With lean beef
1994 Château Pontet-Canet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (3/31/2015)
Some people much more experienced in claret than I claim that '94s are now well on the way down with hollow mid-palates and fruit dying quicker than the tannins. I found none of that here. Indeed this bottle was distinctly more gracious than last October's with less grittiness of minerals and spikiness of tannins. It had a very well integrated medium/full, quite deep and decently long palate with savoury fruit, minerals, bright acidity and tannins supporting the finish all singing in harmony. Very good indeed.
Pairing not recorded
2010 Château de Ciffre Saint-Chinian Terroirs d'Altitude - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Saint-Chinian (4/1/2015)
This is a powerful quite full bodied wine with a lot of backbone, red and dark somewhat candied fruit, liquorice and rather ointment-like perfumes. Those who like these elements better than I may rate it higher. Just about good.
Good Friday with succulently marbled fillet steak
1994 Château Léoville Poyferré - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (4/3/2015)
I have mixed impressions of this wine. First sniff and sip were excellent with round body, fine claret fragrance, hints of wet leather and wax adding complexity, still bright acidity and firm tannins on the finish. But, first, my wife piped up and said "I smell shit, isn't that brett?" and, then, the pairing, succulent marbled fillet steak, produced that unpleasant oily note which I have sometimes found before with beef and claret, but not with the leaner beef and Pontet-Canet a few days ago. Perhaps I shouldn't blame the wine for that but the magic was broken and was not recreated with the last sips after the beef was finished when the wine seemed harder than at first. If brett there was, it was at first for me only the faint background kind which adds to complexity but it may have developed in the open bottle. Nevertheless good but should have been better. I will chose lamb as a pairing for my second bottle.
Easter Saturday with wonderfully fresh dorade bought at the market
2002 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Le Mont - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (4/4/2015)
As excellent as last month’s bottle (TN posted). Perhaps more tender and with a more prominent mango component but just as good.
Easter dinner with some family. One of the nice things about France is excellent local produce
. We started the meal after zakouskis with lightly fried raw foie gras purchased from a local duck farmer just 5 km down the road to Lisieux. Then for main course we had agneau de pré salé (= lamb from salty meadows); this is a Norman product from near Mont St.Michel but none of the local butchers stock it (“too expensive”) but Google helped us to track down a stockist at Falaise about 30km away; it proved truly delicious, melting in the mouth with a delicate flavour.NV Bauget-Jouette Champagne Extra Brut - France, Champagne (4/5/2015)
A nice crisp yet gracious champagne with biscuity and creamy undertones, very good with starters.
1997 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru (4/5/2015)
In spite of the unfashionable, but IMO underrated, vintage, I was expecting a lot from this bottle and in most ways it delivered. There were rich complex aromas which mingled quite sweet PN fruitiness with savoury and mineral elements with the ivy hints which I recall from my first revelation of Chambertin; quite full body for Burg, roundness depth, smooth acidity and length with a lovely suave velvety texture. However its expressiveness was somewhat muted in a way which the following wine, a V-R Suchots, showed up. Maybe I should have decanted or perhaps a little more time would been beneficial. Very good but I was expecting excellent.
1995 Dominique Laurent Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru (4/5/2015)
Coming after Clos de Bèze, I feared this would be the beggar following the gentleman, but that was by no means the case. Indeed this bottle was singing with fuller throat than the Bèze. There were lovely bright aromas with floral, mineral and spice elements which were very slightly marred by a diminishing metallic streak. Body was medium + and more linear and, dare I say it, more elegant than the Bèze with a silky texture, moreish acidity and great expressiveness of fruit and aroma together with more spiciness and some autumnal secondary flavours peeping through. Very good.
1993 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (4/5/2015)
This is the sort of airy, elegant and hardly sweet seeming Spätlese which regrettably is a dying, if not dead, species. Light/medium bodied but beautifully harmonious with lime tinged white fruit, spice, petrol sprinkled minerals, mouth-watering acidity and slight RS all in perfect balance and aromas lingering long in the throat. Excellent.
Easter Monday with Easter dinner left-overs
1997 Domaine Tempier Bandol Cuvée Spéciale La Migoua - France, Provence, Bandol (4/6/2015)
Most of the components were there for a thoroughly enjoyable Bandol; medium+ body, rose note, balsamic, herbal, tar and anise touches together with some fresh acidity but somehow the whole lacked inspiration. Maybe like some people, this bottle, while remaining in good health, was tiring and becoming dull with age. Still good but I want more from Migoua
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Posted from CellarTracker
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. Mostly likely it ill cost me that €900 gas barbecue which she was eyeing yesterday 
. Out of my Easter week wines, only the champagne and the Saint-Chinian were recent purchases and I usually manage to slip the odd bottle into the weekly shopping basket without comment 
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