Another really fun dinner with Leo’s Blind tasting group. This time Ben hosted, and went to the trouble of having us at his home for dinner while he opened a really amazing set of wines. Many, many thanks to Ben and Wendy for all their hospitality, and an absolutely amazing dinner. Notes will follow in a bit, but the homemade pappardelle with long-cooked duck sugo might have been my favorite item of the entire evening - just an incredible dish with really light, wonderfully textured pappardelle that was an incredible match with the Barolo.
As always, great seeing the group, and always fun and humbling tasting blind.
Flight 1:
Served with vegetarian pate (in my case), and what looked to be shrimp for the other, non-shellfish challenged.
2000 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne
I felt this showed poorly in contrast to the 2002, which was firing on all cylinders. This has ripe citrus and pear fruit framed by doughy and yeasty flavours, but it feels a touch soft on the palate without the acidity I’d like, and some dosage sweetness still noticeable on the back end. A really good Champagne, but not the fireworks display I typically expect Comtes to be.
2002 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne
Lots of complexity already; layers of fresh fruit, fresh baked biscuit, chalk, and sweeter doughy and floral notes all coming together seamlessly, and there’s fantastic cut and precision to the flavours. On the palate it conveys both great intensity and elegance, and the finish has remarkable length. Outstanding.
Flight 2:
1998 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon
Liked this a lot. Really bright and vibrant with lots of red berried fruit and citrus flavours framed by creamy, yeasty and mineral notes. There’s a remarkable sense of freshness and purity to the flavours, and fantastic acidity beneath keeping it very precise and lively. One of the best rosé Champagnes I’ve had.
N.V. Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé
This shows a bit simpler than the Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon; it has a similarly red fruited flavour profile with bright yeasty and floral accents, but it doesn’t show the same degree of depth on the palate. It also feels a touch softer, not having the same acid-driven precision and energy though it’s still very well balanced and lovely to drink.
Flight 3:
Served with Iberico and Serrano hams, chorizo, aged Manchego, and quince paste. Nice of Ben to give us the Spanish hint with the cheese and meat selection there!
1994 Bodegas Muga Rioja Torre Muga (Reserva)
Well, this was a shocker. Half the table was guessing this might be from Burgundy or a very classic, old style Rioja given the incredibly pure, sweet floral aromas and the core of fresh red fruits here, and many of us were pretty amazed when it was unveiled to be a Muga. Great complexity here, with more savoury earthy, cedary and dried floral notes augmenting the layers of fresh fruit, and a palate presence that’s incredibly polished and silken textured. Fantastic wine.
1994 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia
Love the aromatics here, but it doesn’t quite deliver on the palate what it promises on the nose. There’s a great fragrance with all sorts of savoury earthy, smoky and dried floral notes around a core of sweet red fruits, but there’s also a faint balsamic/VA like element and it’s not showing as much depth on the palate.
N.V. Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Unico Reserva Especial 1991, 1994, 1999 (2012 Release)
Quite a contrast to the two Riojas. This is a powerhouse. There’s a core of red and dark fruit that’s quite intense and concentrated, and it’s framed by noticeable oak and higher toned spicy elements. With time in the glass it turns more savoury as the oak takes a step back, and still feels rather young with plenty of fine grained tannin lingering on the back end. Compelling.
Flight 4:
With Ben and Wendy’s homemade pappardelle and slow cooked duck sugo. I do not have enough superlatives for this dish.
Ben mentioned he had opened these earlier in the morning to slow-ox, then decanted in the afternoon. The Cavallotto still seemed a little tightly wound and austere, but the other three Baroli were just spectacular.
1999 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato
A touch reserved on the nose, but the palate here is absolutely incredible with a core of sappy red fruited flavours conveyed with a really delicate, silken touch and remarkable finesse. There’s great intensity of flavour but barely any sensation of weight, and it’s very long and finessed on the back end. Still very youthful and primary, but a really stunning wine.
1999 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia
A wow from the fragrance alone. Red fruits, spice, flowers, and more savoury earthy and anise-like notes combining into one incredible scent that’s echoed on the palate. It’s still showing some fine grained tannin on the back end, but the balance is stunning and there’s a really finessed, polished texture here. Spectacular.
1999 Cavallotto Barolo Bricco Boschis
Rather reserved on the nose compared to the other Barolo in this flight. The aromatics are quite high toned; herbal and spicy with a more savoury anise-like aspect, and there’s still austere tannin showing on the palate. Beneath all the structure is some pure red and dark fruit, but right now the structure dominates and it seems more about potential than pleasure.
1999 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga d’Alba
A jawdropper. This has it all. Such an incredible aroma with layers of red fruit, truffles, earth, floral notes, and other savoury elements coming together on the nose and palate, and all conveyed with remarkable purity and finesse. The texture on the palate is pure silk, and the finish seems to resonate for minutes. Absolutely amazing wine.
Flight 5:
Served with roast chicken.
1989 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron
Not a sound bottle. Showing some red fruit but dominated by maderized, oxidative notes. A shame.
1989 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
This remains a stunner, and one of my favorite Bordeaux. The fragrance is just classic Pauillac - cedar, graphite, tobacco, mature earthy and truffled notes, and that green herbal/forestal signature of PLL all coming together into a scent that’s hard to move away from, and the palate presence is pure silk with the tannins fully resolved and the acidity bright and lively beneath the fruit. Absolutely spectacular wine that’s drinking at peak right now.
Flight 6:
1982 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
My second run-in with the '82 GPL, and the second time I’ve encountered flawed bottle. Something’s clearly off here - the fruit’s rather muted beneath a musty topnote. Sigh.
1990 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
A powerhouse of a Pauillac. A core of ripe red and dark fruit framed by tobacco and more savoury earthy and cedary notes, intense and concentrated on the palate with great length. I’d have paid more attention, but I still had some of the PLL in another glass.
Dessert:
1986 Château Rieussec
This comes across fresher and lighter on its feet than what I typically expect from most Sauternes; it’s certainly quite sweet and intense, but there’s really bright acidity beneath the ripe clementine, apricot and honey-tinged tropical fruit flavours. The botrytis here doesn’t overwhelm, and it’s one of the more light and elegant Sauternes I’ve come across in some time.
An amazing tasting, and an incredibly generous selection of wines Ben. Many thanks again.
