FRIDAY NIGHT WINES AT THIERRY’S PLACE - Wellington, New Zealand (5/25/2014)
All wines served blind with entrees, a Le Canard duck dish, Comte and Pico cheeses and a tart for dessert.
1990 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Vintage Cave Privée - France, Champagne
Colour deep gold. Served in Montrachet glasses. Good persistent mousse, fine bead. A complex bouquet of leesy, autolysis aromas, with notes of lemon, almond croissant, peach and blanched almonds. Quite a bright nose of ripe fruit for this age. Some vanilla oak aromas, but not overdone. In a Champagne flute, the bready, autolysis aromas were emphasised. On the palate, oxidative but with relatively bright fruit (tasters were picking it as a 2002 or, at the oldest, a 1996). Good acidity, with power and excellent structure. Rich and dense with plenty of dry extract. With this acid profile, the Champagne is quite vinous, like a white Burgundy. Complex flavours of citrus, almonds and brioche, finishing on lovely minerality. It paired very well with the salmon. One taster though thought it was a little too attenuated and acidic. However, I did not find anything drying on the back palate and thought it still had plenty of fruit. For me, it was not resting on its acids and I could cellar it, while others would prefer to drink now. (94 pts.)
1996 Duval-Leroy Champagne Femme de Champagne - France, Champagne
Colour light gold. Served in Montrachet glasses. Persistent, small bubbles. A fresh, pretty nose with aromas of lemon, melon, nuts and a strong malic element. The autolysis is less pronounced than for the Veuve. On palate, this is relatively primary for its age (tasters were picking it as 2004 or 2006, not 1996), with racy, persistent acids. Lovely texture. Quite fleshy and powerful, with flavours of lemon, limes, apples and honey, but still feminine and elegant. In its drinking window now but no hurry. (92 pts.)
2003 Jean Boillot & Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Colour light lemon. A bouquet of white flowers, lemon, lime, almonds and a little spice. The bouquet shows a little toasty oak. On palate, the fruit weight and power of this wine has tasters locating it in Puligny. A luscious wine with viscosity, but not at all oxidised and with sufficient acids. Flavours tending peach, pear, spicy vanilla, with some attractive minerality. Very primary, tasters pick the vintage as 2009. Real purity, with excellent line, length and focus. No stereotypical 2003 white Burgundy. (93 pts.)
2009 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Colour light gold. A pure bouquet of white florals, lemon, pear and brioche. On palate, ripe and rich, with serious structure, breadth and power (we were picking the vintage as 2009 or 2005). However, the wine also has beautiful balance, finesse and elegance, with very good acids. Oak is present on both bouquet and palate, but not, for me, obtrusively. Quite forward, but obviously young, this Corton is a 20+ year wine. The flavours were citric, greengage, peaches and pears and croissant, with honey and a strong mineral backbone. A long wine, with a dry finish. It needs 5 years as a minimum, hopefully it’ll survive premox. (94 pts.)
2007 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir - New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
Under screw cap. Colour purplish red. Nose of dark cherries, plums, raspberries, bramble and wet earth. On palate, a big structured wine, very powerful and primary. Very pure, with flavours of dark cherries, earth, dark chocolate and smoky bacon, with plenty of savoury tannins, yet to integrate. We had this wine as clearly being from the Martinborough district and as a 2013, it could almost have been a barrel sample. On the reveal, all made sense. 2007 was a difficult, low yielding vintage in Martinborough producing small, highly concentrated berries. The reserve label (Marie Zelie) was not made in 2007. The Burgophiles in our group were impressed. Don’t touch this wine for 10 years, though. 92. Vines up to 28 years old. (92 pts.)
2007 Bouchard Père et Fils Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Colour deep red. Spicy, fairly sweet nose of raspberry, bloody meat, earth and a more feral, evolved element described by tasters as wet dog or old leather horse saddle (not a fault). On palate, a tangy, powerful, rich wine, but relatively elegant, with great acidity. On the reveal, no surprise that this is another excellent Volnay '07. Drinking well now but with years ahead of it. (93 pts.)
2001 François Parent Romanée St. Vivant - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
Ruby colour, a little lighter than the Martinborough Vineyards, quite primary looking. A gorgeous bouquet of dark florals, red fruits, some funk and Asian spice. In the mouth, quite primary (we’re guessing 2007 or 2009 red Burgundy) This wine is just beautifully balanced and poised, with real Grand Cru depth and power. The flavours are of lovely bright red fruits and earth, with gorgeous acid balance and minerality on the finish. Drinking well now, but no hurry. Quite a rare wine I think (thanks, Mike). (94 pts.)
2003 Domaine de Courcel Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru
Colour deep ruby. A nose of spicy red cherry, smoke and bramble. The first impression on the palate is the good acidity and then the power hits. Very tight, driven and primary, with serious mid palate fruit weight. Red fruited, quite sweet with Pommard iron, soil and iodine on the palate. Perhaps a little four square right now but a huge structured that wine will live forever and develop complexity with cellar time. A long, pure finish. (93 pts.)
2007 Nicolas Joly Clos de la Coulée de Serrant - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières-Coulée de Serrant
Thierry decanted this wine 36 hours before serving it and commented that it needed it. Light gold. An oxidative Chenin Blanc bouquet of honey, glycerol and toffee apple. Lovely acidity on the palate with beautiful viscosity. Flavours of honey comb, citrus, blanched almonds, slightly burnt crème brulee and apple pie. The wine shows a lot of structure and good length. The time open had subdued the 15.5% alcohol somewhat. An enjoyable, particular wine for the end of the meal. (93 pts.)
We had finished the meal but felt like something more. Thierry and I decided to Pobega a couple of our recent arrivals …
2009 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Served blind but there is no disguising this wine. Impenetrable red in colour. An attractive Barbaresco bouquet of sour cherry, herbs and earth. In the mouth, tannic, tannic, tannic, a beast. Medicinal, umami and iodine flavours, with raspberry and cherry. Plush and svelte, no harshness on palate, undoubtedly classy, if you have the patience. I’d heard that 2009 was a more open, approachable Barbaresco vintage but this wine really needs 20+ years cellar time. 14.5% alcohol. Hard to rate now purely on potential. (92 pts.)
2011 Domaine Marquis d’Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Colour nice ruby red. A nose of spice, pure red berry fruits, some earth and hints of underbrush. A sweet entry to the palate, retains its sweetness across the palate. Concentrated, very primary with a little rawness, it just needs time. Tart flavours of raspberry and cranberry, with some savouriness and minerals on the finish. Silky texture over a large scaled structure. No green elements anyone picked up. Finishing the bottle two evenings later, the bouquet was largely the same and the palate was still primary, but had rounded out a little. Ideally needs 10 years. (92 pts.)
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