Our annual dinner celebrating the decades of the year five saw us in the Private Dining Room of Guillaume (http://www.guillaumes.com.au/) at its new premises in Paddington (formerly at the Sydney Opera House). There were no rules, only that the vintage ended in a 5 and it was something special or unique. Len had very generously put in a 1985 Sassicaia which is one of those rare, unicorn wines that has been universally lauded by critics and pundits alike (RP 100, JS 100, WS 99). So for us wine tragics to say we were looking forward to this is an understatement.
We’d had some very good dinners at Guillaume’s old premises so there was some trepidation that they had been able to transplant the levels of service and food to the new location. The building is fairly non-descript, although once you enter it’s a different world. To put it succinctly – all class. From the moment you enter to when you leave you are given impeccable and professional service. These are no college students working part time for a few extra dollars, these are all service professionals, attentive yet un-obtrusive, immaculately attired and presented, efficient and effective, always one step ahead. I do my fair share of fine dining and the service team here is right up there with the best I’ve encountered. The PDR is all about a relaxed luxury vibe, soft furnishings, light colours and lots of old world touches. The food when at the Opera House was the star for me, simple dishes cooked exceedingly well with great ingredients. (you can read my report from one dinner we had there http://forum.auswine.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13358&p=108502&hilit=guillaume#p108502)
To put it simply the food delivered, in spades. Exactly the same formula as before and executed to perfection. Every dish was superb and made the night even more memorable. The Royale of Artichoke with the 05 Chevalier-Montrachet was a match made in heaven, one can only imagine that it started out as a 5L pot of liquid and was reduced to this, intensely flavoured masterpiece in a small ramekin. The corn stole the show on the partridge dish, amazing how they cooked it two different ways and then combine them to produce corn, which tastes like no corn you’ve had before. The Moreton Bay Bug dish which some wit said was a classic take on the old steak house Surf and Turf was really nicely done and a great contrast. The Mandarin dish was probably the most intense flavoured orange dish I’ve ever had, it didn’t seem conceivable that such an innocuously small part of the dish could amp up the flavour so much. The soufflé was sublime, right up there with my best ever, taking some of the sorbet and mixing with the soufflé created this Moorish masterpiece which complemented the Auslese so well.
TUNA, basil . soy . mustard seed
ROYALE OF GLOBE ARTICHOKE, truffle . barigoule . mud crab
PARTRIDGE, corn . olive . sorrel
MORETON BAY BUG, pork cheek . radish . cauliflower . sea spray
GRIMAUD DUCK, foie gras . sweet potato . fig . balsamic
DAVID BLACKMORE FULL BLOOD WAGYU, brisket . parsnip . turnip . mustard
MANDARIN, crème fraiche . almond
PASSIONFRUIT soufflé . crème anglaise . passionfruit and banana sorbet
Cheeses
Coffee and Petit Fours
Thanks to everyone’s generosity the final line-up of wine was as follows.
2005 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs
1995 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue Bourgogne Blanc
1995 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne GC
1975 Bests Hock No O, Golden Chasselas
2005 Bouchard Pere & Fils Chevalier-Montrachet ‘La Cabotte’ GC
1985 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume
2005 Domaine Dujac Clos St Denis GC
1955 Chateau Lagrange
1955 Biondi Santi Brunello di Montalcino Reserva
1975 Château L’Evangile
1985 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia
1995 Gaja Darmagi
2005 Rene Barbier Clos Mogador Priorat
1995 Lucien and Andre Brunel Les Cailloux Cuvee Centenaire
1995 Aldo Conterno Granbussia Riserva Barolo
1995 Gaja Sperss Barolo
2005 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Josephshöfer Riesling Auslese Lange Goldkapsel #6
2005 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs
Fresh green apple straight out of the fridge, pear, lemon sherbet, with an uplift of grapefruit. Rich and creamy with a tang of acidity on the back palate, for now in this stage of its life, this is where all the action is happening it seemingly builds up in intensity as it moves through your mouth. As it warms up you get a lovely lemon butter feel coming through. This has great length, wonderful balance even after only 9 years, the acidity never overwhelms.
Tuna, basil, soy, mustard seed
1995 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue Bourgogne Blanc
The next two wines were served blind, I had it nailed down to a Clos Jebsal or similar such was the nose. Musky, tropical with hints of honeysuckle and jersey caramel. There was also some burnt caramel and spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. The nose itself was really complex and evolving. On the palate there was none of the heaviness of a VT with an almost ethereal feel to it, so that idea was out of the window. A touch of oak giving it some complexity and really showing well for a 20 year old Bourgogne level wine albeit by a great producer, such was the freshness I wouldn’t have had it older than 10 years. Cam later explained that the Vogue blanc is 100% from the Musigny vineyard (0.65 hectares) although there is no village or 1er classification for whites in Chambolle so after replanting they decided to declassify it to Bourgogne until the estate are ready to label it Musigny again.
1995 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne GC
A slightly oxidative nose, cheesy with some sweet tropical notes, there is an inherent tartness to the nose. Creamy caramel and a more leaner style with the oak seemingly all integrated and providing only a supporting role now. In hindsight it was a classic Corton with good acidity providing balance and a sense of freshness. I’d probably drink up now as I think the fruit is at the end of its life.
1975 Bests Hock No O, Golden Chasselas
A strange beast this one, something I’ve never had before using this naming. Hock was the old school name for Riesling. The nose is classic Australian Riesling, kero, linseed, spices and unripe lemon. There is lots of acid and it comes across as quite tart, which no doubt has everything to do with how fresh and vibrant it is showing. It blossomed like a Queen of the Night flower in the glass for a brief moment providing a really nice length and an insight it to what it had been, then it dropped off.
2005 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte
Lots of oak on the nose, sweet tropical, honeysuckle, buttery and very intense aromas. This ticks all the boxes for me as far as White Burgs go. Sweet spices, brown sugar, honeycomb all wonderfully balanced and harmonious. Real intensity to the fruit. I had it pegged as a Batard-Montrachet and there was some noise about it being a BBM I guess we were a bit too low on the hill. This wine treads a fine line between being overblown and blousy versus being balanced, yet it somehow pulls it off with aplomb.
Royale of Globe Artichoke, truffle, barigoule, mud crab
1985 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume
This was an interesting wine, we were a bit unsure how much residual sugar it may have and where it should sit in the flight progression. Being Chenin Blanc they last forever so it was no surprise to find this so fresh and vibrant. Although Initially this came across, as stalky/leafy which is most strange in a white, it also had rockmelon, honey, white peach and apples with some popcorn lurking about. The acidity carries the sweetness which makes it a really wonderful drink with a creamy mouthfeel, like an Auslese or bigger Spatlese as someone suggested. There is so much happening in this wine, texture, balance, fruit profile, you begin to understand it’s complexity. A pleasure to drink and will no doubt live on for a while yet.
1955 Chateau Lagrange
This was akin to pulling an old favourite leather jacket out of the wardrobe and luxuriating in its smell. Tobacco leaf and old tobacco tin, dark fruit. The tertiary elements are presented like an old lost friend, comfortable with themselves. The palate doesn’t quite live up to the nose, with the tannins fully integrated and a soft, suppleness about it. There are vestiges of plum and dried cherry, and some iodine with a tartness starting to announce it’s inevitable decline. A lovely old girl.
1955 Biondi Santi Brunello di Montalcino Reserva
Classic Brunello nose (Mark will be happy to know I’m actually drinking enough Italian wine to form an opinion on it now). The sappy, sour cherry bracketed by white pepper and Chinese Five Spice, and black tea, the tannins are still, unbelievably, fighting to be heard in this 60 year old wine and it creates a wonderful balance. This was never a big fruit bomb and always an elegant and refined wine, and it has carried that through even now after 6 decades to be still an impeccably well-balanced wine. A real treat to get to drink this. We managed to have it standing up for about 5 days prior I believe and was very careful in transporting it to hopefully avoid the issues we had with the 1964 we had not long ago.
Partridge, corn, olive, sorrel
2005 Domaine Dujac Clos St Denis Grand Cru
Dark purple almost Shiraz like colour. Sweet almost confected nose of dark fruits, lovely purity and lift, this is one of those wines you can quite happily sit and appreciate it without actually taking a sip. Blackberry, redcurrant, with white pepper and spices giving it an edgier feel. Initially the tannins are to the soft and velvety end of the spectrum then they morph into a more grippy and dusty type as it moves through your mouth. The extraction here is wonderful. There is this great intensity to the fruit and an almost regal nature, this is classy Red Burg, and probably the best Dujac I’ve had to date.
Moreton Bay Bug, pork cheek, radish, cauliflower, sea spray
1975 Château L’Evangile
Tertiary nose of leather, tobacco, tomato leaf and some red fruits, an almost dusty nose. I was expecting something similar to the La Grange, until I took a sip, wow. It was displaying really rich dark smoky fruits and the length was amazing in a 40 year old wine. There was even a nice bit of grip on the sides of your cheeks which spread the intensity of the fruit around your mouth. I couldn’t get over how well it was showing. Need to look for some more of this stuff.
1985 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia
Really dark and brooding in the glass, almost black in colour with little bricking evident. As you swirl it around it catches the light to reveal a deep pure garnet colour. The smells coming off it are divine, blackcurrant, chocolate, liquorice, white pepper, tea leaves layers and layers of fruit all swirling around in the glass. Just when you think it can’t get any better you have a sip, and there is this overwhelming sense of power of fruit and tannins which seek out every corner of your mouth. It is almost like you are holding your breath as it assaults your mouth and then there is this sense of relief akin to letting your breath out, as all of a sudden it all just makes innate sense and balances out, the fruit, the tannis, the acids – everything - and you just sit there stunned blinking, like WTF just happened then. A truly profound wine. This lives up to the hype and more. A real privilege to drink, something I’ll remember for a long time to come.
1995 Gaja Darmagi
Classic Bordeaux nose, black fruits, soft tannins which were nicely integrated. Very soft on the palate and aging nicely with some acid and grip on the back of the palate providing some interest and complexity. Cassis, plums and rich red fruits, certainly not ‘what a pity’ in my eyes. It did suffer being served next to the Sassicaia. I quite enjoyed it.
Grimaud Duck, foie gras, sweet potato, fig, balsamic
1995 Aldo Conterno Granbussia Riserva Barolo
Sour cherry, dark fruits, plums, real depth of fruit on the palate which belies the nose, others were getting lots of roses and tar. A real richness about it which puts it in good stead for the long haul, lovely balance with the tannins and oak meshing together to create a wonderfully drinking wine.
David Blackmore Full Blood Wagyu Brisket, parsnip, turnip, mustard
1995 Lucien and Andre Brunel Les Cailloux Cuvee Centenaire
Soft dark fruits, very supple on the palate, finishing at the sweet red fruit of the spectrum with some liquorice coming out. Still very primary with bright fruit on the palate, comes across as very elegant. This is aging really well for a 20 year old CdP I can see it going for another 5-10 years easily but am actually really liking where it is right now.
2005 Rene Barbier Clos Mogador Priorat
Musky violets, blueberry, floral, soft on the palate until the tannins unleash to show a really grippy wine, the tannins are a bit too overwhelming at the moment, so probably needs another 5 years to settle down. Provided a nice foil to the CdP in the same flight being a more medium bodied wine compared to the fuller Les Cailloux. They have this innate sense of freshness which I like.
Cheese Block
1995 Gaja Sperss Barolo
Unfortunately this was flawed. I gave it a shot, there were some dark chocolate, rich red fruits underneath but the portiness and cooked nature was too much sadly.
Mandarin, crème fraiche, almond
2005 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Josephshöfer Riesling Auslese Lange Goldkapsel #6
Rich sweet fruits, orange, marmalade. You could just roll this around in your mouth and savour it, was a wonderful wine to finish the evening. Nice acidity will ensure this lasts a long time. Matched well with the Souffle.
Passionfruit soufflé, crème anglaise, passionfruit and banana sorbet
Petit Fours
The aftermath, about 5 hours later.
That’s All Folks!! Requisite selfie
. That Sassicaia 85 was just superb, and while all the wines were very good to excellent in their own right (except the Sperss of course), I especially loved the Conterno, the two 1955’s and the 75 L’evangile. I finally get the Barolo stereotype of tar and roses, the Conterno delivered roses by the dozen! Thanks to everyone who attended for their generosity and the pleasure of your company.