Being a public holiday weekend in South Australia, good friends thought a Sunday night hit-out was in order. We drank well.
2018 Pol Roger Champagne Brut Réserve: Power with elegance. Fine bead and creamy mousse. Notes of preserved lemon, white peach, citrus blossom and white bread. Layered with flavour. Good chalky chew.
2017 Domaine Lamy-Caillat Chassagne-Montrachet: Ridiculously good Village wine. Some smoky mineral reduction and a whiff of toast. Aromas of white peach fruit with some fennel tops too. Wonderful shape and delineation in the mouth. Real fruit intensity and drive. Finishes with a big squeeze of citrus and awesome mineral cut. Huge dry extract and length to burn.
2023 Penfolds Chardonnay Yattarna Bin 144: A nose that has plenty of struck match reduction. There’s aniseed and vanilla spice. It has excellent weight of sappy orchard fruit and good shape and build. The finish powers on and it is very long.
2014 Domaine G. Roumier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras : Still very youthful and strong. Just starting to show some dried flower perfume. Cherry fruit overlays a stony base. Good volume and chew in the mouth. Structured but some elements of beauty starting to show. Long and expansive finish.
1937 Domaine Armand Naulot Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru: This was a magical bottle in very good condition. Some balsamic-like volatility punches an array of engaging florals into the nostrils. There is something sweet and vinous at its core. There are pine needles and smouldering Autumnal leaves and moss on wet rocks. It has an unctuous slippery feel, kind of like an oyster and great presence and depth. Tannins are sweet and resolved and there’s still energetic acidity and superb length that oozes saline minerality.
2019 Tenuta Greppo (Biondi-Santi) Rosso di Montalcino: Lovely perfume. Elegance and containment. Violets, tobacco, briary red fruits and cedar. Good depth and balance. Modest structural support from some chalky tannins. Light on its feet and persistent.