Newcastle with "Newcastle" & "Halifax"

If you look back through this blog there are many people I have been very privileged to drink a lot of great wine with…right up there (easily in "Europe" and probably fighting for the title are two gentlemen who go by the monikers on here of "Newcastle" and "Halifax". Last week I made the remarkably easy - this could become a dangerous habit - trip to Newcastle for a cracking dinner. Both gents were joined by their splendid other halves and much fun was had, as much with the wine as the chat - rugby, racing, golf etc...

We were very well looked after by the team at 21 Newcastle with a lovely menu of; Lobster, Turbot, Beef and Cheeses. The scene need some setting so a few G&T's were used to hydrate before we made our way to the table.

Salon 1988 was a lovely starting place, fully mature now (like some of us) with a orange-rind and yeasty richness, interestingly this got fresher in glass with a bit of air. Salon is always a very vinous Champagne and so it was here, this reminded me a little of a recent bottle of 1983 mentioned at the end of this post. The slightly oxidative and powder elements gave way to freshness. Its an interesting Salon as it is the only one where malolactic fermentation started what makes it more widely interesting is that it never completed.

Next up with the lovely Lobster dish and then a cracking bit of turbot was, that rarest of beasts, a "double monty" with Ramonet and DRC on display. Montrachet 2002 from Ramonet is one of those wines you know you will not get to drink more than once unless your very lucky. I have a little experience of the wines from Ramonet now and love the style. I like to think it is a touch individual, stem ginger seeming to be a bit of a signature. This was a big wine, though I don't know for sure, but I would say both this and the 1986 that followed had a good bit of that Montrachet botrytis richness. We choose, wisely I think, to have this 2002 decanted. It has a slight toffee aroma to start, this coming from the richness and the oak but with only a tiny bit of air the ginger started to come out as did layer upon layer of rich fruit. Absolutely cracking and greater and greater with air, some wine. From there we were onto Montrachet 1986 from DRC. I am lucky to try Montrachet from DRC on release each year and through others generosity to have had it a few times with some age but I have never had the 1986 or even a vintage within 4 or 5 years of that. It was instantly a good bottle. We decided there was no need to decant this. The full textural richness was perfect again the totally mature, decadent fruit, really lovely balanced, a wine you couldn't help but wallow in really. We tried to keen a little bit of each going for a while to try alongside the reds. They were both more just great wines rather than great white wines if that makes any sense.


Time for red now as a vast amount of beef appeared. Soldera 2008 kicked us off, I am biased but this is one hell of an estate. Visits to Soldera are always magical, controversial, inspiring and never dull. I find the wine so easy to enjoy but at the same time as wonderfully complex, as much as the man who makes it. Like so many of the great mono-varietal red wines (Burgundy and Barolo spring to mind but others too) it strikes me as such an error to not enjoy these wines young as well as with age. There is always a note of wet meat (just think of how great raw cool beef smells) as well as a floral red fruit edge before a darker core. Yum!

The next red was Volnay Santenots du Milieu 1993 from Lafon, a great wine to get to try but (and sorry there is a "but") it was just a little overshadowed in this league. Now, I can hear a few readers here saying "it's not a wine Will sells" and they are correct, but I like to think bias and all, I say what I think. This was a good medium weight wine with good balance, well made, nice nose, the "but" and it was the same when I did a tasting - Burgundy pairs 2009 and 2010 - with trade mates a while back is all round whether it is Volnay. I think Lafon makes seriously great whites in many different years and with a great richness. The estate doesn't seem to make great reds, good yes, but true to the Volnay elegance? This is nothing new, D'Angerville and Lafarge are producers I love and they make great Volnay but never hit the heights with the whites they make, nice though they often are. Anne-Claude Leflaive gave up making red…it is just not an easy thing - to do both. Comments welcome on my thoughts here…I can't make red of white so I am a fine one to talk!

So to the last red - Latour 1964 - now this is Pauillac and so mighty fine. Rich but not remotely heavy, blacker fruit but with iron and power, absolutely perfect now. May be tasting a little younger than 52 years but so graceful, so Latour. The only vintage, as we discussed, that you might have confused it with is Latour's very good 1970. It was everything to should have been and frankly so was the whole evening, lots of wine, great chat, a chance to catch up and to laugh.

No evening would ever be complete with a few Negronis would it…chaps, and ladies, I thank you…until next time!

Boats, bottles, tides and pirates...

So, first things first, this was a master class in belligerent organisation. Getting this motley, yet ever so lovely, crew together is never easy. Peat did a great job. The plan, which largely came to fruition, was meet in Henley at the Riverside then lunch at The White Oak at Cookham before a trip up the river then supper and home or bed! In some ways a little like the Rousseau at Riverside post from last year.

The cast:
- Irish Peat - the host, organiser and all round good egg.
- Halifax - excitable northerner with great cellar, even if he didn't know the vintage of the wine he produced.
- Ronaldinho - another northerner, epic cellar, usually found telling inappropriate jokes or smoking cigars. 
- Chewy - wine merchant, top chap, not wearing the bow ties of old but still laughing very loudly.
- Woo - wine merchant, mellowing yet opinionated chap, love him.
 - Tides - (the newest nickname) - young father, lacking sleep passionate anecdote teller and very good at telling taxi drivers to "put their foot down" whilst snoring at the same time.
- Myself (Young Will) - scribe, drinker and slightly (unless you ask my wife) OCD travel coordinator.

So with a quick half of beer negotiated it was time to get cracking, first up was Gosset Celebris 1990 from magnum which had been released for the millennium rather than being the 2000 vintage which it's kind provider thought it was. This was lemon like with a biscuity side but nicely mellow, just perfect now to my taste. A good bit of saline zip. It drank well as an aperitif and when we returned to it later. Latterly a bit of apricot and more roundness came out…a splendid start.

A lone white was poured next. Most of the wines at lunch were blind for a bit while we had a chat about them. This turned out to be Livermore Valley Chardonnay 1995 from Kalin Cellars. Just released and just shipped, very much a new producer to me. It was smashing, ginger and richness on the nose with a mellow palate, some good oxidation and botrytis. This all sounds a bit much but it wasn't at all heavy, generously open and bang on right now.

The next wines were a pair - Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champgains 1990  and Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes 1990 both from Domaine M.Niellon but only the second one was served blind. Amazingly these were the first bottles from a case of each. The Champgains was initially quite reduced and very "rural" but with air it became brilliantly focussed and pure showing nothing like 26 years of age. Saline and slate-like, to me this could have been Grand Cru Chablis. Then to the Chenevottes which was blind, Tides got his nickname here as he compared the wine with being at different stages of the tide…(yes I know!!)…The Chenevottes was more mature, bready and a little more toasty, waxy even. The palate more generous but not as fresh, responses were mixed, I liked it. Always fascinating to see two wines separated only by site.

Chablis Grand Cru Valmur 2007, Domaine F.Raveneau was the bottle "Tides" now presented as he tried to regain any glimmer of respectability. In fairness this is some wine. I love Raveneau and have drunk my share BUT this is the first Grand Cru I have had. Halifax described it as "hermetically sealed". It did demand time as it was coiled tight. As the wine lost its chill over the next hour it revealed startling poise and drive, verve, electricity. Very fine. If you're lucky enough to own it just leave it for another 4+ years.

So to red wine! Served blind side by side we had: Chateauneuf-du-Pape Reserve 2007 from Chateau Rayas (twice) and Grands Echezeaux Grand Cru 2006 from Domaine de Romanee Conti. As if the line up of producers was not incredible enough already. We actually had two bottles of the Rayas. Bottle one, which just got my vote (if that were necessary) had a beautiful lavender and fennel unctuously superb decadent nature, raspberry and sweetness, ripeness too. An intense and delicious wine, young yes but infanticide? No. The second bottle, most of the gangs minor preference, was more powerful, more succulent and a little more classically Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Either way both were stunning. The Grands Echezeaux offered what Chewy termed "florality". Soft and supple while obviously young this had a lovely warm vintage breadth with floral elements and spice. A long life ahead, as with the Rayas but no crime to drink it now and my notes say the last large mouthful was "delicious"…as lovely as it was generous of our host...

As a certain sense of "this is fun but let's not overdo it" or "marathon not a sprint" sentiment crept in we had on more bottle. Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Maltroie 2012 from Domaine B.Moreau et Fils was a delight, young but very much balanced (not all 2012's are in my view) and showing a sort of 2010 like purity, very balanced and very nice, good gentle use of oak.

The team at The White Oak had done a really good job - recommended!

Cabs were ordered and "Tides" started to wonder how he was going to leave before dinner as he had planned…back at the riverside we grabbed some reds and my blind fizz and got in amongst the regatta, almost literally.

The blind sparkler of which I write is Wiston Blanc de Blancs 2010 a wine I really like, their Rose is spectacular too and I don't really "do" Rose (wine for the indecisive you see). This is mellow with apple fruits, a little toast and nicely refined.

The other "on-board quaffer" was a couple of bottles of Morey-St-Denis 1er Cru Les Chaffonts by Domaine H.Lignier. This is quite high octane, good saturated darker fruit and a savoury side, drinking now but made to last as well I feel, a touch of Iodine, there is a little structure that still needs to resolve but ultimately very good. It brought on a fit of piracy as we were beckoned to the shore by a group having a bit of fun in a marquee on the riverside.

Once we had made it ashore we were treated to a glass of Sparkling Saumur (no photo- apologies), although Chewy and Tides found some beer (possibly a wise move). As the party  looked in a minor state of implosion we got back on board the boat and headed for base camp.

Pre-dinner was, of course, Salon 2004. This is opening up more and more over the short time it has seen since release. There is a marked salty-ness to this vintage, Salon never lacks for precision but this was a superb glass (and Zalto universal works very well for this). It'll be fascinating to see how it ages alongside the 1999 and 2002.

I am not sure I have had many 1979 whites, if any. Meursault-Chevalieres 1979 from Domaine Rene Monnier was a wonderful mature bottle, my little note book simply says "under-ripe toffee apples and apricot, just instantly delicious, opulent, late picked? Crisp on the palate, not OTT, lovely, zip is there". This was the first of Woo's two whites, what followed is Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Caillerets 1986, Domaine Bachelet-Ramonet. This was not as opulent or overt but more restrained, more classical. Superb balance, fully mature but not even a shade over mature, the reduction left as the wine saw air, just lovely.

What had turned into something of a Chardonnay Master class saw no signed of abating as we now had Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 1988 from Domaine Ramonet. This was Ronaldinho's bottle to complement the pair of Niellon's earlier. My notes get less readable from here, this had the signature stem ginger that Ramonet so often does, this same group actually had this wine a year or so ago at the Double Birthday Bonanza. It's a joy of quality with the near perfect balance between the maturity and richness and the savoury freshness. 

Richebourg Grand Cru 1999 from Domaine A.Gros and the only Bordeaux of the day - Chateau Latour 1970 - were next as we devoured a terrific Pie having put the fish broth to bed!

Proper supper!

The richness of the Richebourg was the perfect foil to the iron like classicism of the Latour. The fruit profile on the Gros wines always seems that bit darker and richer, wines that age on their savoury edge. The Latour was just so Pauillac with richness but no sense of showiness. It was a very good phase for Latour from what I have had. Just a lovely pairing.

Now it is a rarity if Mr Rousseau doesn't get a good airing with this host and we were in for a treat next with two bottles of Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru 1993. As a vintage it is a joy to drink now, a little like the 1991's and the sort of vintage that 2001 has a good chance of becoming, the profile is so fresh and just so "Pinot". This Beze managed to be both fresh and red fruited but serious at the same time, a wine with a real lift and profoundly enjoyable even with so much wine in our bellies!


And that, as they say, was that, the northern contingent hit the sack and the Londoners jumped in a cab…these gatherings are what it is all about, great fun, great friends, great wines…memories…onwards...Booked that yacht yet Nobby?

Some of the Lunch dishes

Crabbage

Barley Risotto - delicious

What a load of old "Pollocks"

Dinner in St.Emilion...not just any dinner...

The "Shelfie" to end all...

As a break from the rigours of tasting the En Primeur 2015's we got a very kind invite from a friend and customer who lives in St.Emilion a fair bit of the time. He's no stranger to these blog pages either. Having been once before we knew it would be a treat, especially when combined with Ian's brilliant cooking. We were ten in total with half that number being colleagues, there also being a rather famous Danish winemaker...by the name of Peter (no prizes for guessing that one) in attendance.

To kick off it was Pol Roger Cuvee "Sir Winston Churchill" 1996 En Magnum this was delicious with Anchovy and onion tartlet. The wine is clearly all the younger for being in magnum, I would have said far younger if served blind. There was a toastiness but not a heaviness that you often get with "Winnie". Blind tasting became a theme from here with every other wine except the Sauternes served in blind "themed" pairs! 

Pair 1 - whitesThe first theme was the vintage - 2010. I had remembered a discussion with our host so had a firm feeling that there would be a Raveneau and there was, the Chablis 1er Cru Montee de Tonnerre 2010 being simply delicious, just entering drinking territory with that lovely beeswax and stones nose...I loved it. The next white producer I have been expecting was Roulot but with the theme being 2010 and the way the Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru En Remilly 2010 from Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey En Magnum tasted I was fairly sure it wasn't Roulot as that would have been like a rapier. Joe (Muller) got the producer, the C&B team groaned as we'd be hearing about this forever. The En Remilly was delicious, open, generous without lacking drive at all...very fine with a long life ahead of it.

Pair 2 - first Reds
The vintage was again the theme but already there were disputes over right bank of left bank. I suggested we nail the vintage first. Clearly it was set as a trap because it was one of those vintages known to be good on one bank over the other but the wines from the "wrong side of the tracks" was clearly an over performer. We reduced it down to being 1996 (left bank vintage) or 1998 (right bank)...wrongly we went 1998 first as it was 1996. The two wines being  - Palmer 1996 and La Conseillante 1996. The Palmer was simply superb, primary in a way, just what it should be, dense floral fruits and exactness, a lovely wine to drink over the next two decades. The Conseillante was impressive, a lovely opulence, not the depth of the Palmer but that would be unfair. A nice pair.

Pair 3 - two younger reds
Now we were firmly put on the spot with two glasses in front of us and a "right then, what are they?", all we were told was that there was a theme and they were younger than the 1996's. Nebbiolo got a shout, Burgundy was certainly in the mix. Possibly fortified by the delicious Chicken liver parfait my competitive - "can't let Muller win the day" - nature kicked in and I decided to follow a hunch and said Red Burgundy on the left and Brunello on the right...I was correct and should have stopped there. I then said so it is 2001 or 1999 - right again! I went for the hat-trick and said 1999 but alas it was 2001. I did though get that it was Poggio de Sotto. There was then a battle for the red Burgundy, Joe and Peter ganged up together and were fairly sure there was a de Vogue mark on the wine, they were right and eventually got the Bonnes Mares.  So the two wines were:

Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2001, De Vogue - so very elegant and primary, pretty, good acidity, red ripe fruit, long, moreish and so blooming drinkable!

Brunello di Montalcino 2001, Poggio de Sotto - a cracking bottle of wine, such lovely gentle but vibrant red fruit with little black cherry, great acidity and lift and a tiny dash of Saline. Wine of the night for one of our number not known for his love of Italy (he's learning).

Pair 4 -  the pair that wasn't
There had been a fair bit of chat through the dinner about the fun one can have with genuinely "off" vintages - even Marsan 1991 got a mention (do some research!) - so our kind host decided it was time for one last pair with the delicious wine friendly (not easily done) cheeses. The first wine was delicious, lovely right now, not dense but mature and complex, it was Haut Brion 1993...alas it's partner in crime, Latour 1993, was corked. The Haut Brion alone though made the off vintage case very well. Terroir shows as much, if not more, in the lesser, more difficult, vintages. There was another bottle grabbed and served. It confused us because we wondered if we were still supposed to be on the "off vintage trail", the confusion coming from the fact the wine was so good. It Lynch-Bages 1982 and clearly we were NOT on the off vintages. I had the very wine from magnum recently and this was every bit as good!

A stunning lemon and almond cake followed for pudding and with it the Coutet 1988 worked a treat, a great time to drink this with just a bit of development showing...and with that we had to head back to Bordeaux...to have taken a break from the tasting to drink these great wines with lovely food and great company was a real treat. This is the finest wine drinking address on the right bank! Thank you!!

A week in Bordeaux tasting the 2014's - picture blog...

Just back from Bordeaux:

7 days tasting the 2014 Bordeaux with colleagues at C&B

372 samples - 315 tasted and 57 consumed.

Wines tasted between one and four times

I'll do a summary of my thoughts on the vintage and the wines at some stage

Picture blog of the trip in 57 photos...

The only way to prepare properly... 

Helen and France's least comfortable van!

Quintus...

Tasting the Haut Brion stable...very proper

Mr Marus clearly can't read the words "grass, keep, off, the, please" 

Alison, Guy and Mr Marus tasting at Pichon Lalande... 

Saturday morning...lovely tasting

Mr Fraser gets prepared to re-taste the Moueix 2013's before the 2014's.  

Always love this property, 2014 no exception...

Exceptional...

Well said and it does help.

Adam and Guy interview Edouard and Christian...

Can't say where but this is rare in Bordeaux..."glass or knife sir?"

Exactly...

Peter Sisseck gets animated at and about Rocheyron with Percy, Adam and Paul...

Caption competition?

Decent if no more....

Jo-Jo guards Lamarque...

Team in the cellar at Lamarque with Pierre-Giles...

Ready, steady, go...really useful Negoce tasting pre lunch on a Sunday....

Sweeties...great to taste along side each other, I'm not good enough with words to describe these.

Well it's sunday and the cabbage was awesome too...

Lovely set...de Fargues really is a bargain, 2004 not easy but this superb...

Such lovely weather for a Monday morning at Branaire... 

The Branaire wines with Patrick Maroteaux's son... 

Mr Fraser enjoys a furry chair at Latour...

When they will be released? Who knows? But lovely they certainly are...

The recent releases...Latour 2003 a wonderful "freak", unconvinced about Forts 2008...

Amazing set up at Mauvesin Barton...it was suggested it'd be awesome for paint-balling...

Wet and grey from Tertre Roteboeuf...

Adam and Guy interview Francois Mitjavile...never dull!  

Tertre Roteboeuf cellars - I never think the wine is particularly Burgundian but the set up IS...

More Interviews - Edouard Labruyere at Rouget, very interesting perspective...

How Rouget's label has changed, 2014 very good and liable to be a great, savvy buy! 

What a line-up with a friend, customer, wine-lover...THANK YOU!

Red scarves at Palmer...it got quite feisty on pricing... 

This red fiat was a complete pain...we needed a referee... 

The Marketing was in full flow at Margaux...Pavillon Blanc was wonderful... 

An icon even now - hustle, bustle and good game chips....

Where did that extra chin come from...

Impressive, Cabernet showcase...

Brooding and serious, for the patient...rewards will follow

A wonderful, relaxed and happy evening...

Vineyards at Les Carmes Haut-Brion - very much still "in town"...

The works at Carmes Haut-Brion, amazing set up for the 2015 crop... 

On great form...

We were at Smith Haut Lafite for the Pessac & Graves UGC... understatement never included...

Monster or masterpiece? A bit of both actually...

"Softplay area" at a very well organised St.Julien UGC at Leoville Poyferre...

Lord Marus of Bordeaux awaits the tasting at Cos d'Estournel... 

His request is answered...impressive and the white is cracking...

Not your average start to a Thursday...

So pure fruited, open, elegant...

Mr Fraser inspects the "arrangements" at La Conseillante...

Conseillante 2014, floral, elegant, precise, good!

The last tasting...filling any gaps and settling any differences, oh and tasting all the Sauternes...

Job done!