Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon 1990 – Alc.12.5% - was deliciously delicate with fine bubbles, silky feel and gently complex flavours including minerals and a dab of honey; living up to its reputation; 17.5/20++.
Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese – 31 – 1997 – Joh.Jos. Prüm – Alc. 7.5% - was superb with foie gras showing complex flavours of white flowers and fruit together with minerals including a dab of petrol on a gently round body with noticeable sweetness balanced by a point of delicious acidity; 17.5/20.
Last Summer I enthused about a bottle of Côte Rôtie 1996 – Robert et Patrick Jasmin – Alc. 12.5% - but this one went down much less well. 1996 was an acidic vintage and perhaps the contrast with the preceding Prüm was too great and/or the stuffed capon was too sweet in flavour; the nose was complex and quite rich with a lot of sour cherry but the palate did not live up to this promise with its acidity dominating the subtleties which I noted last time and its body was too light for some of the company; still a elegant CR, though, but struggling to 16/20 (17.5/20 last time).
Côte Rôtie 1996 – Jamet – Alc. 12.5% had a similarly complex nose and the palate lived up to the nose much better with more body and stuffing whilst retaining elegance; but I felt this wine also somewhat too acidic for the capon; I think that I would like this much better with a more gamey dish; 16.5/20.
Taylor 1970 Vintage Port (bottled 1972 by the Wine Society Stevenage) was a good foil was Stilton and a dark chocolate “buche” showing some gutsy sweet fruit with a strongly peppery streak and noticeable tannins; I think not at ideal maturity but I am insufficiently port experienced to judge whether it still too young or alternatively drying out; 16/20+ but I expected more.
Boxing Day with some remains
Châteaux Chasse-Spleen Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel Moulis-en-Médoc - 1970. It took me a few moments to adjust to the understated style of a mature old fashioned claret and most of the company never did. Colour was still quite youthful and the nose was elegant and complex still with remains of primary fruit (some black currant), minerals, pencil shavings and the typically invigoratingly green claret edge. Body was medium at most but, in spite of hearing the word “thin”, I found an ethereal substance, great subtlety and good length; 17/20.
I recall finding a bottle of Château Gruaud Larose 2ème Grand Cru Saint-Julien 1999 a couple of years ago to be a model of elegant and forward claret from a middling vintage. This bottle was quite different; darker, fuller and less subtle than I remembered but also laced with a bitter barnyard note which was more than my idea of claret can accommodate (OK perhaps on Cornas or CndP); was this phase of evolution, bottle variation or a bit of both? More popular with most of the company than the Chasse-Spleen but not with me; 14/20.
Porto Niepoort Colheita 1985 (aged in the wood and bottled in 2000) – Alc. 20% - was ethereally delicious with typically pale colour, light/medium body, gently nutty sweetness with harmony, elegance and enough grip to stand up to the Stilton and the remains of chocolate “buche”; I hope that I don’t get into too much trouble with Port experts for preferring this to the Taylor’s; 17/20++.
Yesterday with curried remains of capon and stuffing
Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau 1998 – Domaine Gourt de Mautens, Jérôme Bressy – Alc. 14.5% - no longer lives up to the hype which greeted it upon its release (if it ever did) but was a nice gutsy CDRV with still impressive structure, rich texture and some attractive darkening fruit; 16/20++.
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