Shot down to Tassie last night where Greg put on Monday Table on a Saturday night, just to confuse us all. The theme was Clos St.Denis. The food at Hobart’s Me Wah restaurant was splendid.
2002 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut: Supremely youthful. Fresh, flinty and direct. Green apple fruit, compact and linear. Super-fine, crisp finish and long.
2002 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut: Open for business. Rich, expressive and powerful. Plenty of toasty notes. Some red fruits, mineral and white peach. There’s a sweet, vinous heart and plenty of countering savoury attributes.
2010 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru: Quite exotic, with some pineapple and coconut ice notes. It is rich, layered and creamy with good build and a fresh, long finish.
2013 Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru: Sappy orchard fruits with spearmint cream. Full, rich and textural. Good presence and drive and in a very nice place.
2010 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet, Grand Cru: Complex, fine and engaging. Preserved lemon, white peach and green melon fruits. Good flesh and superb minerally acid line. The finish is fresh and super-long.
2013 Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot Chevalier-Montrachet, Grand Cru: Smells of rockmelon, mango and smoky mineral. It has a fruit-sweet heart, good shape and excellent length of flavour. It is ready to go.
2015 Domaine Bertagna Clos St. Denis, Grand Cru: Some oak is evident on the nose but it is commensurate with levels of rich, succulent fruit. It has notes of aniseed, sarsaparilla, freshly tiled earth and cherry. It is deep and layered and carries by sweet tannins.
2011 Domaine Castagnier Clos St. Denis, Grand Cru: Perhaps a little lean but a nice drink nonetheless. Crunchy red fruits. Chiselled, mineral and crisp.
2012 Benjamin Leroux Clos St. Denis, Grand Cru: corked.
2009 Georges Lignier et Fils Clos St. Denis, Grand Cru: A very fine ’09. Subtle earthiness mixing it up with delicious berry fruits. There’s some freshly grated ginger and fresh, minerally acidity. It possesses lovely balance and poise.
1999 Jadot Clos St. Denis, Grand Cru: corked.
2001 Domaine Dujac Clos St. Denis, Grand Cru: This is deep and earthy, with some floral spice. There’s a core of black cherry and a fair bit of animale funk. Good but I have had far better bottles of this ’01.
2016 Domaine Castagnier Clos St. Denis, Grand Cru: Gently oaky. Good depth of sweet berry and cherry fruits. Some earth. Relatively compact and tight.
2017 Domaine Lignier-Michelot Clos St. Denis, Grand Cru: A mid-weight, highly perfumed wine of good balance. There’s plenty of freshly tilled earth and bright cherry fruit. It has a very pleasant dried flower note and finishes with mineral cut.
2016 Domaine Dujac Clos St. Denis, Grand Cru: Deep, dark, rich and penetrating. Complex with earthy undertones. Great flesh and mouthfeel. Builds through the palate, really fanning out on the finish. Superb.
1997 René Renou Bonnezeaux Cuvée Anne: Interesting nose of cold tea, sweet peach and meaty, exotic fruits. It is plump on the palate, with honey development traits, some custard and a slightly wooly feel. There’s a gentle smokiness and acidity is relatively relaxed.