A nice Sunday lunch at The Square

WINE TALK
1

Ken very kindly invited me to join a lunch last Sunday. Whilst, as I have noted elsewhere, I’ve found my palate simply can’t handle more than 4 or 5 wines in a sitting these days, this lunch proved the exception.

  • A champagne to get going with some cheese goujons as appetisers.
  • 1996 Bollinger Champagne R.D. Extra Brut - France, Champagne (12/14/2014)
    From magnum off the restaurant list. Colour turning from light yellow to burnished gold. Steady stream of pin prick bubbles. Quote a harsh, metallic note. very young, tough showing. Very slowly opened up to show black treacle and dark fruit notes with a dry finish. I’d say this needs at least another 5-10 years in this format.


    A flight of stunning white burgundies paired with the first two courses:
  • Roast Norfolk turkey jelly with cauliflower, cranberry, bacon and sage
  • Lasagne of hand picked crab and scallop with cappuccino of shellfish and champagne foam
  • 2007 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault (12/14/2014)
    Amazingly pale colour with just the tiniest hint of yellow. Explosive (!!) nose of gunflint. Thick, almost oily mouthfeel. Smooth, very spicy and with a tangy finish. Spectacular wine.
  • 1999 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru (12/14/2014)
    From the restaurant list. Gold colour. Plenty of dry matchstick again. Masses of lemons and sweet fruits. Real depth. Very good but overshadowed by the coche rougeots for my taste.
  • 2004 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru (12/14/2014)
    Lighter colour than the 99 served alongside, as you would expect. Very similar but slightly younger, more vigorous showing. Lots of tangy, sweet lemons again and loads of spicy gunflint.


    A palate refresher with a terrine of English partridge and foie gras with air dried pear, quince pear and mead jelly…
  • 2006 Weingut Keller Riesling G-Max - Germany, Rheinhessen (12/14/2014)
    Opened and left in the fridge with the cork out for c. 6 hours before serving. Pale yellow colour with a tinge of green. Wide open nose and vigorous palate of lemons, apples and lychees with a slightly oily but elegant and refreshing mouthfeel. In full, vigorous, if youthful, health. By no means a crime to open it now but will easily go another 15 years.


    First pair of red burgs with hand rolled gnocchetti with an emulsion of perigord truffle and 36 month old parmesan
  • 2003 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru (12/14/2014)
    Very dark colour and cola/root profile to this. Very rich, ripe and sweet with a supple, almost blowsy mouthfeel.
  • 2000 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru (12/14/2014)
    Less overt nose than the 03 DRC Ech it was paired with. Piercing, sweet palate though of red and black fruits. Tangy, intense, almost pinched finish. Became redder and a little softer with air. Absolutely delicious.


    Second pair of red burgs with fillet of Cornish cod with chestnut spatzle, cauliflower, sprout leaves, new season’s cepes and fresh chestnut…
  • 1990 Domaine Jean Gros Richebourg - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru (12/14/2014)
    Waves of dark red fruit just keep on coming. Intensely sweet, perfumed and simply gorgeous. Silky, spicy mouthfeel. Utterly, effortlessly perfect. I seriously thought about closing my eyes and paying up for a case of this then I remembered my wife has the keys to the shotgun safe.
  • 1988 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Richebourg - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru (12/14/2014)
    More herbal nose, softer mouthfeel and redder fruit profile than the 90 jean Gros richebourg it was paired with. Interesting hint of gunflint. Just an incredible pair of beautiful wines.

Some northern rhones with roast rhug organic dee valley goose with house made sausage, smoked bacon, bubble and squeak, chestnut and cranberry…

  • 1982 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (12/14/2014)
    Fully resolved - some thought a little oxidised but I didn’t get that. Sweet red fruit with a herbal kick to it.
  • 1989 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (12/14/2014)
    Naturally, a more vibrant and younger showing than the 82 Landonne. Deep, rich red fruit profile.
  • 1991 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (12/14/2014)
    Much darker and riper than the 89. Very sweet and still a fair bit of dry tannin to resolve.
  • 1990 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (12/14/2014)
    Intriguing nose of sweet caramel and dark red fruits. More refreshing than the La Las. Lovely, peppery caramel palate. Very attractive.


    Some more reds with vacherin mont d’or with fresh honeycomb and pear (I ate my fresh honeycomb and pear before the vacherin d’or arrived!!)…
  • 1985 Château Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (12/14/2014)
    This took the prize for the brettiest claret I’ve ever encountered. There was some very herbal red fruit underneath but the brett was beyond my tolerance level.
  • 1974 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (12/14/2014)
    Lovely nose and palate of tobacco and deliciously sweet red fruits. Really, really good! Fully resolved but certainly not showing any signs of decline yet.

With the following 3 desserts:

  • Baked Brillat-Savarin cheesecake with orange and cranberry
  • Baked Brillat-Savarin cheesecake with raspberry and cranberry (yes, the first one was so good we demanded another!)
  • Christmas pudding soufflé with chestnut and macadamia nut brittle ice cream
  • 2001 Giuseppe Quintarelli Recioto della Valpolicella - Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Recioto della Valpolicella (12/14/2014)
    Massive and definitely port like but not at all heavy. Intense cranberry and raisin notes. Delicious.
  • 1935 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto (12/14/2014)
    Ludicrously young showing for an 80 year old wine. I would have guessed 50 years younger! Still dark red colour. Quite a lot of alcohol poking out though.

Posted from CellarTracker

2

We-ell…if you’re going to go “off the wagon” as it were, Dan, this seems like the stranded-on-desert-isle way to do it. Fantastic notes on what sounds like a truly memorable (and presumably 5 hour) lunch.

All best to both of you for the holidays.

Mike

3

Thanks Mike. Indeed, we stretched this out a delightfully leisurely pace from 12.30 to around 5.30!!

All the best to you too?

Dan

4

Though 18 wines is a little (ok, way) beyond my capabliilty to really appreciate, if I had any idea where /what “The Square” was/is…I’d sure try to test my capacity.

It sounds great. Not a bad warm-up for the holidays.

FWIW, I tasted the '88 Richebourg in barrel at Meo, in 1990, the only time I ever visited. All I remember was being pretty darned impressed with Mr. Jayer’s effort that year-- and not being allowed to buy any bottles of anything. (So, for that an other reasons…I never visited again.)

5

Ho HO HO! What a celebration…

6

Stuart,

I would definitely have agreed with you beforehand re the 18 wines but it really was ok, perhaps of the pacing and variety.

The Square is a restaurant in Bruton Street, London. It’s consistently superb.

Dan

7

Dan - good to hear your view on The Square. We almost got there on our most recent London visit. Do they have a reasonable corkage policy (I know they have a strong Burg List but looks as though there was a bit of byo involved)?

And thanks for the note on the 1990 Jean Gros Richebourg. The 1987 was an epiphany wine for me which I had not so long after Kit Stevens MW, in his inimitable way, sought to convince a bunch of us that Bordeaux was not the only answer.

8

Love those long lunches at the Square. Great food, service, company. Good as lunch gets…

9

Jeremy,

Not sure about their standard corkage policy as this was in the private room where it is possible to agree this kind of lunch with them.

Dan

10

Nice list. Always love the 03 Echezeaux.Sounds like the rhones drank beautifully.I’ll have to try the square next time I’m in London. Sounds like you had a quantum leap in wines you can appreciate in one seating :slight_smile:- May of had something to do with the quality and the pacing.Cheers