Tardieu-Laurent dinner @ 28-50 with Bastien Tardieu...

This dinner ten days ago was one I had been massively looking forward to. I love the wines from The Tardieu family. 28-50 Fetter Lane did a really great job of hosting the dinner, efficient but understated service and cracking food - menu below!

You can see some other Tardieu-Laurent posts that show the range of the wines. This family firm with father and son team of Michel and Bastien at the helm on the wine side just do a great job. They work with, often in the vineyard as well as cellar, a whole series of producers from Condrieu to Bandol. Producing about 80% reds and 20% whites. They are just what a quality focussed micro-negociant should be. The firm started in 1994 and the 1994 and 1995 vintages were aged in Burgundy (hence the "Laurent" bit) and then from 1996 onwards in Lourmarin where they are based now.

We started this evening with Condrieu 2015 as an aperitif. Now I don't really "do" Viognier in the same way that some people don't like pistachio ice cream (they are insane) but this I did like, and not just because I am biased. Full rich texture but a good bit of acidity and a nice oak integration, I imagine this doesn't see much new oak. It worked well as an aperitif but has plenty about it to be a great food wine. Bastien said it was from a new producer to them, based in Vernon with a parcel facing full south and on thin soil.

It was then time to be seated.

Goose and mustard terrine

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Norfolk Horn lamb rump

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Cheese and Pudding

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Chocolate Cremeux and Fourme d’Ambert

As Bastien said a few words we were served the Hermitage Blanc 2007 en magnum. This was a real star of a wine. This sees 24 months in oak but not much new. One of the key aspects to this wine being the fact that it is possibly the most long-lived of all their wines. One important point of the ageing being that it is done on the fine lees, Bastien noting that this is crucial to the character and complexity. There is a lot going on here, waxy with notes of petrol and pear then lanolin and beeswax, a rich wine but not heavy, more intense than heavy, a little white truffle...splendid just splendid.

As we moved from Terrine to lamb (which was superb) so we moved to reds, all from magnums:

Gigondas 2004 en magnum this is from a higher part of the Gigondas area known as les dentelles, meaning silk or lace as opposed to teeth as one might think. It is an area known for grace and elegance. As an aside, if you get the chance to go to Gigondas then go. It is a beautiful village and has a great restaurant - Oustalet - as outlined in this trip. Back to the wine, this is perfect now, good slightly degraded character and nice earthiness to combine with red back fruits.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Spéciale 2006 en magnum what a wine this is. Year in, year out I love this. 100% Grenache ("as Chateauneuf should be!"), made with 100% whole cluster from 100year+ old vines in La Crau on a sandy soil (only really shared by Rayas, La Crau and Pignan). There is no pumping over, it is what Bastien described as a tea-bag wine. The colour, as Grenache should be, is not too deep. There is an extremely elegant freshness to this wine. I just love the poise and balance, the slight white pepper but mainly the redder leafy fruits. Spot on. All this from a decent, but not more than that, vintage. I have some mags of 2010 but Bastien made me promise I will leave them for a while.

Côte Rôtie Vieilles Vignes 1999 en magnum drinking a wine that is special for a particular reason is always great. The reason this is such is that it was only made in magnum and never sold. It was only the 3rd time Bastien had drunk it! Only three times have they made a Vieilles Vignes Cote Rotie and this was just 300 magnums (2 barrels). There was a "normal" Cote Rotie 1999. The nose is just classical Cote Rotie, all bacon fat and dark spiced fruit. The palate had a more ferrous feel, a savoury bite that left you wanting more. I would say it is mature now, clearly it will continue to age but is spot on at the moment.

When it comes to planning dinners one of the trickier areas is the last course, especially if the producer in question is white or red wine dominated. Here we had a great option. The other "first world problem" is whether you have cheese or pudding first so we served a fortified red with cheese and pudding alongside each other.

Rasteau Vin Doux Naturel 2014 this was a production of just 600 bottles and 2014 was only the second time they had made this. The only Rhone village that has an official appellation for Vin Doux Naturel (or Rhone Port as we simplified it to on my table) is Rasteau. This village, 50 years ago, made almost exclusively VDN. The vines are 80 years old. There is an insane drinkability to this, I am delighted that I bought some. It is redder in fruit than Port, elegant, more drinkable in volume at an early stage, also "only" 17% rather than 20%. Splendid!

And that was it really...a thoroughly enjoyable evening, Bastien throwing great nuggets of information into the mix and everyone just getting stuck in. Wine as it should be...

Roulot...a good look...

From the moment this was inked in the diary, and thanks to MS for organising, I had been looking forward to it. The format was a tried and tested one...bring a bottle of a producers wine, Roulot in this case, and we can taste and discuss the wines before breaking for a glass of Champagne then drink the wines with dinner. A few of us had taken a red so that we could  move to those bottles once our "work was done".

The whole show was orchestrated in the upstairs of Medlar which as these posts show is a spot I am somewhat familiar with. I just wish it could be nearer work (Tower Bridge) or home (Muswell Hill) but it is worth travelling for.

Those assembled are an experienced and satisfactorily opinionated bunch from the trade. Many of them where at a few of the below tastings, done over the last few years:

Burgundy 2004 ten years on

White Burgundy 2010s

Two very different vintages

A fun crowd to be amongst, if demanding of wines. I am probably more easily pleased than a few but then that's just one of those things. We tasted the wines in six pairs. Squabbling as we went.

Roulot is not a producer I am overly well versed in. I know of it well, and of it's reputation, I have probably had six or seven of their wines but never done anything like this or visited. The Domaine is actually named Domaine Guy Roulot. Guy died in 1982 and Jean-Marc Roulot took over fully from 1989. This estate was, as far back as the 1970s, the main driving force behind bottling lieux-dits (non classified but specific plots) by themselves rather than everything that was not a 1er cru going into a generic Meursault Village as was the habit at the time. I have listed the Meursault holdings below. This seemed the most conclusive listing I could find, size, site, year of planting:

0.26ha  1er Cru Perrieres (1964)
0.16ha  1er Cru Boucheres (1980)
0.28ha  1er Cru Charmes (1942)
0.25ha  1er Cru Porusots (1959)
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0.85ha  Tesson Clos Mon Plaisir (1961)
0.49ha  Tillets (1974)
0.26ha  Narvaux (1960)
1.03ha  Luchets (1948,'61,'74,'76)
0.95ha  Meix Chavaux (1929,'47,'57,'75,'83,'96))
0.67ha  Vireuls (1956)
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Other holdings: Monthelie 1er Cru Champs Fuillots 0.19ha (1989), Bourgogne Aligote 0.77ha (1922,'96), Bourgogne Blanc 2.64h (1955,'88,'90,'92,'96,'99).

So on with the wines, which I have chosen to score out of 25, just to help set some sort of pecking order:

Meursault Meix Chavaux 2010 - Deliciously complete nose, very focussed and dynamic but with breadth too. Waxy, textured, white flowers, dashes of both spice and reduction but so complete, so moreish, slightly saline, very fine, long, excellent. 23+

Meursault Meix Chavaux 2011 - Very closed, almost muted nose then much broader and more extrovert on the plate, slightly apple fruit (not bruised apples!). The acidity and finish don't really match the nose. A couple of people wondered if this was a perfect bottle, certainly it wasn't corked. It struggled against the 2010 but I'd give it 18 on its own and on this showing.

Meursault Tillets 2009 - Salty, spicy, delicious, rich, quite decadent, generous green (ripe green) and white fruits...almost like a warm vintage but high class Chablis. Impressive. 20-21
  
Meursault Tesson Clos Mon Plaisir 2009, En Magnum - Lovely lovely wine, easy to enjoy, oily, waxy, long and persistent, a wine to make you smile, ripeness and just a hint of gold and sun. 21-22

Meursault Tesson Clos Mon Plaisir 2006 - Butter and lardons, a little lactic and creamy, nuts on the finish, very 2006, gourmande and generous. With the right food this could be a lot of fun, Drink soon though. 18

Meursault 1er Porusot 2009 - Clearly this domaine did very well in 2009. Citrus and zesty energy, lemon rather than lime. Still quite primary and I think there is more to come here. Be excited to own this. 20-21

Meursault Vireuls 2008 - This was very much an '08 to my mind, that dry honey character, old school style, lanolin and wax, cheesecloth, moreish though and my overriding impression was that I could have drunk a lot of it...always a good sign. 20

Meursault Tesson Clos Mon Plaisir 2008 - Toffee'd notes, rich, quite broad, slightly over-dry on the palate, good but more evolved. A little rancio character. Drink. 19-20

Meursault Vireuls 2007 - Zip, inviting and very '07 in character, nice focussed length, very pure, some citrus, a little muted. More to come. 20

Meursault Tillets 2007 - Apple acidity, lovely palate has an even more '07 crispness to this. An intense wine, may be tense is actually a better word for this. Serious, grown up. Long-lived for sure. 21

Meursault 1er Porusot 2011 - Good crisp drive to this, citrus and then some toastiness but all very restrained from its youth. Generous in flavour on the palate, a little green spice, lovely now but clearly quite some future to this. Very good. 22

Meursault Boucheres 2011 - Just a level behind the Poursots but that's no real criticism, moreishness to the fore, long...my adjectives were clearly used up by now but this was a good to very good wine. 20-21

There was one last Roulot and that started dinner after a glass of good Champagne, the name of which I stupidly did not take down, and that was Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru 2013, this was a pure, open Pinot with red fruit to the fore, pretty but not with great depth, simple would be too harsh.

Conclusions: The Roulot tasting was fascinating. There were only two wines that I felt disappointed a little and those were Meix Chavaux 2011 and Tesson Clos Mon Plaisir 2006 neither of which were bad and drunk in insolation with food would have been decent bottles but this was not that format. Two out of ten in white Burgundy at the current time, reasons for which I am not getting into now, is a good showing. The general consensus post-tasting was that there weren't quite the highs people had hoped for. I can see this argument and the wines are expensive (we're in the £100-200 a bottle range) but two or three things hit me. Firstly, these are drinkers wines rather than show off wines, very little reduction and new oak so youth is not necessarily going to show them at their very best where age will add layers to the undoubted purity and drive that exists as a real strength. With food I loved them a notch more. Secondly, the one 2010 - Meix Chavaux 2010 - we had was stunning. Thirdly, the 2009s way outperformed the general perception of the vintage. Both these points are interesting in my view. 2010 is seen as an exceptional vintage with only a few 2005s, some 2012s and then 2014 rivalling it in my view (comments please). The 2009 "victory" is something that more and more producers seem to have done, those that picked early and made sure the winemaking was understated have clearly excelled in a vintage many perceive as three or four star for the whites. Anyway, I now feel I know what to expect and that Roulot is very much worth ageing. The finest white Burgundy producer not to have Grand Cru? If you look back to the 2004 post mentioned at the start then you'll see the note below which I hope helps my point about maturity and time:

2004 Meursault Tessons Clos de Mon Plaisir, G. Roulot

A little bit of brine on the nose, a tight and taut wine. I expected more of the 2004 whites to be like this. Very impressive. There was a grapefruit core with a long finish that had a very classical “proper” profile. Some people were less excited but I thought this had real class. 18.25 (out of 20 then)

Time now for the food and having gone off piste last time I was at Medlar I made sure to return to the straight and narrow and had the Crab Ravoli with several of the whites, it was absolutely perfect with the Meursault Tesson Clos Mon Plaisir 2009 which was convenient as that was the only magnum!.

The Medlar signature - Crab Ravoli

I then pretty much insisted on a blind red which was Contrada Porcaria 2012, Tenuta di Passopisciaro. 100% Nerello Mascalese from on Etna it seemed to go down pretty well. I almost hoped there would be more divided opinion but may be we were tired from squabbling over the whites. Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux 2006, Comte Armand followed which was sturdy, in a proper way, a little funk from youth, some spice, a wine to leave a few more years but a good one. Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots 2010, Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg is one of the very best NSGs I have ever had and certainly shows the vintage, simply delicious, if you don't like this sort of wine then red Burgundy is not for you. Purity combined with density, delicious. Echezeaux Grand Cru 2012, Domaine Coquard Loison-Fleurot was lovely too, sadly my note only extends about that far. More intense and tight now being a 2012, a vintage it'll be fascinating to follow, good good wine. Finally Flor de Pingus 2009, this might seem like an odd choice but it fitted in well at the end. I think the quality and structure of Flor means that other than at age 2-4 years it is best left for ten years, certainly the 2006 is a beauty now. The 2009 showed class in a slightly muted way.

A cracking evening all round, generous bottles and a lot of fun...what next for this group?

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.

The Shed...part 2…blind bottles

This is a follow on from a previous visit to the shed in Notting Hill. It's a great fun place to go and I thoroughly advise a trip to see them. Mr H (not me) had organised the evening, we were four in total. We got chatting away so I haven't written about the food which is a bit soy an error but then you can't do everything. The brief was simple, an old world bottle to be served blind. Mr G was requested to do an aperitif or a sticky. 

Sock vs Foil...

The apertif was served up and the games began. We did pretty well, we settled on Champagne (or posh Franciacorta in my case, think top Ca' del Bosco etc) and we were thinking it was in the 8-12 years old range. It was Dom Perignon 2006 which frustratingly I have had quite recently at a Dom Perignon 2002 to 2006 tasting. It's a lovely wine with a marked savoury seriousness. I think it will become a complex, nuts and mushrooms bottle over time, a generous and good start to the evening.

Now to the reds and it was our co-ordinator to go first. The bottle shape should have been a good clue but this chap is no fool so there could easily have been a change. I plumbed for 1995 top St.Julien and the others were all in Bordeaux. It turned out to be Haut Brion 1994 and thinking back did have some good classicism about it. It's a strong showing from a slightly sub par vintage (always a savvy place to buy rom good estates). The character was very Pessac. Lovely.

Now it was my turn and I was confident it would go down well but I wondered where they might place it. There were a variety of punts…Brunello, Burgundy and Barolo all getting votes or mentions. The vintage seemed hard to place which I totally expected. The wine in question was Barolo Villero 2004 from Brovia, a producer I buy a fair bit. The red fruited purity does make it a confusing one as it is easy to talk yourself into other regions. It's a wine that it good now but will age every well, it's in 2nd or 3rd gear now.

So onto the final red, this bottle came straight out of a suit case as another Mr H had just arrived from Heathrow for dinner. We did pretty well here, Bordeaux was a firm selection and whilst I didn't get the commune, I think someone did, I did get the vintage, Pape Clement 1990 is not a wine I have had before and is an impressive bottle, degraded fruit and lovely elements of tobacco, a little leather and some spice all on top of an easy structure.

Don't miss out on pudding at the Shed!! Then pub for a quick Laphroig and home, a splendid evening, just what wine should be about. Looking forward to another trip…A Shed in Muswell Hill…now that would work…for me anyway...

The Line up

Lunch in the office

We had a rather special guest(s) in the office for a tasting and as he came from Bordeaux we couldn't serve him anything from that fine region.

Instead we served the above wines but not before we started with Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 2002 which is drinking superbly now, just the beginning of a bit of biscuit appearing but essentially still focussed and fine with a linear drive. If you own any then you've done well to keep it, just let me know if you need a "hand" drinking it.

We then went for Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru 2009 from Domaine Leflaive which was both very much a Chevalier and very much not a 2009. Real focus and saline, slight reduction but tightly wound. No goey-ness here which was good. Opening white Burgundy can be a game of roulette and I would still recommend a read of the guest post by my colleague Sara on premox. The wine got better in glass and the remnants smelt lovely, white fruits.

So to the reds, the Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Cuvee Duvault-Blochet 2006 from DRC is a wine I last had here - it showed just as well this time but a little more focussed and a little less rich, slightly less 2006 ish you could say. Lovely elegance and drive with a core of darker red fruits and a real lift, clearly a wine with a long future but certainly not a waste to drink it now. Obviously always a bit of a treat given the name of this blog!

Soldera 2008 - was next up and not a wine our visitors knew. I last tasted it here, on a brilliant visit to Case Basse (mind you they all tend to be). The wine has such incredibly purity with slight spice behind that and a wonderful energy. There is a salinity that makes it just about the most drinkiably moreish wine I know. I am biased, and I've said this before, but I really don't think anyone gets near Gianfranco when it comes to Purity from Sangiovese.

Our final wine was Corney & Barrow 2010 Sauternes which comes from an address that stands up well in this company and I am saying no more than that...if only everyday was like this...

Clos de Tart Day...

Now I've had some fun Grand Cru Burgundy days in my time but this is right up there. We originally planned to have a dinner for Sylvain Pitiot as he retires from his position as head of Clos de Tart (it's been covered in the press a fair bit). Then, we got to thinking let's welcome Jacques Devauges, who is being passed the baton, at the same time, oh and why not a tasting of all the vintages of the "Pitiot era". So after a bit of organising from the team the day arrived...

The tasting:
All bottles were opened and checked at around midday and I tasted between two and three pm. There was no decanting. All the wines had been delivered direct from the Estate in the week leading up to the tasting. The tasters were given the choice of which order to taste in, I went old to young as that follows the "order of Sylvain" which after all was the overriding theme of the day. With each vintage I have included the Domaine's own notes of the vintage conditions in italics and then my note and score.

1996

Winter was mild without any severe frosts or heavy rains. January was totally dry. Little snow in February. March was also dry, and so was April! The vegetative cycle was recorded as totally problem-free. Hot summer with cool showers and start of grey rot stopped by the North wind beginning of September. The grapes were marked by the dry spells and rigorous sorting was required during the harvest.

Degraded sweetness but precise enough, a dash of tangerine, nice wine with just enough fruit to flesh out the feeling that this is a little skinny. In my own biased way i'd love to have seen what 1996 could have been had it been 20 years later in terms of the site and winemaking (applies to too many 1996s). For all this faint praise it is every bit 17 (all scored out of 20) and for drinking now and over the next 5+ years.

1997

Cold winter with rains to replenish the water table. Spring was quite hot, dry with a very healthy North wind. Flowering occurred with good conditions. July was thundery and August hot with thunder rains when needed. The weather for the harvest was very sunny and there was no need to hurry as it was still possible to gain sugar without losing acidity.

                               

Slightly darker fruit than the 1996, lovely, easy, expressive fruit with a shade darker character. Tiny hint of green and a little spice. This faded later in the day a little with air but as a "pop, pour and drink" this is superb. If you own it, enjoy. I would! 17.5 Drink now.

1999

Winter was mild and not very wet with some frosts. May was warm. At the end of July-beginning of August grapes had to be green-harvested without losing any time. The harvest started on 20th September and the crop was very plentiful.

I love 1999 as a vintage - far more than the other good nearer vintage of 2002 - this is both good and a little atypical for me in not being ready. Deeper, darker, more serious, more richness, good acidity and tannin. 17.5-18. Be patient, look again in 2-5 years. 

2000

A particularly mild winter favoured a rapid start of the vegetative cycle from the first days of March. Berry set took place in excellent conditions with very little shatter or millerandage. July was marked by several disruptions but August was sunny and warm with a low rainfall. As a result, the 2000 vintage was one of the earliest harvests of the century.

I've not tended to have the easy joy from 2000 red Burgundies of which others speak (more a 2001 chap me), but this is different. Deep but fresh, lovely, "1997 with knobs on", deliciously good, lovely wine, open and easy but correct enough not to be too easy. Could drink a lot of this. 18-18.5. Drink now…what more are you waiting for?

2001

January, February and March were mild, with rather frequent rains. Lower temperatures in April. May was cool and relatively dry.  After a wet period at the end of August, véraison was not yet finished. However,  the  skins  were  thick,  promising complexity and quality as well as good resistance to grey rot. September was a happy surprise and harvesting started at the end of September.

A dash of highness, very good depth, palate is taut and a little tighter than the 2000. Well defined and long. Impressive definition, serious. 18-18.5 but for classical reasons compared to 2000. Try again in 18 months or so.

2002

After a dry winter, spring was changeable but fine and warm during the flower period. During summer, dry spells alternated with cold spells and very hot weather. For over four months there was an extended dry spell in Burgundy. The heavy rains at the end of August and the beginning of September did not cause grey rot. Harvest took place in mid-September.

Deep, more masculine, quite serious, deep (can't get away from that works here) and fine with a little red fruit pepping through and some black fruits and spice on top. For the future but very promising. 18.5 +, give it 3-5 years.

2003

Exceptionally dry year. Dry weather and sunshine started in February and lasted until the end of September. All records were broken, weather they had to do with the earliness of the vintage cycle, the dry weather, the extreme temperatures or the hours of sunshine. The harvest started on 19th August in Côte-d’Or, but the best rewards went to those who had the wisdom to wait…

Longest note I wrote. Bold, inky, a nod to the Northern Rhone with the sweetness of the Southern Rhone. Spiced and decadently delicious. Bold intense, glycerol texture with hedonism written all over it. Sweet expressive and luscious in the extreme. You'd need to be in the mood but what a wine. If I had some I'd have a bottle every 18 months, could well be fabulous in old age. score is pointless really but 18-18.5 (if I have to) but you could score it 15 in one mood and 19.95 in another. When to drink it? When you feel like it!

2004

Until July, vintage 2004 was a promising one. Flowering has been a bit disturbed with alternance of sunny and hot periods then chilly ones. August was very gloomy; fortunately the sun came back in September with temperatures higher that 28°C some days.  This estival weather combined to hot and dry windy periods allowed to maintain the vines in a good sanitary state. That was how the vintage has been saved.

Well after 2003 and before 2005 is never going to be a good spot to "lurk". This is not a bad 2004. It is a little stalky and slightly thin but correctly proportioned and not over worked (a massive potential error in 2004). It is a little spiky and acidic. 15, Drink.

2005

All conditions conspire to make 2005 an exceptional vintage. Flowering went well with enough millerandage caused by alternative warm and cold spells. Weather conditions were very favourable from the beginning of July until the end of September and even beyond that. Dry and sunny weather, cool nights; harvesting started early at mid-September. Sorting was easily done.

Superb, all the good bits of 2003 but then with a grace and a salinity, rich cherry notes but balance, classical hedonism. I imagine this has just woken up. Refined acidity and good tannins. Loved it. 19-19.5. Now (just) and over the next 25 years+

2006

Cold winter, rainy spring but a flowering in the best conditions : sunny and relatively hot. July was scorching, August rainy and cold but nice weather came back in September. The Clos de Tart is a great ambassador of this vintage with captivating sensuality.

In some other reports of this tasting you may not see the 2006 this is because the second bottle was corked (the only one in the tasting or dinner). Rich, full, mulled fruit, more beef, less refined but very good. I loved this but it is a bit of a Hermitage of a Burgundy, deep, very savoury, masculine. Vin de Garde. 18.25-18.75. Leave for 5 years and try again.

2007 Despite a gloomy summer season, the earliness of the growth cycle combined with a stringent annual work on the vines (de-budding, thinning and green harvest), the return of sunshine and dry weather from August 20th on, all these factors enabled us, after a drastic sorting out, to vat very ripe and healthy grapes.

Slight whiff of tuna? Odd bottle may be? But actually that clears up, like a good 2004 with more flesh. I like this though it is may be a little under powered. Graceful. 17-17.5. Now onwards.

2008

Known as a ‘late’ vintage further to a cold and humid summer, the vine was delayed and we had to wait until September 13th to see the north wind settle down, bringing a bright and dry weather necessary to a full ripeness of the grapes. This stringent work in the vineyard had enabled us to crop perfectly healthy grapes needing very little sorting out in the winery. Moreover,  the  vine  has  naturally  produced  a  lot  of  grapes ‘millerands’ considered as high quality factors for the wines.

I think this could be the underestimated wine of the tasting. Almost green spice, pepper, delicious but clearly spiced. Lifted and with precise red fruit behind the spice. This is fine tuned, no unnecessary fat but with deliciousness, like a long distance runner. White pepper on the finish. One to follow closely I may be being conservative in score. 18-18.25+. Try again in 2-4 years, if flesh gets added this could be quite something. 

2009

Ideal conditions during the whole growing cycle of the vine. In mid-September, the grapes were fully ripened with beautiful balance between sugar, acidity, tannins and aromas, the perfect sanitary conditions of the bunches being thus maintained until harvest time.

With air this comes alive. It is a refined 2009 but has great sweetness. The weight it lovely, you keep expecting saturation and sun fruit but it never quite comes which is a part of its refined attraction. The tannins are there and are moreish. I anticipate this will gain flesh and it could well be really pretty special. Seems to have been made with a light hand…less is more. 18.25-19+. if you own it have a bottle now and then not for 5 years (my view).

2010

Freezing temperature in winter damaged the latent buds, a rather late flowering season with cool periods alternating with rainy or sunny spells, a predominantly damp summer which did not help the vegetation to catch up. “Vine-grower’s vintage” where hard work, foresight, anticipation, rigour, making the right decisions at the right time, in a word: experience, are the key factors to lead to an outstanding vintage.

So airy and lifted, jumps out of the glass, so unlike the 2009. Very fragrant indeed, there is a strictness about it however once in the mouth, as with 2009 when the flesh comes this could be very special.As with a lot of the 2010…not a waste to try even now. Long term wine ultimately though. 19+ one bottle now but basically 5-10+ then try again.

2011

Weather conditions were whimsical and unpredictable. Sunlight was above average during spring and accelerated the whole process: bud burst, flowering and harvesting occurred surprisingly early, in spite of a relatively rainy summer. Nice dry and warm weather conditions only reappeared by the end of August which encouraged us to postpone the picking until grape maturity was complete.

Some pencil shavings and lots of red fruitedly refined freshness, like a feminine Cornas my note says, herbs and spices but all lightly added. Moreish and I would expect a wide drinking window. 17-17.25, Try now but wait 5years+

2012

Winter and spring frost, a difficult flowering, numerous oïdium and mildew attacks, heavy drought on July 23rd and to finish several hail storms during the 15th of August week. Fortunately, the grapes were not affected by botrytis. The grapes that withstood were beautiful: straggly and spaced bunches, small thick-skinned berries (which explains the absence of botrytis attacks), a very sweet juice, a good level of acidity, brittle seeds 
indicating a good phenolic maturity. The direct consequence: the smallest yield since 1969.

A little reduced, taut, dense and tight. Intense deep and serious. Almost better than the 2010 for pure fruit but then it is silly to compare them. This will be fascinating to follow. Smart, actually smart plus. 18.5-19. Try in 2-5 years but I have feeling this is a keeper.

2013

The Clos de Tart grapes were survivors that escaped every possible hazard. They had to face cold, heavy drought, rain, oïdium pressure, late flowering, bunches turning into tendrils, aborted bunches, tiny berries, late colour changing and slow maturing, they only escaped hail and Botrytis pressure. The exceptional terroir quality and also the strenuous work of our vineyard workers, have permitted us to harvest grapes at optimal maturity after a long waiting.

Fresh, fresh, fresh. Red fruit. So feminine and refined next to the Masculine back-rower that the 2012 may prove to be. More ballet than "dark arts". Vivacious would be a good word. Hard to judge as it is only just in bottle. Lovely definition. 17.75- 18. I imagine this will be approachable early but it'd be a mistake not to take it seriously.

Then having "allowed" both Sylvain and Jacques a brief rest we hosted a small "family and friends" dinner,  in the offices.

The way to start is almost always with Delamotte Blanc de Blancs NV from magnum, drinking as well as ever…just lifted freshness.

Rather lovely line up!

The menu for the evening was:

Olive oil poached salmon with bloodymary, cucumber jelly and Dorset crab with sough dough wafers

Wood pigeon and sour cherry terrine, confit pigeon leg, pumpkin and poppy seed mousse, porcini crumble, tarragon puree, candied pistachio

Butter poached guinea fowl breast, herb crusted roasted leg, beetroot puree, mushroom tatin, gratin potato, tarragon and jus

Cheese and Biscuits

With Clos de Tart not making any white wine what were we going to do? Well, here I had one of my rare good ideas...Nuits-St-Georges Blanc Clos de l'Arlot 1er Cru Monopole Domaine de l'Arlot 2011. The decision based on the fact that this was the first vintage that Jacques did at Domaine de l'Arlot before moving to Clos de Tart. The wine showed superbly on the night, opulent richness but never too much. The "Blanc" in Nuits-St-George 1er Cru only accounts for 6 hectares of the communes 150 hectare total. As this showed it tends to be generous wine…I'm tempted to squirrel away a few bottles.

From now we were focussing on the Clos de Tart and that started with two vintages of La Forge de Tart - 2001 & 1999. Whether "Forge" is made or not is a decision based on blind tasting alone. The basic premise is a simple one - the best sort of premise - that is a wine "is" Clos de Tart then that is where it goes. If it is not quite "Clos" but close than there will be a Forge. As a run of recent events and to give the idea there is no Forge in 2013, 2012, 2010, 2009 and there was one in 2011, 2008, 2006, 2001, 1999. I found the 2001 Forge to be generous and quite rich, restrained decadence if you like, really lovely to just drink and enjoy. 1999 was an all together more serious scenario, a shade reductive, still coiled tight, lovely and very promising but quite serious. 

So with the main course we had what you could call the main wines. Clos de Tart 2002 and 1996 which was obviously an exciting proposition. The 2002 was what Sylvain described as a "Power wine"…big and rich but with lovely classical proportions, clearly one to follow, great potential to make wonderful "old bones". The 1996 lives on its acidity a little more than the structure but I feel strongly that it is a 1996 that has "resolved" and mellowed, some haven't, remaining excessively stern. Sylvain said of 1996, which was made months after he joined, that it was a vintage of "healthy grapes, slow maturity and requiring patience". 

To bring a splendid evening to a finale we had a mystery magnum. The home team knew what it was but Sylvain, playful as ever, wanted it to be a competition so each table elected a spokesman and the guessing (sorry considered thoughts) began. I was slightly dreading my table getting it right as I am only just getting over the fact that "my" table was correct in assessing that a blind Romanee Conti was the 1965. My fears came home to roost when they revealed they felt it was 1988.

So the wine? Well it was delicious which sounds hideously vague, there is a degraded decadence to it and I would not say it is more than in second gear, a mature but not old wine. Elements of soy and spice but an overriding impression of rich yet supple drinking. It was both bold and good of Sylvain and Jacques, who both spoke well through the evening, to choose a vintage that pre-dated the Pitiot Years.

It was just one of those dinner that I'll remember for a long time, Sylvain's modesty, Jacques' energy and nervous anticipation about the future…special times ahead I think...