Cigars & Wine Spain 2013

This is one of those posts more aimed at helping my own memory than anything else. It is a run down of some of the interesting wines and cigars from a break in L'Escala that ended a week ago. I did a slightly similar post to this last year which you can see here.
I took a few smokes with me as I did not know how quickly I would be able to get to the local "Tabac".
On the first night having arrived and restored ourselves on pasta I lit up a Partagas Serie D No 4 (MGR May 2012), it is one of the last of a box split I did a while back and they have all been good, yes they are young but when you want to get just what you are after these deliver, rich, full but not heavy a cracking smoke.
Having gone off to get a big shop done the next morning I was really pleased to have discovered Gin Giro, not a Gin I know and as the holiday went on I saw it in a lot of bars as a "house" gin, not expensive, say 10€, it was delicious and good enough that we got through two bottles in the couple of weeks we were there. It is nothing ground breaking but just seriously enjoyable.
On the second night we had a simple supper and a couple of bottles from a producer who I imagine, I've not done my research, is a local co-op: Ramon Roqueta. All the wines we had from him were fruit forward, in no way overdone, I enjoyed them all without ever being excited, perfect holiday "drinkers". After that supper it was time for another smoke I had taken with me, Quai d'Orsay Corona (OGA Nov 2011), now this was good but they need time, proper time. And the time they need is not for them to mellow it is for them to evolve. For a wine analogy it is not that the tannin needs to drop away it is that the fruit needs to come out.
I managed, on day three, to get to a Tabac but it was not the one I usually use in L'Escala (Josep Ma.Galceran, 17130 L'Escala) but Casa Cigar - Casa Tabac, 17257 Torroella de Montgri. When I saw this new, to me, shop I was excited as the selection was good, eclectic and the humidor room a decent size but as I found out when I went back to my default L'escala supplier (Galceran) the cigars were just not so well stored. I picked up a few things though and will comment on then later in this blog.
At friends we had a real treat of a Paella following some lovely simple and well sourced tapas. With the Paella and after a large Campari and tonic we had Masia Carreras 2011 which was delicious and local, waxy but fruited and fresh...a fellow wine trader did a great googling job when I tweeted about it and I can report it is from Carinena Blanca & Roja, Garnacha Blanca & Gris and Picpoul that then sees 12 months in French oak. It was a splendid evening with several other things opened and a also a great combination in the form of Pineapple with chilli salt and pepper. The cigar to end it was a Hoyo de Monterrey Petit Robusto from Casa Cigar, it was a total "wind tunnel" completely underfilled and had I had anything else with me it would have been binned. I was jealous of the San Cristobel I had given out host!
The local wine region, D.O.Emporda, is an exciting one and one of the main, slightly more branded, names seems to be Castillo Perelada. We had one of there wines, Gigonyes 2011, which I enjoyed it was a dash clumsy but as the name suggests a definite "Gigondas-a-like". The same evening it was time to have my first proper non Cuban cigar in years (about ten years!) a Davidoff Special "R" Robusto. This was a good smoke straight into stride and very well rolled, good burn, no issues. Just below medium in strength. I liked it but felt no need to buy more.
One of the cigar finds of the trip was an aged Trinidad Fundadores, I know it was aged because it had the old band on it but I don't know how aged. We had a lucky break one day and managed to borrow a house with a pool for the day so what better thing than a nice long smoke. It was delicious, mellow opening than built a bit, always on the tea side of the spectrum, old leather too...just lovely. That same evening I followed it up with a Cohiba Behike 52, my cigar of the year a few years ago. I felt this Behike needed masses of time. It was disapointing as the tobacco is aged and whilst you can put these away they should be good straight from the box. It was a tad bitter and just had espresso and density but nothing more. I'll have to try another as I have now had two and they were very different but at 28Euro a stick it is hard to just "have another go".
The following evening was, cigar wise, a bit of a revisiting session. The smoke in question was a R&J Cedros de Luxe No3. You hardly ever see these anymore but they used to be pretty widely available. R&J (Romeo and Julietta) are a weird cigar brand, well-known but not often smoked, with some great sticks (Cazadores) and a lot of mediocre nothingness. The Cedros range are all individually wrapped in cedar. This was a lovely gentle, mellow, tea and fruitcake smoke that I really enjoyed.
When we hosted the return fixture from the Paella evening it was a time to upgrade the wines a little...they were Martin Codax Albarino 2012, Terras Gauda Rias Baixas 2011, Amic Clos d'Agon 2011 and Condado de Haza 2008. The Codax was good, steady clean fruited but not dull. The Terras Gauda was one of my wines of the holiday without doubt, it had a wonderful savoury complexity but was also very moreish, a hard combination to pull off, I could have drunk a lot of it! Of the reds on this showing I far preferred the clean fresh fruitedness of the Amic which was juicy, ripe but not bruised or degraded, lovely. The Condado suffered but comparison as I feel it was a little too young and that made it appear fruit-deficient. Having a full belly and a nice amount of the wine "onboard" it was time for smoke and the Diplomaticos Coleccion Privida RE Espana 2012 Petit Robusto (BRA Sep 2012) did just the job. This regional release for Spain is a hard one to understand as there is only one Diplomaticos in production, the No 2, but then they release this. It was espresso like but had a lovely sweetness and intensity, great stuff.
On the last night but one we went for a meal at Can Miquel, the wine list is very good. I went for a bottle of Numanthia 2006 for a couple of reasons, firstly that I had never had it before having sold a bit of it over the years but also becasue the food is good hearty and richly sauced! It is not the sort of thing I would want often, sees a fair bit of oak but was perfect here and is well made with fruit that is just the right side of being over the top. After dinner it was time for a Sancho Panza Non Plus. A cigar I have a real soft spot for as it was the smoke that first got me into cigars, it was a dash salty as ever and mellow, medium at most, delicious.
Then with unnecessary haste it was the last night and after making a "what's in the fridge" pasta dinner it was "final cigar of the holiday" time and I was not disappointed by the Bolivar Royal Corona (MUR July 2012). Always a shame when holidays are over but it was a very good one!

Some shopping, two down, two to go.

Picked these up on the way home, report to follow.

Some Sancho-magic

I might regret posting this!

Some recent smokes...SLR Petit Corona, Partagas Lusitanias, PLPC & San Cristobal El Principe

Partagas Lusitanias 2005 

Ok so it hasn't been a vintage summer as yet but it has been pretty dry and light evenings and a lack of rain  mean a few things but primarily cigars. So a few days ago Tino, Egon, Mr S and myself met up for a few smokes in the west end and some Lebanese food in the middle. The first smoke was supplied by Tino a Saint Luis Rey Petit Corona they were from a five pack and as this cigar in that packaging was discontinued (don't get a lover of Cuban cigars onto a rant about the smokes that have been discontinued) in 2009 this was certain to have had at least 4 years age. The smoke was on the mellow but not light side, probably just under medium for strength and medium or just over for richness and flavour, just what you want to get the taste buds firing. A lovely balanced smoke from a size I love, just fits the hand right. After a couple of bottles of wine and some good food at Fairuz, go for the set menu, we went to another pub and managed to grab a table.

Out came Mr S' big boys and the Mojito's were ordered. The smokes were Partagas Lusitanias (TBR AGO 2005). Now these are a "proper" size, Double Corona, and are one of the iconic smokes of Cuba. It was rather an omission but much as I love Partagas I had never had a "Lusi" before. The construction and look was lovely, just right. The opening had a lot of class about it, a little Partagas spice and some leather. I just loved the mellow completeness. It was just on the lower side of medium but the quantity of smoke was great and the chat flowed. I often try to think of where on the scale of flavours - from dark espresso and dark chocolate to older leather and tea - a smoke comes and this was definitely at the latter end. Very refined. Almost flawless to a fault. A delicious smoke but, and there doesn't need to be a "but", it never quiet built up or got richer. This isn't so much a criticism as a fact. If I had to rate it is would get a very solid and very enjoyable 90/100. My experience of older or at least middle-aged smokes is not great but this has helped. A cracking evening all round.

Back at home last week and I just had a 40 minute gap after supper and wanted something that would have some richness and a rustic flavoursome edge and frankly that almost always means a Partagas short or what I went for on this occasion - Por Larranaga Petit Corona MLO FEB 2012. It is such a good smoke. Doesn't look too polished or perfect but just gives loads of rich smoke and a molasses like flavour with a meaty savoury edge too. It was just the job. I also noticed for the the first time a dry spice on the lips when smoking it, almost like a sort of green chilli or wasabi flavour, not too dominant but very interesting. The last smoke on here was after a lunch at Otto's and it was a small one, a minutos, the same as a Partagas Short, RASCC or Monte 5. The San Cristobal El Principe AME NOV 2012 was a lovely little fire cracker, darker chocolate good smoke, some younger leather and a cracking finish. Not overly strong but nicely punchy for a small size.

The range of cigars out there is great, get smoking!

Ramon Allones night

Tuesday last week was a long overdue cigar evening, co-ordinated by Eric. We were four in total and arranged to meet at 10 Manchester street for a pre-dinner smoke. Eric had organised to provide this stick so we could all smoke the same thing and discuss. The selection was a Ramon Allones Superiores which is not a standard release and was brought out as a Casa del Habanos release in 2010 and is made from time to time. I do not have the exact box code for these but this was from 2012 and a good looking stick. The size is a Corona Gorda (46 by 5.6") to my mind not far from the perfect size, wide enough to smoke cool but not too wide and long enough to allow evolution through the cigar. I had never had this before but love Ramon Allones so was excited. It was a young and punchy smoke with some spice and a definite element of stewed fruit (an RA signature), it never got too much but also due to age it did not change to much, in 2-3 years I would say this will be in its stride. Very good 16.5 out of 20 right now with potential to go to 17 or 18?
Having had a couple of drinks - Ardbeg 10yr old followed by Talisker in my case - it was time for food on route to our final destination. The food was to be Lebanese at Fairuz which I would recommend...really good starters followed by some lovely meats...I could have eaten more but then I am greedy. A couple of bottles of decent but weirdly conventional grape variety Lebanese wines had been good too.
In a cab and off to Knightsbridge, I'd love to give the full location but fear I would be lynched for giving it away (email me). It is the only place I know where you can take wine and drink it indoors in lovely surroundings with no corkage charge. All you have do is buy the cigars there, retail prices and a great range, and away you go. They even have a backgammon board, I love backgammon. Two of our number - Eric and Egon - went for Montecristo Sublimes, an LE from 2008 that is a double robusto (54 by 6.5"), Tino for a Partagas Lusitanias a promientes (49 by 7.6") and my choice was to continue with Ramon Allones and have a Gigantes, also a promientes.
The successes seemed to come from the longer smokes. My Gigantes was surprisingly mellow, a good smoke throughout, never too bold but not dull (16.5-17 out of 20). Tino's Partagas seemed to have more weight and more spice with a really bold and rich pepper-laden finish. The two Sublimes seemed from reports to be a little underwelhming, not bad but not much better than ok. This makes me feel that, as with wine, expectation appears to be the mother of disppointment. I will be trying very hard not to expect the earth to move from any smokes and therefore the good ones are a joy...easier said than done mind you. I must not forget to mention what we took to drink as all three bottles were enjoyable - Tattinger Comtes de Champagne 1998 was a very generous bottle from Tino and a fascinating wine, still youthful but not too much so, it was balanced and the end of the last glass was classy in the extreme, very good. The white Egon brought was Nuits-Saint-Georges Blanc La Gerbotte 2009 from d'Arlot and very nice too, rich but not flabby with good white fruit, not serious but great now. My bottle was, here's a shock (not!), Cascina Francia Barbera 2009 from Giacomo Conterno. Red wines and cigars is not as easy as you might think but this worked, you needs wines with a lushness of texture and a sweetness of fruit and this was just that, 2009 being very good and ripe for Barbera. All three worked well with the smokes, Champagne and whites are safer but reds like Barbera, Malbec, Tempranillo etc can be great but certainly don't "waste" good Pinot Noir of Nebbiolo on cigars!! We had a cracking evening and will be back (in fact Eric and Egon already have!)
To end the week I thought I would have one more Ramon Allones last evening and that had to be the Allones Extra (LE from 2011) a dash thinner than the Superiores at 44 by 5.6", technically making it a Franciscos. I have had a couple of these before, near the release, and was very impressed, enough to buy a box that I have resting, this was to see how they were going. I love the smoke, it is rich without being heavy or spicey it is more a density of great dark fruit than anything. I don't think I will keep the box tucked away for too much longer as some of the joy here is in the dense vitality of them...oh well what brand next? Ramon Allones remains a firm favourite.

I'll be back to play on this beauty

Petrus, and a many others, in Yorkshire...

This could be a long write-up as it was a truly momentous day. The southern chapter of this "club" made up of Irish Pete, Chewy and Young Will (that's me...don't ask) made the train journey from King's Cross to Ilkley to meet up with the Northern Chapter - Nobby, Mr G and Ronaldo Mortino. Having dropped a bag in our rooms we convened in the Brasserie of the Devonshire Arms Hotel (recommended) for a light Burgundy luncheon.
Most of the wines through the whole day were served blind or partially so. The white we started with was Bourgogne Blanc 2006 from de Vogue, which by coincidence we had discussed a little on the way up. It is the wine made entirely from the Musigny Blanc Grand Cru site that, due to replanting, has been released as Bourgogne Blanc since 1994. I find it has a unique, oily texture, this was rich, with lime-like acidity and much more to give in coming years. A pair of reds followed and couldn't really have been much more different even if appellation and quality of the vintages might suggest otherwise. First was Vosnee-Romanee 1er Cru “Aux Reignots” 2002 from Sylvain Cathiard which I was delighted about for a few reasons, amongst them the fact that I have heard such great things but also that it is the first Cathiard wine I have drunk. There was a lovely combination of red/black fruit and mulled wine spices but with a precise freshness too, really lovely and whilst it is still a "puppy" it is very enjoyable. The later was Vosnee-Romanee 1er Cru “Beaumonts” 1999, Dominique Laurent - precision and freshness are two words you couldn't really use here. Famed for use of 200% new oak I am not sure what Monsieur Laurent used here but it over powers the fruit and leaves it dry and "exposed". There is no real length and the fruit is stewed. The bottle remained a third full, not because it was actually awful but because there was no charm or fun to be had..a strange wine.
Having eaten well and rested from the journey it was now time for a walk up to Bolton Abbey and a quick cigar for a couple of us - a Quai d'Orsay Corona - a lovely elegant day time smoke that worked well. 
After a quick 15 minute break for the dreaded blackberry we re-assembled for a brief comparative tasting.  The two wines in question being both 2007 and 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin Vielles Vignes from Domaine Roy Marc. This was a nice tasting. The 2008 was the star, an underrated or "insiders" vintage with the 2009 and 2010 over shadowing it. The 2007 was also good but lacked a little of the focus and red fruited character that you expect of 2007, it might just be in a little bit of a phase.
A brief break and then it was pre-dinner Champagne time with a Krug 1995 Magnum, this was rich and very yeasty/biscuity, I would have put it down as being at least 1988 or older such was the intensity. Had we had this with food it would have been a little more balanced I feel but it was most certainly a decadent start to an amazing evening. We then headed off down the road to the Boxtree in Ilkley. I will not dwell on the food much but we were very very well looked after in terms of both service and the food itself so many thanks to Andrew, Didier and the team there. Next on the agenda was the first of 5 blind white wines. Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese (Long GoldKap) 1995 from Prum, this was a confusing one as it had a relatively lower acidity, I was a decade or so out and actually went for Rheingau. It was soft and beautifully rounded a great drink and nice now.
From there we were seated and served a Piesporter Goldtropfahen “Feinste” Auslese 1959, Bischofliches Konvikt (J.Harvey and Sons, Fuher 9403) clearly not a wine anyone was going to get spot on!! I guessed Spatlese 1976 but confused the age with a lower ripeness. It was lovely, refined with a classy richness. Now it was white Burgundy time and first was a bottle that was a late addition from one of our hosts, thankfully so as it was delicious. Meursault 1993, Coche-Dury was the wine and the guesses were all Premier and Grand Cru and from more exalted vintages. There was that wonderful Coche character of a struck match and slight edge of reduction. Coche almost never disappoints, there was fruit, structure and a lovely texture to this, for it's "humble" status it was staggering.
The last two whites were served as a pair.  Both were Grand Cru 1992's from Neillon, first Batard-Montrachet and then Chevalier-Montrachet. The character you think of with these two Grand Cru showed perfectly. The Batard a little more extrovert and a little more initially expressive it has shoulders and a more sturdy feel. The Chevalier a dash more refined and a little less showy. The two wines got better and better in glass and opened out. These were very impressive. The 1992 whites remaining slightly under praised those I have been lucky enough to drink have been spectacular.

The wines so far were more than you would dare hope for on even a special wine night but amazingly they were really setting the scene for what was to follow. A Petrus bonanza of sublime proportions. As a warm up to this evening I had read the chapter in Neal Martin's book "Pomerol" on Petrus and I have to say it is a great read, the style works well and gives you information and an understanding without being too intense, recommended. Prior to this evening I had been lucky enough to have tasted 2010 at the En Primeur stage and drunk the 1998, 1990 and 1979 at generously thrown dinners or lunches. On this evening we had 5 vintages with one "imposter" thrown in. The first flight was Petrus 2001, Penfolds Grange 1982 and Petrus 1982. The 2001 was by a long way the youngest tasting 12 year old wine I have ever had. Having to put a vintage on it was very difficult for a few reasons. I knew that the vintage we would be having were all very good ones and I knew there would not be anything overly "young". This left me with a real dilemma as both the intensity and purity fruit were making me think of a very young wine, almost barrel sample young. I plumbed for 2003 thinking about the intensity angle. The 2001 is the year my son was born and so a vintage I have an attachment too it is also generally stunning for, especially, Pomerol. This is a generally magnificent wine, simply brilliant. The Grange was next and whilst the character was very different the texture and class was apparent. Blind I can't remember what we all went for but in retrospect (as always) there was a slight eucalyptus nose with the dark fruit. If you own Grange 1982 you can be very happy. So a legend was next and I am delighted to say that having not excelled on the blind front so far (Irish Pete and Chewy having done better) I nailed this one. Why? well mainly because this was exactly how I imaged (hoped) it would be, the 1982 had expressive and "easy" extrovert fruit combining with the high-toned Petrus liveliness. A simply great wine, so much there and so complex but at the same time so easy to enjoy...a special moment to try a special wine.
The next trio was Petrus 1975, Petrus 1967 and Petrus 1964. I was passed making many notes by now and just enjoying the wines. The 1975 is my birth year and to have this hot on the heels of the 1982 was wonderful. There wasn't the expressive exuberance of the 1982 here or in the rest of the flight as these wines were in the next stage of development. Having said that there is a very definite Petrus character, very much a character and not a style. You get no sense of wines that are "made" just fruit from a great site expressing itself. The 1975 had great balance, a drier type of fruit to the 1982. My notes simply say "very good!". The 1967 and 1964 were both in good condition holding a strong colour. The 1967 had a dark fruit character but with a savoury development as you would expect. The 1964 had a very complete feel and texture with a saline edge to the palate that I liked. It had been a simply amazing two flights of Petrus. The 2001 impressive for its youth and purity, the 1982 for its expression and completeness then the 1975, 1967 and 1964 for their array of more developed and savoury complexities. I will certainly never have all of those again in 0ne sitting.
We were almost done but first Climens 1986 and Yquem 1986 were waiting. It is always compelling to have these two great estates alongside each other and this was no exception. A little like the Batard and Chevalier earlier these performed to type. The Yquem having a little more intensity and more depth, having said this if Sauternes had 5 phases of development this would be only in the second of those phases. There will be a very long life ahead of this. The Climens is a little more feminine, only by comparison, the fruit a little less tropical and the volume turned down a notch... both very fine indeed...
Drinking great wines with great friends is what it is all about in my book and this was exactly how this wonderful day went...it does make the return "fixture" more than a little daunting.

Smokes in the snow

A snowy weekend offered up the chance to wrap up warm and get outside for a couple of smokes whilst on the way to/from toboganning. First up on Saturday was a 2007 Edicion Limitada - R&J Escudos, a Gorditos or Robusto Extra in size. This was a gift from Mr Sabourin and a very good smoke. It started out rich, almost Bolivar rich with toasted tobacco and roasted coffee but also a nice bit of cherry-like tang about it. This would be an even better after dinner smoke than it was in the middle of the day it was really enjoyable right to the end. Tasted blind I would not have thought it had 5-6 years on it and it is clearly an LE that can be aged. There was a little bit of dark chocolate about the profile too but never too much..impressive (93-94 if I had to rate it).
Second up, on sunday, was a Por Larranaga Petit Corona - PLPC to it's friends (box code MLO FEB 2012) - I have had several from this box and this was the worst, the constant snow and cold might not have helped! Ordinarily they are delicious, and have been from this box, although they would be better with a little age, 12-18 months at least. The main reason I have had a few of these so young is that I'm not quite where I want to be with my rolling-stocks yet. But with the two boxes that arrived today (see below) this is now less of an issue - Partagas Shorts (REA ABR 2010) and Ramon Allones Small Club Coronas (OGA NOV 2011) are both great smokes that are a great winter size and ready to go...

BY THE BOTTLE - new magazine, a review

Ok so you could say this includes some self-promotion but not really, no money swapped hands…there is a new interactive, digital, Wine & Lifestyle magazine which will be distributed via Apple's Newstand - BY THE BOTTLE The magazine has been written, in large part, by the wine-trade and for the public. Almost all those involved can be found lurking on twitter under various guises. I’ve done a piece on cigars if it interests you. The whole beast is edited by Geordie Clarke and can be found via ITunes HERE.

Future editions will include all tablets, android and apple, but for now, it has just launched and is only compatible for the Ipad. 

So what sort of thing does it include and why recommend it? Well firstly the layout is good fun and it is the perfect thing to dip in and out of, I wouldn't read it cover to cover but some may well do. The first edition includes:

A full Interview in this case with Maximilian Riedel.

Lost of Basic and helpful information – hints and recommendations - for those who know they have a passion for wine but don’t necessarily know where to start!

Wine investing and Collecting – pieces on Disclosure, Fakes and more.

Wine appreciation – mastering the technical terms and getting the sommelier “on side”.

Leisure – Other drinks, Cigars (that’s me!) betting (I write on betting on the horses for the next issue...)

Life & Fashion – Suits, Movies, stress relief you name it...

...and well that is it, lots to read and all enthusiastically written with nobody taking themselves too seriously. So download it (FREE!!), fill a large glass (red from Piedmont works well) and light a proper cigar (Cuban with a little age if possible but then you can read about that in there)…

Enjoy!

A few pre-Christmas bottles...

The run up to Christmas in the trade for me is less a bunch of parties and more just a good opportunity to catch up with a few friends and customers and share some bottles. First up was a Zucca Lunch with a fellow wine trader, my senior in every way, known to wear the odd bow tie (no more clues). Two wines were shared. Chassagne-Montrachet 1999 from Bernard Moreau which I thought, when trying blind,  was a decent mid 90’s Meursault 1er Cru. It was in great shape, not complex but delicious and further added to the good record I have had with the 1999’s I've been lucky to try. It is not a grower I know but a little research reveals he has nice if not stellar holdings. My bottle was rather cheeky being Porcaria 2009, Tenuta di Passopisciaro. I said it was something different so there was no blind tasting stitch-up in operation. This is the second  of the Contrada’s, for contrada think "Cru", from Andrea Franchetti’s estate in Sicily that I have had recently. We are talking 100% Nerello Mascalese the fruit expression is bright red and very vibrant, delicious and lightly decadent, the palate needs some time but cracking stuff. Lots of topics covered from Premox (groan) to skiing.

The next lunch was at Alyn Williams at The Westbury in Mayfair. Very good food, we did the tasting menu and I think I am going to vow not to do any tasting menu’s again…they just don’t suit me. That is probably one of the most obnoxious things I’ve said but it is true. The dishes in this meal were all complex and show of the chef’s very clear talent. The rabbit was especially stunning. The setting is lavish and a little decadent, a good thing. The wines were Egly-Ouriet Brut Tradition, Meursault Sous le Dos d’Ane 2007, Domaine Leflaive and Barolo Riserva 1964, Giuseppe Mascarello. The Champagne was a new one on me with 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay and a lowish dosage of 5-6g. It was very much a toasty wine and never bad but never either vibrant or out and out rich enough, one to try again I feel. Anne–Claude Leflaive’s Meursault is a wine that is getting better and better. The cross over between a Puligny Producer and a Meursault vineyard in a focussed and taut year like 2007 works really well to my mind. This is not a pretentious wine it is just a very good one. Now on to undoubtedly the most interesting of the 3 bottles. Sourced well from a private cellar my co-luncher had got this bottle from the last vintage, we believe, before Mascarello started to make Monprivato. 1964 is a fabled vintage in Barolo and along with 1967, 1971 & 1978 one of the best mature ones. The wine was most confusing, bright and translucently candied red almost like a new born Volnay. The cork, a short one as it correct, came out whole and in good order. The nose had definite notes of maderisation but not of oxidation, the acid was still high. The wine stayed focussed and stayed in the same candied fruit profile, it was some experience, neither amazingly great nor disappointing. It would be amazing to try it again…fat chance!

The evening after Alyn Williams a more relaxed meal was to be had, early supper at Zucca again. This time the main event was a cigar out the back of The Woolpack (also on Bermondsey street and recommended) after food. We started supper, the instruction had been humble and interesting rather than grand, with my offering - Langhe Bianco 2008 from Josetta Saffirio. It is a wine I have had several times now and really enjoy, 100% Rossese and like a fresh Rhone white with more acidity but also a waxy texture. Joe’s wine was the first red - Beaucastel 1995. Good, elegant for CNDP, red slightly bruised fruit and balance, possibly a dash short but really enjoyable. It was during this supper and the cigar that followed that I realised how much the joy of good wine and good cigars is just enjoying them and the conversation that sparks out of the gathering. This is not chat specific to the wine, quite the opposite as often you have a good wine, say “bloody hell that’s good” and then conversation flows in all directions. The next two reds were Parker Estate First growth 1994 and Branaire Ducru 2002 which should have been an interesting pair but sort of wasn’t. The Branaire sadly wasn’t 100% clean, you could tell from what we had that is was very decent and medium weighted, just the job for this evening. The pair wouldn’t quite have worked anyway as the Parker was a notch up in volume and precision too, very youthful in as much as it was still quite primary, an impressive bottle. With the bottles gone and lots of pasta and veal chop consumed we went to the pub for a cigar each and a couple of pints of Landlord. Cigar chat ensued as the four of us are all fans. I finally smoked a customer rolled robusto I was given nearly a year ago and dam good it was too.

Unsurprisingly the fourth meal here was also at Zucca, my last visit of 2013, with a customer now friend who I have dealt with for 10 years and who loves Conterno. We started with Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese 2003, JJ Prum and a few fish orientated starters. The wine was lovely, the normal Auslese release, it had lemon sherbet zip to it, a little spritz and I would have been amazed if anyone would have called it as an 03. Very good and as always with Prum even better at the end of the meal than the beginning (wines to double decant if ever there was one). The main red was Monfortino 2000 from Giacomo Conterno, any Monfortino day is a great day in my book. I have had the 2000 before but not this year. The fragrance and graceful power is quite something. I really enjoyed drinking this, if I owned it I would say drink from 2018 and for two decades thereafter. It also worked so well because Sam (@Zuccasam) added in an extra course and arrived with fresh and gorgeous white truffle. After this we had the awesome linguine with Duck Ragu and chatted away...just what wine is all about, a cracking pre-Christmas week done!

Team Meal at Egon's place

I have been crap at attending the fairly regular team meals so was delighted to be able to make one even if it was to be hosted in South London (I had my jabs and made sure my passport was to hand). Joe "Egon" Muller (@mulleredreview) was our very able host. The rough brief was bring two bottles of wine (or a mag, or both). Over the week we'd made sure that all the bases where covered so we had fizz (more of that in a minute), a few whites and then red with a dessert wine too. The other crucial point is that everything is served blind, we didn't spend forever trying to work things out.
So to kick us off: Ben (@BRPym) served us up the fizz, Conterto Reggiano Lambrusco 2011, clearly sparkling red and a dry one and that as not what we were expecting and to be honest the dry finish and lack of sweetness all round left us all a bit stranded, I felt it may be some southern french scenario, others, Banyuls or some such. I think serving it first may not have been ideal. It was interesting but no more than that, definitely what a tannic red with sparkling water may taste like, no points (not that there were any on offer) to any of the tasters.
Time for some whites now and I was up first, my bottle was Bourgogne Aligote Raisins Dores 2008 from Lafarge. This seemed a tricky shout and nobody guessed Aligote (why would they) and nobody guessed Burgundy. It seemed to go down well. I bought a case after visiting Lafarge in November 2009. There is a grapefruit character and a tart acidity. I cracking "smaller" wine and from 50 yr old vines if my memory serves me correctly. Next into the glass was Valentina's offering and this had guesses (and they were guesses) from mostly Italy but anything from Vermentino to Soave, it turned out to be Muller Thurgau 2010 from Kettmeir in Alto Adige. A really balanced wine that drank excellently with the superb haddock wrapped in streaky bacon and served with asparagus and lemon mayonnaise. Now it was Luke "Lulu" Lupton's turn to produce a white and I think it was the white of the night. I guessed it might not be that old (wrong) and that the colour came from Furmint in Hungary (kind of not bad), Guido (@guyseddon) had a sensible punt at white Rioja, it turned out to be Musar White 2001. Really delicious, an almost Savvenieres-like nose that gave way to nutty, almond palate and was dry but not fiercely so. Really an excellent bottle...must look out for some.

Plenty to drink!

Sensing that DJ Lulu was keen to get to the iPod we now moved on to the first red. This was probably one of the worst blind performances all things considered but I like to think we were wrong for solid reasons. The wine was clearly a class act, dense but not too dense in colour there was age but not old age. So the first main mistake was arguing over where in the Rhone it cam from. Lulu did point out it was may be not saturated enough in colour to be northern Rhone. Anyway I guessed 05 northern Rhone not wanting to change my mind. It was Clos Vougeot 2002 by F.Lamarche, a very impressive and generous bottle from Guy. Now the defence; 2002's are rich, big and have a from my experience a large gamey element with density. On top of this Clos Vougeot is one of the more masculine expressions of Burgundy. We loved the wine just put the jigsaw together wrong. Several people recently have said how Clos Vougeot needs possibly the most patience of any Grand Cru to show itself and this doesn't dispel that theory. The excellent stew and dumplings with mash and green beans hit the table and so did my red which was a magnum of Barolo Brunate 2004 by Marcarini. The two paired well. Knowing what I am like Piedmont was quickly nominated so then it was a matter of vintage with a couple of people getting 2004, it seemed popular and showed well, there is good grip which makes it much better with sturdy food now but that will mellow with time. Egon was up next and showed a wine that we didn't discuss for very long or not as far as I can remember anyway. I was a very difficult glass to get the age of, I think I said 2002 or 2004 as I felt it was a decent Bordeaux rather than much more than that. It turned out to be Pavie 1999, Egon was very disappointed in a "I'd never buy it these days" sort of way and I know where he's coming from it is impressive but two problems for me, firstly, it is not exciting and it needs to be at that level and secondly it is stuck in a "primary fruit time warp". there is no obvious reason why it will evolve, I feel it will continue to be one dimensional and then will just fade, I could be wrong but...We next swapped banks in Bordeaux and had Mr Pym's Talbot 1996. I was still on the other bank and couldn't get Gazin out of my head, who knows why. Most others seemed in agreement about it being St.Estephe. It was a decent claret, no more or less than that, very honest. Next up before we broke for a quick smoke was Lulu's Barolo Brunate, Bricco Roche Ceretto 2004. Ceretto are a more modern producer but this was very high-toned and had an almost sweaty feel, we all agreed it was rather charmless sadly. It certainly wasn't corked but at the same time it probably wasn't a good bottle, it struck me as a little strained, volume turned up too high.
I decided on a bit more Pavie 1999 (the good if slightly same-ish fruit - meeoooww - working well) with a Sancho Panza Belicoso from Egon's humidor. This is a lovely mellow pyramid that is almost always balanced and very underrated.
Back indoors Lulu was "in charge" of the iPod and M C Hammer appeared to have got his trousers out. We had one more red before the tart and it was a really good one. I can now not even nearly remember what I though it was but it was certainly impressive. It turned out to be Pintia 2005 under the same ownership as Vega Sicilia. When it comes to Ribera I have a convenient and professional bias to all things Domino de Pingus but you can not deny how exceptional the wines of Vega Sicilia and Pintia are (al be it that Pintia is actually from Toro). This was youthful but not too young, impressive. And so to pudding and a Sauternes - de Malle 2003 - I though it was slightly "higher up the tree" name but from 2005, it was very good, I can't remember what the other guesses were. De Malle seemed to have made a rich 2003 but not one that is in any way burnt...impressive and good value. A cracking evening was over; may impressive wines seen off, very few shinning examples of blind tasting skill but then they are a rarity. Excellently hosted! All I know is that I'll need more glasses for when I host mine especially if Mossy & Mr Bird (@Burdhound) can make it!!

Pym and Muller take things seriously as usual!

Amazingly Egon is not Northern!

DJ Lulu has a snooze!

What's the world coming to? A picture of people picturing the line-up!