PETER’S BIRTHDAY DINNER - Imperial Treasure Shanghai, Ngee Ann City, Singapore (10/4/2019)
A handful of oldies for a necrophiliac friend who loves his wines very mature…
BUBBLES
-
1995 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Blanc des Millénaires - France, Champagne
Lovely as always - this was a particularly strong bottle in fact. The nose had a tremendous minerally charter to it, with white fruit and little spice floating over a great stony depth. I liked that. The nose was very clean, very pure, with an effortless length and depth showing through its almost crystalline white fruit notes. Really transparent, balanced, and integrated, with a fine mousse and lovely juicy acidity lending the wine a beautiful definition and laser-like focus. Lovely finish too, again with a strong spine of mineral. Super stuff, and getting better with age. No harm drinking now, but this should continue to improve over the next few years. (94 pts.) -
1985 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon - France, Champagne
A lovely drop, drinking wonderfully well at this point of its evolution. It had a such a generous, nicely rounded bouquet, with mature notes of honey and red apples alongside an savoury oxidative edge of earth and chicken essence, and then a lift pf dried flowers - almost chamomile-like there. Lots of depth and complexity on that nose. The palate showed off all the pleasing aspects of the 1985 vintages - it was rich, ripe, and warmly generous, with a full, almost powerful expression of red apples, honey and flowers. Not the most complex of Dom Perignons at its age, but this had such warmth and fullness, with a wonderful depth of mouth-filling flavour, and incredible length on its honeyed finish. While the fizz had died down by this point, there was still enough acidity to keep this nicely balanced too. A lovely champagne, drinking quite at peak. (94 pts.)
WHITES
-
1975 Domaine Potinet-Ampeau Meursault - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
A bit of a Jekyll and Hyde wine. It smelt gorgeous - deep, smoky, earthy, with white truffles and a shaving of Parmigiano over apples, white fruit and button mushrooms. The palate started out similarly on the attack too - round, full, lovely, with sweeter yellow fruit at the fore, but then it quickly leaned out into steely, minerally spine, with an oxidative hint chiming in towards the finish. Lovely definition and balance throughout, but this was just touch thin over the midpalate onwards to make a great wine. (90 pts.) -
1978 Domaine Michelot-Buisson Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Superb. Unlike the 1974 Potinet-Ampeau that we had alongside, this was an aged Meursault that was firing on all cylinders. The nose showed layers of honey drizzled over kumquats and red apples, some sweet lemons, and then hints of coconut, all this edged with a bit of minerality. So attractive and warmly welcoming. The palate was beautiful too - oily, almost opulent in an old-school Meursault way, it coated the mouth in voluptuous notes of yellow fruit, honey and something that reminded me of overripe red delicious apples. A lovely does of juicy lemony acidity then carried it into a generous finish, with shades of nutmeg, and a long trail of smoky minerality floating away on the backpalate. Wow - so good. When blind, I thought it may have been an old-school Leflaive Grand Cru given the depth, breadth and balance on the wine. Drinking wonderfully now too. (94 pts.)
RED BURGS THROUGH 4 DECADES
-
1969 Remoissenet Père et Fils Corton-Clos du Roi - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
Lovely stuff. This smelt wonderful - pure Burgundy magic on nose, with draws of sweet cherries and dried red berries, earth, spice and smoke, and the gentle lilt of violet florals. The palate was wonderfully mature, with a robe soft velvety tannins and soft acidity draped over a translucent core of sweet red fruit and florals, all this lined with a complex little dance of savoury tones - earth, meat, spice - absolutely beautiful as it trailing away into a gentle finish. Wow. While no longer a blockbuster, this was lovely, ethereal stuff, drinking agelessly on the night. With Remoissenet though, we were all wondering how often this had been topped-up with younger vintages. (93 pts.) -
1972 Hospices de Beaune Beaune Cuvée Dames Hospitalieres - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune
Lovely - hard to believe this was a humble Beaune village from a decent rather than great vintage. The nose offered up a lovely warm melange of rich red fruit, earth, spice and florals. Soft and velvety on the palate, it had wonderfully integrated flavours of dark cherries, berries and plums, with just a little edge of earth and spice at the sides. Lovely stuff. Nice complete finish too, with a drift of spice and mineral toward the end. Not the most powerful of wines, but beautifully poised and balance, and drinking so well now. (92 pts.) -
1985 Remoissenet Père et Fils Richebourg - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
Oh - this was scalped by TCA. Very sad. Dreaded cardboard notes just run through otherwise really nice notes of ripe, rich red fruit and haw flakes, herb and spice. This was obviously a muscular wine with plenty of depth and power, along with a nice fullness and plenty of juicy acidity. Too bad about the TCA, which seems to have stripped it of any complexity. Real pity - this seems as though it would have been a nicely complete Richebourg. NR (flawed) -
1992 Charles de Valliére Bonnes Mares - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Pretty good, and certainly quite enjoyable, without quite hitting the heights. This started out with a pretty nose of sweet blueberries, some strawberries, and a bunch of petit fruits rouge, alongside a hint of florals. There was also a touch of vanilla in there, which was somewhat surprising on a wine of this age - it made me wonder how the new oak was handled early on in its elevage. A nice nose though. The palate was quite nice - with blueberries at the fore, lifted by juicy citrus acidity words a fresh, rather youthful finish, all this still structured with a touch of sinewy tannins. I kinda liked that - there was a good sense of depth, along with plenty of definition and focus, if not quite the power and complexity of a Bonnes Mares from one of the grand makers. Drinking quite well, albeit quite youthfully on the night as well. (92 pts.) -
1999 Maison Leroy Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Serpentières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru
Not bad, but not great - certainly for the sticker price a Maison Leroy 1er Cru commands these days. The nose was fairly characteristic of a Savigny with strawberry, earth and herb. A bit tight, but fairly pleasant. The palate was downright muscular, with a sinewy structure of fine, chewy tannins and bright acidity tightly-knit around a rather surly core of dark cherry, smoke and mineral. Balanced enough, and not altogether unenjoyable, but this really felt rather shut-down and unyielding. I am not sure it quite has the depth of fruit to outlast that structure, but on tonight’s showing, this should be set away for easily a decade or more at least. (90 pts.)
BAROLO
-
1985 Gaja Barbaresco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Absolutely lovely. What a nose this had - earth and spice, herb and menthol, with savoury broiled meat and dark wafts of smoke curled around a core of dark cherries and berries and dried flower petals. Wow. It was showing beautiful on the palate too, with a wonderful structure of fine, sinewy tannins and juicy acidity wrapped around juicy notes of dark cherries and berries, all these wed to nicely savoury undertone of earth, meat and spice. My only issue was a rather drying twist at the finish. Other than that though, very enjoyable indeed. A noble wine this, with some legs left to keep it going for a few years yet. -
1967 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
A tad tired, but still quite charming. At the age though, it is really about how well individual bottles have aged, and I must say that this was somewhat disappointing for a Prouttori Reserve from such a strong vintage, and such good terroir. Still though, there was more than enough here to offer some enjoyment. The nose was very tertiary - with notes of dark berries riding over a wave of funky soy sauce, earth and meat notes. There was a touch of that funky soy and gym sock pong on the palate as well, but here at least there was a nicer clarity of fruit coming out along with a complex little melange of Chinese herbal soup notes. It had a nice mouthfeel too, with decent acidity and nicely softened tannins giving the wine a velvety feel all the way into its earth, meaty finish. (91 pts.)
BORDEAUX
-
1970 Château La Lagune - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
The sole Bordeaux on the night, I thought this was very enjoyable indeed. The nose was classic left bank, with fragrant notes of cassis and graphite- pencil lead almost - along with a bit of sous bois and little twists of green leaves and bell peppers. A lovely nose. The palate was rounded and juicy, with notes of cassis and graphite carried on a bed of citrus acidity in a nicely defined finish, where there was just a little curl of smoke. Neither the deepest nor most complex, but this was a lovely drink. A classic left-bank, drinking at a mature peak. (92 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker