Last night Leo's blind tasting group met for our last dinner of the year - Jeremy Johnson opened a lineup of Burgundy and older Bordeaux at Ciano. Lots of great wine; couldn't pick a single favourite with the Canon, Cos, Pichon Baron and the Meo Camuzet all being stunningly good and among my evening's highlights. Food and service at Ciano were great as usual, and of course great to catch up again with the group.
Starter:
2000 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne
Comes across a little reticent and lower in acidity than some of the recent CdC vintages I've enjoyed so much. There's still lots of bright fruit, savoury yeasty and biscuity elements and a lot of depth, but it doesn't have the cut and energy or the aromatic complexity of recent years. Let's see what happens with some time in bottle.
Flight 1 - turned out to be a lineup of Meursault Perrières, with a Joly tossed in as a ringer.
2004 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières
Very young; rich white fruit tinged with creamy, smoky and oaky notes, though nicely balanced with a bright acid spine beneath. Enjoyable but not particularly interesting.
2002 Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières
Leaner, brighter and more minerally than the other Perrières in the flight. The fruit's incredibly fresh but more restrained and in the background compared to the other wines, and there's a sense of real purity and clarity to the flavours here with lots of depth and outstanding balance. Really impressive.
2000 Domaine Matrot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières
Thinner on the midpalate than the other Perrières, this comes across lighter and simpler though showing surprising waxy and floral topnotes that had me guessing this was a Northern Rhone white. Certainly interesting, but doesn't have anywhere near the balance or elegance of the other wines in the flight.
1996 Nicolas Joly Clos de la Coulée de Serrant
Really impressive, best wine I've had from Joly by some distance. Smoky, herbal and faintly nutty notes around a core of fresh white fruited flavours; depth and power conveyed with a sense of precision and lightness, finishing long and savoury.
Flight 2 - a horizontal of 1999 red Burgs
1999 Faiveley Corton-Clos des Cortons Faiveley
Hideously corked.
1999 Dominique Laurent Charmes-Chambertin
First impressions are of only fresh red fruits accented by stony mineral notes but with air it builds and unravels more layers, coming across deeper fruited, more floral and riper. Very pretty and elegant with a silken, polished texture and the oak nicely integrated.
1999 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Boudots
Riper red and dark fruited flavours, spicy and floral accents and a silken, incredibly polished mouthfeel with all the flavours and structure coming together seamlessly. Tremendous wine that has everything - purity, depth, power, elegance and serious length.
1999 Domaine Perrot-Minot Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes
Ripe black cherries and some earthy notes framed by oaky notes in the background; the oak's not particularly heavy or detracting as I've found in other Perrot-Minots, but there's nothing particularly interesting here.
Flight 3 - older Bordeaux, for me the flight of the evening
1990 Château La Conseillante
Enjoyable, but rather disappointing given the reputation/my past experience with '90 Conseillante - this comes across incredibly dense and dark fruited with chocolate and licorice accents around the core of blackcurrant and plummy flavours, conveying lots of power and richness but not showing the same depth or aromatic complexity I remember from my last experience with this.
1990 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron
Fantastic. A powerful scent of earthy and leathery funk that had me guessing this was an '80s Cordier, and a palate layering fresh red and dark fruits with developed cedar, tobacco and graphite notes into a seamless, finessed whole. Power conveyed with a sense of restraint and elegance, and fine grained, mostly-resolved tannins that make this very easy to drink.
1982 Château Canon
Mature dusty red fruits framed by leather, cedar, earth, tobacco and graphite notes - complex and compelling; medium weight and silken in the mouth; so well balanced and easy to drink. Fantastic wine that just kept getting better and better with air.
1982 Château Cos d'Estournel
The fruit's blacker and deeper in flavour here than in the other old Bordeaux; this comes across remarkably fresh and bright though framed with mature cedar, tobacco and graphite notes. Elegant, finessed and supple, though conveyed with a sense of power and richness. Great wine
Flight 4 - dessert wines
1988 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey
2001 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey
By this time my palate was tiring, and most of my focus was going towards the Pichon-Baron and Canon, which kept getting better with air. But both Sauternes were very good; the 01 obviously much richer and more primary, with lots of ripe apricots and tropical fruits drenched in honey and coconut, and the 88 coming across with a little more restrained and some maturing caramelized flavours.
Fantastic evening, thanks again Jeremy.