Kent Comley was in town so we thought we’d have a cheeky little early Birthday gathering for Heidi.
2013 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons: Intense lemon fruit with some green apple and grilled nuts too. It is super-fine and compact, with loads of chalk and great cut to the finish.
2014 Jean-Claude Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet, Grand Cru: This was ready to play. An ebullient nose of lightly tropical fruits, custard apple, butter and blossom. The palate is rich, creamy and layered, with fabulous power and terrific underlying minerality. It is all here yet there is a level of perfect containment. The finish simply drives on and on. This was a lot more open than the 2014 Ruchottes we had a couple of weeks ago.
1970 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands-Echezeaux, Grand Cru: A really good bottle. Extracted the cork out in one piece. It had plenty of Hoisin and soy along with smoked meats on the nose. The palate had sweet vinous notes and lots of savoury nuance. It was silky with all structural elements tucked neatly away. It wasn’t particularly deep or long, but immensely satisfying.
2001 Domaine G. Roumier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras: It has been a big week on the ‘01’s for me, and this was a splendid bottle. Quite tight at first but unfurling magnificently in the glass. It had notes of rose petal and black earth and intensified with black cherry flavour at its core. There was a cool stoniness in the back ground and fabulous chewy structure. There was a touch of bitter fruit to the back-end, just like the Bonnes Mares a few days ago. This is a joy to drink now but I reckon a decade away from its eventual apogee.
2010 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Tre Tine: A calm, even and savoury nose has a little balsamic lift from a hint of V.A. There are classic Barolo decaying rose notes and the palate is deep and glossy. It has so much engaging savoury nuance and each sip unlocks more delicious flavour. It is rich and powerful but light on its feet and possesses superb length. An absolute ripper.
2016 Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard: Deep dark and penetrating, with perfectly ripe fruit and beautiful balance. There’s a hint of menthol and some black olive too. With air you get the scent of violets. It is youthful and compact, with so much more to give.
