Nick’s 2024 Birthday lunch at Con and Marie’s place

Nick very generously provided the wines from his cellar expertly matched by Con and Marie’s cuisine. Jill, John C and Chris, Mike and Cathy, John F and Lucy and Wayne were also in attendance.

All wines were served double blind but the quality of these wines – and their identities – shone through.

Thanks very much, Nick, Con and Marie it was a wonderful celebration!

Nick matched some of the wines from his 2014 birthday dinner: https://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=26558&searchId=4C0F33BF&UISource=list

The Montrachet and four reds were decanted about six hours before serving, which seemed appropriate.

• 2002 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 100 Points

  France, Champagne

  From Magnum. Superb Blanc de Blancs at a pitch of perfection. Clearly Tattinger Comtes with a mixture of tensile tension and on point acidity, rich, gorgeous 2002 Chardonnay fruit and developed, complexifying elements. All finesse, balance and elegance. Nick served the 2002 Comtes at his birthday 10 years ago. In 2014 I noted the Comtes had a precision and steeliness - but not quite the opulence and lushness of the 2002 Winston Churchill - that set it apart. My 2020 note described more opulence and richness (and the beautiful and multi-layered bouquet, as here). Perfectly in the zone now but I’m sure well-stored bottles will continue to drink beautifully until beyond 2040.

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• 2004 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 96 Points

  France, Champagne

  A great contrast with the Comtes. Served blind, unmistakeably vintage Krug signature. Apparently a blend of 37% Pinot Noir, 39% Chardonnay and 24% Meunier rather than the more usual 50%/35%/15% blend. Deep straw colour. More autolytic than the Comtes on bouquet. Ginger, caramel, mandarin, brioche, spices and grapefruit. On palate, typical vintage Krug markers, powerful and rich, with assertive acidity compared with the elegance and grace of the Comtes. Dense and opulent. Creamy with notes of tangerine, butterscotch, green apple and some fallen, browning apple and saline elements. Not oxidative, surprising primary and contained for 20 years of age. No hurry to drink this vintage.

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• 2017 Henri Boillot Montrachet 98 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru

  Pale gold. An intriguing bouquet of spices, lemon oil, meadow flowers, and chalky minerals. On palate, the gravitas of Montrachet with the Henri Boillot house style. Pure and clean, powerful and concentrated. The serious mid palate fruit weight you would expect. Precise, racy and insistent acidity, reflecting the vintage. No excessive reductive or oak imprint. Citrus, green fruit, orchard fruit, spicy and mineral elements interplay on the palate. Brooding and compact. Ideally it needs another ten years to fully unfurl but its quality was evident on the day.

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• 2009 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin 99 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru

  Served in a pair double blind with the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. A complex, detailed bouquet of brown spices, chalky minerals, black cherries, cassis, warm earth and rose and violet florals. On palate, obviously relatively young, yet beautifully integrated and balanced. I had the wine as a Vosne-Romanee Grand Cru – and did not find any overt Gevrey-Chambertin character – but, at this level, I find the village characteristics can be confusable. Depth, concentration and balance. Silky mouthfeel and elegant with rounded, suave tannins and bright, vibrant acidity. Nuanced with blackberry and black cherry, spicy, mineral, earthy and savoury elements. Structured and very long. At the lunch I preferred it to the La Tâche although that is the more primary wine. A great match for Con’s fillet steak dish.

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• 2009 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 98 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Tâche Grand Cru

  Served in a pair double blind with the Rousseau. A little deeper, darker ruby-crimson than the Rousseau. An even more powerful and intense bouquet than the Rousseau showing black and some blue fruit, kirsch, wet steel and granite, spices and lifted, dark florals. Lovely fruit sweetness on entry to the palate followed by a dense, rich and intense mouth feel. A core of austerity. Coiled. Beautiful, satiny texture. Black cherries, blackberries and currants, slatey minerality, dark chocolate and iodine. Over the three or so hours of the lunch the bouquet really opened up although the palate remained pretty unchanged. Ideally hold until 2035.

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• 2001 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà 97 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Served in a pair double blind with the Monfortino (and well matched to Con’s ragu dish). Deep red but some watery garnet at the rim. A mellow, rounded, Piemontese bouquet of cinnamon, black truffle, red roses, liquorice and dark red fruit with umami and tarry touches. “Lovely dried flower aromatics”, as John C said. On palate, layered and complex, with melded fine gained tannins. Red cherries and raspberries, some dried red fruit, dry soil, smoky barbequed meats and a touch of tobacco. The poise, elegance and balance suggested prime era Giacosa red label. Ten years ago, at Nick’s previous birthday, this wine was my joint WoTN, with a 1996 La Tâche and it was still drinking in its prime at the lunch.

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• 2001 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 99 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Served in a pair double blind with the Giacosa red label. Similar deep but evolved colour to the Rabajà. A beautiful bouquet of dark berries and cherries, sandlewood, cumin, old leather, dry brushwood and earth, liquorice, star anise and dark florals. As with the Rabajà, a little – but not over-prominent – creosote. On palate, more dry extract, fruit concentration, mid palate weight and power than the Rabajà with more complexity and layers. And with great poise and elegance. Fruit, mineral, earth, savoury and umami tones combine. I’d expect it to drink well out to 2045+. My red wine of the day.

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