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A post-lockdown weekend with friends
Copse Hill, Lower Slaughter
Tasted May 1, 2021 - May 3, 2021 by ManhattanBeach with 129 views
Flight 1 - Welcome to the house (1 note)
White - Sparkling
2006 Ployez-Jacquemart Champagne Millesimato Dosage Zero
Bright and clear. I always have a sense of hollowness with this, like there's a gap or vacuum in the middle, like a pause or gasp for breath.
Flight 2 - BBQ lunch in the dining room (2 notes)
Chocolate chicken, burgers and sausages. Harissa potato-skin lettuce salad. Satay aubergine.
Red
2014 Chanin Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard
Not sure why this divides opinion here so much. Accessible, enjoyable. Sweet red fruit, energy without aggression, a bit of depth.
White
2019 Rustenberg Chardonnay
From magnum. This was much more elegant and refined than we'd been expecting, not the big ripe oaky fruit-bomb one might have feared. All really enjoyed.
Flight 3 - Pre-dinner drinks in the hall (1 note)
Rosé - Sparkling
Flight 4 - Dinner in the Dining Room (4 notes)
A Galvin meal box
White
2016 Isole e Olena Chardonnay Collezione Privata Toscana IGT
90 points
Consistent with previous, white peaches and oak, really love this but it always feels too strong. With gnocchi in pea veoloute.
Red
2015 Château La Gaffelière Chateau Chapelle d'Alienor
From magnum, decanted for ~1hr. Very appealing, glossy, sweet fruit and some spice and smoke. With lamb.
Red
2017 Domaine du Galet by La Gaffeliere
Mrom magnum. Short decant. Opened after the 2015 Château La Gaffelière Chateau Chapelle d'Alienor. This is clearly the junior wine and the lesser vintage, but showed surprisingly well with really lovely soft sweet fruit, very mellow, less structure and grip. Opened up significantly on day two. With lamb.
White - Sweet/Dessert
1989 Château de Rayne-Vigneau
With salted caramel dessert. Apricot and pineapple, possibly lacking some cut. But we all drank it quite happily.
Flight 5 - Lunch in the sunshine in the garden (1 note)
Devilled eggs three ways
Flight 6 - Drinks on the roof (1 note)
White - Sparkling
Flight 7 - Dinner in the Dining Room (7 notes)
White
2012 Domaine du Haut Bourg Muscadet-Côtes de Grandlieu Signature
Light and fresh. Probably not the best match for grilled asparagus, slightly overwhelmed. Did better with the wild garlic risotto.
Red
2013 Julicher Estate Pinot Noir
The most enjoyable of the pinots we tried tonight, and a great match for the wild garlic risotto. Decanter calls it "lifted and joyous," and we certainly found the balance of fruit, spice and sous-bois very well put-together. Would seek out.
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Red
2018 Gusbourne Pinot Noir
With wild garlic risotto, cod loin in breadcrumbs. Compared to the Julicher that preceded it, and the Chanin that followed, this felt much cooler-climate - all tension and energy rather than fruit, and I wouldn't call it "joyous" or even generous.
Red
2014 Chanin Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard
The last bottle. Opened to go with the cod loins in breadcrumbs. Better than the Gusbourne 2018; not as good as the Julicher 2013. Otherwise consistent with previous.
Red
2011 Château Brane-Cantenac
Opened and allowed to breathe but not decanted. Still big and tannic. Softened a bit over time and worked ok with the cheese board. Benblu's note seems right on ("Classic off vintage Bordeaux - some tobacco leaf on the nose, quite tannic with a tad lack of fruit and a lean mid palate") but feels like this still has a while to go.
White - Sweet/Dessert
1989 Château de Rayne-Vigneau
With rhubarb frangipani; consistent with yesterday's note, all disappeared quite happily.
White - Sparkling
2006 Ployez-Jacquemart Champagne Millesimato Dosage Zero
Tonight at the end of the evening this was singing, perfect conclusion. Not the first time I've had that experience with this - maybe doesn't show best as an aperitif, but as a closer it's terrific.
Flight 8 - Lunch (4 notes)
White
2019 Chêne Bleu Astralabe
We drank this after the Aliot 2015 and that's definitely the wrong way round, this is too light to follow that. In comparison this was like drinking spring water, lovely and fresh and clean.
Red
2006 Chêne Bleu Heloise
Good, medium/light bodied, versatile. With a relatively light beef casserole; worked well.
Red
2015 Château Haut-Batailley
Could have benefited from more time or decanting, I think. Textured, enjoyable, great with the hard cheeses. Can't help but feel I didn't experience this at its best or in the right way.
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