TN: 90 Pol Roger, 83, 82, 70 Grand Puy, 63 Fonseca

Notes from a wine dinner.

1990 Pol Roger Brut (magnum) – things started off very well with this wine, which was correctly guessed as a 1990. It showed not as much colour as some from this vintage (perhaps being from magnum helped) was clean with bright acidity and no oxidative notes, just apple and nuts in the nose and a pleasant yeastiness that adds to complexity. Long clean finish.

Served with quail eggs three ways – halved eggs topped with truffle paste, black olive paste and whole egg dipped in EVOO and rolled in za’atar, a Middle Eastern spice blend that includes sumac, salt, sesame, thyme, marjoram and oregano.

Next up were a pair of Chenin blancs from the Loire.

1999 Bourillon d’Orleans Vouvray Coulee d’Argent Vielles Vignes Sec – I was a bit worried about the dry Vouvray at this age but it came through beautifully. Light colour, clean lemony nose, interesting wine.

1997 Domaine Closel Savennieres Cuvee Speciale – I had pegged this as having a better chance of having held up over time (the initial acidity in young examples mandates a 5-7 year aging period if you value the enamel on your teeth) but it was showing more colour, and more age than the Vouvray. More complex flavours on entry, but it tailed off a little at the end and was less engaging.

I served the wines with scallops in saffron cream sauce with hints of white pepper and cayenne, which played well off the wines, I think improving them over the tasting experience without food.

1999 Dr. Thanisch Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Auslese – I always find that with the sort of food I was serving, a Sauternes tends to be too sweet and overpowering, as well as often lacking the same degree of acidity needed to cut the fat of the food, and I usually opt for a German Spatlese or in this case, an Auslese. It was instantly identifiable as to grape, with a classic Riesling petrol nose, quite rich in the mouth with a long clean acidic finish, nicely balanced.

I served a slice of duck foie gras (a kilo among 8 people), seared and with coarse salt, on a simple bed of sautéed endive and apple, deglazed with Sherry wine vinegar.

After that combination I needed to serve a palate cleanser. I heartily disagree with the all too common use of sweet sorbets as alleged palate cleansers, when in reality they are palate cloggers, too sweet right before you start to taste the most serious wines of a dinner. A non-sweet sorbet does work well – rosemary or unsweetened Earl Grey tea sorbets for instance. I chose instead a plate of sliced avocado, which in texture segued nicely from the rich fatty foie gras, and dressed with lemon juice, soy sauce fleur de sel, and a drizzle of EVOO (in this case from Waiheke Island in New Zealand).

The next trio of wines was blind, but rather than mixing up several different Bordeaux, I served three in a vertical as I always find that an informative exercise.

1983 Ch.Grand Puy Lacoste – mellow claret nose with slight tea hints, and in the mouth the relative lack of fruit made the remaining tannins seem harder and more dominant than they would have otherwise seemed. OK, but almost certainly better a few years ago.

1982 Ch.Grand Puy Lacoste - this turned out to be my favourite. Excellent nose of cedar and currant, a lovely sweet entry, which made it very appealing, and a long smooth elegant finish. Nothing not to like here and it will last a long time yet. One of the nicest 82s in recent memory.

1970 Ch.Grand Puy Lacoste – I had always enjoyed this wine but hadn’t opened one in several years, so wasn’t sure what to expect. It failed to live up to the 1970 idiom, in that it didn’t fool people into thinking it a decade younger than it was. It showed its true age and although what was there was pretty good, the fact that I remembered what it had been blunted the enjoyment. Not to say the wine was flawed or bad – it certainly wasn’t, it was just fully mature claret. It was still showing a nice sweetness on entry and some good fruit in the middle, with medium long finish, and was pleasant to drink, but tasting it along side the 1982 made it seem less than it really was. That’s always the risk of vertical tastings!

I served boneless rack of lamb, first coated in a mix of cumin, cinnamon, cloves, aniseed and cardamom and seared off, then cooled and wrapped in phyllo pastry and cooked rare, served on a Port reduction. The accompaniments were roasted fennel and leeks, finished with balsamic vinegar, and potato strata with baked garlic, fresh thyme, and bacon included.

With a selection of cheeses, I opted to open the first bottle of a wine I had obtained from London 20 years before. It had never been labelled, but shipped straight from the bins with the cork branded and the top of the cork marked with the vintage, and the obligatory splash of white paint to guide cellaring position.

1963 Fonseca Port – opened several hours a head and double decanted. Far deeper colour than many 63s currently show. Nose seemed a snitch warm to star with but either it changed or I accommodated and after a bit it seemed just right, showing red fruit, spice and tarry caramel components. In the mouth it was….damn near perfect! Layers followed layer of complexity and the length was monumental. This is the best Port I’ve tasted since the 1927 Taylors a few years ago. I know there have been differing reviews of this wine, not at all surprising given age and varying cellar conditions, but this bottle was superb – Port doesn’t normally get much better than this. I hope the other bottles show the same!

We finished with coffee, chocolate truffles, and ripe strawberries with black pepper ground on them.

I intend to open a bottle of another 1997 Closel later today, the Les Coulees, to finish off the quail eggs, and to see how that bottling has held up. Happy to have a couple of bottles more of the Bourillon Vouvray in the cellar

I’ve had a lot of bad '90 Pol Rogers, even from magnum. Good that yours showed well.

Wow Bill, I’m not whether I wanted to be there more to drink or to eat what you made. Mouthwatering on many levels. Well done, and I loved the idea of the avocado cleanser. I will put that to good use. A great night I am sure.

Out of curiosity which Waiheke olive oil maker was it?

Cheers

Hi guys.

Hadn’t come across any bad PR before in the 1990 vintage - all 3 magnums I had were very good. Sorry to hear some weren’t.

The EVOO was from Rangihoua and was very good. My secretary visits family there and brings it back for me, but I’ll have to see if there is a local source.

The thing I really like about the avocado dish is the combination of salt, rich avocado and pungent olive oil with the acidity of the lemon offsetting what would otherwise be too rich in fat. It completely cleans off the palate from the sweet wine we had and resets you for something different.

Finally got my notes typed up from this great dinner that Bill and Sue hosted. Not sure what the highlight of the evening was: the food, the wine, the company, or Bill’s generosity, which is a testament to how great of an evening it was.

With quail eggs three ways – halved eggs topped with truffle paste, black olive paste and whole egg dipped in EVOO and rolled in za’atar (Middle Eastern spice blend that includes sumac, salt, sesame, thyme, marjoram and oregano)…

  • 1990 Pol Roger Champagne Brut Vintage - France, Champagne
    Tasted blind - from magnum. Medium yellow in colour. Nice nose with some development that me guessing mid 90s and not 1990 but once revealed as a magnum it made more sense. Aromas of yeast, apple and lemon that carry onto the palate a rich mouthfeel and great acidity. Defined, complex and ready to drink. Excellent. (91 pts.)

With scallops in saffron cream sauce with hints of white pepper and cayenne…

  • 1999 Domaine Bourillon Dorléans Vouvray La Coulée d’Argent Vieilles Vignes Sec - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
    Tasted blind – Light yellow in colour. Nose of yellow fruit and citrus that had me guessing aged sauv blanc. In the mouth this had good energy, lots of acidity and a fresh and fairly lengthy finish. Very good. (88 pts.)
  • 1997 Domaine du Closel-Château des Vaults Savennières Cuvée Spéciale - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières
    Tasted blind – Medium yellow in colour. Oxidative nose with hints of funk, spice, toasted oak and some lemon. This was showing a ton more age than the Bourillon Vouvray (in colour, aroma and flavours) with less acidity and freshness. Oily texture in the mouth with flavours of citrus and hints of honey. Has a slightly austere finish. I guessed a northern Rhone white, perhaps marsanne/roussanne, while my wife guessed chenin. While still decent, based on this bottle, I think this is past prime and would have been better a few years ago. Good. (84 pts.)

With sliced avocado dressed with lemon juice, soy sauce fleur de sel, and a drizzle of EVOO…

  • 1999 Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch (Erben Müller-Burggraef) Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
    Tasted blind – light to medium yellow colour. Petrol nose (that had me guessing German Riesling) along with sweet lemon, lime and hints of minerality. This was rich on the palate but with great acidity and some residual sweetness coming through on the finish. Medium to full bodied and very well balanced. This was a very nice and typical German Riesling that quite easily pegged an as Auslese from several of the tasters. Excellent. (90 pts.)

With spiced lamb in Phyllo with roasted fennel and leaks, potato gratin with bacon and thyme…

  • 1983 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
    Tasted blind – medium red colour, browning at the rim. This had a Bordeaux-like nose showing lots of maturity with notes of cedar, dark red fruits and dried flowers. Mostly resolved in the mouth with a lighter mouthfeel and not much fruit left but there was some tannin left. My guess was Bordeaux from a non-ripe vintage from the 70s or 80s. Still a nice old wine, but this would have been better a few years ago. Very good. (87 pts.)
  • 1982 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
    Tasted blind – medium red, browning at the rim, but slightly darker than the ’83. Again, the nose here was very Bordeaux-like with beautiful notes of cedar, cherries, black currants and pencil lead. Ripest wine of this flight on the palate with sweet red and black fruits, spice and tobacco. Medium bodied with balanced tannins and acidity. This was the youngest looking and tasting wine of the flight. Smooth on the palate with a long finish. This is drinking very well right now but there is no rush. Outstanding. (93 pts.)
  • 1970 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
    Tasted blind - medium red colour, browning at the rim. Oldest smelling wine of the bunch with notes of black licorice, balsam and fully mature red fruit. The fruit on the palate is starting to dry out a tad but there are nice spicy and cherry flavours coming through. Fully mature with some tannin, lots of acidity and decent length, this was probably better a few years ago. I’d guess this and the ’83 would have showed better had they not been served side by side with the outstanding ’82. Very good. (88 pts.)

With Cougar Gold, Fourme d’Ambert, Stichelton, goat brie and Chevre…

  • 1963 Fonseca Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto
    Tasted blind – double decanted and served three hours later. I knew this was a 60s Port from a previous conversation that Bill and I had, but I couldn’t remember the exact vintage or from which house. This had a beautiful colour; medium red with some bricking throughout, but much more youthful that I would have expected from a Port from the 60s. The nose was warm and rich with notes of baked cherries and plums, wood, Christmas cake spice and hints of tobacco. These flavours carried onto the palate with great intensity and beautiful balance. A complex, deep and distinctive wine with a sweet and extremely long finish. Easily the best port I’ve ever had and a very special treat to taste a wine of this calibre. This is drinking so well yet has decades of life ahead of it. Exceptional. (96 pts.)

I had this last in late July 2011, I didn’t find its tannins particularly hard, but do agree with your final assessment that it would have been “certainly better a few years ago.”

Something I’m confident I’ll never write…

I picked up a 6 pack of 90 PR last year for a great price and they’ve all been great so far.