Some phenomenal generosity from Gordon tonight as a celebration of the Rotters’ 30 years. We toasted Bruce – in the health wars just now – with the Dom & proceeded to a collection of awesome clarets. A couple were decanted immediately before dinner, the rest a few hours previously. All wines were still filled into the neck; a tribute to correct storage. Like all wine dinners, you tend to start with what you think will be the lighter of the night’s wines. It’s not often such a technique leads you to drink Ch Latour up front, but there you go…
- [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7174377]2004 Dom Perignon Champagne Metamorphosis Iris Van Herpen Label[/url] - France, Champagne
{cork, 12.5%} [Gordon] I understand this to be the same bottled wine as the ‘regular’ labelled DP. It has a gorgeous brioche & yeast nose, with a gentle smoky touch. The palate is crisp and generous, with incredibly fine but persistent bubbles. It has a distinctly textural feel – almost gently tannic – to it, with a long dry finish. Specific flavours are hard to pinpoint; classic lees/champagne complexity but so polished and fine. Quite wonderful. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7174378]1988 Château Latour Grand Vin[/url] - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
{cork, 12.5%} [Gordon] Attractive, developed nose of cedar, cigars, sandalwood and classic aged cabernet currants. There a faint suggestion of herbs but no green here at all, and the nose is intense and fragrant. The palate is about medium-bodied, integrated and seductive. It’s generously claret-flavoured, not austere, impeccably balanced, with even presence along the tongue and a lingering gentle finish. Soft dusty tannins and medium acid still give it great structure. Seriously impressive wine. Decanted about half an hour before service. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7174379]1989 Château Lafite Rothschild[/url] - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
{cork, 12.5%} [Gordon] After the Latour, this was at once for confected-smelling, with additional notes of earth, malt and meat. It also had finely-gritty medium tannins still obviously present, which tended to dominate the finish a bit. Medium-bodied, it seemed in some ways a bit rustic (although this is in the context of top-shelf claret!) but not unattractively so. Has just a little bit of mongrel about it, but shows no sign of falling over. Long finish, although it’s weaker on the back-palate than the front. Double-decanted a few hours earlier. Seemed in better shape than the last bottle in 2015 (same provenance obviously!). Will hold on this showing. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7174381]1989 Château Haut-Brion[/url] - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
{cork, 13%} [Gordon] The only wine of the night giving cause for concern on opening, with a near-saturated cork and dubious nose; this was at the double-decant some hours in the late afternoon. By the time we got to it ~7.30pm, the aromas were restrained but pure; graphite, cedar and cassis. The palate is mirror-smooth, medium-bodied, with gentle fine dusty tannin, tasting of graphite and tobacco and leaves and perfectly-judged ripeness. It’s medium-weight, with a longish finish. Objectively, it’s outstanding, but there is a slightly brittle, bony feel to it, a thinning of the texture which drops it a notch below the previous transcendent bottles, especially the one in 2015. Impressive as this was, I think it a touch sub-par by its own exalted standards. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7174382]1989 Château Léoville Las Cases[/url] - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
{cork, 13.5%} [Gordon] Aging currants, leather, cedar; wonderful nose. Perfect structure on the palate; mature blend of red/black cabernet fruit with classic cedar/oak twist; maturing but fresh and alive. About medium/full-bodied, maybe the impression is heightened by the impeccable balance along the even palate, and the long finish. Acid is unobtrusive, medium dusty tannins provide a structural frame. The archetypal great Bordeaux red; this wasn’t outclassed by anything else on the table tonight (ie. the four first growths). It really doesn’t get any better than this. Double-decanted a few hours prior. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7174384]1986 Penfolds Grange[/url] - Australia, South Australia
{cork, 13.7%} [Gordon] The cat amongst the pigeons tonight, although since it was Max Schubert’s original ambition to make a ‘claret equivalent’ in concept I guess its inclusion is justified. Served alongside the Mouton, these two biggest wines of the night made a fascinating contrast. In a line-up of great clarets this sticks out like the proverbial; the meat, tar, dill and coconut somewhat jarring amongst the cedary subtlety of the Bordeaux. And although this was more obviously about fruit and flavour – plums & roses & tar – it had a balanced full-bodied richness and depth, with medium/high powdery tannins, fine acid and a long, even, powerful finish. Stands on a different peak to the Bordeaux, but at a similar altitude. Like Dvorak compared to the Mouton’s Brahms! Double-decanted a few hours earlier. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7174385]1986 Château Mouton Rothschild[/url] - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
{cork, 12.5%} [Gordon] Drinking this alongside the Grange tends to just highlight the differences between the wines and runs the risk of distracting from their greatness. The nose is has moved a little from overt youth, but it’s a long way from an aged wine. Instead, it’s essence of currants, or cabernet (despite being 20% merlot & franc). Cedar, malt, and rich black fruit coat the tongue. It’s full-bodied, with plenty of fine chalky tannin on offer, with richness of texture, depth, and concentration. A magisterial wine, with a long even finish. Might just be one of the longest-lived dry wines of all time. Double-decanted a few hours earlier. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7174386]1986 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou[/url] - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
{cork, 12.5%} [Gordon] The 86 Mouton is a tough act to follow, but this wasn’t disgraced. It’s evidently aged, with compost and leather aromas, maybe a touch musty after the Paulliac powerhouse. The palate is lovely though; currants, olives, a touch of mixed herbs and a leafy ripeness. Medium-bodied, and still has some medium weight tannins. Feels a bit looser than the top-shelf wines tonight but that’s just context; this would be a star any other time. Medium length finish; at peak drinking but seems likely to hold a while. Decanted just before dinner. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7174387]1986 Château Gruaud Larose[/url] - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
{cork, 12.5%} [Gordon] Bit of a favourite now, this old bruiser. Lots of plummy, chocolately, flavours and aromas. Graphite too. Hefty on the palate; a bit less refined than the other reds. Some compost/farmyard character, a bit of earth, touch of mushroom, but in a good way. Medium-full body, the gently gritty tannins are soft now. Still wonderfully drinkable. Double-decanted a few hours earlier. - [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=7174390]1977 Dow Porto Vintage[/url] - Portugal, Douro, Porto
{cork} [Gordon] Decanted just before dinner. Aged nose; camphor, leather, furniture polish, nuts. A really chewy, savoury port, heady, with a mirror-smooth palate. Medium weight? Didn’t seem especially sweet to me. Is there some oxidation here? A hard one to call for me without much experience here.
Graeme
