Another long lunch with our Adelaide based medico’s group. Cricket commentator and good friend Jim Maxwell came along and regaled us with hilarious tales of things he has witnessed in his many decades of travelling the world watching the greatest game on earth.
1996 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières : Our last bottle of this was corked and sadly this had some tca too. There was serious fruit intensity and the wonderful acid cut of the vintage, but too much taint.
2012 Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières : Sappy orchard fruits, some lanolin and baked bread, with a drizzle of honey development. Rich and layered in the mouth. Excellent mineral cut. Drinking very well.
2014 Domaine Matrot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières : Has pure white peach with some freshly grated ginger. The palate is complex, detailed and precise. It has great volume and a long, minerally finish.
2022 Bruno Lorenzon Montagny 1er Cru Le Choix du Roi Blanc : Incredible purity. White peach and rockmelon coupled with saline minerality. The palate has near perfect shape. Accessible and round on entry, tightening and showing great mineral detail towards the back end. It is unctuous and full, precise and persistent.
2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Gouttes d’Or : A beautiful bottle. The DIAM 10 has done its job, preserving all of the wines fruit freshness. There’s a touch of the exotic to the flavour profile and a palate that is deep and rich. It has great shape and a finish that is chewy and very long.
2016 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne Domaine, Grand Cru : An intense nose of mineral and mint. The palate is rich and deep, with sappy white peach and lemon fruits at its core. It is rich, layered and long, with cool mineral drive below the flesh. A good showing.
2020 Domaine Poisot Pere & Fils Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru : Some smoky mineral reduction along with mint and citrus notes. Accessible and generous in the mouth. Sappy orchard fruits at its core. A touch of spice too. Layered and long with saline minerality to the tail.
2009 Pascal Marchand Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru : Butterscotch, honey, truffle and lavender. All of the wine’s detail has been planed off by oxidation.
2009 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru : Fresh, bright, complex and detailed. Green melon and white peach fruits. Some smoky mineral and plenty of spice. Rich and powerful, compact and long. Finishes with bitter citrus vitality. Brilliant!
1961 Misserey & Frere Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Didiers: Aromas of chocolate and cherry, with some nuttiness and seaweed. The palate has real depth and the texture of an oyster. It is earthy and complex, full of interesting tertiary things. The finish still has plenty of supportive structure and it is persistent.
1973 Faiveley Echezeaux, Grand Cru: Another great showing of this wine from an unheralded year. Loads of spice to the aroma. Some pine needle sap, rose petals and perfumed red fruits. Fine, full, elegant and lacy. Good depth and presence. Some structural chew and expansive. Really lovely.
1985 Hospices de Nuits Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Lavieres, mise Honré Lavigne : Cherry and chalk. Crisp fruit at the core. Relatively compact and linear and remarkably fresh.
1996 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Volnay 1er Cru Santenots-Du-Milieu : The nose shows sweet black cherry fruit, with plenty of earth and licorice. It is perfumed, but strong and forceful Volnay. Fruit flavours are chunky and there’s a chalky, astringent base. The strong acid drive of the vintage is present. Muscular wine but very good.
2006 Domaine Lucien Jacob Beaune 1er Cru Cent-Vignes : Just gorgeous. Highly perfumed nose of rose petal, raspberry and blue fruits. It is complex in the mouth, with a luscious and open-knit mid palate. There’s plenty of spice and good mineral definition. Beautifully proportioned and balanced. Silky of texture.
2010 Jean-Claude Boisset Clos de la Roche, Grand Cru : An elegant rendition of CdlR. Very pretty nose of red fruits and flora, with a touch of spice. There’s just a hint of undergrowth development sneaking in. The palate is velvety and has excellent mineral drive. It is beautifully balanced, expansive and long.
2012 Leflaive & Associés Charmes-Chambertin, Grand Cru : This had a deep, extracted colour on release, and thus it is still so. It is loaded with black fruits and tinged with ginger spice. It is ripe and velvety and layered with flavours. The finish shows a touch of astringency from the wood. A crowd pleaser.
2017 Gérard Raphet Clos Vougeot, Grand Cru: Sweet earth and ripe cherry notes greet the nose. There are flora and plant matter things here too, and a gentle herbal note. The palate is sweet, full and accessible. It is a very pleasant drink and only moderately structured.
1975 Hardys Vintage Port: This was the special release museum stock offering and man it is good. Dark plum, spice, licorice and earth. Beautiful floral spirit. Rich, voluminous and powerful. Perfect balance, glides across the palate and lingers for minutes. A treat!
