Dinner with RC and friends (and some seriously old Bordeaux)
Duddell's, Hong Kong
Tasted February 9, 2023 by ilee with 154 views
Introduction
Once again I was spoiled silly by RC who hosted a few of us at Duddell's for what he billed as "some old bottles". He certainly stretched the definition of old! (For me, "old" used to mean the 70s and early 80s, but I must revise that now...)
Drinking Bordeaux from over 60 years ago was for me a revelation -- the sheer diversity and complexity of flavor, and texture, make it such a vastly different drinking experience from the very neat and robust wines that Bordeaux began making from the 1990s. (And another huge plus: the hangover the next day is also much gentler!)
To my palate, Duddell's is one of Hong Kong's best modern Chinese restaurants, with terrific cooking that combines traditional and contemporary elements. A most enjoyable meal.
It was nice to meet and chat with everyone; thanks RC and also P and M for the bubbles and white burg!
Flight 1 (6 notes)
White - Sparkling
2013 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut
France, Champagne
Fine fine nose of citrus, toast and gravel. On the palate, it is all clean lines of fruit, with a rich and zesty attack that make you feel like a million taste buds on your palate are blooming. A beautiful champagne that will be a delight to drink for 30 years.
Red
1949 Château Palmer
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Tasted blind. Vibrant ruby color. Delicate, subtly complex red fruit nose with dried moss and a tiny hint of mint. Light bodied, the fruit is a little fragile but still has the energy to pep up the palate. And there is even the gentlest of tannic edges in the 30 second finish. Nice.
I nearly fell of my chair to find it was from 1949. I've never drunk anything that old! Whoa. Imagine the stuff that has happened since this wine was put into the bottle...
Red
1961 Château Ausone
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Dark, almost powerful nose, densely packed with sweet crushed blackberries and a whole lot of other things: chocolate, barnyard, broccoli stems, damp cardboard, potting soil. What's going on! On the palate, there is a firmness in the medium body, fruit is still cruising though the tannins are finely faded, and there's almost no alcohol. The finish, funnily comes and goes; depending on what you just ate, it either disappears in 5 seconds, or lasts for half a minute. An amusing, amazing experience to drink.
It was a fun moment when the foil came off. RC even said when he opened the bottle earlier, he removed the capsule to find there was no cork. No cork? That's pretty crazy, I thought. Were we drinking wine that included a fully dissolved cork? But at the end of the evening, there it was, lying on the bottom of the bottle. Haha, phew!
Red
1964 Château La Mission Haut-Brion
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Tasted blind. Lively bright ruby with not a hint of bricking. Elegant nose with dark berries, dry leaves and a distinct mineral complexity. Medium bodied on the palate, the wine is beautifully balanced and nicely proportioned; the still-vibrant fruit nicely resolved with the tannins that are light as snowflakes. Easy, effortless finish -- as though the last 60 years was just a dream.
Red
1964 Château La Mission Haut-Brion
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Tasted blind, it seemed so tantalizingly similar with the bottle just before it; that same telltale mineral character, but oh this one was more powerful; the nose was richer, the wine more fulsome on the palate. Haha it turned out also to be 1964 La Mission, just a different bottle from the same case, popped and poured. You really had us there, RC! (PS. that last half a glass I downed as we stood up to leave last night, mmm it's still tingling on my palate!)
White
2014 Louis Latour Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
Golden amber color. Complex notes of baked pear, iron and minerals on the nose. Crisp and clean on the palate, great balance of flavor and acidity, with a faintly creamy edge. Nice and refreshing, a great foil to the senior reds at the table.
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