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...

Beppe Rinaldi...Brunate-Le Coste a vertical...

The first of a few posts I hope to nail today, a rather large, but good, backlog has built up. I was pretty knackered when this dinner came around but I was equally excited by both the prospect and the chance to see some of my very favourite wine folk - Eric, Mr Burns, Column, Mr Rafferty (jnr) and my favourite, but sadly on sabbatical, pumpkin chef!!

The venue was the Medlar Restaurant which is seeing a lot of action these days including these events. It came about through the wish to drink some Rinaldi, or Azienda Agricola Giuseppe Rinaldi to give it is full name, wines! Eric kindly co-ordinated this with Chris Delalonde at Medlar and everything was in place for a fun evening - expectation dangerously high.

To start, and after Burnsie had insisted on hugging everyone (is he really English), we had 
Louis Roederer Cristal 1999. It was an amusing choice as I had only been saying in the office that day that of the prestige Champagnes it is the one I see served least at wine dinners. It was mellow and a little honeyed but not OTT at all. More biscuity than nutty and with some citrus. If you had to be critical it could do with a dash more verve and length but that really is nitpicking, lovely.

Predictably we then all had the Crab Raviolo, Medlar's signature dish that has to be had. Alongside this we had Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts 2011 from Francois Carillon, here comes the usual bias warning but this is "a point" right now I think, in common with a lot of white Burgundy 2011s. A slight whiff of reduction  then easy yet rich fruit and lemon driven energy, a little spice on the finish...these two led us to the "work" at hand.

There are very few estates that I fearlessly buy totally "blind" - by this I mean I would buy more of these these Rinaldi wines than I can afford, at any chance I get. This doesn't mean to say they are all brilliantly faultless and perfect - wine isn't like that and arguably isn't meant to be. However, if I think of the top ten producer labels that lift the spirits immediately then this is one (others include - Soldera, Conterno, Coche, Rousseau, DRC, Chave etc - must do that list one day). I have only visited Rinaldi once but it was memorable in the extreme. Beppe's views and manor is well documented and long may it last. There will be a follow on to this post when we look at Barolo Cannubi S.Lorenzo-Ravera next month. The Rinaldi estate makes brilliant: Langhe Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Barbera and Freisa but the focus tends to go to the two Barolo which I tried to explain at the end of the post here. Essentially from 2010 you can't have two Crus on the same label so in crude terms.

Barolo Brunate-Le Coste (65% Brunate and 35% Le Coste) has become (from and including 2010) Barolo Brunate (85%Brunate and 15% Le Coste) and...

Barolo Cannubi S.Lorenzo-Ravera (a blend of the two named Crus, sorry I don't know the rough balance) is now Barolo Tre Tini (a blend of Cannubi S.Lorenzo, Ravera and the remaining Le Coste that now can't now go in the Brunate).

To add some confusion there have been vintages when a Brunate alone has been made and also quite often the magnums have been pure Brunate (*see notes at end of post for clarity with thanks to Ken Vastola). Right, enough facts...the wines. We attacked them three by three, deciding not to work by age but my vintage type, often a more fun and logical way to do things.

Flight 1 - Brunate-Le Coste - The Warm vintages

1997 - A predictably more evolved and less pure colour than the others in the flight. Saline and deep fruit with some cucumber-water (sorry but I know what I mean). Spice and cherry fruit, deep, a shade powdery in texture which somehow works. Good. Perfect now, will last but in 5 more years will be old and whilst in 20 years it'll be interesting there is, for me, no real upside - enjoy now, degraded hedonism.

2003 - A little more cherry here and an almost candied note (that Monprivato and Cascina Francia both have in 2003 as well). There is a glycerol character here. If I had to draw a parallel with another producer in another region for this 2003 it would be Rayas, there is red fruited, Grenache like purity. When to drink is very tricky. If I had 12 bottles (as if!) I'd have drunk three by now, drink a bottle a year for the next six years or so, hold three just to see.

2007 - Tight, focussed, very fine, a shade muted on the nose, brilliantly saline on the palate. I know this wine quite well, a splendid 2007, does not show "warm" at all. Much as I would want to own more of this than any wine in the flight the 1997 is the wine I would drink most of right now. This is a 2007 to buy if you can find it!

Flight 2 - Brunate-Le Coste - The "should be a bit open" vintages.

Brunate Riserva 1986 - Ok so one of the exceptions I mentioned above and a wine I have had, and loved, once before in magnum also with Eric. A clouded texture, some frazzles and red fruit, degraded sweetness followed by a little bitterness. The mid-palate is a little quiet but the finish is super, a little herbal green drive at the end. Lovely. At it's peak.

2000 - A bit of a brute. The only wine in the first two flights where I thought this would be good alone but not in this company. It's a good wine, savoury and a bit adolescent right now. I feel I am being harsh but there is just a little sweetness missing. I'd love to try this again in 3-5 years.

2004 - Superb and universally the "wine of the night", not that one is needed. Power and poise, drive and precision. Not ready to show everything but is appreciably good. My note says "what wine is all about". Bold in density and structure but in no way too much. The nose is just sublime and the palate follows through. Don't open for 5 years I recon because if you do you will just drink the bottles you have.

Brunate-Le Coste - "Classic or closed?"

1999 - Bricky, salt and orange spice, very serious, delicious, good astringency, already in third gear, may be a little more open than I expected. Nervously classical. Hold but try every two years.

2001 - In Piedmont I have found quite a few 2001s to be just that bit too serious, too heavy. This is not one of them though Eric was a little disappointed in it. Savoury, serious and dense. Tight, a slightly soupy structure but a good savoury Bovril like finish, a real food wine (aren't they all). I would take the same drinking approach as the 1999.

2005 - I almost didn't mention this, we figured there was some labelling error with this bottle. The juice was not Nebbiolo and was more like 3-5 years old. Nice but not Nebbiolo...

1998 - This bottle was opened at the beginning of the evening and put to one side as it was a shade disappointing but we drank it again at the end and whilst it is a weak link and, on this showing, a lesser wine than the 1997 it is still true to the Nebbiolo grape if a little prematurely aged.

We had a most bizarre Champagne to finish and clearly the level of conversation deteriorated rapidly but then that that was to be expected.

Conclusions, or what auditors always refer to as the "opinion piece". My feelings about this estate are unchanged...I will keep buying. There is so much character to these wines, a lack of compromise that I love. Is there more precision (in the same period of vintages), elsewhere in Piedmont? Yes for sure...but is better always actually better? The daughters are having more and more input and the precision is being refined. Recent bottles from 2008 and 2011 were simply stunning, moreish and intense without being in any way remotely a waste to drink now.

An iconic man? Yes. Iconic wines? They probably are but the thing is, I am not sure they want to be...drink them whenever you can.

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*The labeling of Brunate with Le Coste  began with the 1993 vintage, when Beppe took over the winery from his father, Battista.  It was Battista  who (in the best vintages) bottled Brunate separately (and usually as a riserva) starting in 1964.  I think, but am not sure, that some Le Coste may have been in those old Brunates as well. Ken Vastola 
www.finewinegeek.com

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?

Just a lovely evening…Medlar with five bottles...

This was a splendid Thursday evening a couple of weeks ago. Mr Magnum had organised a dinner for two of his merchants to meet. I always like meeting others in the trade, it's one of the things that sets the wine trade apart. I guess we all compete but really, and especially in this scenario, we agree more than anything. This chap (I am still trying to think up his potential "blog name" - may be that is for next time) has some lovely wines in his quiver none of which directly clash with those I work with anyway…

The venue was Medlar Restaurant which I have always enjoyed, if you've not been you should go, it features quite large on this blog, most recently with this 1996 dinner. It was apt therefore that Mr Magnum kicked us off with Bollinger RD 1996. This bottle being disgorged (Chris Delalonde the sommelier misses very little!) in 2006. It is a wine that is already on the developed spectrum in terms of the mellow, savoury, yeasty and serious aromas but this does not mean it won't age, it will. If a wine can be both young and tight and savoury and evolved at the same time this is it. Could I drink it every day? No, but then I don't have to stress about that. As a change of pace, serious, Champagne it is delicious. 

From there, and as the food arrived, we set about a (predictably) delicious Meursault 1er Cru Charmes 2007 from Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey (PYCM to those in the know). Our fellow diner brings the wines in (so that's his cover blown). I was delighted (and lucky) to visit there once, anonymously as a guest of a customer, during a very special trip to Burgundy. Pierre, it is no secret, is doing some brilliant things and I am delighted to have started buying a few of his more humble bottlings. This Meursault was tight, refined, younger than 9 years but totally true to what 2007 should be, a focussed driven wine. There was a little reduction (which you'll know I love) and an almost total balance. On this showing there is more to come but then I'd drink it again tomorrow if I had some. Spot on.

We stayed in Burgundy for Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cherbaudes 2005 from Fourrier. The 2005's in Bordeaux are generally opening out, albeit slowly, there seems to be much less consensus in Red Burgundy. Some remain as muted as ever and others are showing their class. This is more the later than the former. The palate is still a shade meaner than it will be but in all other regards it was delicious. A nice fragant and inviting red fruited nose with the darker fruits in the backbone behind. The finish was a little saline (love it!) and had a severely moreish quality. Delicious wine, may be 2-4 years from peak but then it depends how you like it.

Soldera 2008 was the first of my bottles. I love this estate, I am biased as I get to visit a fair bit (we work with the wines in Asia but not here). It is a magical place and the wines I think sit slightly outside anything else. They certainly, to me, sit apart from Brunello as a whole. There is a persistent elegance that, to my mind doesn't exist in Sangiovese anywhere else. The 2008 is the last but one release and people often assume that young Sangiovese is unapproachable but that is not the case here. Red fruit elegance with a saline and wet meat mineral quality, it is a wine in balance that you can drink now or in 20 years (same could be said of all the above).

The last red was Barolo Brunate-Le Coste 2008 from Guiseppe (Beppe) Rinaldi. This estate is one of those who's wines I simply can't resist (whatever my financial state). It is grippy and savoury but with a terrific intensity of pure yet slightly degraded darker fruits and a good acidity. It was the one wine you "should" rather than "could" definitely be more patient with but what the hell. For those non Barolo-obsessed you won't, from 2010, find this label as the "powers that be" have decided that you can't have two Crus ("Brunate" and "Le Coste" in this instance) on the same label, why? Who knows. So the estate now make a Barolo Brunate (at least 85% Brunate with the rest Le Coste - so a similar wine!) and the other Barolo being called Barolo Tre Tini which has the previous other Barolo wine, Barolo Cannubi S.Lorenzo-Ravera (two crus again), with the remainder of the Le Coste holdings, so again not vastly different. I have had the 2011s and they are predictably stunning.

What a splendid evening, good food, good service, cracking company and deliciously vibrant, lively wines... 

OS Wine Lunch and my first "Chez Bruce"...

This was actually the second gathering of Old Shirburnians who find themselves in the wine trade! The first being at the now no more, Zucca (wipes tear from eye). We managed to span all the years from 1977 to 1995 with the exception of the academic year '82-'83 but this is under control for the next "meeting".Those present are listed at the bottom of this post.

The venue was chosen and co-ordinated by, organiser-in-chief, Meels and was to be "Chez Bruce" which has long been on my "must visit" list! I was not disappointed one bit, delicious food, well balanced with an emphasis on what I am going to call gentle properness. My only gripe, entirely unjustified, is the location. I desperately need - in a "first world problem" sort of way - a restaurant like this or Kitchen W8, Medlar, La Trompette in North London.

Anyway, once "Larry" had made the long trek from practically next door to the restaurant and only been 25 minutes late we were off and running. No theme just bring a bottle or two...

We kicked off with Nyetimber Tillington Single Vineyard 2009 - first time I have had this and I have to say I was very impressed, good bit of toasty richness but nicely refined and very balanced. No more biscuity than a perfect bit of shortbread, very nice start (well for 8 of us...).

As we cracked on with the starters it was time for some Chardonnay with Californian leading the way before two Burgs. Hapgood Chardonnay 2012, Brewer-Clifton was lovely, rich and full but not smokey, more about the intensity of rich tropical yet mellow fruit. There is acidity there but behind the richness, waxy. Went very well with my Curried smoked haddock with spiced fish pastilla, crisp onions and coriander.

The Burgs were - Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts 2007 from E.Sauzet and 

Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes 2009 from Domaine M.Niellon. Not that it's a competition but the Sauzet pipped it for me here, probably more down to the drive of the 2007 vintage than producer. The Sauzet was crisp with a little richness there but had good energy and is spot on, to my taste, right now. The Niellon, and I am getting to know this producer a little through recent experience, was good but needs drinking and had a slightly looser feel. I am being picky though, it was lovely.

Our "compulsory" middle course of Crab Ravoli worked well with the magnum of Cassis 2014, Clos St.Magdeleine. Clean fresh and wonderfully unpretentious this just flew down.

And so to the reds Spur Ranch Grenache 2014, La Marea kicked us off, another selection from our American evangelist, a very elegant Pinot-like feel to the texture and weight but contrasted by an almost northern Rhone pencil shavings and graphite scenario, nicely done. Corton Grand Cru Clos des Cortons 2008, Faiveley then followed, a very gently handled Burgundy, more Cote de Beaune in feel than the grittiness of Corton. I really like the 2008 reds they have an elegant leanness.

Time for some Rhone as the conversation continued its predicted decline.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine des Bois 2003, Domaine de la Mordorée and Chateauneuf-du-Pape 1990, Vieux Telegraph were the pair and I have to say I really enjoyed both. The Vieux Telegraph is in a lovely place, degraded and mellowed but still together, no real upside to keeping it I imagine but lovely now. The Mordoree had all the good characteristics of 2003, richness, ripeness and slightly dry fruit but none of the over extraction or over ripeness. Love the Rhone more and more.

Off to Italy for Biserno 2010 by Tenuta di Biserno (I am biased), I possibly miss-judged this by having it decanted for quite a while. It might have been better with less air as it had tightened up, still lovely though. Rich full and decadent!

Rieussec 1976 was a very thoughtful selection with a handful of those present born in this warm (hot) vintage. It was just like the top of a creme brulee, rich, decadent and lovely with the tart and the cheese. I had brought along another bottle that i love showing people and had no intention of carrying it all the way home - Barolo Serradenari 2011 from Giulia Negri was the wine in question. From the highest Cru site in the Barolo region, elegant and poised, lovely young Barolo.

A splendid afternoon (early evening if you include the beers) that made it all rather obvious why we'd all ended up in the trade…we like wearing pink shirts and talking (mostly) nonsense…onwards to round 3 which may aptly be held on 1st April... 


Present: (age order, ladies first!)
Amelia Jukes (Pinsent) SSG (89-94)
Jo Thompson (Haycock) SSG (89-94)
Julian Chamberlen (77-82)
Tom Ashworth (83-88)
Rory Benham (86-91)
Peter Richards (89-94)
Will Hargrove (89-94)
James Mason (89-94)
David Porter (90-95)

Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons three ways - two producers, three vintages...

So, as I stand in the kitchen on summer holidays in the town of Correns in Provenance a little Chablis tasting has been lined up. Interestingly it is about one site - Vaillons - and two Vincents - Dampt and Dauvissat. The only variable across the three wines is vintage.

The wines were just "popped and poured" at 7pm and then re-assessed the following afternoon and evening...no decanting and just fridge storage in between times.

Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons 2005, Vincent Dampt - last but one bottle from a case, bought on release.

7pm - Citrus attack that mellows quickly. Slightly milky texture but with zip. There is a definite richness. A little mellow honey, dry honey if that is possible. A little resinous character, delicious and consistent with the other bottles I have had over the years.

3pm next day - Still with a good acidity and precision, limey nose, lovely textured palate, a little dry honey and a tiny bit of sweet nuttiness.

Overall: A cracking wine made all the more impressive by essentially being Vincent's first stand alone vintage. There is generosity but it is in total balance. I really wish I had bought two cases not one and at £150 a dozen IB I should have!

Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons 2007, Vincent Dampt - 2 bottles left after this, bought on release.

7pm - Darker colour by two shades, not madeirised but evolved. Greek yoghurt and nuts, I love the palate's complexity. Lacks citrus, more bruised fruits and a yeasty complexity. 

3pm next day - Richer and more intense but not as fresh, a definite yeastiness, the more air the better this gets. It is a tricky wine to nail down.

Overall: This wine really ebbed and flowed, I was worried on first opening as it looked a little prematurely developed especially alongside the 2005 but both colour and aromas lifted and the wine was, whilst not as balanced as the 2005, very enjoyable. 

Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons 2011, Vincent Dauvissat - bought in Cotignac as a loose bottle.

7pm - This does show more opulence and richness, the fact they use wood does show but the Chablis character and acidity is not missing, although it is behind the rest of the unctuousness. This is focused but broad at the same time. Very good wine, more "foody" than the Dampts, arguably this is more harmonious but it is less fresh. There is wet stones in the background but with that dry honey appearing.

3pm next day - This has opened out but not necessarily in the best way it seems a little incomplete. The texture isn't as fresh as it was.

Overall: It might be a little unfair to compare 2011 with 2007 and 2005 although most white Burgundy 2011s I have had recently have been very good if not amazingly serious. This was probably only just behind the 2005 on opening but the following day it had not progressed and some freshness had gone.

This was a nice little experiment of a tasting. Chablis remains a wine I like a great deal, it is so easily drinkable but capable of proper complexity at the same time. I do find tasting notes for Chablis as big a challenge as any wines, they are not easily described.

Conterno...tasting and dinner

With Roberto Conterno coming to London next week and the new releases about to be offered I felt I must get this blog posted. The visit took place back in mid May.

There is no estate that I visit to taste more often than Cantina Giacomo Conterno in Monforte d'Alba. It is a place I get very excited about every single time. The wines are wonderful and I always learn a lot. I am biased of course but I think it is the same for almost anyone who visits, My trips there from the following years are documented here 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015). If you search "Conterno" on here you get rather a lot of results!

The tasting was, as is usual, of the wines about to hit the market:

Barbera Francia 2014 - Full crimson colour to the edge, deep at the core. Rich and full dark cherry nose with stones, minerality and a saline edge that is not quite as marked as usual for Francia, very good nose, all round balance. The tannins are delicious and moreish this is a brooding wine but not a heavy one, the fruit lifts on the finish to an almost cranberry freshness. I wonder how Roberto does this every year. 17.5+

Barbera Cerretta 2014 - Half a shade lighter in colour than the Francia but essentially very similar. The nose if more lifted, more obviously fruity, more opulent may be. The fruit character is redder, strawberry and raspberry but actually deeper than either of those fruits suggest. The palate has a tang to it, moreish tannins. This, as usual, has more approachability and lift than the more serious Francia. 17.5

Before moving on to the 2012 Barolos, Roberto thought it would be useful to taste the Barolo Francia 2009 as he sees similarities with the 2012's.

Barolo Francia 2009 - Colour is lightening more than evolving, a lovely hue. There is a touch of red strawberry fruit then more floral notes before a little iodine and some good, ripe grip. Drinking well but obviously no rush at all.

Barolo Francia 2012 - There will be no Monfortino from the 2012 vintage (as was the case in 2007, 2009 & 2011) so the botti that would have been Monfortino (there is a section about Monfortino at the very bottom of this post) has been blended into the Francia (this happened back in January). Lovely bright and complex colour. Ever so slightly muted just now but a lovely red fruited sweetness comes through behind, very fine. Tobacco leaf and tea then appear, a little leather also. The palate is then more fruited again but with good, proper tannins, mellow but persistent. The overriding impression is of a wine in balance with gentle fruit and a lovely complexity of silky tannins. 18-18.5+

Barolo Cerretta 2012 - Paler in colour but only just, more obviously fruited and lifted, strawberry leaf. This is a wine more easily understood by the uninitiated Neb-head (as us Nebbiolo fiends are sometimes know). The texture is deeper the fruit is more pronounced and therefore the tannins less obvious. There is a real freshness and a certain rich elegance. It's quite a wine, a perfect foil to the classicism of the Francia. 18+

We then moved on two taste two more wines.

Monfortino Barolo Riserva 2010 - this is a possibly the most eagerly awaited Italian wine release of all time. I have now tasted it three or four times with equally profound results. There is impeccable balance incredible poise and an almost effortless weight to the wine...Very exciting and now in bottle.

Barolo from Cascina Francia vineyard 2013 - With the final decision on this wine not yet made it was great to taste the 2013 Francia or to give it it's correct name, Nebbiolo di Barolo Francia. It was a vibrant and expansive nose, rich, opulent and bold. There is iron and a grainy saline elegance to the texture...quite something.

It is always a special cellar in which to taste...

Each year in the evening before or after tasting we have a dinner with Roberto and his assistant Stephanie. We usually go to one of the lovely local restaurants - which were the inspiration for most of the meals we had during this epic trip - "Foxes behind ears". This year though was different as we ate a wonderful meal at the Cantina with Roberto, family and friends. A real honour.

Standing in the kitchen while Meyumi prepared the dinner and gave us amazing pizza and cured meats we started with Gaston Chicquet 2007. Not a wine I know but the Italians love Champagne. This was bright, clean and nicely focused, a dash of yeastiness, worth seeking out. Then a wine I know rather well - Salon 1995 - this is really in the zone now from bottle, toasty, refined with lemon shortbread and mellow fruits, just lovely. For white we went to a bottle we had sent ahead - Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Folatieres 2009, Domaine Leflaive - a little reduction but essentially a generously fruited Puligny which is true to the vintage without being too much.

Now time for the reds, all of which Roberto decanted delicately just before serving. First up - Barbera d'Alba 2001 - I have tasted this before but never drunk it. Barbera at this age is interesting. A tiny bit of iron and iodine, stones, savoury blacker fruit and richness but not heaviness. Now a wine I have been lucky enough to have had a few times - Barolo Cascina Francia 1990 - soy, ginger, bacon fat and a little creosote, delicious. Sweet decay with some good volatile life. There is a sense of teriyaki flavours and a little Bual Madeira. Decadent and lovely. It sounds silly to say that this has a real "1990" feel but it does, so many 1990s are generous and decadent, this is just that.

Monfortino Barolo Riserva 1985 - a wine I think I have only had once and then from magnum at this tasting - Monfortino magnum Monday 1970-2006. Tiny bit of orange to the rim here, this is a mature wine but has a lovely sweet decay about it, a wine with tea character and super poise.

It had been quite a night. Having had a massive meal of wonderful dishes and so much great conversation we headed back to our lodgings, the unique Le Case della Saracca - if you find yourself in Monforte you must stop by, great rooms and a terrific bar where we had one last drink Barolo Chinato, Dr Giulio Perin (who owns the Saracca) made with Nebbiolo from Conterno Fantino. I am a big fan of Chinato!!
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At the bottom of this post I have put three exerts from a recent offer I wrote, they might be of interest.
A word on corks
Monfortino – What is it? What is next?
The previous releases - When, how and what to drink now?
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On getting back to London the following evening I then had a dinner at Kitchen W8 with a customer and friend. Kitchen W8 I think is as good a place to go as anywhere to enjoy food and wine, they have a great attitude to corkage as well as a good list. They will easily tweak things for you, we had three bottles and wanted two starters and two mains, they adjusted portions a bit (not too much thank fully) and it was a very enjoyable evening.

Salon 1983 - This is fully mature and deliciousness, a little orange rind and zestiness with a hint of mellow ginger too.

Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkap 2003 - I love this wine and would never have it as a 2003 served blind. There is warm vintage richness but nothing that doesn't suggest it is refined and will age very well.

Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2005, Rousseau - I am very lucky in so much as I get a fair bit of exposure to the wines of Rousseau but Clos de la Roche I know less well. This is quite brooding but not a waste to have this early, quite rich it got better and better with air. The fruit is a little darker than the CSJ would be.

A cracking evening!
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EXERTS form a , soon to be released, Conterno offer as mentioned above.

A word on corks:

The words “perfectionist“ and “fanatical” are amongst the most overused in the wine world but both apply here to an extraordinary degree. You could, literally, eat your dinner of the floor of this winery. In fact I would if only Roberto would allow it! When the topic of corks arise with Roberto there is always something new to discuss. He just does not accept that corks should be less than perfect. In fact one of his favourite phrases is “with my wines you are not opening a bottle of Barbera or Barolo or Monfortino you are opening a bottle of “CONTERNO””. It is a point made with no wink or half smile, it is heartfelt. The corks are of the same standard in all the wines.  More and more the great producers say “you don’t ever negotiate prices with cork suppliers, you get what you pay for”. All these corks are inspected by an optical sorter with the view to answering two questions; 1) is the cork good enough? If yes, then on to question 2, if not the bin. Question 2) which is the better end? The vintage is then laser etched on the “lesser” end so the perfect end faces the wine with no etching having been added. I have video evidence should you require it.

Monfortino – What is it? What is next?

I am often asked how Roberto decides whether there will be a Monfortino in a given year and where the wine comes from. Monfortino is a selection from the Cascina Francia vineyard based on the absolute quality of the fruit. It is not a specific site though there is of course significant crossover from one Monfortino to another in terms of the area used. There is always an initial intention to make a Monfortino. The large barrels (botti as they are called) that are selected to be “Monfortino”, and it may be one (usually), two, or more that are then tasted as time passes and if they are significantly high in quality and, importantly, significantly different in character from the Barolo Francia then a Riserva Monfortino will be bottled. The ageing for Monfortino is 5-7 years, in other words 1-3 years longer than for Barolo Francia. If the Monfortino is not to be made separately then it is blended in with the Barolo 6 months to a year before that is bottled. Recent vintages where Monfortino was not made – 2012, 2011, 2009, 2007 and 2003. The only time, to date, when there has been a Monfortino and no Barolo Francia was the 2002 vintage, a very small vintage but one where, against the odds, the quality was superb. The next Monfortino to be released will be the 2010, this time next year. Arguably the most eagerly awaited release ever from the region, it is a wine I have tasted several times from botti and which lives up to all the hype that surrounds it.

The previous releases - When, how and what to drink now?

Barberas – I feel that in most vintages the Barbera wines show best in the 4-8 years window. They become more savoury over time and continue to age (a recent 2001 with Roberto was superb) but as you would expect have a less defined character. The 2009, 2010 and 2011 vintages are very good now. As these are unfiltered and Barbera is a thicker skinned grape variety I would recommend decanting 15-30 minutes before serving.

Barolos – The warmer years drink very well when younger and served a shade cooler (14-15 degrees). The vintages I would put in this bracket are 2003, 2007, 2009 and 2011. These will all improve but are ready to drink. I recommend continuing to cellar the 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010 vintages. Those wines from 2001 and before are ready to drink though 2001 and 1999 are still youthful and evolving gracefully. Sediment is less of an issue than with Barbera so I would either allow the wine to breathe standing up with half a glass removed (and drunk!) or decant gently before serving. I far prefer the wine to evolve in the glass so, personally, do not advocate extended decanting though some people do.

Barolo Riserva Monfortino – Monfortino is a wine with a vast drinking window, one of the most long-lived of all wines. The youngest vintages that I feel are drinking well now are 1997 and 1998. I would never put someone off drinking a younger vintage as the enjoyment of watching a wine develop, bottle by bottle from youth to full maturity is one of the real joys of wine. Younger vintages will require more time in decanter, I recommend 1-2 hours. I would decant mature vintages but as with the Barolos above not for extended time so the wine can evolve in glass.