Kent and Christine Comley were extraordinarily generous in hosting a group of us in Mt Gambier over the weekend. It was a couple of days full of laughs, great mateship, food and the obligatory great bottle or two. Kent even took us on a walk around the Volcano in town after which an eruption of quality Burgundy reigned down upon the plains below.
Anyone travelling between Melbourne and Adelaide by road should work a night in at The Barn to their Itinerary. Kent and Christine are superb hosts. The rooms are high quality and the restaurant showcases the best of South Australia’s produce, cooked to perfection with a particular emphasis on great steak. Kent’s wine list is a beauty. Thoughtfully put together and fairly priced. http://www.barn.com.au/
We had no casualties due to oxidation but tca ran rampant and completely ruined a 2002 Cristal, ’86 BdM Corton-Charlie, ’04 Roulot ‘Perrieres’ and ’88 Faiveley Clos de Vougeot. We did drink pretty bloody well but.
1990 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Brut Rosé: Squishy strawberries, mineral and meat. Full rich and creamy with a touch of caramel development. There’s a line of minerally acidity that cleans up the finish.
2007 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru: Tight, compact and dense. Pure white peach fruit and bright lemon juice. Mineral line, good volume and outstanding length.
2013 Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Derrière Chez Edouard Cuvée Haute Densité: Looks like Les Clos with even more depth and intensity. So much mineral and citrus. Great shape with a rigid spine. Fresh, engaging and ethereal. Quite brilliant.
2011 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne: The nose is a riot of fruit. Custard apple, guava, peach and citrus abound. There’s a wisp of smoke and some mineral reduction too. The palate is very Corton, strict, compact dense and minerally. It has a cool heart and great intensity.A brilliant Corton that is delicious now but capable of very long aging I suspect.
2011 Henri Germain et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières: Classic nose of almond butter, white peach, citrus and mineral. It has a core of sweet fruit and plenty of spice and floral nuance. It builds through the palate and is underpinned by a strong mineral spine. It has so much class and finesse and terrific persistence.
2011 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest: Very young, piercing and sharp. There are some floral notes and a huge squeeze of lemon. It has an iodine saltiness in the mouth and is very direct with a squint inducing finish.
2010 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières: Quite ripe and exotic on the nose. The palate is tight and leaner than smells suggest it may be. It has some green melon and loads of citrus. I like the wines shape, linearity and overall finesse. It finishes with good cut.
1997 Château de la Maltroye Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos du Château de la Maltroye: Pours out a golden colour with bright green tinges. It has plenty of gunflint to the aroma and smells of tinned pineapple. It is full, fruity and fresh in the mouth. Acidity is relatively low but it oozes minerality and is a vibrant, delicious drink at the top of its game.
2010 Jean-Marc Roulot Meursault 1er Cru: Pure white peach and mineral on the nose. Dense, sappy and chewy in the mouth. Pristine and youthful with good power and an airy weightless feel in the mouth. Very mineral finish.
2007 Domaine Dujac Echezeaux: Open-knit and giving. It had plenty of whole bunch sap to the aroma along with pristine red fruit aromas. It was only mid-weight in the mouth but beautifully proportioned with and possessed a sensual, silky mouthfeel.
1999 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes: Deep, sweet, balanced and youthful. It had delicious black cherry fruit coupled with a little spice and plenty of mineral. It was full and rich with great detail. It will be spectacular in another decade.
2012 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes: The nose is so fresh, perfumed and punchy. You get some beetroot, dark cherry and spice making up the aroma. It is dense, creamy and sensual yet has strength and muscle. Perfect balance and immensely enjoyable now but you just know it will be magic in a few decades.
1972 Maison Leroy Pernand-Vergelesses: Gorgeous perfume of fresh rose petals, hoisin, black earth and dark fruits. It is composed and lacy yet has outstanding depth for its level. It fills the mouth with flavour, finishes with precision the fans out leaving an intoxicating inner mouth perfume.
1922 Martinez Lacuesta Rioja Reserva Especial: In future, when asked what the best 1922 I have ever had, there will be no second thoughts before providing and answer, it has to be the 1922 Martinez Lacuesta, Rioja Reserva Speciale. It was obvious that it was of a certain age, showing some teak, truffle and earthy development but the bottle was so fresh and vivacious. It built in the glass, intensifying in vinous sweetness and showing some brown spice and sweet tobacco. The palate was silky yet flavours filled every crevice of the mouth with a certain authority. A calling card of wondrous savoury flavours remained in the mouth once swallowed.
2004 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli: Complex, full and showing plenty now. The fruit is opulent and sweet. It has some leather, cedar and spice. Structural elements are there but it is the fruit that is front and centre.
2004 Mastro Janni Brunello di Montalcino: I picked up on a bit of tca and that distracted me on this one. Seems like there’s excellent material here. It is dense, backwards and unevolved.
2004 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova: I really like this wine, its a bit wild and dangerous. It is deep, loaded with black fruits and thread with a strand of licorice. There’s plenty of volatility but I like the way it gives the wine lift and that little tangy burst of Balsamic. It has black earth and fungus things going on and immense tannins just behind the fruit.
1981 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Riserva: Has to be the best Brunello I have ever drunk. It is dense and powerful yet has such elements of beauty. There’s a heart of black cherry and cassis fruit. It breathes in the glass to show notes of dried flowers, cedar, black olives and leather. It has flesh overlaying chewy structure and finishes with so much savoury nuance. Just about the perfect steak wine for mine.
1980 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio: Kenny lugged this back from Tuscany a few years ago and what a beauty it is. In perfect nick, opening as fresh as a trout. It was tight as a drum at first, offering a whiff of cured meats, some cherry fruit and a shot of espresso. It gained dimension and depth with air and has pristine red fruits, some black earth and an engaging scent of truffle. Lovely proportion and poise and possessing a finish that is crisp and savoury.
1971 Barale Barolo Riserva: It had some mushroom and truffle notes. There was a wall of tannins backing raisin and fig fruits. It was dense and chewy and had good length.
1981 Chateau Reynella Vintage Port: Opened just on the wrong side of midnight. Loads of ripe blackberry fruit. A touch of spice. Nice spirit. Full rich and clean.
Cheers
Jeremy
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Jeremy and Kent, good stuff to read as always.