TNs: Harmony Tasting - London

WINE TALK
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HARMONY II - The Ledbury (09/06/2010)

A great concept, the Ledbury came up with a six course menu, and we formed four tables of six, each person electing a course to provide a wine, that was served blind for the table.

A fine tasting, with the company of a table of fine wine minds (and me too). We could maybe have done with a red to even up the balance but there was not a single match I would say clashed. Fine food, fine company, fine wines.

The format is close to perfection to me, having one wine per course, and amongst only six people is exactly right.

Thanks all,

The menu:

1 Pheasants Egg Wrapped in Katafi with Smoked Artichoke and Spring Truffle
2 Grilled Lobster with Sea Vegetables and Watercress
3 Terrine of Foie Gras with Cooked and Raw Apple and Sake
4 Calves Sweetbread with Caramelised Tongue, Roasted White Asparagus and Green Almonds
5 Suckling Pig with Peas and a Reduction of Dried Chicory
6 Violet Parfait with Blueberries, Frozen White Chocolate and a Blueberry Shortcake

  • N.V. Jacques Selosse Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Substance - France, Champagne, Avize, Champagne
    Deep gold, but vigorous, spicy oak nose with ripe round sweet fruit and sour green apple. A very solid match with the course, the acidity grew a little disjointed with time. This bottle disgorged in 2008.
  • 1993 Reinhold Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
    Shimmering green, medium weight with some soft light RS, a good match but the bitterness in the watercress was a little bit of a clash.
  • 1988 Domaine de la Bongran (Thevenet) Mâcon-Villages Cuvée Tradition - France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Villages
    This really threw us, we went all over the world trying to pin it down, but didn’t really touch Burgundy. I certainly didn’t recognise it and we have got through between 10 and 15 cases of the 98-2001 versions. This was much dryer, though did have some botrytis after I knew what it was, quite neutral nose, none of the candied quince I associate with this, lean, not unlike a chablis. Tough match with the Foie Gras, but I certainly see the logic.
  • 2001 Domaine Weinbach Riesling Clos des Capucins Cuvée Ste. Catherine - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC
    Medium gold, quite a big wine, but not the biggest style, ripe lemon with some bitter sweetness on the finish. Very good match.
  • 1991 Nikolaihof Grüner Veltliner Vinothek - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
    Lovely light style of Gruner, though its origins far from obvious, a million miles away from a more common smaragd style, light and calm with some RS and firm acidity.
  • 1988 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
    Fully mature for my tastes as a desert wine, lots of marmalade and coconut, not an ideal match with the pudding, but I am not sure such a thing exists, very fine.
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Thanks for the notes, Russell. Interesting note about the growing disjointed acidity. I’ve always found Substance to be wonderfully balanced and certainly one reason why I love this cuvee. I will check on one of my bottles from a 2008 disgorgement [cheers.gif]

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Michael, maybe also a function of it warming up in the glass, it was over 2-3 hours.