Boxing Day Family Lunch

A great family get-together with the Alam family...with most of our kids back in Hong Kong for Christmas.

Jeff and I should have overruled the choice with hindsight...but we have a Taittinger Comtes to drink over our next game of snooker.

• NV De Sousa et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé Flawed

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Jeff brought this and a Taittinger Comtes to the lunch. He and I opted for the Taittinger but were outvoted by the rest of our families, who preferred the idea of Rose (although at 92% Chardonnay, it's a bit odd for a Rose). Very muted and fast-disappearing mousse. Pronounced dull salmon pink colour. Very few bubbles even with vigorous swirling in the glass. Nose is totally flat. Palate is dead on arrival. We then saw it had been bottled in March 2013 and disgorged in April 2014 and concluded it was probably never intended for significant storage. Sometimes, democracy doesn't work out best but what the hell (and we saved the Taittinger for another time).

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Both starters were excellent

• 2013 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series 90 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Two bottles drank initially over a Burrata salad starter for most and pan-seared Foie Gras for others. Has taken on a pale yellow gold from the light green gold when last drank in April 2021. It still retains an elegant and welcoming but reserved nose....this is a more restrained vintage than others. Palate is green melon and a nice refreshing acidity that then segues into slightly heavier cantaloupe melon. Quite reverberant, heady and long on the finish. A quite powerful but very balanced wine. We deliberately kept it at cellar temperature because previously it has lost its tension as it warms up. Next time I'll experiment more. Don't think it is one of their better vintages because I normally love this more but still 90+

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Both were excellent

• 2001 Chateau Musar 92 Points

  Lebanon, Bekaa Valley

  One from 2 cases bought on release and in pristine condition. Decanted for 2 hours (which is less than I'd normally do) then drank alongside a Cos D'Estournel 2001 similarly decanted which I wanted to compare it to. Perfect cork!! This is a very 'clean' vintage with little of the classic Musar funk (although I happen to love that too). No detailed notes but suffice to say that it was a dead heat with the beautiful 2001 Cos we drank alongside it, which is praise indeed. 92 easy.

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• 2001 Château Cos d'Estournel 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  From a case bought on release and stored in pristine condition. Decanted for 2 hours (I'd normally recommend 3-4 hours) then drank alongside a Ch. Musar 2001 similarly decanted as I wanted to compare the two. Perfect cork. No detailed notes because we had a big family lunch in full swing but this was everything you love about Cos. I think this is a massively underrated vintage and crazy QPR. Elegant but earthy and very satisfying from first nose to the long reverberant finale. 92 easy and deserved greater contemplation. BTW, the Ch. Musar 2001 matched it toe to toe (but I am a Musar fanboy).

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On arrival, I wished 'Merry Christmas' to a fellow member who I don't know and later noticed he was drinking Krug and Cristal with (as it turned out) his son and son in-law. They were the only other table and I complimented him on his wines as we were finishing lunch. As it turned out, they were drinking '96 and we had a quick chat about what a great Champagne vintage that is. He then very graciously invited me to try a small glass of each as we were leaving.

I really like this about Crown....how friendly and generous people are with their wines.

• 1996 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut

  France, Champagne

  A small glass very generously offered by a fellow member at Crown alongside a Cristal 1996. No detailed note as no time to contemplate but this oozed class, if still somewhat adolescent. My first time with this vintage. Grazie!

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• 1996 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut

  France, Champagne

  A small glass very generously offered by a fellow member at Crown alongside a Krug 1996. No detailed note as no time to contemplate but this oozed class, if still somewhat adolescent. My first time with this vintage. Grazie!

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• 2014 Domaine Jean Chartron Bâtard-Montrachet 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

  Bought recently at auction and drank contemplatively over a quiet Boxing Day evening at home after a lovely long lunch with friends. Surprisingly deep canary yellow gold colour. Nose is slightly burnt getaway car tyre rubber, limes and lemons still hanging on the trees, salted caramel. Palate is brisk fresh acidic attack, then fairly primary lemon and lime juice, tart, tannins are predominant in the background. Very little length or resonance on the finale because it is still so primary and pre-adolescent. Well-made but that’s about it. It almost tastes still like a barrel sample at the moment and even the next day. Personally, I'd forget in the back of your cellar for the next 5 years and hope it blossoms. It has maybe mid-90’s potential in 5 years but is 88-89 for now and I wouldn’t open another before 2029/30. I thought I well overpaid at US$250 (and still do) until I saw the retail prices quoted on Wine-Searcher.

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A lovely day....the food and the service at Crown was excellent.