The run up to Christmas in the trade for me is less a bunch of
parties and more just a good opportunity to catch up with a few friends and customers
and share some bottles. First up was a Zucca Lunch with a fellow wine trader,
my senior in every way, known to wear the odd bow tie (no more clues). Two wines were shared. Chassagne-Montrachet
1999 from Bernard Moreau which I thought, when trying blind, was a decent mid 90’s
Meursault 1er Cru. It was in great shape, not complex but delicious and further
added to the good record I have had with the 1999’s I've been lucky to try. It is not a grower I know but
a little research reveals he has nice if not stellar holdings. My bottle was
rather cheeky being Porcaria 2009, Tenuta di Passopisciaro. I said it was
something different so there was no blind tasting stitch-up in operation. This
is the second of the Contrada’s, for contrada think "Cru", from Andrea Franchetti’s estate in Sicily that I have had recently. We are
talking 100% Nerello Mascalese the fruit expression is bright red and very
vibrant, delicious and lightly decadent, the palate needs some time but
cracking stuff. Lots of topics covered from Premox (groan) to skiing.
The next
lunch was at Alyn Williams at The Westbury in Mayfair. Very good food, we did
the tasting menu and I think I am going to vow not to do any tasting menu’s
again…they just don’t suit me. That is probably one of the most obnoxious things
I’ve said but it is true. The dishes in this meal were all complex and show of
the chef’s very clear talent. The rabbit was especially stunning. The setting is lavish and
a little decadent, a good thing. The wines were Egly-Ouriet Brut Tradition, Meursault
Sous le Dos d’Ane 2007, Domaine Leflaive and Barolo Riserva 1964, Giuseppe Mascarello.
The Champagne was a new one on me with 75% Pinot Noir
and 25% Chardonnay and a lowish dosage of 5-6g. It was very much a toasty wine
and never bad but never either vibrant or out and out rich enough, one to try
again I feel. Anne–Claude Leflaive’s Meursault is a wine that is getting
better and better. The cross over between a Puligny Producer and a Meursault
vineyard in a focussed and taut year like 2007 works really well to my mind. This is not a pretentious wine it is just a very good one. Now on to undoubtedly the
most interesting of the 3 bottles. Sourced well from a private cellar my
co-luncher had got this bottle from the last vintage, we believe, before Mascarello
started to make Monprivato. 1964 is a fabled vintage in Barolo and along with
1967, 1971 & 1978 one of the best mature ones. The wine was most confusing,
bright and translucently candied red almost like a new born Volnay. The cork, a
short one as it correct, came out whole and in good order. The nose had definite notes of
maderisation but not of oxidation, the acid was still high. The wine stayed
focussed and stayed in the same candied fruit profile, it was some experience,
neither amazingly great nor disappointing. It would be amazing to try it again…fat
chance!
The evening after Alyn Williams a more relaxed meal was to be had,
early supper at Zucca again. This time the main event was a cigar out the back
of The Woolpack (also on Bermondsey street and recommended) after food. We started supper,
the instruction had been humble and interesting rather than grand, with my offering
- Langhe Bianco 2008 from Josetta Saffirio. It is a wine I have had
several times now and really enjoy, 100% Rossese and like a fresh Rhone white
with more acidity but also a waxy texture. Joe’s wine was the first red - Beaucastel 1995. Good,
elegant for CNDP, red slightly bruised fruit and balance, possibly a dash short
but really enjoyable. It was during this supper and the cigar that followed
that I realised how much the joy of good wine and good cigars is just enjoying
them and the conversation that sparks out of the gathering. This is not chat specific
to the wine, quite the opposite as often you have a good wine, say “bloody hell
that’s good” and then conversation flows in all directions. The next two reds were Parker Estate
First growth 1994 and Branaire Ducru 2002 which should have been an interesting
pair but sort of wasn’t. The Branaire sadly wasn’t 100% clean, you could tell
from what we had that is was very decent and medium weighted, just the job for
this evening. The pair wouldn’t quite have worked anyway as the Parker was a
notch up in volume and precision too, very youthful in as much as it was still
quite primary, an impressive bottle. With the bottles gone and lots of pasta
and veal chop consumed we went to the pub for a cigar each and a couple of
pints of Landlord. Cigar chat ensued as the four of us are all fans. I finally
smoked a customer rolled robusto I was given nearly a year ago and dam good it
was too.
Unsurprisingly the fourth meal here was also at Zucca, my last visit
of 2013, with a customer now friend who I have dealt with for 10 years and who
loves Conterno. We started with Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese 2003, JJ Prum and a
few fish orientated starters. The wine was lovely, the normal Auslese release,
it had lemon sherbet zip to it, a little spritz and I would have been amazed if
anyone would have called it as an 03. Very good and as always with Prum even
better at the end of the meal than the beginning (wines to double decant if ever there was one). The main red was Monfortino 2000
from Giacomo Conterno, any Monfortino day is a great day in my book. I have had
the 2000 before but not this year. The fragrance and graceful power is quite
something. I really enjoyed drinking this, if I owned it I would say drink from
2018 and for two decades thereafter. It also worked so well because Sam (@Zuccasam) added in an extra course and arrived with fresh and gorgeous white truffle. After
this we had the awesome linguine with Duck Ragu and chatted away...just what
wine is all about, a cracking pre-Christmas week done!
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