Perfect Petrus...

I am incredibly late writing up this truly wonderful evening that happened before Christmas last year. The evening was all about Petrus. The location was the stunning Dumfries House. It's an easy thing to say but this was a truly memorable time. The hosts were a combination of three of the team from Corney & Barrow (of which I was delighted to be one) then Christophe Jacquemin Sablon (CEO) and Olivier Berrouet (Winemaker from 2008 having taken over from his father Jean-Claude who was in charge from 1964-2008) from Petrus.

We started the evening with a tour of the house and a small explanation of the amazing works that go on all over the estate (this continued with a driven tour the following morning). It is a fascinating estate and story, one worth looking at the website to find out more about it.

We then gathered in the drawing room and started the evening with the rather splendid Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 1996 En Magnum. The 1996 was a vintage of Delamotte that all got sold to the Japanese market so I had never had it before. A lovely combination of toastiness and freshness with a lemon shortbread finish, very moreish and very appetising

We were then piped through to the spectacular dining room and a delicious looking menu of:

Half Lobster with Beurre Blanc

Roast Pigeon Breast with a Pea and Bacon Salad

Dumfries House Estate Venison with Market Vegetables, Roasted Shallots, Potato Puree and Thyme Jus

A Selection of Locally Sourced Cheeses (Aiket, KIlbride, Cheddar and Arran Blue)

With the opening speeches and the first course we had Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2011 En Magnum from Bonneau du Martray which, whilst on the youthful side, is drinking very well now like the vast majority of the 2011's. It has a steely classicism but not quite the searing acidity that you might expect of Bonneau at 4 years of age. Very good indeed with the delicious Lobster, quite a combination.

Now of course, it was time for Petrus, this most famous of Pomerols. I have been very lucky to have both visited and drunk my fair share of Petrus over the last decade or so. This 11.5 ha site with vines of 45 years age on average is planted, historically, with 97% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. The wine is actually now pretty much 100% Merlot. We were to have the vintages served in two pairs. Older, and from more difficult vintages, first then the younger stellar vintages. This has the advantage of showing grace and maturity before power although it is not necessarily the conventional order. Olivier Berrouet did comment, with a twinkle in the eye, that of course these were his father's wines and he could not be "blamed". The wines had all come from the Chateau a moth or so earlier.

Olivier speaks...

Petrus 1969 - This was described as a lighter style of Petrus by Olivier, "a style that doesn't really exist anymore". The wine was delicate but persistent, not tired. The nose had notes of grapefruit and citrus almost a cool tropicality. I loved it, a shade of menthol and a good gentle balance.

Petrus 1979 En magnum - A growing season with quite high rainfall and limited warmth. This was by contrast to the 1969 (and accentuated by the format) a richer more succulent wine all round. Very iron-like and savoury, a wine to wallow in, a wine of depth and texture. As with the 1969 this far exceeds the vintages reputation.

Petrus 1990 - Velvet and superb weightlessness, supreme even, so moreish with a battle between red and black fruit. My note is clearly too concise, quite rightly this was a wine to enjoy and drink rather than write about. There was a brief comment about the contrast between 1989 and 1990 for Petrus. Olivier said that in 1989 the spring and early summer were hot then it was cooler later, pretty much the opposite in 1990.

Petrus 2000 - Savoury, granite, stones, so youthful, delicious, packed with fruit, decadent and rich. Stunning balance...depth, depth, depth, so much texture but without being heavy. I was trying to compare it to the 2001 that I once had and it seemed less extrovert than that vintage, may be more serious, more understated confidence.

The combination of the food, the wonderful conversations and the fact that there are never going to be enough occasions in life when you have four vintages of Petrus in front of you made for a wonderful atmosphere. The receptiveness of everyone to the Grahams 1970, bottled by Whighams of Ayr, was tremendous, I find myself saying it often but we don't drink enough good Port! We did on this occasion.

As the harpist, oh yes you have to have a harpist, played her last, rather brilliant notes we were joined by a singer and a fiddler...this went well with the Hine 1987 Early landed Cognac, bottled in 2006, which I find to be the most drinkable of all spirits, so mellow and refined...

The evening carried on late, with singing and cigars back at the lodges, a few sore heads in the morning...

What fun!

Salon 2004 Launch

My kinda bath...

Champagne launches tend to be a bit of a show-off moment and you could argue that we did a bit of that with the Salon 2002 Launch week. The launch this week of the, sadly smaller, 2004 Salon was a lower key affair, deliberately so. A few tastings were put on for press and restauranteurs of course but possibly the main focus was a small, 40 people, dinner at  The Victorian Bathhouse in Bishopgate. Now I had nothing to do with finding this venue but it's a cracker.

Before launching into the evening's activities there are a few other Salon and Delamotte posts you may enjoy:

Champagne Salon and Delamotte at IMW

Champagne in Barcelona with Salon and Delamotte agents
Didier pops in

The food for the evening was good, nicely understated. I am a firm believer that there isn't room for a chef's ego on a plate alongside great wine. One or the other has to be the focus. We were served up a lovely menu of:

Smoked Scottish salmon, wheaten toasts, lemon and samphire tartar 

Broad bean blancmange, golden crispy broad bean crumbs 

Pea gougère, pine nut and parsley butter 

Crispy whitebait, with herb mayonnaise

-

Hen’s egg starter with asparagus tips

-

Pan fried John Dory with roast radishes, Jersey royals and lemon thyme oil

-
Cheese - Gruyère, Manchego, Parmesan

Champagne is a flexible food wine, in fact you often hear of people who go to the top experimental restaurants, be it in Denmark, Spain or anywhere in between, comment that Champagne is about the only wine you can drink the whole way through.

The line-up

So, enough waffle, what did we drink? Well, the kick off was Delamotte Brut NV en magnum, a Chardonnay-heavy blend (55%) that includes both Pinot Noir (35%) and Pinot Meunier (10%). This blend interestingly used to be an equal third split between the three. But under the guidance of "Mr Salon/Delamotte" Didier Depond, our host for the evening, the blend has been swayed towards the house strength - Chardonnay. All Delamotte Brut sees 36 months on the lees rather that the 15/16 months of many houses. It was drinking beautifully, open expressive but with a good focus, a great all rounder. Totally dependable in the good sense of the word.

Once we moved through for dinner and saw the "Champagne Bath" we had a Delamotte double to greet us, starting with Delamotte Blanc de Blancs NV which is made from purely Grand Cru fruit. I did not know that of the 320 villages (yes, seriously) that can produce Champagne only 17 can produce Grand Cru. This Non-Vintage (though Multi-Vintage is a better term generally I think) is made from fruit from Les Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger and Cramant. It has a little toasty element from the longer lees ageing but is so very moreish, it's probably the one wine that for me most sums up what Delamotte is all about. From here we moved to the Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 2007. The 2007 is a slightly more complex wine than the Non-Vintage and follows on from the 2004. The fruit comes from four villages, the three mentioned above and also Cremant. Cremant only makes up 10% but Didier feels it is an important element. I found this to have a slight note of cocoa bean and then lovely white fruits and delicate toastiness.

A bit of fun...but clever...

We were now firmly into the "Salon Zone" with Salon 2004 and Salon 1997 served side by side. The 2004 was the focus, it is only the 39th vintage produced. 2004 as a whole was a rather vast, record-breaking even, vintage in Champagne but at Salon it is small at only 42,000bts as opposed to an average, but still insanely minute, 60,000bts This is due to two green harvests done in the vineyard. I am borrowing Didier's word but it is an intense serious and saline Salon, there is so much to come, in many ways it reminds me of Grand Cru Chablis in youth and yet it is, one has to remember, a 12 year old wine. Intense and serious for sure. The 1997 alongside it is from the same DNA but is, and always has been, more open, more flirty, the "Audrey Hepburn" vintage as it has been called. I think those with 1997 in the cellar can be very happy and, if they haven't already, open a bottle. When you drink Salon, or almost any Champagne, please use a decent, tulip shaped glass.

Superb!

Then with cheese on the way it was time for a wine that the House only has a few handfuls of bottles left - Delamotte Collection Blancs de Blancs 1985. These bottles were disgorged a year ago. In general there is a disgorgement every 6 months of a few wines to form the Delamotte Collection for the next year. Listening to some facts on the 1985 was very interesting. The 84/85 winter was a savage one, -20 for two solid weeks, then spring was cool/cold also but summer was hot with the temp hitting 40 at times. The proverbial "roller coaster". Production was minute with Delamotte making 20% of a normal crop. In many ways Salon making 32,000 bottles was a great effort. This wine was just delightful, some good depth from the ageing but then a lovely biscuity dried fruit edge and as a friend commented, an element of "Flor" a salty, zesty, freshness...delicious.

Things were supposed to end here but there was one last surprise - Delamotte Collection Brut 1970 En Magnum. Now those paying close attention will notice "Brut" rather than "Blanc de Blancs". That is because this is a 50:50 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. I thought it was fascinating, far weightier than the other wines and richer. I liked it but possibly find the 1985 more to my palate - I am spoilt!

Alas a lovely evening amongst friends has to end somewhere...this had been a lot of fun and whilst I am biased the evening flowed and so did the Champagne...Bon!

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...

White, red and orange - Giulia comes to Zucca...

Giulia Negri was in town for a few days, a young producer in Barolo who I think has a bright future. She has featured in these two blogs already. One of her great passions outside of the wines of Piedmont is, unsurprisingly, Burgundy. She spends a good amount of time there so I thought what better than to introduce her wines to Sam Harris at Zucca and also have lunch there with four customer friend's - Irish Pete, Andrew, Colin and Winerackd. The drill was simple bring a bottle - Burgundy if you like.

A lovely line-up

We started with the ever poised Delamotte 2002 - showing good focus, a little richness but overall balance, lovely now but no rush…

We had two whites to follow or rather a white and an orange. Meursault 1er Cru Goutte D'Or 2004 from Lafon was the white, this got better and better and fresher and fresher in the glass, initial opening suggested it might be a tad weary but actually 20 minutes or so later it was just rich but still fresh, nice! The orange was Winerackd's bottle - Contra Soarda's 121 BC Vespaiolo 2012 a Veneto Bianco IGT. Now this is more a wine of skin contact that a "natural wine" (not a debate I am getting drawm into). I really liked it - the nose was very reminiscent, as Giulia particularly highlighted, of tomatoes, like cool passata. The plate had more fruit, a little apricot even and it was moreish, I would definitely have it again!

Then it was time for the "main action" - Giulia's wines. We had the 2013 Barbera d'Alba which is such a supple and fresh red, lovely such fruit but with real lift and edge. The Barolo Tartufaia 2009 was next, a blend of fruit from 70% Brunate and 30% Serradenari (where Guilai is based and the highest vineyard in the whole Barolo region). This wine gets better and better with air there is real depth and, I think it is fair to say everyone was impressed. With a good, serious, 2010 to come followed by a beautifully poised 2011 things look good.

So what were to be the final reds? Well a rather lovely pair. Volnay 1er Cru Fremiets 1996 from d'Angerville and Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Cras 1993 from Ghislaine Barthod. The Fremiets had a taut and quite serious nose of cheesecloth and reserved fruit but opened up more and more, it never quite shed it's 1996 straightjacket but was absolutely lovely, savoury but delicately sweet. The Barthod which had come direct from the estate about 2 month earlier was spotless, everything you want from Chamboll really, succulence but also elegance with lovely supple, velvet fruit, it'll keep and it will develop but was just lovely now. As a duo they functioned well just as the whole lunch did…as, almost, always you get good people round a table and bring and bottle and much fun is had! Onwards...

All aboard the Cutty Sark

This was a very special evening however biased I may be. With Aubert de Villaine in town for a dinner at the Cutty Sark. We had a champagne reception on deck with access to the middle deck for those that might not have had a thick enough coat with them, or forgotten hat and gloves! Delamotte Blanc de Blancs NV from magnum is always a good option and drinks so well. For the actual dinner we moved downstairs to eat at tables of ten under the hull. Coated in copper it is a striking place for a dinner. Aubert amusingly noted it was also a wise choice given it was one of the few ships of note that had not fought the French. The menu was a good one that worked very well, the standard especially given it was for 100 people was superb.

Confit sea trout, sweet pea puree, roasted lobster oil

Wood pigeon, barley risotto, balsamic jus, lemon thyme

Thyme roasted guinea fowl, anna potato, salt baked carrots, cavelo nero

Sourdough toast, griddled mushrooms, parsley butter

To start the Domaines wines for the evening, all of which had been collected from the estate just 3 weeks before the dinner, we had the Bâtard Montrachet 2000. The Domaine have enough land, two ouvres which is 1/12th of a hectare, in Batard to produce about two barrels. From a conversation I had a few weeks before it appears that the harvest here is always done at the same time as the Montrachet. This was purchased with the Domaines Montrachet in 1966. The wine is never released for sale and in fact this was a very rare excursion outside the Domaine. There is a touch of the tropical about the nose but then there is a balancing saline edge, a lovely richness but it does have freshness. Aubert commented that, like Montrachet, you can really let this get fully ripe without worrying about a lack of energy. As less wine was left in the glass there was a phase when it was a little smokey like lapsang tea and then the empty glass had a lovely dash of butterscotch. A cracking start to the evening.

Échézeaux 2000 and Grands Échézeaux 2000 came next, It was a really good pair. The vintage is one that slightly gets overlooked given it falls in amongst '99, '01 and '02. Aubert made a very good point during the evening that to speak nowadays about "great" and "lesser" vintages is really a little pointless, it should be "easy" and "difficult" as there is so much that can be done in the vineyard and in selection. So how were these two wines? Without sounding silly there were both great, but in different ways. The Echezeaux had a delightful airy nose, stones and minerals then berries and raspberries, very bright and wonderfully accessible. The Grands Echezeaux was far more restrained and muted on the nose but then the palate comes alive with so much fruit, really impressive. I finally think after about 16 years I am starting to understand this Cru. It is never showy, always more restrained but serious.

For the main course it was another pair: Richebourg 1991 and La Tâche 1991. Aubert mentioned how 1991 was neither as spectacular or seductive as 1990 but has a long way to go, "the type of wines I really like to make". I have been lucky to have a fair few 1991's from the Domaine in the last few years and I love the vintage, elegance and focus tend to be the words I would use. These two both showed well. The Richebourg was the darker and richer of the two as you would expect but the focus of the wine and precision of the fruit was a massive, good, surprise for me, there was a moreish minerality behind the fruit, really lovely. The La Tache 1991 is always a star, very hard to write about, focussed with red fruit and some gentle spice, "complete" is the word.

From the 1991's we then went to a blind vintage of Romanée-Conti, not an everyday occurrence, this got all sorts of guessing games going. It was precise, elegant, not heavy but very persistent with some gentle red fruits and a tea-like purity, clearly not from a big warm vintage but a wine with refined texture and beautiful weightlessness. The reaction when it was revealed as 1965 was excellent. The fact that a 50 year old vintage that was not in anyway a showbiz vintage showed this well is wonderful.

There was one more "drink" to come Marc de Bourgogne 1979. I think most people were still re-tasting and wallowing in the wines so this may be didn't get a fair crack, I had a glass and liked it as usual, I was though past the stage of tasting notes.

The dinner worked so well as we had wines from 6 different Grand Cru sites and they all showed their characters very clearly...this is exactly what you, well certainly I do, want from Burgundy at the top level.

Up, up and De Vogue...

I'd been looking forward to this evening for a while, two real reasons. Firstly I love the wines and however biased that may be it comes from the fact that this historic estate is making wines as good if not better than ever. Secondly, if there is one thing as good as lovely wine it is drinking it with fun people you really enjoy the company of and that was the case here. Great array of de Vogue a couple of years ago was an additional reason!

We started upstairs at the Ritz with Champagne Delamotte Blanc de Blancs NV, it is drinking so well now, and that is on the back of having had it 3 or 4 times in the last month, the 2008 base seems to be wonderful and won't, sadly, be around much longer. We then moved downstairs for dinner. Six round tables of ten. Jean-Luc Pépin took us through a history of the estate and with de Vogue that is quite something, one owner, one family back hundreds of years. We were then into the wines:

Bourgogne Blanc 2009 was served with Native Lobster with Oscietra which worked well and I have to say here that this wine is an academic one rather than an obviously hedonistic experience. The vines are all classified as Musigny Blanc Grand Cru but the wines has not been classified as such since after the 1993 vintage due to a lot of replanting. This had an unctuous richness but with some tropical fruits before a very nutty palate, quite dry with some yeasty notes. There were also some briney elements to the nose as it opened up adding a saline edge. As to when it will again be called Musigny Blanc, sadly Jean-Luc could not be persuaded to say... 

We then moved to the next course of Squab Pigeon with Cep Purée with a trio of Chambolle's - Chambolle-Musigny 2007, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru 1999 & Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 2001. This was a great combo because all three had their marked similarities but also pronounced differences, contradictory though that may sound. The pigeon was superb especially when you consider this was 60 people at one time.

Chambolle-Musigny 2007 - This is made from a combinations of holdings but two of them are 1er Crus - Les Baudes and Les Fuees - this had a linear nervouness, a real focus, also a light raspberry fruit and some orange rind. A dryish finish, a good if slightly simple wine. I like the vintage for it's purity and the fact you can drink and enjoy them now, some people don't thinking it is weak, being lightweight.

Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru 1999 - This is all from young vines that could all be released as Musigny, therefore Grand Cru in all but name. The estate has done this since 1995. The wine was much richer than the 2007, more texture, more layers. Black fruit as well as red, a little whiff of truffle too which adds a lovely savoury edge without reducing the sweet fruit. It has half the primary purity characteristics of a 1999 and then a little of the savoury beefiness of 2002. Impressive all round and will certainly continue to repay cellaring. Ready to be enjoyed? Yes, but no rush whatsoever. Impressive.

Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 2001 - The final of the trio and the last non Grand Cru of the evening, a moot point in a way as Amoureuses is in the top two 1er Crus that would be Grand Crus in the Cote de Nuits (by general consensus before you think I am being overly obnoxious). The wine itself was a joy. Femininely defined power and poise, so much to come, lots of prettiness and correctness but no lack of fibre and structure albeit hidden. Jean-Luc described Amoureuses as "the first lady of Chambolle" and romantic though that sounds it is spot on! It was very "2001" by which I mean there is a lightness of touch and a freshness. Where 2001 sits in the trio of 1999, 2001 and 2002 over time we will have to see but my feeling its that like 1991 in Burgundy those that have the balance will be wonderfully rewarding. Smashing wine. It's such a shame there is so little of it.

The two Grand Crus reds to accompany the rather good Venison Wellington, Madeira and Truffle Jus were Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 1999 and Musigny Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes 1993. They made an good pair. Bonnes Mares is in many ways the odd one out at this Domaine having, as it does, half a foot in Morey-St-Denis and half in Chambolle. This 1999 was superb, for me the wine of the night - although run close by the Amoureuses (many people had the Musigny 1993 as theirs). The Bonnes Mares nose was airy and gravelly with lots of wet minerals then a palate of boldness, good structure but as with most 1999's the freshness and fruit sits above that grip. I really loved this. Musigny 1993 was at a different stage, more secondary and evolved more "old school". The 1993 vintage was tricky as yields were low. My notes have an array of comments - almost redcurrant, spice, degraded, masculine grit. Overall the impression was of a wine really strutting it's stuff and decadently trying to test your ability to spot different aspects... 

One wine remained - Musigny Blanc Grand Cru 1990 which was served with Cheese. So in many ways we were back to the beginning. The 1990 was as with the 2009, unctuous and nutty on the palate. Two members of the press at the dinner each had a take - "like a Vendages Tardive" was one and "with aged Rioja blended in" was another. The wine was very complex indeed but to me, in honesty, not as good as the 1992 and 1993 that I've been privileged to drink. 

...and with that the evening came to a mellow end...splendid - great wine, good food and very amusing conversation...whether my bias shows or not - if you love Burgundy then De Vogue is right up there...

Gazin with Nicolas de Bailliencourt...1989 to 2011

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Optical illusion, both double mags...

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

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

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

Didier pops in!

Didier Depond was in town briefly a couple of weeks back and one of the things we did was a small lunch for a few members of the press who couldn't make the Salon 2002 Uk launch back in March.

I was lucky to get the call and really enjoyed a tasting followed by lunch. The same wines were served at each. This may seem strange but far from it - getting the chance to taste and analyse a wine and then separately to drink it and see it develop in glass is actually not something I get to do that often.

Delamotte Blanc de Blancs NV (Magnum) I am completely biased in loving this wine almost more than any vintage. When I finally get my priorities sorted I will lay down a decent batch of it (in bottles and magnums) and give it the extra 3-4 years I like (Delamotte ages their wines double the required amount anyhow). I love traditional bottle ageing of Champagne far more than late disgorgement. This is all about white flowers and poise, a little toast and spice but minerality.

Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 2004 Drinking very well already, this will age well but is probably best drum before the Delamotte 2002 which is more strict and taut. There is generosity of white fruit again but a honeyed note also, then a finish which has a lovely saline edge.

Delamotte Blanc de Blancs Collection 1999 A recently disgorged bottling of the 1999 (the normal bottles are spot on now as well!). 1999 was a sunny and warm vintage. This has a fairly opulent nature, reminding me of Meursault more than Puligny, there is also a briney character, this is complex and spot on now, no rush mind you.

Salon 2002 "Non Dose" A unique wine that is actually only served in "Sketch" restaurant in London. As the name and pic below suggest there is no dosage. The nose is very classy Blanc de Blancs, very focussed, not overly tight but very hard to describe, a wine giving little away but with layer upon layer of nuance. It is on the palate that you can see the uniqueness of this, there is a real tension and cleanliness, almost a little tannic bite too.

Salon 2002 Probably the only time I will hear Didier refer to "normal Salon"…tasting very well, just as it did on release a few months back, I don't feel this will close up completely because (as with other good 2002's) there is very great balance, but I do think it'll be 5-6 years before a second phase gets entered…

And so the guests left energised!!

Salon 2002 - the week that was

It has been a couple of weeks now since the release of Salon 2002 but it was a couple of tremendous days so I am very keen to get it down on the blog. I'll openly declare bias as I work for the UK agent but I have always been a massive fan and rate Salon 1982 as the finest Champagne I have drunk.  The 1982 is a vintage I will come back to. For some other Salon & Delamotte (Delamotte is Salon's sister house and never to be under-rated) notes please see the blog from Barcelona nearly two years ago.

So the launch started with an English breakfast, the back drop to this being that the Salon 1999 was launched with Fish & Chips, we wanted to stay quintessentially British. The breakfast aperitif (now that's how to live) was Delamotte Blanc de Blancs NV from Magnum. If I had a house Champagne this would be it, so drinkable, generous yet precise and focussed, very flexible. After everyone had gathered it was time for Didier Depond (see Video below) to officially launch the Salon 2002, only the 38th Vintage of Salon. He spoke very well and I'll leave you to hear his words. The wine (and Salon is as much a wine as a Champagne) was excellent. You'd expect this but then expectation can be the mother of disappointment, not here! Didier made the comparison to 1982 and I can totally see where he comes from, the 2002 is much more in line with 1996 and 1982 for me than the more generous vintages like 1988 and 1990 (possibly 1997 also). There is a very fine biscuity nose (very thin elegant biscuits!), then small white flowers, the palate has a lovely combination of volume and intense minerality and almost savoury edges, the saline element is terrific too. Stunning. Very much a keeper though, plenty to see now but also so many reasons to forget it for 5-10 years, at least. To put it in context against the other vintages not already mentioned I would have the 1985 and 1999 as being more taut, 2002 has just the right balance of minerality and potential generosity.

The breakfast featured beans in a Salon tin made with Delamotte Brut, the wine carried it off well and went brilliantly with toast and marmalade. Salon is a terrific food champagne after all.

There was a great party in the evening at which the same two wines were served. There are quite a few clips in the video from this evening - including yours truly in a white dinner Jacket (the theme being the 1920's when Salon was created)...

Various over events followed the following day but come the evening it was time for a select dinner to look at a few vintages of Salon and Delamotte in the context to food at Sketch in the West End. I had not been before but have to say I enjoyed it tremendously…careful food to match the wines all served in a tremendously effortless and un-intrusive way, the conversation flowed as much as the wine did.

Delamotte Blanc de Blancs NV started us off, as ever, with some Canapés. Once we were all seated it was time for a starter of Pan-fried Scottish Scallops with Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 2004. A wine that was released on to the market only about a year ago. It's a beauty, refined but generous. I feel that the only downside to 2004 for Champagne and especially Blanc de Blancs is that it followed the hyped (rightly so) 2002 vintage. This worked well with the Scallops and the wine itself will be brilliant to drink over a long period, endless comparisons with the 2002 and 1999 (if you can find it buy it! or at least tell me where!) will only add enjoyment as long as one remembers they are different wines and it is not a competition.

The next course of Sautéed Red Mullet was delicious with the Salon 2002 and Salon 1999. As I mention above the 1999 is a "sleeper" and along with the 1985 remains a very savvy buy. These two wines, 2002 & 1999, played with each other and proved a good test for the taster. The 2002 was a little more coiled up and taut than it had been the previous day but this is more that likely my taste buds not the wine. The minerality and cleanliness but whilst retaining character is quite something. The 1999 is so correct and balanced it may never have the extrovert nature that with some with the 2002 but remains complete and impressive. 

Roast Corn-Fed Chicken was up next and sat on a bed of sweetly, mildly curried puree, it worked well with the food as a contrast. Salon 1995 is a wine I have an emotional attachment to as I went to the launch in Biarritz many years ago. On this showing I was very impressed, however, the style is slightly different to my mind, slightly more generous and a little more toasty. It divided opinion, some found it less Salon-like I found it a highlight. What's that thing about expectation? Well, the 1995 exceeded mine. Salon 1983 was the other wine with this course, served from two recently disgorged (for the occasion) magnums. The 1983 has always been a little bit of a mystery to me, it can be superb (as these two magnums were in different ways) and it can be a little flat and loose, even flabby. Didier was very honest in admitting that the 1983 is consistently inconsistent. But that is wine, it is not a standardised product and if this happened with more vintages you may have an issue but here it just adds intrigue. The first magnum (and Didier is a massive magnum fan, just wait for the 2008 Salon - that's all I am saying) was electric, mature yes but citrus fresh, the second was more as you would expect, great for 31 years of age, a little more coffee and yeast but very good.

And so to the last course, aged Comte with Delamotte Collection 1964 from magnum. The "Collection" idea with Delamotte is to have a few bottles and magnums that are disgorged to order and show the incredible potential of the House. Now I will declare one thing I have written before. I am more a fan of bottle aged Champagne than lees aged Champagne but that is purely a personal preference. The 1964 was three people around the table's birth year which is always fun. The wine is also not a Blanc de Blancs as the vast majority of the Delamotte's will be. There was a time in the 60's and very early 70's (though I need to check my notes) when there was a Brut Vintage. This is no longer the case. The rich flavours worked well with the cheese's salty tang.

It had been quite an evening and as Didier finally got in a taxi to jet off round the world continuing to release the Salon 2002 I could only think I'd been luck to have tried it and these other wines…

If the Salon 2002 drinks until 2070, as we feel it will, I'll be 95 now there's something to aim at!!

Pinot Noir at The Square

It has taken me far too long to get around to writing up this splendid lunch, generously hosted and organised by a great wine lover who also supplied all the bottles. The theme was a simple one - Pinot Noir.
All the wines came from either Champagne or Burgundy. The venue was The Square, certainly one of London's best and the kind of place where the logistics of 16 wines and 15 people is carried off in a relaxing and efficient way. The food was tremendous as always.

To "kick things off" with the canapés we had Philiponnat Royale Reserve Brut, a soft and creamy Champagne that worked well pre-food at lunch as there is a decent dosage in there and the acidity isn't prominent, very good.
The first course was a tremendous Grouse Pie, delicious and done with a great deal of finesse. The three flights of red Burgundies that followed were all served blind but with many a theme to ponder, a lot of thought had gone into this! With there being a few of us supposed trade "experts" in attendance the initial comments were, rightly, expected to come from our seats. Over the course of the meal we did pretty well with a combination of educated guesses and the odd stab in the dark!! In the first flight you could find several themes, one vintage was different, two were 1er Crus etc.

Gevrey-Chambertin Mes Favorites VV 2001, Domaine Alain Burguet had lovely soft fruit, was very true to 2001. Primary with a dash of orange zest. Very good.
Gevrey-Chambertin 1999, Domaine Claude Dugat was the first glass I finished, never a bad sign, very drinkable, elegant and complete if not overly complex.
Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers 1999, Domaine Philippe Leclerc this was a step up, good weight of fruit, a little drier than the previous two, bigger also, classy. Very slightly oxidative with a developed note at the end, I liked this, certainly not a fault. Impressive.
Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos de Varoilles 1999, Domaine des Varoilles The only one of the Domaines in this first flight that I know well. This was possibly the stand out, though very different in style from the Cazetiers, very pure and poised. Good acidity and focus, very fine.

The next course was now upon us Roast breast of Yorkshire Grouse with Croustillant of the leg, baked Celeriac and Blackberry. We were also into a flight of pure Grand Crus, always a good thing! As you can see the themes continued with different Crus and different vintages. One of the main surprises in this section was that the 2005's were showing as much fruit as they were, it certainly caught me out.

Echezeaux Grand Cru 2005, Domaine Jean Marc Millot was inky in Pinot terms, rich, very fine, excellent freshness of fine and forceful red fruit, splendid.
Chambertin Grand Cru Clos de Beze 2002, Domaine Drouhin-Laroze was fresh too, soft, expressive and surprised me as it did not have the "animal" I have come to except from 2002. Good.
Grands Echezeaux 2002, Dominique Laurent a massive surprise for me as I have found the Laurent wines far too much for me in the past, too thick, too rich and over the top. This was not. A lovely loose and drinkable structure, some development and orangey, red fruit, good balance, it did develop in glass quickly which may not be the best sign but it is in a good place now and was very enjoyable.
Grands Echezeaux 2005, Domaine Henri Villamont had the biggest and driest of the structures but then it is 2005 and it is from a very fine Terroir. This was how you would hope and expect it to be, big, quite bold and ready for a long future. There is a little bit of polish there too. One to watch.

A brillaint but very un-Square like course follwed - Cheese and Ham on toast. I could eat it every day! Oh and more themes!!

Romanee Saint Vivant Grand Cru 1998, Domaine Poisot This was a totally new name to me. A producer who until 2009 (it might be 2010) had sold the vast majority of his crop to a large negociant but had some older stocks that our host had found. The wine was good, excellent from now on. There was a slight minty note, it is a little "high", almost some eucalyptus.
Vosne Romanee 2007, Domaine Sylvain Cathiard ok, so this is the "joker" in the flight. There was a tiny hint of coffee and mocha from oak but otherwise this was not over oaked at all. Lovely intense fruit and a expressively elegant finish. Fine effort from a vintage I increasingly love for the purity of Pinot character.
Romanee Saint Vivant Grand Cru 2007, Domaine Follin-Arbelete It's not a competition but if it were this might have had the overall gong for "WOTD". A very fine, deliciously rich without going over the top, wine that had lots of class. A real Grand Cru intensity and depth. Very fine.
Romanee Saint Vivant Grand Cru 2003, Domaine Poisot so a different vintage of the RSV from Poisot. This was very complex, inky, fruit laden (the fruit being a little mulled), savoury sweetness, not very long on the finish, good but very much a 2003, lots of extremes. The wine as a whole was decadent and good.
A really brilliant pudding followed - Brillat-Savarin Cheesecake with Pink Champagne and White Peach, Lemon Verbena and Peach Sorbet. To accompany we had three nicely contrasting Champagnes.

Delamotte Rose NV a wine I know well and one of the only Rose Champagnes to be made the "proper" way. This is mellow whilst soft and almost strawberry fruit but dry. Showed really well.
Gosset-Brabant Grand Cru Noirs d'Ay NV was a first for me from this house, may be it was all the wines before but something made me think of a dry pineapple like flavour, drier than the Delamotte, really good, must try more from them.
Egly-Ouriet Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Les Crayeres this might just have grabbed the most attention of the Champagnes. Really delicious, richly fruited with raspberries but not a touch of sourness.
What a splendid lunch, good conversation, a lot learnt and a very generous host!

BBQ chez Duvault Blochet

I was long over due to host the Fine Wine Team at mine, finally a date was set and we all gathered for a thursday night BBQ and bring a bottle evening. The food was basic and simple (we were 13 in number! That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it) and cooked on the BBQ my son Charlie. The wine theme was anything except Bordeaux or Burgundy. This meant we had a barrage of aromatic whites and strangely not one Chardonnay or Sauvignon featured and a lot of Italians.

Early on, nothing wrong with Child Labour!!

After a corona (beer) or two it was straight to the fizz and a nice complementary pair of Champagnes - Delamotte Blanc de Blancs NV mag & Pol Roger 2002 - the former had a little bottle age, was mellow and lovely but still with plenty of finesse. The Pol Roger was an altogether richer fuller, more biscuity glass, lovely, clearly with a serious future but no reason not to drink it now as well. A few more bubbles went down with the Prosecco Le Coulture NV, always solidly hitting the spot. Next it was time for our resident honorary Aussie to unleash a couple of bottles - Pikes 1997 Riesling, Clare Valley & Howard Park 1997 Riesling, W.Australia - the former was oily waxy and nicer on the nose than on the slightly weary palate. The latter I really liked, it evolved from kerosine and oily stink to citrus and waxiness before than becoming toffeed..really lovely and perfect now, an almost luminous colour too.

Steps to...

Next up was always going to be the hardest as our MW student was at the helm, we went everywhere from northern Italy to Austria and back but it was actually - Emphasis Assyrtiko 2012 - amazingly cool climate in style, fresh and aromatic, delicious. Next was Albarinho de Fefinane 2012, I know I liked it but I'm not going to lie and say I remember it much as I as trying to help my son with his slave labour of cooking. The Loibner Steinertal 2008 from FX Pichler was a really great, very complex and perfect now, we mucked about trying to get it and I remember wondering if it was dry German, impressive. Coulee de Serrant 2001 from N.Joly was next and sadly it wasn't a good bottle, not corked but over evolved, it may come right, anything is possible but I felt it was tired and on its way to oxidation. The final dry whites was a delicious Soave 2011 Inane, Vigneti di Foscarino, savoury but with fruit, complex and nuanced, really good.
Food appeared so it was red time, Martinborough Pinot Noir Reserve 1994 kicked us off and it was interesting, fully mature, may be the fruit and tannin had separated themselves from each other but perfectly enjoyable. We stayed with 1994 next and had Barolo Bussia "Vigna Rocche" 1994 Parusso sadly my guess was in Coonawarra Cabernet and I like to think I know my nebbiolo to a degree. This was modern in style and the vintage was a fairly poor one, what had happened was that while it was fine as a wine, if tired, it had lost it's identity. The next wine made me think of St.Estephe or Pauillac but knowing that it couldn't be I was a bit stuck, someone got us to Tannat and therefore Madiran, it was Ch Montus 1995. I really liked it and thought it had guts and class to go with the black fruit...a lot of fun and no novelty.

Night Cricket!

I had promised a few Barolos and decided on the theme of 2007's mostly because my cellar has Barolo from 2004 onwards and 2007 is definitely the vintage to open. First up was Barolo Brunate 2007 from Marcarini, nicely balanced and ready to appreciated, good fruit, red and a little black, nicely loose structure, it had avoided the potential mistake in 2007 of being too bruised. For the next one I went to the same vineyard but different producer Barolo Brunate 2007 from F.Rinaldi, I was really impressed by this, very red and pure, like Volnay on steroids, poised, perfumed and elegant. The third 2007 was a different vineyard Barolo Villero 2007 from Brovia, I'll be honest, it was disappointing, a little bruised and some how a little muddled and muddied in texture. It wasn't bad but was just a bit muted...look forward to trying it again later in it's life. Cheese was up next so a sweetie came out Clos de Sainte Catherine 1996, Coteau du Layon and just reminded me that I should drink so much more Loire sweet. It has a lovely, a complex apple-like nose and then a bracing acidity that just makes it so drinkable, really delightful. Having brought the cheese Mr Pym also brought a bottle of Port the only weird thing being he didn't know exactly what it was! From the mid/late 1970's for sure and by Fonseca, it was good with development but also with red fruit and lots of sediment. We still needed a few bits so next up was Nebbiolo d'Alba 2008 from Giacosa which I have had nearly a case of, it's decent but not getting better, the first bottle a year so ago was pure red fruit and lovely, it's a little bruised now. Then one last red, the stunning Barbera Cascina Francia 2009, G.Conterno it is the perfect wine for anyone who doesn't realise just how good Barbera can be...it has ripeness, fruit and texture...I love it.
Many a cigar was smoked, I had one of my last Bolivar Gold medals from 2008, simply awesome, and my first Rafael Gonzalez Perla, good/decent.
And that as they say, was that!

The light has gone but nobody has moved!