I was best man at a wedding to a great mate last weekend, and he stayed over on Friday night with me, so few quite ones (and some beers). Then of to the wedding, followed later that night by a superb dinner, with the best food and wine I have seen at a wedding ever. I decided to “pimp” out the wines a bit for the bridal table, as both the bride and groom are serious food and wine lovers, so as to make it an even more special day for them.
I had to include for the bride and Groom some Boisset wines, as they had a great visit there last year, followed by some more of his wines at a romantic dinner at Ma Cuisine, so they really appreciated this…
A few prior Drinks the night before:
2001 Ramonet Ruchottes:
Very nice…just drinking well now. Lovely wine of clear class, typical Ramonet palate but just a touch more developed than the last bottle. High 1’er Cru level, but time to drink now I think.
90pts.
2002 Domaine Leflaive Folatieres:
Powerful, linear wine with some spice and honey notes, good length and mouth feel, ready to go now. A very good wine that would give many Grand Cru’s a really serious run…
92pts.
1980 La Pousse d’Or Volnay "Clos de la Bousse d’Or"
Earthy, forset floor on the palate and of medium weight. Finishes with some sweet dark fruit, and is smooth and almost pretty. Very nice. Drink now.
89pts.
2005 Vieux Telegraph CNDP la Crau:
Big, ripe, sweet dark fruit, easy to drink….What’s not to love whilst watching Conan the Barbarian in the cinema at 2am….
91pts.
Now, on to the wedding reception Dinner wines (all in pairs):
Chablis to start:
1998 Raveneau Valmur:
Rich and powerful, with that typical oyster and mineral Valmur finish. A classic Raveneau Valmur, although perhaps a bit richer/riper than some years and drinking well now but will hold.
90pts.
1999 Raveneau Montee de Tonnerre:
Nice. Lighter and less developed looking than the Valmur, and with a beautiful touch of honey and spice on the finish. Consumed in record time, and was excellent with the scallop dish we had. I reckon Raveneau’s ‘99’s are a bit underrated, as they have turned out to be quite lovely from the wines I have had.
91pts.
White Burg flight:
2005 Vincent Girardin Chevalier Montrachet:
Lovely floral nose, very pretty, with more white flowers on the palate. Mineral spicy/honeyed finish a touch richer than usual for most Chevalier’s, and without some of the typical Chevalier “drive”. Still, and attractive enough drink, and drinking well now. Great again with the food.
92pts
2007 Henri Boillot Corton Charlemagne:
Big, powerful and almost ripe fruit, yet still with a strong acid backbone. Blinded, I would have gone Batard, or maybe even Montrachet, as this had a weight and roundness to it that most C/C’s don’t have. Very impressive, lovely mouth feel and length, but in need of much more time (but I couldn’t help have a sneek peak on this occasion). Will end up great.
93+++pts
Champagne for the Toast/Speeches:
1996 Dom Perignon Rose:
Wow, once again this was very great. Still very youthful, with a real “Winey” complexity to it. Obviously a rose, with a medium red color, and a palate of strawberries and red fruits, and a good acid spine. Layered and extremely complex, a very serious champagne. Still quite young and with a long way to go, but drinking well enough to be really enjoyed now. Excellent.
95+pts.
A Boisset Flight for the happy Couple:
2007 Jean-Claude Boisset Clos de la Roche:
Some earth and spice, with medium red and black fruits, and prettier than many young CdlR’s. Very nice with a mushroom and truffle risotto. Perhaps a touch light weight, but given the vintage, to be expected, lovely drinking though, and will improve with more time.
90/1pts
2007 Jean-Claude Boisset Romanee Saint Vivant:
Ripe and pretty, with a gorgeous nose. Some typical RSV spice, with lovely pure fruits, although again perhaps just am touch simple compared to the top RSV’s. Once again, lovely drinking, which was kind of the point. Will improve as well over the medium term.
91+pts
A comparison of excellent ‘01’s:
2001 Dujac Clos St. Denis:
Love ’01 Burgs, and these were a great side by side comparison. Dark fruits, very complex and layered, with great structure and fabulous future potential. Typical ’01 understated fruit with that great structure, but still all building and will need much more time yet to peak. Really lovely, a very classy wine.
94++pts
2001 Mommessin Clos de Tart:
A little bigger, riper and more powerful than the Dujac, (and perhaps prettier). Still well structured though, but with maybe not quite as much future potential, but a bit more flash than the Dujac. Some earth and dark fruits on the palate, with an attractive width and a long finish. A great wine (just as the ’06 is, for those that have a decent palate…). Will improve over the medium to long term. Superb.
94+pts
Lots of other wines floating around on the night, a pretty little Moscato for desert, and a great Barossa Shiraz (the 2006 Mad Dog), which was heavily requested all night (and ran out quite early on). This was also the only wine that there was none left the next day (well done Jeremy!). Also a ’76 Cognac of some description (the Grooms birth year), followed by cigars (blah), and I was well and truly off with the faeries by this stage….a great (long) day and night!!