marmalade, biscuity, and a subtle botrytis spice on the nose. Intense and juicy on the palate, almost tannic even. This was excellent, but also a bit 'generic Sauternes' and didn't therefore merit a higher score.

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2007 Château d'Yquem 93 Points

France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

Half. Lighter and spicier than the '99, and more of a floral, slightly soapy aromatic profile too. Soft, cosseting honeysuckle and airy icing sugar on the palate, along with some creme brulee. The sense of concentrated richness without any heaviness was admirable but I found this slightly too 'charming' to be completely wowed.

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