Ramon got together a great group for dinner at La Silhouette with a theme of older Northern Rhones. A really fun evening; great company and wines, and I was very impressed by the restaurant where the food was outstanding, there was ideal wine service and a great ambience that allowed us to really enjoy the company, conversation and wines. Menu highlights for me were the veal sweetbreads and the wild mushroom risotto, but it was an outstanding meal overall that went superbly with the wines.
Flight 1
NV Andre Beaufort Champagne Brut Rosé Grand Cru
Can't remember many Champagnes that have conveyed such a vivid red fruited character. High toned flavours of fresh raspberries and ripe citrus fuits without much in the way of yeasty/autolytic flavours; fresh and vibrant in the mouth and turning more savoury on the back end; really nice.
NV Bernard Bremont Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé Ambonnay
A nice contrast with the Beaufort; whereas that's rather red wine-like in its flavour profile and really emphasizes its fruit, this is much more yeasty with lots of brioche, doughy and toasty flavours framing fresh red and white fruited flavours. Beautifully balanced with good depth, finesse and length, will have to look out for this.
Flight 2
1983 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas
Really good. What a great scent; savoury and bloody with meaty, leathery and autumnal forestal notes around gentle mature black olives and red fruited elements. The tannins are fully resolved, and it's very well balanced with a sense of lightness and remarkable finesse in the mouth. One of the best bottles I've had from Clape.
1989 Robert Michel Cornas Cuvée des Coteaux
Rather boring and straightforward next to the Clape. Dark fruits, some leather and earth on a medium weight frame, but comes across rather tame without a lot of complexity or any of the savoury/gamey notes I expect from older Cornas.
Flight 3:
1990 Pierre Gonon St. Joseph Les Oliviers
Corked.
Flight 4:
1996 Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard
Even better than the bottle that I had last month. This has it all; layers of pure dark fruit, meatiness, florality, developing savoury and leathery elements, all combining seamlessly into a fragrant, polished whole that manages to convey both a sense of rusticity and remarkable finesse at the same time. Outstanding.
1993 Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot
Remarkably fresh for a 19 year old Cornas. Vibrant black cherry and red berried fruit seasoned with vivid floral and gentle leathery elements, really bright acidity that almost seems slightly spritzy at first but settles with time, delicious.
Flight 5:
1998 Marc Sorrel Hermitage Le Gréal
Remarkably Chave-like in its silken finesse, depth and balance. Layers of fresh red and dark fruits, leather, meat and smoky seasonings on an incredibly elegant, silken textured medium weight frame. The sense of textural polish is as compelling as the flavour here, and the balance is outstanding.
1985 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
Absolutely incredible perfume that's hard to really put into words. This is one of those wines that elicits wows just from the scent alone; a fragrance combining all sorts of savoury smoky, meaty, leathery and forestal elements with gentle red fruited flavours. The first few sips seem a little tired, but it picks up in intensity and freshness with some air and the last sips are stunning; complex and layered with amazing finesse and lightness of touch.
1989 M. Chapoutier Hermitage La Sizeranne
There's some red and dark fruit here and a bit of savoury funk but it comes across rather anonymous and dull, showing no sense of place and none of the finesse or depth of the Sorrel or Chave.
Flight 6:
1991 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie
Awesome. Wild and funky with all sorts of savoury meaty, smoky, lavender and spicy flavours around a core of red fruits that's still quite fresh and youthful. There's an amazing fragrance that builds with time, a sense of polish and finesse in the mouth and remarkable persistence.
1995 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie
The same flavours and finesse as the '91, but this come across a bit younger with the fruit having a little more intensity and richness right now, and the meaty flavours not quite as vivid. There's really bright acidity underneath that gives it real lift and vibrancy, and impressive length.
Flight 7:
2000 Éric Texier Côte-Rôtie Vieilles Vignes
Very pretty aromatics; incredibly fresh red fruits, olives and violets and a polished, medium weight frame that's lifted by really bright acidity. It's still very youthful now, and I'd love to see what this turns into with time.
1996 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie La Landonne
There should be an 'Oak to Glass Transfer' category for wines like this. Nothing here even remotely suggesting at Syrah, let alone Côte-Rôtie - whatever nuance may be there is slathered under a mass of wood.
1993 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie
An unplanned extra pull from Ramon. The aromatics show a surprising roasted character that neither the '91 or '95 had, but beyond that there's plenty of ripe red fruit and black olive tinged with savoury and meaty elements.
Dessert:
2001 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
Decanted an hour in advance and still was still showing some sulfury funk when poured and after plenty of swirling. Beneath the sulfur are layers of incredibly pure and fresh Mosel fruit, floral elements and slatey minerality; there's great balance here with a sense of real purity and clarity to the flavours, bright acidity balancing the moderate sweetness and impressive length.
Really fun night, thanks all for the great company and wines.
