EPIC CHAMPAGNE DINNER - Taberna, Bukit Merah (25/8/2016)
YH hosted our group to celebrate his elevation to MW, and he curated a really interesting (if rather acidic lilne-up) centred on Champagnes. And what Champagnes they were too - a quartet of the very best 1996s, followed by a flight of 6 (3 Substance and 3 V.O.s of different disgorgement dates) from Jacques Selosse. Even the supporting cast was quite special, with a pair of Lafon Meursault 1er Cru from 1988 really standing-out.
APERITIF
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1990 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon - France, Champagne
From a magnum - very nice indeed. This had a lovely nose of light toasted brioche, warm caramel, a bit of minerality, and some slightly oxidative white meat and white mushroom notes floating alongside glowing apple fruit aromas. In the mouth, it was round and fleshy, with mature notes of ripe apples, caramel, and a touch of strawberry, but this still backed against a lovely backbone of acid and mineral all the way into long, mouthwatering, mineral finish. Plenty of sinewy strength and power here, but lots of purity too, all draped under graceful robe. A complete showing, drinking beautifully too. Superb. (94 pts.)
PINOT NOIR FROM AROUND THE WORLD
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2001 Dry River Pinot Noir - New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
An odd little wine - interesting, and quite yummy, but with some aspects that threw me off somewhat. The nose was very smoky, with a burnt rubber ring to it that brought me back to South African wines in the mid-2000s. There were deeper aromas of earth and red berries and spice, and a touch of ginseng herb, but all this ringed with that smoky twang. The palate was rather more emjoyable than the nose. Round, mellow, and rather thick in the mouth, it showed ripe fruit in the shape of deep, dark cherry and berry gummy flavours seasoned with puffs of spice, menthol and more smoke. A bit tight at first on the midpalate, but it opened up with time, stretching out into a long finish infused with mineral and spicy incense stick flavours. Soft acidities and very mellow tannins made the wine quite ready and pleasant to drink, but make no mistake - this was a muscular, masculine wine, with lots of extract to it. A complete antithesis of the soft, feminine Felton Road Block 5 on the same flight. Not quite my style of Pinot then, and it perhaps lacked a bit of harmony and grace, but it was objectively otherwise a pretty solid showing. (91 pts.) -
2002 Larmandier-Bernier Coteaux Champenois Vertus Rouge Premier Cru - France, Champagne, Coteaux Champenois
Very interesting. A dry red pinot noir from Coteaux Champenois, from a Champagne-maker no less. It showed up really well amongst a decent peer group of pinot from around the world though. It noseed a but like a new world pinot, with red cherries and a bonfire of smoky leaves mingling with more savoury notes of meat, spice and herb, along with an earthy funk and a touch of stony mineral. Fairly intriguing, if not exactly alluring. The palate was nice though. There was a great clarity to it, with juicy acidity and a grip of muscular tannins wrapped around a core of red fruit, all this leading into a slightly bittersweet finish of smoked herbs and a bramble. A bright, high-toned wine with plenty of tension in its expressions, along with a good sense of underlying structure. Pretty enjoyable, and certainly very interesting. A wine geek’s wine par excellence - this is one that will certainly divide the crowd! (91 pts.) -
2002 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
A dense, solid rather old school expression - clearly the Burgundy in the pack, but by no means the most enjoyable. This needed a lot more time yet. It was a litte tight on the nose, with a subtle red cherries, a little floral accent, and maybe some mature mushroomy aromas with time. Not giving much though. The palate hits you with its high acidity and high tannin character first. The fruit was there in the shape (petits fruites rouge I though), but was almost shying behind the in-your-face structure. There was density and some purity there, but more than anything else, the wine felt like a dance of acids and tannins, leading into a tight little finish witth some spice and smoke. It did open up with food, showing more dark cherries, sice and mineral, all imbued with a rather noble sense of structure and clarity. Solid then, but this needs a good decade more before approaching drinkability. (91 pts.) -
2001 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 - New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
The simplest wine in its quartet of Pinot Noirs from around the world, but conversely also the readiest and most enjoyable expression on the night. It had a really seductive nose - sweet, floral and perfumed, with pretty accents of sweet red berries and cherries along with an unsual little twost of gingko nuts. The palate was rich, thick, with a rather new world viscosity to it. However, there was a layer of velvety tannins behind it all lending some stcuture to its sweet notes of dark berries infused with warm spice. A little heat and a green edge past the midpalate threw the wine off somewhat, before it regained a more pleasant poise and balance towards a full, creamy finish of sweet fruit and spice. Simple, and certainly not perfect, but this was an attractively soft, feminine expression that made for a rather delicious drink. (92 pts.)
1996 CHAMPAGNE
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1996 Jacques Selosse Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Millésimé - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
A treat - but one must like the Selosse style to be truly into this. There was a the typical full-on liquer d’expedition and meaty oxidative character on the nose, alongside subtler notes of pears - both the fresh greens, brown honeyed varieties - and then a broiche, toast bready twang, and something vaguely floral at the sides. I found it very attractive, but I can imagine some who would baulk at this. The palate had tons of intensity and power to it, it was round and fleshy, yet had a real sense muscular structure to its rich, oxidative flavours of figs, browned apples and meal. A rich, weighty, flavour-packed expression for sure, realy full and mouthfilling, yet it was still always impressively focused and very defined, with a great seam of acidity, a fine mousse, and sinewy mineral, all pulling the wine into a strong, powerful finish that just clung and clung to the back-palate with big notes of toffee, lemon zest, and just that remaining shade of new oak. Not a subtle wine by any measure, but a very rewarding one for those who like the style. Selosse fanboys would be over-the-moon with this. (94 pts.) -
1996 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut - France, Champagne
By some distance my favourite of a very strong flight of 1996 vintage Champagnes, including Selosse, Krug and DP. This was still youthful, but boy was it impressive. The nose showed quiet notes of bread, yeast and mineral, some deeply seated white-fruit aromas, and then a hint of more lifted fruit peel and white melon accents at the back of the bouquet. Very nice. It had a lovely palate too - with clean, elegant lines, and a laser-like spine of mineral workng its way through flavours of white fruit kissed with more citrussy lime pip amd lemon juice notes. Past the midpalate and beyond, I got yeast, bread and a hint of white chocolate. There was a quiet sense of power and authority underlying all this, all the way into a long, juicy, minerally finish. Gorgeous stuff that just went on and on in the mouth. What really stood out for me though was the breathless purity and definition of it all, with brilliant acidity, the finest mousse and a beautiful mineral line just glowing amidst an almost crystalline expression. Depth without weight, strength without effort; so focused, so precise - the wine was truly a study in purity and finesse. Still young, but this could well be a perfect champagne in the making. (96 pts.) -
1996 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon - France, Champagne
Good, but one of the less impressive bottle of 1996 DP I have had in recent times - this was very much overshadowed by its 1996 peer group on the night. The nose was bright, fresh and attractive, with sprigs of green herb spirnkled over some aromas cream and bread, and something that reminded me of toasted buckwheat. Attractive. The palate was still full of energy, with a strong, but very fine mousse and some lovely round acidity lending a juicy twang to a sweet
of fruit, apples and strawberries - all very round, ripe and friendly, with some brioche on the midpalate, and little sprinkle of spice and mineral at the finish. Attractive, and yummy, but somehow less noble than either of the Selosse or Salon 1996 wines in the same flight. (93 pts.)
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1996 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut - France, Champagne
Like the 1996 DP in the same flight, this was not firing on all cylinders tonight. Some way behid either the 1996 Selosse or the 1996 salon, and certainly not as tasty as the last couple of bottles I have had. It had a compelling nose though - very Krug, with deep aromas of rice amd bread, white meat and browned apples, with scents of white chocolate, caramel and toffee, and some oak in there as well. The palate in contrast seemed a lot less mature and generous. It was full and powerful for sure, with an almost liquered richness to its lemony base, perked up with notes of lime zest, and a seam of high acidity that ran through its length and into a creamy finish touched with notes of toast, brioche and a nice nuttiness. For all all its power, frehsness and fullness though, this still had a slight adolescent awkwardness compared to other 1996 wines. Impressive, with tons of potential, but still tight - this bottle at least needed quite a few more years of cellaring yet. (93 pts.)
6 x SELOSSE
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NV Jacques Selosse Substance - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Superb. We had three bottles of Sunstance, and three VOs on the night, each with different disgorgment dates, and hence different characters. I am just putting down my notes of my favourite bottle each (of the Substance and the VO). This had a good bit of bottle age on it, and was just lovely - besting the 1996 Selosse vintage for me. The nose was characteristically Selosse in its expressiveness, with sweet notes of apples and slightly oxidative pears, along with wafts of exotic wood spice, shisho leaf and liquered yellow fruit. A deep, rich, impressive bouquet. It was the shape of the wine that first hit me on the palate, full, rich and juicy, with tons of energy and power showing in its flavours of white fruit, dried lychees, and oxidative white meat and salty, sherryish hints, all this again seasoned with woody cardammon and other exotic spices. There was a lovely richness on the finish too, with notes caramel, toffee leading into a soft, round, but extremely long and powerful backpalate, just before more woody hints showed up in a surprising bittersweet kiss right at the end. Very nice indeed. Drinking nicely, with tons of character on it. Bravo. (95 pts.) -
NV Jacques Selosse V.O. Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Wow. This was the best bottle in a flight that comprised 3 bottles of Substance and 3 bottles of VO, all from different disgorgment dates. I am just putting down my notes of my favourite bottle each (of the Substance and the VO). It had such a lovely nose, with stone fruit and chalk aromas wed to oxidative shades of white meat, smoked herbs, and exotic wood spices, like cardammon and cloves. A very bright, attractive bouquet. The palate was at a very nice place, with a nicely rounded, but still very fresh expression of lemons and limes dancing over a deeper base of stone fruit flavous. There was a superb sense of intensity, and plenty of power here, but as with the best of the Selosse wines in the flight, it was the clarity and transperancy of the wine that stood out. This was just beautiful deep, round and matured, yet weightless and transparent. A wonderfully satsifying drink. (95 pts.)
1988 LAFON
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1988 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Beautiful. There was such a sweet fragrance about the nose on this wine, with shade of cream and butter drizzled over a core of sweet yellow fruit, melons and a kiss of butterscotch. An arresting bouquet. The palate was a study in purity and finesse, an effortlessly elegant mouthful of butter, cream and stone fruit, giving way into a deeper note that reminded me somehow of Chinese bird’s nest steamed with rock sugar. All this was wonderfully integrated, with a lovely beam of subtle but insistent acidity leading the wine into long, minerally finish. Perfectly whole, and wonderfully complete - this was a beautiful wine. (95 pts.) -
1988 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Very good, if rather less impressive than a superlative 1988 Lafon Perrieres that it was served alongside. This smelt rather sweeter and more developed right off the bat, with aromas of caramel, butterscotch, honey and spice, along with wafts of sticky yellow fruit, reminding me somewhat of candied pineapples. After a nose like that, the palate almost surprised, with its licks of lovely clean acidity and minerality that set the stage before the more obvious flavours of sweet cream, caramel and creme brulee came in, alongside a nice bit of stone fruit. The finish had a tiny hint of mineral and spice along its decent length. A friendly, easygoing wine, even if everything felt rather creamier and less defined than the Perrieres. Good though, and showing a strength that belied its age. (93 pts.)
SWEET ENDINGS
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NV Equipo Navazos Montilla-Moriles La Bota de Pedro Ximenez Nº 25 - Spain, Andalucía, Montilla-Moriles
A lovely (and very sweet) way to end the dinner. What a nose this had, with whiffs of smoke, herbs and bramble curling around a core of sticky date pudding and dired fig aromas - really intriguing. The palate was super sweet, rich and thick, but somehow still managed to come across with a lovely soaring balance to its molten flavours of dried raisins, treacle and molasses, all this infused with a lovely warm spiciness as the wine moved into a long, rich finish. (94 pts.)
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