FAREWELL TO BLU DINNER - Blu, Shangri-La, Singapore (29/6/2012)
Chef Kevin Cherkas, who had cooked for us over many wine dinners Blu, was packing up and leaving for Bali. P pulled together this farewell dinner on one of the chef’s last day at work, and put together a wonderful collection of wines that he generously shared with us for the occasion. The theme (in honour of the ongoing Euro Cup) was a starting 11, and we had some really memorable stuff (in a 4-2-2-1 formation), with the whites somehow standing up quite a bit more for me than the reds. But what a line-up though! Much thanks to P for his generosity and brilliantly thought-out wines. This was a night to remember.
DEFENCE
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NV Krug Champagne Grande Cuvée Brut - France, Champagne
This was a throwback to the great bottles of Grande Cuvée from yesteryears both in style and quality. It had quite a bit of age on it and had developed a lovely complexity on the nose. I initially thought it might have been a vintage Krug with its lovely aromas of bread and yeast, briny, earthy, white meat qualities and mature fruit scents in shades of kumquats and lemons, red apples and, with time in the glass, a sweet caramelly accent. some earth. Beautiful stuff. The palate was quite mature too, with a nice roundness to its fleshy apple and kumquat flavours lined with a gentle, well integrated bead and bright acidity. This was then met by beautiful stony mineral notes and some savoury, umami undertones on the midpalate. What showed up the NV character was the unusually short finish, where the wine somewhat fell of the cliff, leaving behind a lingering suggestion of fruit peel and white meat hanging on the back-palate. A bit abrupt there, but that aside, this was very good indeed. A lovely start to dinner. (93 pts.) -
1995 Krug Champagne Brut - France, Champagne
Quite brilliant, only overshadowed by a stupendous bottle of 1990 on the same flight, but poured by itself, this would have been a winner. Like the other three Krugs served together, this had a wonderful nose. Probably the prettiest of the lot too, with a nice whiff of chrysanthemum flowers, dried petals and a pinprick of sweet spice on first sniff that slowly yielded to more savoury, umami-led aromas of loamy earth, broiled white chicken meat, touches of soy sauce, and even a suggestion of Cantonese fermented bean-paste to go along with sweeter notes of over-ripe apples, stone fruit and hints of caramel and toffee. Really complex, wonderful stuff. I was so intrigued by that bouquet that I found myself coming back to sniff at this wine more than any of the others on the flight. I thought the palate was slightly less developed than the nose though. Still tremendous, but perhaps lacking the same depth of complexity. What it did have was a lovely freshness and verve to it, with still rather energetic mousse and an abundance of bright, citrussy acidity running through primary notes of lemons and green and red apples on a very full attack. This was a rich, fleshy wine with lots of depth and breadth, especially on its very appley midpalate, yet it also had laser-like definition and a lovely ring of purity to it. Wonderful stuff. The only thing that prevented it from approaching greatness at this stage was that the finish left a bit to be desired, showing a hollow-gap on the back-palate just before a final waft of pure apple flesh and stony minerality drifted in. It did open up and flesh out slightly with time, but it was never completely convincing on the back-end. Still though, absolutely solid stuff. This is a brilliant Champagne with a long life ahead of it. While great to drink now, I would leave it aside for another 3 to 4 years on the evidence of this 750ml for best effect. (94 pts.) -
1990 Krug Champagne Brut - France, Champagne
A wonderful Champagne at a beautiful place at the moment. This may not quite have had the tear-inducing greatness of the 1990 Clos du Mesnil, but it was a profound wine in every sense of the word in its own right. A had a tremendous nose, with very deep, mature aromas, from savoury white meat and soy notes at the base of the bouquet, to mushrooms and sous bois and drifting wafts of spice leading into honeyed kumquat top-notes. These were all beautifully integrated into one wonderful melange of beautiful scents - a ridiculously good nose. Unlike the 1995 that preceded it, the palate matched its bouquet blow-for-blow here. It had a wonderful stream of classic Krug flavours, from deep notes of lemon and lime to kumquats and pure red apples, all underpinned by a lovely umami undertow, with white meat and button mushrooms and earthy flavours stretching away into a long, bright, finish flecked with mineral and spice. Long, grippy and compelling - this was superb. By this stage in its evolution, the mousse had more or less faded into the background, where it was beautifully integrated with the rest of the wine. In true 1990 fashion, there was such complexity and obvious power to this, yet it was held together so gracefully that it was always wonderfully elegant and refined. A profound wine that could grace any meal. (96 pts.) -
1998 Krug Champagne Brut - France, Champagne
Quite an excellent wine. Unfortunately, this was a laggard in a flight that also featured a maturing 1995 and a great 1990 which was drinking at peak. Unsurprisingly, this was the youngest, least developed of the wines. In fact, it showed even more juvenile than the lovely aged example of the NV Grande Cuvee that rounded up the flight. That being said though, there was still a lot to like here. In fact, I thought it was a bit more opened than the last bottle we had, with a great nose of earth and white meat, red apples and lemon peel, and a little spicy twist before a wonderful stream of stony mineral scents set in. The palate was also a lot more open than when I last had it. It may have lacked some of the tensile energy and definition that I remembered from the last bottle, but there was an absolutely wonderful balance to this, with juicy, open flavours of apples and lemon and lemon rind and mineral, all wonderfully integrated with a gently tapering mousse. A perfectly complete wine in itself, if just lacking some of the complexity that more time in the bottle will give. It had a beautiful finish too, with both power and detail in its long glide of mineral and inflections of spice hints. Lovely stuff, just way too young. I would wait a good five years on this at least. Admittedly, not everyone on the table liked this as much as I did - it did stick out a bit from the rest given the larger amount of Chardonnay used in the 1998 blend - but stylistic preferences aside, this is a beautifully crafted wine. (93 pts.)
HOLDING MIDFIELDERS
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1996 Louis Carillon Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Wow. What a wine. Opinions were split between this and an equally great bottle of 2002 on the same flight, but I thought that both were amazing wines that reflected their vintages perfectly. What a wonderful nose this had. Fragrant, wafting, subtly complex, with a bit of flint and a nice dose of funky, mushroomy earth alongside some very ripe, almost over-ripe melon and stone fruit aromas playing against a sweet caramelly backdrop, with sweet cream and butter notes bringing up the rear - just lovely. Great stuff on the palate too, This was such a complete wine, a wonderful melting pot of cream and burnt butter and caramel shading into fleshy white fruited flavours that had a beautifully pure, clear ring to them. Absolutely delicious. There was fantastic focus and definition and lovely freshness lent to the wine by perfectly integrated 1996 acidity - it was so beautifully balanced in fact that it seemed to carry its Grand Cru depth with almost an impression of weightlessness. The wine ended in a finish of beautiful length, with a delicious touch of citrus lemons with earth and mineral notes stretching into an incredibly long tail. Wow - this gave so much pleasure. A lovely wine at a lovely place. (95 pts.) -
2002 Louis Carillon Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
This was stunning - the best white Burg I have had this year, and one of the best I can remember having for a long time. I somewhat preferred the 1996 on first pour, but this just grew and grew in the glass as the night went by and quite stole the show for me by the time we had mopped up our main course. We had another great nose here. Perhaps deeper and certainly richer than the 1996, it unfolded in layers of sweet cream and honeyed aromas, saline mineral and chalk, ripe red apples and melons and flowers - rich, heady stuff all swirling out of the glass tantalisingly. If anything, I thought the palate was even better. There was a profound depth to its rich, creamy textures. So deep and rich and powerful in its sappy flavours of ripe lemons and fleshy apples that I guessed this was a Bâtard or Montrachet instead if a BBM. It was such a complete wine - it still felt very young at points, with buried complexity just starting to rise to the surface, but it was already very well integrated. And while it may not have been as focused and defined as the 1996, there was still somehow an a effortless sense of purity, structure and balance wed to all that power, with a stream of bright, fresh acidity and chalky mineral notes woven into the core of the wine as it filled every crevice of the mouth with its tremendous depth and breadth. Wonderful finish too - there was sneaky length here with figs and kumquats emerging alongside drifts of cream and floral accents that quietly went on and on in the mouth. What a wine - this was absolutely incredible. Wonderful now, but if premox does not get to it first, I think it will be absolutely amazing given two to three more years in the bottle (96 pts.)
ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS
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1996 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
An excellent wine, but I would have expected just a little something extra on a Mugnier Amoureuses. I picked it out as a Mugnier Chambolle on its elegant stylings, but thought it may have been a 1996 Les Fuees rather than this 1er Cru primus inter pares. It had a very pretty nose, more Vosne than Chambolle it must be said, with a hint of winter melon and some vine stemmy notes shading fragrant cherry aromas, earth, herb and wood spice, with some lovely floral notes in the background. Very attractive. The palate was certainly more Chambolle though. Fresh, clean and wonderfully refined, with beautifully structured but super-fine tannins and brilliant acidity, the wine had a tremendous sense of clarity to its wafting flavours of dark cherries and berries. A bit on the lighter side as so many Amoureuses are, but this had such a wonderful charm and silikiness as it glided into a lovely, charming finish charged with more of that fresh 1996 acidity. Neither a powerful nor an especially deep wine, but this was oh so elegant and charming. Good now too - however, it just seemed to be missing a bit of the magic that Mugnier is capable of delivering with this vineyard. It may gain that spark in two or three years in the bottle, or it may not - hard to tell. (93 pts.) -
1996 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
This was truly excellent, indeed drinking more like a Grand Cru than a 1er Cru. It had a tremendous nose, with a very Gevrey character to its earthy, meaty, ever so slightly funky barnyard notes that floated out of the glass alongside deep wafts of dark cherries, dried flowers and a sprinkle of sweet spice. An incredible nose - seductive, perfumy stuff, yet all meaty and earthy at the same time. Really solid on the palate too. Rather more overtly masuline than I would normally relate with Rousseau’s style, it was rich and sappy, with some lovely dark cherry fruit on the attack wed to a strong, bassy backdrop of earthy sous bois and meaty notes that really formed the core character of the wine. It was so fleshy in fact that I would have said it was almost un-1996 save for the lovely fresh acidity that ran through its rich flavours, helping to lend a lacier feel to the wine’s finish, where little bits of spice drifted out algonside more dark fruit and earthy, minerally notes. This was not quite the longest nor the most powerful Rousseau that I have had in recent times nor, perhaps more unfortunately, was it the most defined nor focused. A bit unusual for a 1996, where one might have expected a bit more chiselled acidity and structure. However, while it may not have lived up to the lofty standards of the Domaine’s very top wines, it would certainly have thumped many a Chapelle, Mazis or Charmes Chambertin from lesser producers. A very solid wine at a nice place, but I have a feeling that there is still a lot more in the tank here. A treat now, but it should be even better in 3-4 years. (94 pts.)
FORWARDS
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1975 Château Mouton Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
I thought this was very nice on the night, somewhat better than the last bottle I had a couple of years back, and perhaps showing just a tiny bit better than the 1975 Latour that we had alongside. It had a wonderful nose, almost right-bank like, with heady scents of sweet spices, plums and dark cherries, sprinkled with cocoa powder, earth and hints of minty tobacco-leaf minty hints - a beautiful, hedonistic nose. The palate was at a very nice place too. Not quite as deep as the nose would suggest, but it was super fresh and bright, with a nice sense of definition to its delicious flavours of plums and prunes and black cherries, all sprinkled with those same sweet spice accents that were picked up on the nose. Any 1975 sternness or austerity that I picked up in the previous bottle seems to have softened up, leaving a wonderful sense of structure yet without any meanness. While not the most complex or compelling First Growth (this was distinctly mid-bodied), it was certainly a very nice wine, especially when drank with a nice cut of Angus steak, which helped to bring out a ring of clarity in the dark fruited tones. Good to drink now, although this is yet another wine that should improve more in the near future. (93 pts.) -
1975 Château Latour Grand Vin - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Not the greatest Latour, but still a darn good wine in its own right. It had a classic left-bank nose, with musky tobacco notes and wet earth floating alongside fresh cassis and some spice aromas. Like the 1975 Mouton that preceded it, the palate was marked by some beautiful acidity that gave the wine a wonderful freshness and a really clean, clear feel to its dark cherry and cassis flavours gliding into a back-end that showed deeper, darker fruit in the shape of raisins and plums shaded by more tobacco and a whiff or cigar smoke. Like the Mouton, this was rather mid-bodied, lacking some of the power and depth that one normally associates with the Latour. It must also be said that it was rather more reticent than the Mouton, and I somehow doubt whether it will continue to develop much beyond this point. However, there was certainly no harm drinking it on the night with a beafy cut of Angus steak. I really liked the flavour profile on this, and with its noble, fine-boned structure and well-integrated midpalate and finish, it was a very complete wine just the way it was. (93 pts.)
GOALKEEPER
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1965 Château d’Yquem - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Amber brown in colour, this was amazing stuff. From an unheralded vintage, yet it threatened to unseat some of the very starry wines on the night to take the gong as the group’s overall favourite. It had a beautiful nose, pure d’Yquem, with a familiar ring of coconut milk and creme caramel dancing out of the glass alongside mature notes of kumquats and dried lemons, sweet apple and figs, with a little streak of metal and mineral running through the sweeter tones. Wonderful aromas, with an incredible complexity to them. If anything, the palate was even better. It still held qutie a solid amount of sweetness for such an old vintage, with deep flavours of burnt caramel, Gula Melaka (brown palm sugar) and more sweet and savoury coconut milk tones forming a base for fresher notes of apples, lemon and limes. There were also entrancing little top-notes of Oolong tea and ferrous minerality prancing around the midpalate. There was such depth and compelxity here. With time, more and more layers of flavour seemed to emerge from the core of the wine, with golden honey tones and dried apricots, moscovado sugar and a hint of coffee pulling away into a long finish which was at once perfectly balanced and wonderfully integrated. A ridiculously delicious wine. It has a long life ahead of it yet, but boy was it good on the night. (95 pts.)
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