TNs: Krug 162, 2014 Drouhin Clos St Denis ++

BIRTHDAY LUNCH AT LES AMIS - Les Amis, Shaw House (23/4/2021)

  • NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 162eme - France, Champagne
    At Les Amis - this was very pleasing, and drinking fairly nicely as well. The nose was quite classic Krug, with notes of buttery brioche floating around ripe notes of red apples, salty preserved limes, and just a light twist of earthy mineral and spice. A very pleasing nose. The palate was very nice too - full and creamy, with a nice touch of bright acidity enlivening gently powerful flavours of white fruit, maybe a hint of hazelnuts, all touched with a of mineral and spice stretching off into an effortlessly long finish. Like most Grande Cuvée bottles, this will get better with a bit more time, but it is drinking deliciously even now. Lovely with a lobster dish. (93 pts.)
  • 2016 Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon Viré-Clessé - France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Viré-Clessé
    Again very pleasing - an unusually elegant Macon. The nose was very pretty, with notes of white peach, honeyed pears and a nice garland of floral aromas, all crowned with just a bit of chalky mineral. There was a whiff of sulphur about it at first, but this blew off in time. I really liked this on the palate - fresh, juicy, with lemony acidity running through snappy flavours of red apples shading into stone fruit territory. Very nicely balanced, with just a touch to Macon’s sunny, fleshy character coming through. Decent finish too, with just a little kiss of spice coming in the end. A very accomplished little Vire-Clesse, drinking nicely right now. (92 pts.)
  • 2018 Domaine Jean Chartron Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Murgers des Dents de Chien - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru
    One of a pair of pleasing Burgundy whites, this was a very food friendly St Aubin. The nose was a little ripe, given the vintage, with notes of orange blossom honey and tropical melon notes flecked with the commune’s typically flinty minerality. The palate was again marked with some of the sunny ripeness of 2018 again, with fleshy pineapple and melon notes, but these were nicely tucked in with a good bit of St Aubin’s mineral and lemony acidity, which pulled the wine into a nice balanced. A bit too much youthful exuberance when sipped by itself at the moment, with puppy fat aplenty - with the seafood we had though, this just came together, tightened up and showed a nice bit of mineral character. A nice wine, with good weight, balance, and drinkability. (92 pts.)
  • 2014 Joseph Drouhin Clos St. Denis - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos St. Denis Grand Cru
    Lovely stuff. A tad young, but really lovely even now. The nose was really perfumed, almost Chambolle-like, with a lovely blush of rose petals littered over a core of red cherries and slightly darker blueberry notes, these trailing away into a linger of mineral and bramble aromas. There was a hint of oak, but not quite enough to distract. Very nice indeed. The palate was really pretty too, with silky tannins and really lively acidity framing crystal clear flavours of red cherries, again shading in blueberry tones, and then a little trail of spice leading into a lightly mineral finish, again just lightly kissed with a bit of oak. A touch light on its feet for a Grand Cru, and maybe a tad short, but this was a beautifully pure, transparent wine. Elegance in a glass I thought. Drinking nicely after a couple of hours in the decanter now, but it should get better over the next 5 years and beyond. Really enjoyable. 93+ (93 pts.)

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