Last night Chris (and the lovely Natalie) laid on a spot of nosh and some splendid wines for no other reason than when he is not being grumpy and putting the world right he is an exceedingly generous old sod and it was high time we had a fabulous night of fabulousness. Roast Beef was served, then a delicious dessert that was rather lost in the glory and majesty of the Muller Catoir, and a cheeseboard that just couldn’t be left alone – hacked at endlessly…whiffy wonderfulness wafted wound the woom…
So this was a night for a bit of serious wine contemplation – certainly not everyday wines…the company was wonderful, the food superb, the wines (all tasted blind) unspeakably awesome … so I thought a little blog to retain the memories might be an idea…
Here’s what we enjoyed…
Au Bon Climat Nuits Blanches au Bouges Chardonnay 2010
This was a sure thing – top end Puligny Montrachet, perhaps a little something even from the fabled hill itself. Extraordinary power and precision, but the lightest paint strokes of delicate flavour – nutty lemon-apple on a textural bed of dense, throbbing minerality and acidity, buzzing and dancing on the tongue like a faerie ballet before Bacchus himself! Alive with twitching morning sunlight, but full of promise for a glorious afternoon to come. Flabbergasted to discover this was Californian, butit is arguably the most thrilling wine producing area on Earth at the moment. A phenomenal curtain raiser.
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23 2005
The super-premium label from Stag’s Leap, Warren Winiarski’s legendary Napa winery. The 1973 SLV (now nominally below this in terms of quality) won the Judgement of Paris in 1976, an achievement so momentous that a bottle now resides in The Smithsonian. Decanted five hours previous to serving, this is essence of Cabernet Sauvignon. The very slight bretty, meaty funkiness I had picked up when tasting this a year ago has now gone – a creamy cassis nose leads to a profoundly deep, dry palate with surging blackcurrant and pencil-lead aromas and searing minerality. The oak is exquisitely integrated with the fruit, even at this young stage; the whole wine is seamless and glorious, a touch of feminine perfume giving it an almost Margaux like sensuousness.
Muller Catoir Herzog Rieslaner Trockenbeerenauslese 2007
This absolutely threw me – an outrageously exotic nose of Turkish tea, ginger, Christmas spices, orange marmalade and Turkish Delight – the latter made me suspect this was a great SGN Gewurztraminer from Alsace…wrong. The aromatics almost smelt Art Nouveau – a belle époque, fin de siècle, gin palace aroma – Golden Brown by The Stranglers become liquid. Incredibly alluring, almost supernaturally sweet but with astonishing acidity playing the wine like a puppetmaster…such deftness, butterfly delicacy and lift on the finish…all of the sweetness washing away to leave pure, haunting, magical aromas echoing in my mouth. Spellbindingly brilliant.
Quinta do Noval Vintage Port 1994
An absolute giant of a vintage port – at first the nose seems aggressively alcoholic and spirity (it turns out to be 20.5%abv) but this soon turns out to be a positive, winding and weaving its way through layer after layer of incredible aromas of dusty Bourneville chocolate, dates and blackcurrant pie. Keeps evolving – spectacular with Roquefort, rather demolishing my objections to blue cheese with port – the creaminess sliced away and vanilla soaring with each bite and sip: incredible!
Noval is one of the very greatest names in Port – their almost mythical Nacional cuvee is almost impossible to source, but this noble and wonderful “lesser” Port was magnificent.
Berry’s Own Selection Bowmore 1999 (56.4% abv)
A seriously good dram. Drawn from a single cask at Bowmore,this is a whisky that lifts its kilt, waggles its bits, and charges at your senses with a saltire-painted face, a cry of FREEDOM!! and a Mendelssohnian crash of orchestral waves across ancient freezing rocks…classic Bowmore iodine and hospital corridor aromas, surging citrus salinity, huge warmth and mind-expanding length breadth and depth – so many dimensions Stephen Hawking would have trouble pinning this baby down. This was bottled at a little over ten years old – not that long at first glance, but they must have tasted it and thought it pointless to age it any longer – perfection!
And so to the taxi and to bed – amazing drinks shared with amazing company…a tipsy head…boozy heaven.
Until next time…!
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