1st Growth Bordeaux/Grand Cru Burgundy Dinner at Marque

[Baby Chickpea]

Dinner at one of SydneyÂ’s finest, Marque Restaurant in Surry Hills on 7-Jan-05. 13 attendees (Neville, DLo, Oli, DavidJ, Mr & Mrs Hawk, Mark D & Jennifer, Tekky, Paul V, Mark AS, Cam W, myself). A fantastic night of great food, wonderful wine and good company. Thanks to all. Tasting impressions are very, very brief, and got more succinct and basic as the night wore on. Others took more detailed TNs and are sure to post their recollections. Degustation menu matched to wines:

(1) Chaud-Froid Free Range Egg
(2) Almond Jelly with Crab, Almond Gazpacho, Prune Oil, Herring Roe & Sweet Corn Custard
(3) ‘Risotto’ (without rice!) of Local Calamari and Harbour Prawns, Cauliflower Puree
(4) Potato Mille-Feuille with Smoked Mackerel Bonito & Olive ‘Truffles’, Hazelnut Emulsion
(5) Boudin Noir with New Garlic, Sea urchin, Fresh Snails & Young Shallots
(6) Roast Wood Pigeon and Rare Chicken Breast with Parsnip & Chocolate Tart, Salad Burnette
(7) Roast Venison with Carrot Confit, Sweet & Sour Turnips & Bitter Chocolate Sauce, Potato Mash
(8) Mixed Cheese Platter
(9) Sauternes Custard with Caramel
(10) Roast Tomato with 12 Different Flavours and Star Anise Ice-cream

1988 Moet et Chandon Cuvée Dom Perignon Oenotheque Champagne
Mid yellow. Exceptional mousse. Slightly sulphurous nose that dissipated with time. Fresh and vanilla marshmallows. Quite fine and elegant. Still primary with an abundance of grapefruit and crisp tartness. Palate is still very primary and fresh, hinting of diced lemons. Gorgeous length and superb structure. Lovely wine.
93/100

1979 Krug Vintage Champagne
Deeper gold. Orange marmalade, butterscotch and sweet honey predominate on oxidative nose. Almost dessert-like! Palate is very long and complex with real intensity and power but dry. Exceptional wine that makes the 88 Dom seem simple. Not as palate concentrated as the one had in Canberra about 2 months ago but this is glorious wine that even after an hour just came gelled so harmoniously.
94/100

1999 Domaine Jean Dauvissat Chablis Cuvée Saint-Pierre
Light yellow. Nose is crisp with lemony/grapefruit nuances. Tad simple. Palate is short and not much holding it together. Quite one-dimensional and finishes very dilute.
85/100

1999 Domaine Fontaine-Chandon de Brialles Corton Charlemagne
Slightly darker yellow than Chablis. Bouquet more minerally with a hint of tropical fruits. Quite fine and excellent. Palate very good but lacks “wow” factor. Youthful and pedestrian concentration. Should be better.
89/100

1998 Chateau Génot-Boulanger Corton-Charlemagne
14%. Much more developed colour. Nose is mediocre. Palate broad and acidic. Length good and no real grip to the wine. Lacking texture.
87/100

1997 Domaine Marc Jomain Batard-Montrachet
Light to mid yellow. Minerals, iodine, brine, smoky, sulphurous. Weird! Palate very good but lacking concentration and highly acidic.
88/100

1997 Domaine Fourrier Griotte-Chambertin
14%. Mid red – excellent colour. Nose of red fruits and plums with spice and herbs. Palate dry and acidic, restrained and closed. Not sure of future development potential given low key fruit?
87/100

1997 Domaine Pierre Damoy Chapelle-Chambertin
13.5%. Mid red. Better nose that previous Griotte: funkier, dirtier, hint of merde. Palate has better grip, length and structure. Some obtrusive tannins but still good balance. Best wine of red burgs.
90/100

1997 Domaine Robert Arnoux Echezeaux
13.5%. Mid red. Nose simple and one-dimensional. No much happening here and many poured it into the spittoons. Palate dry and astringent. Not user friendly. Disappointing.
87/100

1998 Domaine Geantet-Pansiot Charmes-Chambertin
13%. Bouquet simple red berries albeit tight and unyielding. Palate has too much A/V heat on nose that is distracting. Reasonable structure; moderate length. Nothing special here.
86/100

1996 Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy Mazis-Chambertin
Green and stalky nose with hints of vegemite and yeast. Palate lacks oomph and has short length. Not impressed at all. Good but for Grand Cru (and price asked) should be much much better.
87/100

1966 Château Haut-Brion (Pessac)
Cork extracted in one piece! Exceptional colour (minimal bricking). Bouquet was slightly green on opening with mushrooms and asparagus. After 20 minutes, blossomed into sweeter dark fruits with cedar, smoke, earth, forest and finally liquorice. Palate got stronger and stronger within one hour – excellent balance, soft and elegant with excellent length. What it lacks in complexity on the palate it makes up in vigorousness and harmony. No signs of falling over and a classic example, of aged, 40-year-old Bordeaux. Great bottle. Bravo!
94/100

1978 Château Margaux
Mid red. Excellent colour. Much riper and perfumed nose vs. Haut-Brion with sweet florals and blackcurrants. Classic Margaux. Palate however, whilst excellent and finely integrated, falls a bit short compared to the aforesaid Haut-Brion. Fell apart after 30 minutes. No point holding any longer – drink up!
91/100

1985 Château Mouton-Rothschild (Pauillac)
Mid red. Quite ‘barnyardy’ and bretty on opening. Nose redolent of vegemite. Palate is slightly disappointing for what was one of my favourite lush and exotic 1985s. Very good but has seen better days (and I have drunk much better bottles over past 3 years). Lacking cogency and stature.
89/100

1983 Château Lafite Rothschild (Pauillac)
Bouquet of black olives, oregano, herbs. Tightly coiled and dense which closed up further with time. Palate is balanced and elegant and drinking well. WonÂ’t get better, but wasnÂ’t great to start with. I liked this but it is directionless. Drink up.
90/100

1982 Château Certan de May (Pomerol)
Deep mid red. Beautiful lush blackberry, plummy and liquorice fruit that is exotic and aromatic. Drinking superbly now, the palate is balanced and medium bodied, avoiding the astringency of the following Ducru from the same year. Lovely wine and not as tannic and youthful as my last bottle one year ago in Adelaide at Grange Restaurant with the stunning 82 Trotanoy.
93/100

1982 Château Ducru Beaucaillou (St.-Julien)
Much tighter and darker black fruits on nose and palate. Touch of green and stalkiness too. Palate more classical than Certan. Appears to need more time (tannins poking out a bit) and remains quite youthful. Excellent wine with superb structure.
92/100

1982 Château Leoville Las Cases (St.-Julien)
Still deeply red inked. Incredibly tight and restrained. Needs 10+ years still. Amazing for 24-year-old wine. Black fruits simmering under the structural framework, waiting to explode and burst from the seams. There is a lot happening here on nose and palate but all hemmed in. This wine has fantastic potential, and heralds much promise in due course. An apparition of what it will turn out to be.
94+/100

1990 Château Leoville-Barton (St.-Julien)
Very ripe and green nose that is quite open. Palate too is forward and ready to go. Lovely integrated tannins. Surprised how approachable this is, especially against the three 1982 BordeauxÂ’s above. Very good length and overall excellent wine.
90/100

1986 Château Climens (Sauternes)
Lovely rich, intoxicating nose of sugar peaches, tropical fruit salad, honey and orange peel. Likewise, palate is excellent although a slight “spirit-y” aspect detracts. Excellent nonetheless, with length, structure, balance and richness to make it very worthwhile. No hurry to drink up either.
91/100

1996 Château Climens (Sauternes)
Dirtier nose than 1986 Climens. Hints of botrytis but grossed out by feral nuances. Palate still youthful and tight but contains some bitter characters. Good future but will never be first rank IMO.
87/100

1990 Rieussec (Sauternes)
Potent acid to balance the sweet botrytis marmalade fruit. Not at all cloying. Really excellent wine that I really liked with long length an finely honed. Years to go.
92/100

Seppelt Rare Muscat GR113 (Rutherglen)
17.5%. The odd man out. Coffee and hazelnut aromas abound with a touch of A/V heat. Long, long length. Nutty and slightly maderised (in a positive way).
93/100

[Attila]

Excellent report and what decadence.
This is what I'd call a great start for the new year.
Cheers,
Attila

[Baby Chickpea]

Thx Attila - you would've loved the 66 Haut-Brion!

[Rob]

What a great night. I am sure Mark and Nick looked after you well.
Thanks for the note.

[prester john]

Thanks for the notes, Danny. Comme d'habitude, a good job when one considers all that drinking that you have to do.

Just a brief comment on the 1966 Haut Brion. I have always been of the opinion that Chateau Haut Brion is probably the most under-rated of the First Growths. I'm not suggesting that it is a second-rate chateau; in fact, quite the contrary. But I have found that the pundits unjustifiedly seem to push it into the background when comparing it to, say, Margaux or Lafite Rothschild. I think you've hit the nail on the head in describing the Haut Brion in terms of its power. I have found the same in the past, although I've never had the 1966. You have my envy.

Best,

PJ.

[camw]

Sorry for dragging this thread back up from the depths for some not very exciting notes, but I wanted to add them for completeness and my own records sake. For some reason, at the end of the event I felt extremely disappointed, but looking back there were some very good wines. I think maybe my mood was just soured by some of the Burgundy.

1988 Moet et Chandon Cuvée Dom Perignon Oenotheque Champagne (disgorged 2002)
Very fine bead. Nose and palate show exceptional freshness and vitality. Nose shows some cut grass like aromas as well as strawberry, mushroom and citrus. Lacks some of the aged complexity of the Krug, but makes up for it with its supreme elegance and length.
95/100

1979 Krug Vintage Champagne
Nose is oxidative, toasty with marmalade notes but still shows signs of freshness with some apricot and lime. I liked the palate better than the nose with some brilliant intensity and concentration.
94/100

1999 Domaine Jean Dauvissat Chablis Cuvée Saint-Pierre 1er Cru
Showing predominantly sulphurous, reductive aromas on the nose. Palate is tight and finishes short and watery.
85/100

1999 Domaine Fontaine-Chandon de Briailles Corton Charlemagne
This was the best of the white wines in my opinion. Showing aromas of grapefruit, honey and some spicy oak on the nose. The palate is lean and tight but with much better balance and length than the Chablis. This wine shows excellent potential.
91/100

1998 Chateau Génot-Boulanger Corton-Charlemagne
Nose is fairly full on - butter, oak, smoke and cheese. I found the palate to be alcoholic and acidic. I felt it had poor structure and is a wine that is going nowhere fast.
83/100

1997 Domaine Marc Jomain Batard-Montrachet
Struck match/sulphur and dirty cheesy aromas dominating. Palate was acidic, bitter and short.
79/100

1997 Domaine Fourrier Griotte-Chambertin
Nose is quite nice, herbs and stalks, spice and cherry. Palate doesn't live up to the interesting nose, being tannic, acidic, short and simple.
85/100

1997 Domaine Pierre Damoy Chapelle-Chambertin
This was the best of the red Burgundy for my tastes, but it was polarising. Nose of lavender, stems, and cherry and yes call the brett police if you must on the funky barnyard aromas but I thought they were restrained, not dominating and added some complexity. Palate is youthful but shows good structure and potential.
90/100

1997 Domaine Robert Arnoux Echezeaux
Exhibits aromas of earth, stalks and mushrooms but with oak coming in over the top. There is some texture to the palate but it is rather simple otherwise.
87/100

1998 Domaine Geantet-Pansiot Charmes-Chambertin
Opens with alcoholic heat on the nose making it difficult to smell some present nutty and cherry aromas. Palate is better but there was nothing of great significance to redeem the poor nose.
86/100

1996 Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy Mazis-Chambertin
The nose is comprised of stalks, meat, yeast and freshly burnt rubber on tarmac. Palate is sharp and has spiky acid. Please may we start the Bordeaux section now?
78/100

1966 Château Haut-Brion (Pessac)
This was an amazing colour, with only the slightest hints of brown around the edges. Complex nose of pencil shavings, blueberry, soap, liquorice, smoke, mushrooms and earth. The palate is all class, you can still just feel the tannins propping up the structure of the wine but they are integrated almost perfectly and the mouth-feel is silky smooth. It was wonderful, stunning and superb; roll out all the superlatives for this one.
97/100

1978 Château Margaux
Some floral nuances and perfume on the nose as well as violets, herbs, clay and brine. Palate isn't as good as the nose, medium-bodied with some elegance but the Haut-Brion was a hard act to follow. Seemed to be falling apart structurally after only a short time in the glass.
91/100

1985 Château Mouton-Rothschild (Pauillac)
A complex, but not exactly pleasant medicinal, herbal, iodine, smoked meat, cedar and savoury nose. The palate was smooth but didn't really have the intensity or complexity to save the day for this wine. Other members of the table reported that they have had better bottles in the past.
88/100

1983 Château Lafite Rothschild (Pauillac)
A tight, closed nose of assorted herbs, graphite, cedar a bit of meat and a whiff of hospital hallway. Palate is elegant and is not unbalanced in any way but is also lacking in interest and intensity.
90/100

1982 Château Certan de May (Pomerol)
Shows a lovely lush nose of plums, liquorice, raspberry and blackcurrant. The palate is also good, fleshy round mouth-feel, with balanced components and great length. This bottle was drinking very nicely now.
93/100

1982 Château Ducru Beaucaillou (St.-Julien)
Has a very tight nose of earth, cedar, blackberry and plums. Palate exhibits some stalk and I felt as though the fruit was thinning out a bit as it was left to sit in the glass for half an hour or so. Good structure, but will the fruit remain long enough for everything to come together?
91/100

1982 Château Leoville Las Cases (St.-Julien)
Opens up with a youthful, powerful but tight nose, with cassis, blackberry, some minerality, tobacco, smoke, cedar and graphite. Palate is tight, yet concentrated and powerful - superb structure, lots of tannins and a very long finish. Just a glimpse at its potential tonight, it will continue to improve over the next decade or longer and hold its peak for some time thereafter.
96/100

1990 Château Leoville-Barton (St.-Julien)
Showing an intense, surprisingly open/forward nose of tobacco, earth and flint. The palate delivers a rush of flavour across the length of the wine. I thought it had the structure to age further, but I quite liked drinking it at this stage of its life.
92/100

1986 Château Climens (Sauternes)
The nose is comprised of apricots, honey and ripe citrus. Palate has an intense sweetness to it, but it is reined into line by good acid structure. As others mentioned, the finish was a letdown with a bit of a harsh, bitter character.
90/100

1996 Château Climens (Sauternes)
Exhibits some dirty, feral aromas on the nose as well as hazelnut and orange peel. Has a very young, tight palate revealing little at the moment. If it shakes off the funk, it may develop nicely.
87/100

1990 Château Rieussec (Sauternes)
This wine has rich aromas of oranges and other citrus fruit and honey. A very rich, sweet, viscous, long palate. Perhaps it is just a touch broad/unfocused to be great.
92/100

Seppelt Rare Muscat GR113 (Rutherglen)
This was very good - intense, complex, layered nose of caramel, raisins, nuts, rancio and mocha coffee. The palate is vibrant and has excellent balance. The length is superb.
95/100