Hello everyone. I’ve been meaning to post these notes and photos for some time but I’ve not had the chance to get them up until now. Shannon from rarewinedinners.com came to Perth, Western Australia in late November 2013 to host his second Perth rare wine dinner. The evening’s focus was Rare Burgundy but other aged gems were also being poured. We were quite lucky on the night; all of the wines were in great condition, especially given their age!
I should note now I’m not extremely adept at picking out aromatics in wine, I guess I’d say I’m more of a structuralist than adjectivist in terms of tasting notes. This serves me well in terms of identifying young wines with potential ageability but doesn’t help me so much in the way of notes, especially in relation to nights like these.
With that in mind, here goes.
Perth Rare Burgundy Dinner
Friday 29th November 6:30pm
Lamont’s Bishops House Restaurant
Champagne
1969 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Brut, Champagne, France
Oak on the nose, as well as toffee. Slightly amber color. Good length, fine but noticeable acid line. Age was noticeable with caramel flavors but there are also plenty of lemon and lime flavors. Over the first course it settled but the line of acid remained. Beautiful.
1990 Dom Ruinart, Blanc de Blanc, Champagne, France
A less giving nose when compared to the '69. Still slight toasty notes though. Golden color. Palatte was also very subtle and balanced with hints of stone fruit to accompany the acid. After warming the toasty nose became more noticeable.
Food accompaniment - Whiskey cured salmon, rye bread, apple and dill jelly with crème fraiche
Burgundy Blanc
1971 A. Ligeret, Chablis, Les Vaillons, 1er Cru, Burgundy, France
Golden color, toasty and old nose. Slight saline taste with good balance and acidity. Over time the nose opened and was more expressive.
1988 Domaine Leflaive, Chevalier Montrachet, Grand Cru, Burgundy, France
Big, smokey nose with funky hints. Sharp in every way. Incredibly focused palette that’s clean and long. The fruit, acidity, and stony texture are all excellent.
1976 Batard Montrachet
Toasty and slightly toffee-esque nose with plenty of smoke on top. Subtle fruit on the palette.
Food accompaniment - Smoked turkey breast with goats curd truffle & tarragon vinaigrette
Burgundy 1
(Clos de la Justice on the left, Chambolle Musigny on the right)
1929 Pierre Bouree Fils, Clos de la Justice, Grand Cru, Burgundy, France
Nose is quite fragrant with underbrush and earthy tones. My first palette notes consisted of “Oh wow!” This wine was very fine and has incredible length thanks to the acidity present. There’s a slight hint of sweetness as well as energy on the palette. Wonderful balance. My burgundy of the night.
1929 Pierre Bouree Fils, Chambolle Musigny, Burgundy, France
Slightly toffee like notes on the nose. On the palette there’s more fruit than the Clos de la Justice with a richer and more velvety mouth feel. Slight sweetness as well. Apparently in the past Rhone was used in Burgundy from time to time to “enhance” wines. We felt this could have been the case here.
Food accompaniment - Organic chicken and foie gras torchon with grilled asparagus and peach salsa
Burgundy 2
(Clos de Vougeot on the left, Cotes de Nuit on the right)
1935 Henri De Villamont, Dr Barolet Collection, Clos de Vougeot, Grand Cru, Burgundy, France
Very clean and subtle nose, definitely characteristic of Burgundy. Hints of spice are also present. On the palette there’s a slight sweetness initially. Good acid combined with exceptional length. A very refined and subtle drop.
1953 Henri De Villamont, Dr Barolet Collection, Cotes de Nuit, AC, Burgundy, France
Color was quite dark; nose was strong with funk and must as well as a hint of stems. Taste was quite big and rich but had a nice balance. The length was quite impressive as well.
Food accompaniment - Lobster congee with smoked duck breast and confit leg and black pudding
Burgundy 3
1959 Chanson Per et Fils, Bonnes Mares, Grand Cru, Burgundy, France
This wine had a subtle nose. A beautiful wine to drink with good acidity and impressive length.
1969 Domaine Grivelet, Chambolle Musigny, 1er Cru, Burgundy, France
A strange nose to be honest, apparently this Domaine was known historically for blending Rhone into their Pinot. Sweetness on the palette is immediately noticeable. Quite balanced but not incredibly interesting on the night in comparison to the competition.
Food accompaniment - Squid ink linguine with garlic tiger prawns, roast cherry tomato and saffron
Barolo
1947 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli, Barolo Riserva, Piedmont, Italy
The nose of this wine was slightly medicinal but also had some floral components. A wonderful wine to drink, my only negative was a slightly astringent tannic finish. I really enjoyed it though; my notes finish along the lines of “I could drink heaps of this.”
1964 Terre del Barolo, Barolo Riserva, Piedmont, Italy
A pristine and clean nose. Drinks exceptionally well. Has wonderful balance and length, almost effortless to drink. A really good drop.
Food accompaniment - Cider braised pork belly with fried brussels, celeriac remoulade and pancetta
Bordeaux
1949 Chateau La Tour Haut Brion, Graves Cru Classe, Bordeaux, France
Stereotypical Bordeaux Cabernet nose, very expressive in the glass. Upon tasting I was struck by the extremely clean powder fine tannin, wonderful dark fruit notes, and sensational balance. Truly a fine aged Bordeaux.
Food accompaniment - Wagyu beef rump, wagyu roasted kipflers and heirloom carrots
Riesling
1976 Hugel & Fils, Selection de Grains Nobles, Alsace, France
Typical Alsace, sweet notes on the nose. Clean palette that has nicely balanced sweetness. Quite a long and lovely finish. Easily the best Hugel I’ve had.
1971 Schloss Schonborn, Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg, Auslese, Rheingau, Germany
Amazing nose, quite expressive and impressive. Sweetness on the palatte. Impressive length.
Food accompaniment - Textured chocolate mousse with berries and hazelnut dacquoise
And here’s a few more photos of the stellar lineup.
