Len had organised a private room at Tetsuyas in Sydney. I know some people say they have become a bit stale/stagnate over the years - I reckon without a doubt they are still world class. The dining space takes you a world away from the maddening of the Sydney CBD you can almost see people breathe a sigh of relief as they arrived as if a big weight is taken off their shoulders and they can just relax and forget about the outside world for a while. The Service staff are cool, professional yet affable and almost English Butler-like in their ability to anticipate what you desire without actually asking for it. I think I heard someone say ‘very switched on’ which sums it up nicely.
The food has always been all about the ingredients rather than out-there combinations and presentations. Yet it has to be said the bringing together of disparate ingredients into one dish, creating a whole is done with masterful skill. Every ingredient has a role to play, and they all come together like a symphony – dish after dish, after dish. Cooked to perfection, sauces matching perfectly, not detracting or overwhelming only complementing. There were so many standout dishes the Octopus, The Toothfish, the famous Ocean Trout, the Duck all great in their own way. There were no mediocre ‘filler’ dishes in 10 courses. The Somm did a sterling job with our wines and glassware, maintaining a constant dialog with us and what/how we wanted the wines served, giving recommendations, and even being the bearer of bad news in a couple of cases. (and not charging us corkage in each case). He even presented us with a custom printed menu with all our wines typed up correctly at the end of the dinner, which was a really nice touch. Tets is still the type of place that everyone should try at least once in their life.
Mini Rant: I was down for a 1996 Vega Sicilia Unico, which I procured from Sterling Wine Auctions. Purchased on the 19th of May, I didn’t have any worries initially about receiving it before the 3rd of June. Anyway after a total lack of customer service and communication, which it was revealed that don’t even have the wines in their possession (not sure how an Auction place can operate like this). The wine finally arrived on the 8th of June. For a place that advertises themselves as one of the small guys with personalised service and the wines are despatched within 72hours of being paid for and of which I was supposed to be a VIP of. The whole experience left me very disappointed and they won’t be seeing another cent from me.
On to more positive things….the wines…
The final line up was as follows
2006 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon
1996 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon
1996 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut
1996 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut
1986 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune
2006 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières
2006 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières
1976 Giovanni Scanavino Barolo
2006 Domaine Dujac Bonnes Mares
1986 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard
1986 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 En Magnum
1996 Soldera (Az. Agr. Case Basse) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
2006 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Cerequio
2006 Pianpolvere Soprano Barolo Riserva 7 Anni Pianpolvere Soprano Bussia
1996 d'Arenberg The Custodian Grenache
1986 Marc Brédif Vouvray Grande Année
MV Campbell's Merchant Prince
2006 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon
Bright grapefruit, heaps of lift on the nose almost airy. It is like a taut string on the palate as it dances across. Lemon/Grapefruit and a touch of musk on the palate with a hint creaminess on the back of it. Grassy elements and acid backbone really get the juices flowing.
1996 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon
Some people were a bit ambivalent on this, I loved it, there were some advanced elements yet I thought they added to it, rather than detracted from it as a drink now prospect. Butterscotch, spicy lemon, bread dough and butter. Zingy almost searing acid on the front palate, with a massive flavour profile. Some nice lemon curd and great length. For a 20 year old wine it is drinking well and I was appreciating the freshness and youthfulness of it with the nice aged characteristics, (albeit this was before the 96 Salon which completely redefined my concepts of what a 20 year old champagne could be like)
1996 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut
Oxidized unfortunately, I still had my glass and could have quite happily had more. (Krug Jura AOC?). It wasn’t too badly shot, I likened it to a blunt knife. Although with more air it accelerated the process and became very acetic. A shame.
1996 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut
Very youthful in colour, fresh herbal notes, spicy lemon, apples. The wine is almost gel like with huge amounts of power, to the point where it is almost overwhelming. The acid profile moves through your mouth like an irrepressible force, with an ebullience, that almost feels alive. You are left licking your teeth and gums to try and overcome the assault. An amazing wine at 20 years of age which completely rewrites the rule-book of how good a champagne can be.
1986 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune
Lemon butter, touch of sweetness, with straw/heather elements and a nice mineral backbone. Very subtle and feminine, with a real lightness and delicacy. It also had a sense freshness for its 30 years of age, a really fun wine.
2006 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières (tasted blind)
Lovely floral nose, really expressive, beautifully balanced wine, like silk in the mouth, on the palate it had a real dynamics seemingly growing in intensity as it moved through. Very good wine, that on any other night would have had us raving…except it had the misfortune of being paired with a Coche….
Bear in mind this was tasted blind so no pre-conceptions…
2006 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières (tasted blind)
I took one smell of this and said holy shit, this hugely sweet tropical/citrusy/peach aroma was just billowing out of the glass bracketed by a lashing of oak that created a richness of aroma like nothing else. Everything is turned up to 11, yet remains in balance and goes on and on. There is no drop off, no build up, just a constant wall of balanced harmony. I was thinking don’t tell me he brought the Leflaive Montrachet. Some people left bits in their glasses over the hours and it didn’t budge, no astringency crept in like a lot of whites get with air and that sweet lemon cheesecake nose always there. Magnificent.
1976 Giovanni Scanavino Barolo
Gone. Shame as after the vertical we did a while back I was looking forward to this.
2006 Domaine Dujac Bonnes Mares (tasted blind)
Really clean red fruited nose, cherry cola, touch of stalkiness, one of those wines that I could sit and swirl and smell all night. On the palate it came across as masculine with a touch of astringency putting it out of balance, the tannins are winning the war at the moment, maybe needs another 10 years to settle down and soften a bit. If the fruit that’s behind the nose can get up it will be a wonderful drop.
1986 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard
Corked. Had a lovely colour with hardly any bricking. Hugely tannic still, although the TCA had stripped any nuaces from it leaving a ‘dirty’ yet savoury wine behind. Shame.
1986 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 En Magnum
Vanilla bean, stalky, eucalypt classic Coonawarra blend (I actually thought 707 was a multi-region blend). I made that comment that Coonawarra must have been the dominant region that year (it was only after a quick Google that the penny dropped that it was all Coonawarra fruit in it). I loved how well it had integrated and feel it is right in its drinking window. Some tomato leaf and blackberry and some sweet blackcurrant still hanging on. At the price it commands now, I’d be hard pressed to pick it over a Wynns John Riddoch in the longevity stakes seeing as they are both similar style wines.
1996 Soldera (Az. Agr. Case Basse) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
Magical nose, I literally didn’t taste it until after about 10mins of just letting it sit there, swirling, nosing, swirling..sweet floral notes, raspberry, redcurrant, with some earthy elements almost as a nod to the old school. This is a hugely structured wine, almost painful on first taste, yet it seems to hold the wine in suspension in the mouth. The tannins punch the flavour into all the reaches of your mouth. I kept on asking myself how does something so innocuous have so much power and tannin. It was like eating hot chilli, you just want to keep on coming back for more yet you can’t rationalise why. I’m seriously in love with this stuff.
2006 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Cerequio
Vibrant, plums, blackcurrant all dark fruit almost airy as it wafts up. Then you taste it, and Ali’s float like a butterfly sting like a bee comes to mind. Massive wine, tannic and unyielding yet a real freshness to the fruit was evident on the palate, cherries and red fruits. This will be magnificent in another 20 years.
2006 Pianpolvere Soprano Barolo Riserva 7 Anni Pianpolvere Soprano Bussia
Fresh red fruit on the nose, lovely, lovely nose. Another hugely structured wine, that almost goes POP in your mouth, intense then drops off a bit on the back palate as the acid and structure takes over. Another way too young wine, I can see it softening over the years and the fruit picking up and carrying through the length.
1996 d'Arenberg The Custodian Grenache
Leather, red fruit, touch cloudy, with some bricking. On the palate it had chocolate, xmas cake, almost like a fortified, I wonder if it had a touch of heat damage. The tannins are fully resolved.
1986 Marc Brédif Vouvray Grande Année
Having had a few bottles of this before I was expecting it to be a touch bit sweeter. Although not so sweet that it should be at this end of the dinner. Lemons and orange pith, and mandarin. Comes across as quite tart and mineral. Was a good palate refresher in hindsight.
MV Campbell's Merchant Prince
I’ve had a few of these, and this has been probably the lightest of the lot, having a freshness that the others may have lacked. Raisins, dates, classic rancio flavours without being too cloying and sticky sweet. Lovely balanced wine, which given the age and base ingredients is not easy. I really enjoyed this and it is always a treat to have.
(96,97,03)