Cantina Giacomo Conterno “Paulée” with Roberto Conterno

Back in May I made the annual trip to see Roberto Conterno and taste the new releases at Cantina Giacomo Conterno along with a few other wines (I love my job) you can read about that trip HERE.

One of the things we discussed with Roberto and his, ever helpful, assistant Stephanie was getting them over to London, this we finalised while we were out there, setting dates for July. They had a very busy time while they were here and I have briefly put notes at the bottom of this post about the wines we showed at a press lunch and a private customer dinner.

One of the main things I wanted to do, with not a hint of self interest you understand (much!), was to get some customers together for a small (we were 12 people) Paulee at 67 Pall Mall. The team there, headed by Gareth, did a great job with endless Zalto Burgundy glasses and lots of pouring.

The team in the kitchen did exactly as asked and came up with a simple and non-clashing menu as below. In the nicest possible way I don't think we even noticed the food much!

Fillet of beef Carpaccio, rocket, capers and sourdough croutons

Somerset organic spelt and girolle risotto

Fillet of beef Wellington with beef dripping roasties

Girolles on toast

People were asked to bring along a magnum or two bottles of a wine of Roberto's. I did a little bit of "steering" on the selections and we came up with a cracking combo.

As the guests assembled we started with some Wiston Blanc de Blancs 2010 which is drinking very well right now, a nice combination of zip and a little toastiness showing, the sort of thing I will regret not tucking a few bottles aside of to see what it is like in 5 years or so.

Flight 1 - "Nobody puts Barbera in the corner"
Ok so that's a naff title for a flight but as Roberto never tires of saying "you are not opening a bottle of Barbera or Barolo of even Monfortino...you are opening a bottle of CONTERNO". The Barberas are given every bit of love and attention that the Barolos are and I would say (well I would wouldn't I) that the Conterno Barberas are the most consistently high quality you will find anywhere. I wanted to use this as a chance to show not only the two sites but two different stages of evolution:

Barbera Cascina Francia 2008 - this is a wine I know very well, moreish and becoming more savoury, good mellow grip and dark but not deep fruit. There is a lot of balance here, pretty seamless. Quite serious as Francia always is.

Barbera Cerretta 2012 - this is, like 2008 above, from a cooler, more classically Nebbiolo vintage. The vibrancy of the violets and dark cherry fruit is superb. If I was to drink any Conterno without food as an "aperitif" it would be Cerretta Barbera. Cool stoney minerality seems to get in there too.

Flight 2 - two by two...
So this is a cracking way to get to know two sites. I was keen to show these as they are two different vintages and then the two sites. The site differences showed very clearly. The vintages did too but a little less so. I think this is often the case with great producers.

Barolo Cerretta 2010 Magnum - this is the first Barolo from the site, 2008 and 2009 both being released as Langhe Nebbiolo (the 2008 is stunning right now!). This has a super-charged feel, rich and fruited and with a big structure, there is density and concentration here, lusciousness even sucrosity. This will be fascinating to follow.

Barolo Cascina Francia 2010 Magnum - my note for this features the word "serious" twice. There is a density but this is a linear wine, with drive and poise. I like this a great deal, it is just as I would want it to be, introvert, saline, tight and proper.

Barolo Cerretta 2011 Magnum - this really typifies Cerretta for me, it is friendly and approachable, begs to be drunk. Sweetness and succulence. There is a very Nebbiolo character but also a warm vintage intensity. If you own this it would be a great shame not to try it in youth.

Barolo Cascina Francia 2011 Magnum - my note just starts "Superb wine". Delicious fruit, good grip and drive that makes this less overt than the Cerretta. Reassuringly savoury and grippy but with fruit that roles over the tannin, great balance to the nose, red, black, soil and salinity. You can really sense the input of what would have been the Monfortino barrel.

It was every bit as good a flight as I hoped, as expected the 2011s are showing more now but the 2010s would appear to have it all.

Flight 2

Flight 3 - One site, four vintages... 

If I was asked to name my favourite vineyard, from a pure drinking perspective it may very well be Cascina Francia. Now planted to 9hectares of Nebbiolo (to give you a perspective Clos de Tart is a little over 7 hectares and La Tache is around 5hectares) and 5hectares of Barbera.

Barolo Cascina Francia 2008 Magnum - I am a massive fan of 2008. I really feel that those who may have bought Barolo in 2004 and 2010 (the most lauded vintages) but not 2006 and 2008 have made a mistake. 2008 is a vintage of sweetness and elegant feminity but with no lack of classicism, 2006 is the older brother to 2008, grip and texture, a wine of sternness and complexity. Roberto was very interesting on the 2008 as a growing season mainly because there was a seven-day spell towards the end of September when the temperature fell to zero...this was about a month ahead of the Nebbiolo harvest. Somehow this seems to have left wines with less obvious tannin but no lack of complexity. This wine is a lovely example of Cascina Francia, fruited but not overly so, red bramble like hints with brine and leather grip in there.

Barolo Cascina Francia 1994 - this was "gone", badly stored I am guessing, like bovril and PX sherry then tobacco leaf. It is a wine I have had before, a few years ago, it is ok but not much more. In Roberto's own words "from 1995 it is pretty difficult to find bad vintages".

Barolo Cascina Francia 1990 - A wine I know pretty well and last had with Roberto when I visited back in May. It is also a wine I have had a few other times over the last 5 years. Saline, soy, degraded darker fruit and some bacon fat are real signatures of this wine. We did while tasting this superb wine get onto talking about 1989 vs 1990 and I remarked that I'd never had the 1989. There was also no Monfortino in 1989 which would seem odd for a vintage that many label as a comfortable 5stars. The reason is that only 4000 bottles of Barolo was made from the Cascina Francia vineyard due to a hailstorm. It remains I wine I crave to try.

Monfortino 1955 - now this is an experience and one I have had a couple of times before. Notably here during a splendid lunch. This was good showing. From 20 years (ok 19) before the Cascina Francia site was bought. Frazzles, bricky, briney nose with richness. There were a couple of funny conversations over this wine but the over-riding memory was that Roberto simply commented how totally ludicrous his predecessors would have found the idea of people in London enjoying this wine nearly 61 years after it was made!

Flight 4 - Mighty Monfortino...for now and for later...
Monfortino is an iconic wine in the correct sense of the word i.e. because it has proved itself to be a beacon for Barolo and not because the estate or someone in marketing department calls it such a thing. Iconic status can be difficult as it comes with expectation. I genuinely believe that the Monfortinos of the last 15 years (01, 02, 04, 05, 06, 08, 10 & 13*) are amongst the greatest. * The 2013 will be just Monfortino (i.e. no Barolo Cascina Francia), a move not seen since 2002. Simply put, the quality is that good.

Monfortino 2004 - one of only about 5 or 6 wines I have given a perfect or near perfect 20 out of 20 to. That was when I tasted it at the estate back in May 2011. It is a wine I have had a few times since and it is profoundly good. Such drive and persistence, grace and at the same time fathomless structure. It has red fruit as well, no deep dark monster just a great wine. I wouldn't change a thing about it.

Monfortino 1999 - a slightly volatile example compared to the ones that the note below refers to. The was good, rich and full with a lot of salinity.

Monfortino 1997 Magnum - This is a cracking example of a mature Monfortino. It has soy and a little ginger as well as nicely degraded fruits. Of the Monfortinos from the last 30 years this is the one to drink right now. I think it will age well but why would you?

Monfortino 1995 - This is a leaner vintage for me, not quite the round degraded elements that you can find in the 1997. A little stricter. I have a feeling it will make a good older wine, I have nothing but gut feel to base that on. 

It was a wonderful evening - to get the chance to sit and discuss this many wines with Roberto and hear the passion was incredible. I'll leave you with one comment from Roberto, said in the most heartfelt way imaginable "We do not make wines for other people, it is only in making wines for us that satisfy us, that we can be satisfied, that is what drives us".

All that really remains is, as ever, to thank Roberto (and Stephanie) for the time, energy and wonderful wines...I am looking forward to my next trip to the Langhe already!

A great nights work!

----

Also in the same visit we hosted both a press lunch at the office and a dinner at Sartoria in Mayfair. On both occasions we showed the same four wines, my notes below:

Barbera Cerretta 2013, En Magnum - "Intensity" and "pleasure" are the watch words here. This is a great vintage for Barbera, expressive and rich but with the necessary acidity and focus. More extrovert than the 2012 mentioned above. To my taste this will be in the zone in 2-3 years. Very true to its site. 

Barolo Cascina Francia 2001 - Saline, salty, a zesty texture with bacon fat and soy, mellow fruits, some ginger appearing. This is just shifting from 3rd gear into 4th. Classical - 2001 being a serious vintage of intensity.

Monfortino 1999 - This is a very typical Monfortino for me, a vintage you "Chew", rich but vast, full and focused at the same time. Hard to write a note for actually. I have always liked this wine.

Barolo Cerretta 2011 - More clay here in this site and it shows there is a lusher texture. Notes from all three times (including the above) are very consistent. Vibrant energy.

Soldera 1981-2006 courtesy of Vinous

This was a brilliant Vinous dinner tasting on April 27, 2016 led by Antonio Galloni, it was surely one of the most historically significant vertical tastings of Gianfranco Soldera’s Brunellos ever staged. It followed a similar format to the incredible Monfortino Magnums 1970-2006 event also hosted by Vinous at Maze. The menu, below, was expertly put together by Executive Chef Matt Pickop with the service orchestrated by Head Sommelier Arnaud Bardary.

In a point made by Antonio at both events the food was deliberately non Italian. This being the case as the wines should be seen in the overall context of superb wines rather than "just" Italian wines.

I know these wines well and was so very excited about this great dinner. A few other posts on the wines and the people (person!) behind them can be found here:Visits to Case Basse and experiences with the wines.

We started the evening with a glass of the Salon 2004 - my write-up of the Launch - which always sets the scene well, a little saline, nicely poised and almost in Grand Cru Chablis in taste profile.

Menu

Amuse Bouche

Cumbrian Beef Tataki, Smoked Ponzu

Roast Turbot, Orzo, Mussels, Saffron Sauce

Duck Breats, Truffle, Endives, Chanterelle Mushrooms

Saddle of Herdwick Lamb, Spiced Aubergine, Raw Vegetables

Selection of Cheeses

Flight 1 - The Early Years: Most of the wines were opened in the afternoon, Antonio did wait though, until just about an hour before dinner for the 1981 and 1987. He thought the wines might be a little delicate but he needn't have worried. All these four wines came from the very same vineyard - Intistieti. There are two vineyards - Intistieti and Case Basse but you can drive yourself mad trying to get 100% on top of what goes where and when. Essentially, nowadays, there is one wine. The best place for more info is this bit of the Vinous site.

1981 - Lovely colour, lighter on the rim and browner at the core. A little grainy volatility. Bright fresh, ferrous and opulent all that the same time. Vibrancy always there, elegant, gentle palate, a little ginger note too, great start. Has no right to be this good really.

1982 - More even colour from rim to core here but overall a shade lighter. More degraded nose, more bricky, more mature Nebbiolo-like to my mind. Lovely lively acidity, moreish finish and repays time in the glass. Very proper and complete.

1987 - Good, firmer colour. A little woodier, though not from wood itself, there is elegance, a lighter more fragile palate. Given the year this is superb. I think I may have had a slightly less clean glass that my neighbour whose glass showed a little more. On an evening of 100's of glasses this is bound to happen.

1988 - Transparent, slight bovril colour but bright. Exuberantly brilliant nose, high toned with a hint of "fishermans friends" (which I love). Extravagant, eucalyptus, resinous, has a medicinal concentration, herbal, an element here reminds me of Chinato. Just wonderful.

Flight 2 - Sleeper Vintages: I always love to see some younger vintages in these sorts of tastings as it really adds perspective. The 2006 comes later. The 2007 is minute and the 2008 and 2009 have not been bottled for very long.

2000 Riserva - A little whiff of volatility but it passes. Redder core in colour terms. Only a dash of colour change on the outer rim. This is airy, breezy, saline and juicy all at the same time. There is richness on the palate that contrasts, but doesn't clash with, the nose. Terrific.

2003 Riserva - Colour like the 2000 but may be a shade redder still. Berry fruit and a leathery animal undertone. There are some herbs and good richness. You don't feel the heat of the growing season but there is a sense of smaller more intense berries. This is elegant as well as quite bold, delicious and nicely decadent.

2005 Riserva - This is from Intistieti only. The fruit from Case Basse went into Pegasos. There is a pale yet vibrant colour here. There is a distinct note that I have often found on the 2006 as well and it is of washed beef and/or carpaccio - it is a very distinct thing, I like it, it's like a meaty salinity. Then there is a strawberry fruit character which makes you think of fresh and lovely pinot noir. The weightless elegance is quite something as is the sweetness. I feel this will gain weight and intensity and is incredibly promising.

Flight 3 - The Mid 1990s: This flight was a tasting in itself...

1993 Riserva - This is a vintage that Gianfranco Soldera likes very much for drinking now. A superb colour then a stony minerality on the nose and then vibrancy. The palate has some grip but also a linear focus. The texture is then more rich with an almost toffeed edge. Just lovely.


1994 Riserva - Monica Soldera (Gianfranco's daughter) is a massive fan of this vintage for now. This has good colour from core to rim. It is slightly herbal, very fine with a gentle persistence, it gained weight and structure with time and is something of a hidden gem.

AG decided at the last minute to add the "Case Basse" Riserva next to the "Intistieti" Riserva for the purposes of comparison. The bottles can be seen above. This is not done today despite the fact that the wine is still bottled botti by botti and essentially what the above labels show is what happens now just without the identification.

1995 Riserva Intistieti - Translucent yet rich, darker colour. A fuller palate than many so far, a richer more masculine wine. There is a balancing savoury side of leather and a little mellow tobacco.

1995 Riserva Case Basse - This is also a richer wine than many but not with the fruit intensity of the Intistieti bottling. There is a lightly more pronounced secondary side. Good.

1996 Riserva - Very clear if developed colour. The nose has a soy element to it but with sweetness, a wine of degraded brown sweetness rather than red fruit. This is strict and very 1996 in character, masculine but a man in a suit not casual clothes. Sweetly savoury and very moreish...super.

Flight 4 - Reference Points: I got myself in a right old mess trying to score the wines in this whole dinner. I gave up in the end. In this flight everything was 18.5 out of 20 and above. Staggering quality

1997 Riserva - Good mid colour, degraded sweetness and richness. Lovely decay but without any premature ageing. Extravagant rich palate with good grip and a red fruited character coming through. White pepper shows too. Wonderful.

1999 Riserva - So classically brilliant. Meaty, good colour, like the cold washed meat of the 2005. Savoury and masculine with a bold yet totally resolved structure. A big chap! There is a dash of saline to the finish, intense, serious and nicely uncompromising. 

2001 Riserva - Slightly lighter colour, good clarity, so complete, very special. Not that extrovert but so balanced so moreish. This is grippy and serious, a wine demanding more time but with so much to give, almost muted but showing enough. Serious.

2004 Riserva - Richer fuller colour. Outlandishly vibrant red fruits, washed meat, berries and intense freshness, so gorgeous that it is hard to write a note for this. What's not to like. So full yet so focused, so fruited yet so intense. Immensely good.

Flight 5 - The Icons: The title here implies we might not have had any icons yet which frankly is ludicrous and we'd had at least 5!

Why the two 1983's? Well, to quote AG directly, baring the bits in brackets "In 1983, Soldera bottled two Brunellos - one a straight Brunello (Stainless steel and with temperature controlled), the other a Riserva (traditional production) - that were essentially essays on different approaches to vinification. We tasted them both, from magnum."

1983 magnum - Fullish colour and delicious nose, decent richness but also a toastiness. Some good grip, a savoury side too. I put that it has a slightly less complete feel but scored it highly (18+?) as it is clearly a very good wine. 

1983 Riserva magnum - Fuller, richer colour, a little fuller of fruit too, more depth to it but may be not the precision of the non Reserva.

1990 Riserva - This is thought to be the first vintage with the Case Basse in it as well as Intistieti. It is a wine I have had once before and and whilst labeling a wine as one of the all time greats is dangerous I think it is almost impossible not to with this wine. There is a savoury sweetness and a weightless intensity that makes this special even in this stunning company. I firmly feel the 1999, 2001, 2004 and 2006 and possibly several others are as brilliant and potential peers but will they do what this wine has done? This has fruit, darker than many, saline from seaweed, degraded tobacco and soy, intensity and elegance. Wonderful.

2006 Riserva - AG commented that "The 2006 is a rock star" and I totally see where he is coming from. It is the Soldera wine I know, comfortably, the best. For me it is the best single example of how wonderful, and different from what many people think, Sangiovese can be. It does have the wet meat note as well as both red (always been there) and darker (just appearing) fruits. There is richness but also lift, the savoury side will come later. Persistence, drive and elegance are the watch words here as ever.

Conclusions:
I came to this dinner with high expectations (always dangerous) but a possible feeling that the older wines may be a little hit and miss and that the younger wines would be where the excitement lies. I think the overall consistency and balance was staggering. The mature wines were a delight. The wines produced since 1999 are so incredibly brilliant though that I can't help but think that this estate is still evolving and is still so clearly on the up. This is born out by the fact that the two vineyards, which run up against each other, are amongst the most monitored and studied of any anywhere.

Brilliant - well done Vinous and more than well done Gianfranco...

Amuse bouche

Cumbrian beef tataki, smoked ponzu.

Roast turbot, orzo, mussels, saffron sauce.

Duck breast, truffle, endives, chanterelle mushrooms.

Saddle of Herdwick lamb, spiced aubergine, raw vegetables.

Produttori del Barbaresco - a vertical of Pora...

This was the first dinner/tasting I experienced with a group known as the "Rabelaisians" run by Rob and Sara. The idea is a simple split the bill scenario with a theme - horizontal or vertical - for each dinner.

As the title gives away this was vertical of the "Pora" Cru from Produttori del Barbaresco. A little bit of background that is shamelessly botched together from the "net" follows.

The arrival of Cavazza in 1881 in Barbaresco put the spotlight onto the region and in 1894 he founded the Cantina Sociale di Barbaresco with a group of nine growers. Though the quality of the nebbiolo grown in the region had long been recognized, the newly founded Cantina is generally recognized as the birthyear of ‘Barbaresco’. Two World Wars and the subsequent poverty in Italy had a profound effect on the region and revival only started in the 1960s and 1970s thanks to a generation of young growers such as Angelo Gaja, Bruno Giacosa and the cooperative cellar of Produttori del Barbaresco, the successor of the original Cantina Sociale di Barbaresco. Barbaresco became a DOC in 1966 and a DOCG in 1980.

Produttori del Barbaresco was founded in 1958 by a local priest Don Fiorino Marengo to retain Barbaresco’s young farmers in the area. Today it is recognized as one of the leading producers in the region and its members own one-sixth of the vineyards in Barbaresco. Winemaking in the cellars is very traditional with 28-day fermentations and ageing in large casks. Produttori del Barbaresco Website

Pora

Pora is widely considered as the flagship wine of Produttori. It was at one time owned by Domizio Cavazza and among the first single vineyard wines to be released by the cooperative. It is south-southwest facing, bordering Asili on Calcareous blue marl. The single vineyard’Pora’ bottling is always a Riserva and today aged for three years in botti. 

I was very excited by this tasting as I have always looked to buy the Produttori wines and in fact have blogged about some examples before

2005 - Montefico and Asili
1970 - Barbaresco

The venue will surprise nobody - Zucca, the menu is below:

Salumi Misti

Buffalo Mozzarella with roasted pumpkin

Vitello tonnato

Taglerini, rabbit ragu and crispy sage

Slow cooked pork shoulder, porcini and yellow polenta

Chocolate and salted caramel tart, hazelnut ice cream

Taglerini, rabbit ragu and crispy sage

The wines were served in three flights of four wines each.

Flight 1

2005 - Rich, lovely, precise, has a bit of bite, black cherry, quite bold but clean, blacker fruit that normal. 17

2004 - Ever so slightly closed, slightly airy which is just an expression of it seriousness I guess. There is an intensity about it's texture. It seems an odd comment but this is very clean and precise, long also, I am guessing this will be quite something. 18+

2001 - Slightly disappointing...saline and leather, very masculine, tasting 5-10 years older than it should be. A little too degraded. I have a feeling the bottle was not perfect, it just seemed a little heavy. No score.

2000 - You can tell this was a warm vintage, it has that slightly bruised fruit and a slight lack of precision. A tiny bit dry at the end and without much upside in terms of cellaring, you could keep it but why. All that sounds negative but actually as a wine to drink now it's a good glass. It's just a bit more Monday/Tuesday night Spag Bol than Thursday night truffle pasta if that makes sense. 15.5

Verdict - overall I think people liked 2004 then 2005 with the other two a little behind and general agreement that 2001 wasn't "spot on".

Flight 2

1999 - Some maturity coming, clean, intense, tightly wound, a slight bricky red fruit, Iron and lifted herbs. Really pure and for the purist also. Excitingly correct and proper, just what it should be! 18.5

1997 - Almost a slight greek yoghurt nose, deep and sweet, a slight aniseed edge, degraded but with some strawberry fruit, of the same style as the 2000 but with more to offer. 16.5-17
  

1996 - A little bit of "swimming pool" (not a bad note oddly) then some pine and resin, soy and a little spice but essentially very lean and a little angular, a slight wet-hay greenness. There were a few who thought this corked, I didn't. It was just mean to me, very 1996 in a way. 16

1995 - Initial nose reminds me of caramel, good acidity and nicely complete wine, there is richness and a little salinity (never quite managed to be salted caramel). There is not masses of fruit here but this is good. 17.5

Verdict - No real consensus, many preferred the 1997 but it was third in my book, interesting differences, a flight that slightly lacked fruit given it is not old yet. I'd have that 1999 in my cellar any day (wouldn't last long mind you)

Wine of the night? Only just...

Flight 3

1985 - Beautiful, persistent, elegant, saline, red fruit, simple stoney minerality, the only other vintage it could have been was 1982, absolutely lovely. 18 

1978 - Some stink (sewage even) that passed very quickly then some degraded fruit, good acidity is coming through, sweetness is there and then some soy, this is at a lovely stage and is really quite decadent. 18

1971 - "Swimming pool" initially this passes and leaves trademark salinity thereafter you have archetypal aged nebbiolo, fruit of which some is red, then you have a savoury edge, bovril and soy...really delicious. Complete 18.5

1970 - Some spice, rich, blacker fruit, may be the youngest tasting of this flight, amazing texture and darker colour. There really is something different and special about the 1970 vintage, several wines I have had have this deeper darker body, with some there is a specific reason (Monprivato). Superb 18 

Verdict - A dream of a flight, more because all wines showed exactly what you would want them too in terms of the perceived vintage characteristics.

A real fun evening, well organised and Pora showed very well...buy it when it is released!

Thanks to Rob and Sara...

Gazin with Nicolas de Bailliencourt...1989 to 2011

Wednesday just gone was Gazin at the Café Royal with owner Nicolas de Bailliencourt and Laurent Navarre of Ets JP Moueix.

We'd long been wanting to do a dinner to celebrate and highlight this sometimes under the radar Chateau. Gazin is brilliantly sited on the Plateau of Pomerol. The wines have always been well received but there seems to be a consensus that they have really "taken off" in the last decade. Without getting to specific about the the estate - Neal Martin's book "Pomerol" does that well - it is planted with 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon (relatively rare for Pomerol) and 3% Cabernet Franc. The 2012 and 2013 will interestingly be 100% Merlot as the near neighbour Petrus usually is. There is a second wine, Hospitalet de Gazin, which can be as much as 50% of the production.

So onto the wines, we started before with a trio tasting of 2009, 2010 & 2011 before dinner.

Gazin 2009 - Rich luscious, good concentration without being too much, has a very balanced palate that makes you want to drink it right now, there is a little spice there, red fruit comes though on the palate also. There is structure but the sweetness of the fruit keeps it quite hidden. If you own a fair bit then definitely worth having a bottle now otherwise I think the 10th birthday will see a delicious Pomerol that will drink for a long time.

Gazin 2010 - More damson and black fruit, more acidity and more obvious tannin, grip but no harshness, more broodingly powerful, this will be a savoury and serious Pomerol, I would be waiting until the 12th or 15th birthday to start drinking this and then it will, like the 2009, drink for many decades. As with a lot of estates it will be very interesting to track the 2009 and 2010 alongside each other.

Gazin 2011 - Red fruit and quite tight, the freshness is evident from the off then there is quite a bit of tannin that just needs to settle in to the wine, this will drink well in 3-4 years and then for quite a time. There was some similarity with the 1995 I thought, an almost feminine Pomerol, finesse over power.

It is interesting how the wines performed exactly as the vintages "read". The 2009 easiest, the 2010 more strictly but very correct and the red fruit of the 2011 with a good degree of freshness...

We then broke for a glass of Delamotte Blanc de Blancs NV which as always was drinking superbly, all precision but without being at all astringent. Lovely, must get a magnum for Christmas.

With a first course of Denham estate venison Carpaccio, hibiscus and chocolate marshmallows we had the L’Hospitalet de Gazin 2009 & 2010. The first vintage that there was a second wine was the 1986. The 2009 was quite opulent and open with a mellow structure. The 2010 had blacker fruit and a more ferrous and iron-like density, probably best decanted if drunk now, delicious though and very proper with a touch of sweet fruit on the finish.

Optical illusion, both double mags...

The main course of Rump of English lamb, lardons, spinach with butternut squash puree and market vegetables was really very good indeed and matched the wines really well. Both these two wines, the 1995 & 1989, were served from Double magnum. The 1995 was quite stringy and a little mean when I first opened it but 2 hours later it was delicious, delicate red fruit with a lovely saline refreshment this went down really very well on my table. The 1989 was more variable across the three magnums. There is an exoticness to the wine that the vintage often displays, there is also more texture too, I like it but I am more excited by the 2005 onwards vintages, this coincides with the arrival of Mickael Obert as winemaker from Clos l'Eglise.

The final course was Selection of hard cheeses with rye crackers we had Gazin 2005. I loved the 2009 & 2010 but if I was forced to name a wine of the night it would be the 2005. I thought it was delicious and not a waste to drink now much as I would leave it 2-3 more years before really tucking in with gusto. It had sweet fruit and just enough of a savoury edge to balance. A very complete wine that has a very bright future.

So what was the lasting impression? This is a real wine drinkers estate. It is not showy or aiming to shock it is just very good indeed the wines have real balance and I anticipate the 2005, 2009 and 2010 all ageing in a very exciting fashion. In real terms it is out performing it perceived place in the Pomerol pecking order and that is exciting. Bravo Nicolas!

Trotanoy at La Fleur-Petrus...

Now the title may seem a little odd but there is an easy explanation. Last Tuesday (16th) as part of a whirlwind two day tour to Bordeaux we, a team of 11, dropped into to see Edouard and Christian Moueix as well as Laurent Navarre. Ets JP Moueix own both the properties as above.

It was an exciting time to visit as the weather was very good, September going a long way to making up for a cool August (especially the first half) and actually the Moueix had picked two very small plots on two of their other properties that day just to see how things were. We saw the optical sorting machine and the vats at La Fleur-Petrus as well as discussing the potentially promising 2014 crop - no vintage of the century scenarios here but certainly a good chance of a good to very good vintage.

Optical sorting machine

Having had a good look around it was time to focus on the wines of Trotanoy and taste the 2011 (bottled for one year), 2012 (just bottled) & 2013 (from barrel). With a deliciously simple dinner that followed we had the 2009 and 2010 alongside each other followed by the 1995 from magnum.

Plateau of Pomerol map with the Moueix properties highlighted.

I have written about Trotanoy many times. It is a Chateau that, although I am biased, produces amongst the best wine of Bordeaux and crazily still seems to be on the up. In total it is 7.2 hectares of mixed gravel and clay with an average vine age of 35 years and 90%Merlot with 10% Cabernet Franc. 

Pre-dinner tasting

2011 - From a season of drought and a very long, 3 weeks, harvest. There is a very precise clarity about this wine with almost crisp red fruit. It is tight and with very focussing acidity at this stage. Lovely to taste now a medium weigh Trotanoy.

2012 - Bottling can have a funny affect on a wine but not the case here. Serious and stoney with a mineral nose, ultimately brooding and masculine but with a good lift, complete tannins, I feel this wine will tighten up despite showing well here, I would be leaving 5-6 years before looking again, very good.

2013 - Good attack, a real fruit purity, then the palate is drier and there is still a lot to happen there but it is a wine that has not followed a recipe (that would be a mistake in 2013), I like its freshness. Will be fascinating once bottled.

Dinner wines

Dinner was a very relaxed affair, all sorts of different conversations though unavoidably there was a 2009 "vs" 2010 debate/vote…in a stroke of unplanned diplomacy it concluded 7 all. As you would expect the 2009 will have a broad and long drinking window with little evidence of tightening up, the 2010 in contrast is a classic beauty that demands time. I am ever so slightly in the 2010 camp but it's splitting hairs. The 1995 from magnum was delicious - two different mags both from the same case - showed a little differently, the first was open and ready the later a tighter more taught, more a true Trotanoy expression. Either way both disappeared as the old stories came out…happy days!

Flag flys high at LFP!

Three special bottles and two new (to me) restaurants...

I was very lucky last week to try two new restaurants and have some lovely bottles...

First up was a trip to Umu in Bruton Place, just off Berkeley Sq. This is a location I had heard a massive amount about..."the best sushi outside Japan" is even? The setting is a nice mix of West and East, the crowd for lunch was a good mix. I was well led through the menu by both waiter and my fellow diner who had a few visits under his belt. I didn't take notes or pics of the food (it just didn't feel right to do so) but without doubt there were some of the best mouthfuls I have ever eaten! Sushi to die for, excellent Lobster, incredible grade 11 Japanese Wagyu beef...it may be pricey BUT it's very very good and as an eating experience flavour-wise it is hard to beat!

So what did we drink? Well, to start a bottle of Billecart-Salmon 2004 which had good focus, a nice texture and performed well. To follow it was Chevalier-Montrachet 2010 from Francois Carillon. The historic Carillon estate was split after the 2009 vintage to allow Francois and Jacques to set up their own Domaines. The 2010's were the first for each. The holdings were split but amongst them was Chevalier and Bienvenues and to split these would, as I understand it, left both with two little to be able to really "use". So Chevalier went to Francois and Bienvenues to Jacques. This wine is in such short supply that the UK gets bottles not cases. I had never had it before but, whilst I am totally biased, I was incredibly impressed, there is great acidity but also a flattering amount of lemon fruit, generous and full, over three hours (having had a double decant mid morning) it got better and better. This is a Chevalier with a nod to both the Montrachet and Batard, very smart wine.

The red to follow was a real treat - Monfortino 1982. The last time I had this was at Monfortino Magnum Monday 1970-2006 back in May and on that day it showed well but at the same time I was very keen to see it in it's own right. It did not disappoint one bit. I decided on a cool temperature (crucial) and a gentle double decant 2-3 hours before lunch. There was good red fruits as well as that slightly ferrous saline edge, an almost perfect time to drink it. The 1982 will never be a monster. The vintage as a whole remains under appreciated I feel, there is real class and grace to the best wines. It went superbly with the beef but would have drunk brilliantly alone as well...

All in all a really rather splendid way to spend a Tuesday in July.

The second new restaurant could not really have been much more different - Mash Steakhouse - in Soho. This is the only site of a Danish set of restaurants set below ground in Brewer Street. The food is good, well sourced steaks and the selection of sides and starters you would expect BUT the thing really gets exciting when you see the wine list. On this occasion those I was with had, very generously, arranged for a bottle to be there but more of that in a minute. We first had a glass, ok two, of de Fieuzal Blanc 1990 which was fully mature and slightly clinging on by it's fingernails but nevertheless was a test of the senses. With starters over it was time for the red - Grands Echezeaux 1995, DRC. The only previous time I had this was during  Grands Echezeaux, DRC 14-vintages. This bottle was from a private cellar that had been supplied by the agent but was a little damp hence the state of the label. The state of the wine was the opposite. Fresh almost ripe raspberry red in fruit character with a glorious persistence and life, it is hard to say much more than that, it was glorious and perfect now but certainly no rush needed. I can't imagine this wine will ever be one to make savoury "old bones" it's a feminine Grands Echezeaux. What a treat!

Three amigos do Zucca...

Alessandro and Megan - thank you!

This was a lunch that popped into the diary at a weeks notice. Irish Pete and Nobby (aka Halifax) happened to be in town, so the instruction was "Lunch and bring a red"…So within seconds Zucca was booked and off we went. Nobby was late as usual but…

The menu was:

Zucca friti

Carpaccio of Seabass

Antipasti Misti

Vitello Tonnato

Rare Onglet, almonds

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Casarecce, Hazelnut Pesto

Chitarra, Cuttle fish & Datterini tomatoes

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Veal chop and/or Slow cooked Rabbit

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Custard tart, Raspberries & yoghurt

We kicked off on the wines with a delicious bottle of Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Millenaires 1995. This is not a Cuvee I have had before but certainly one I would like to try again. A really creamy richness, quite "aged-DP" like. Little dash of iodine. All in balance and perfect now, some saline but mostly sweet fruit.

The next wine was served “Blind” by Nobby. It had Pete and I in trouble from the off, we darted around Rhone, Rioja and Loire before having I revealed as Meursault 1er Cru Sous Les Bois 1995 by Robert Ampeau which was a surprise. There was a honeyed richness to the wine but with a herbal edge and an almost tea like quality. The "apples" in the wine became more toffeed with time. It was good and very interesting but I don't think I'd rush out and buy more. Very old school and good for it. Better when cool where interestingly the Heidsieck was exception when still and warmer (always a good sign). The actual vineyard is interesting as I know it but only for red. Thierry Matrot makes a great 1er Cru Blagny Rouge from the site.

So now it was time for some red as the pastas arrived. We decided on serving Bordeaux and Burgundy alongside each other so they could spend time in glass (especially the latter):

Mouton-Rothschild 1996 - This is probably the most exciting bottle of left bank Bordeaux I have drunk in the last 6 months. Really great, classical cabernet, low alcohol, great moreish texture. Lovely balance of sweetness with a cedar note and a dash of ripe leather (if you know what I mean). My note has 'more bordeaux should taste like this' written across it. Best served in magnum I'd say a bottle not enough between three.

Richebourg 1999, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti - Brooding and serious was the first thought. Just as it should be. Dense with rich black/red fruit. Incense, spice and a little tea. Over the 2 hours or so it was in glass the wine did relax and the fruit shifted from black/red to red/black. There was always a weight and texture to this. Very very fine and the wine of the day from an exciting future perspective. Does well to combine the freshness and focus of 1999 with the Masculinity of Richebourg, best re-checked in 3-5 years I'd say. Very fine and very generous.

Still time before pudding for one more red - Barolo 1967, Giacomo Conterno - This was a decent but not exceptional bottle of this wine. It had real depth good acidic lift and a lovely grainy, bricky texture (an acquired taste for some). The fruit was on the redder/orangey side with a little ferrous element, some resin and sandalwood. Nice. 

The best custard tart there is...

Nobby had pre-ordered a tart (Custard) for pudding and very sensible it was too as it is as good an example as it's possible to get - Custard tart meets Creme Brûlée. The wine to accompany was Yquem 1995 in half bottle. This was deliciously opulent and a little like the Mouton just required no headspace, it is just a great drink. My note says "why keep?" not that you shouldn't or couldn't but I am not sure what would make this better. It isn't profound but then most wine isn't, it is "smiley juice" and that's what matters.

It was a great lunch with great wine, great food and cracking conversation…until next time!