Annual Wine Dinner 2021

[dave vino]

Been a while, and I've been sitting on these notes, so thought I'd better type them up.

Dinner was at Bentley, food was a star as always, Nick and team looked after us in the PDR with aplomb as per usual.

2008 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut
2004 Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires
1959 Marc Bredif Vouvray
2016 Domaine Roulot Clos des Boucheres Monopole
2017 Domaine Roulot Clos des Boucheres
2012 Domaine Ramonet Batard-Montrachet
2012 Domaine Ramonet Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet
2003 Mugnier Bonnes Mares
2013 Domaine Dujac Bonnes Mares
2002 Domaine Armand Rousseau Pere et Fils Clos de la Roche
1986 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche
2013 Domaine Armand Rousseau Pere et Fils Chambertin
1989 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
2005 Vega Sicilia Unico Gran Reserva
2004 Henschke Hill of Grace
2011 Didier Dagueneau Les Jardins de Babylone


 
2008 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut
Really zippy and fresh, great length and persistence. Really good drive through the mid palate. Lemon squash. Super fresh. Fantastic tension, puts on a bit of weight and moves to a silky mouthfeel but the star is the acid, one of my favourite champagnes, never disappoints.

2004 Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires
Cheesy and leesy on the nose. Toasty. Fresh and Vibrant. Touch of bruised apple, palate is really full and quite heavy. Green apple on the nose, parmesan, brioche, lemon, hazelnut/cashews. The chardonnay really shines through here. Noice.

2016 Domaine Roulot Clos des Boucheres Monopole
Pineapple, Passiona, tropical notes, honeysuckle, musky, lemon. Great balance with the oak and finishes with a good length. It is the sort of wine you drink when in a contemplative mood, think rainy day.

2017 Domaine Roulot Clos des Boucheres
Coconut, sweet lemons, more oak showing here, this is a big wine make no bones about it. Of course me being a fan of the old school oaky boys (done right) was right in my wheelhouse. I’d give this a few more years before touching again.

1959 Marc Bredif Vouvray
Pear and herbs, touch of mustiness and finishes a bit short, maybe a bit of taint. Orange cordial, mandarin/pithy elements. Went really well with the dish. Gradually got sweeter and sweeter and started to notice touches of marmalade and open up more. In the end a pleasure to drink at 60+ years of age.

2012 Domaine Ramonet Batard-Montrachet
Simply superb nose, so-so right. Spicy notes and ticks every box. The balance of fruit, acid, oak is sublime, You swallow it, it grabs you by the throat and takes control of your mouth and spits you out like a rag doll. Stunning.

2012 Domaine Ramonet Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet
Lovely sweet nose, the oak is a masterclass. Honeysuckle, I kept coming back for a smell, spectacular. One of those wines that are almost unnecessary to actually drink. Mouthfeel is amazing with a crisp line and drive. Elegant and beguiling. The BBM is all about elegance and the BM is all about power.

2013 Domaine Dujac Bonnes Mares
Holy shit, the nose of this is amazing. Sweet blackberry and stalks. Rose petal, sweet red fruits in a cornucopia of aromas. Yet it is not all about the sweet elements, there is tomato leaf, rhubarb, sesame oil and savoury elements. Tannins are grippy but not overwhelming. I always peg Dujac as producer on the bigger end of the scale in terms of wine weight, this blows this idea out of the water.

2003 Mugnier Bonnes Mares
A bit muted in comparison to the Dujac, dusty, medicinal, meaty with a touch of Brett. Bit of heat and a shortish length, seems simple in comparison to the Dujac. It’s very masculine and old school. Smoky elements start to come through with darker fruits and touches of iron, good tannins and acid. A bit like rocking up to your weekly social tennis match and seeing Federer at the other end…the Dujac wiped it.

2002 Domaine Armand Rousseau Pere et Fils Clos de la Roche
Rich dark fruits, lots of lift, cherry, plum a cacophony of red fruits, good length with grippy tannins and nice acid. In hindsight it kind of was like the Hill of Grace, a very well made wine, that ticked all the boxes, but seemed to miss the wow or x-factor. Hard to explain why, too clean, too normal, I dunno.

1986 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche
Dark fruited nose, lovely aromatics, some bricking. Tomato sauce. Fair bit of sediment. An almost creamy mouthfeel. Meaty, gamey, like an old Chesterfield leather chair. At 35 years old it is a fabulous wine.

2013 Domaine Armand Rousseau Pere et Fils Chambertin
Absolutely stunning nose, like wow. My mouth was literally watering just nosing the glass. Holy shit. Sweet red fruits bounding out of the glass. I am truly running out of metaphors for this, there is an almost animalistic triggering happening as a result of this wine, it has reduced me to my base elements. Me Dave, me want more, give more. The fruit is like so pure and clean it feels like it should be in a Norsca ad. Smoky, sweet fruits, tannins perfectly balanced. Such an emotional wine, this is what it is all about, this is the drug, this is the rabbit hole. Under no circumstances should you drink this wine because you will be officially screwed for life.

1989 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
Just so you know, I’m an unashamed Rhone Pig…. And apologies to 13 Reasons Why… So you see, that’s where the trouble began. That nose. That damn nose…. Barnyard, teetering on the edge, yet never falling over, classic Hermitage, olive, leather, sous bois, touches of vinegar (but in a good way). I could sit and smell this for hours – it just swirls and changes every time. The palate was not quite up there, much to my disappointment after ‘that nose’. The finish and carry is fantastic, iron/blood, tertiary elements on the nose as it sat in the glass. Don’t get me wrong it is a 10 nose and an 8 on the palate.

2005 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único
Classic Cabernet notes on the nose, had I not known what it was I was definitely in Bordeaux. The tannins probably give it away as they are a lot softer than you’d get from say a 1st Growth. This is, and I know it sounds a bit corny, simply a lovely drink. Supremely balanced even with the softer tannins, it seems to work really well with the fruit profile.

2004 Henschke Hill of Grace
Super spicy on the nose, white pepper, five spice, dark fruits. Rich and decadent on the palate. But, and I mean this in the nicest possible way… after all the wines before it, it was a bit like the Saturday Night Special in the missionary position from the missus to keep you quiet for the weekend. Maybe after all these wines I was looking for something with a bit of funk, something out there….something dare I say a bit less Corporate. Don’t get wrong, this on its own would be a stunningly good wine. So I’ve probably not been fair with this note. I feel bad, Un-Australian etc. But yeah, but nah.

2011 Didier Dagueneau Les Jardins de Babylone
Sweaty mango, banana, touch of oxidation, lots of acid to break it up and stop it being cloying. Tangy and sweet that hits the spot like the oranges at halftime. Super interesting flavour profile away from the usual German Auslese, and French Sauternes.

[img]http://www.grapemates.org/files/woty21/WOTY2021-2.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.grapemates.org/files/woty21/WOTY2021-3.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.grapemates.org/files/woty21/WOTY2021-4.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.grapemates.org/files/woty21/WOTY2021-5.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.grapemates.org/files/woty21/WOTY2021-6.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.grapemates.org/files/woty21/WOTY2021-7.jpg[/img]

[phillisc]

Dave, have to laugh re your HoG descriptor...the irony is not lost on me...Henschke have had us bent over the desk for years...I would certainly feel like I was in the missionary position, should I choose to buy anything from their range.
Sounds like a fabulous night.
Cheers Craig

[GraemeG]

Just, like, wow.

[JamieBahrain]

Fantastic! Always amused me how taken people were by the 02 Rousseau CdlR. My palate could never detect the wow factor.

Still have the receipts from HK where you could get 3 bottles of Chave for the price of a HofG - must have been the 14/15 vintages. Chave really fell out of favour along with other dynamos of the Northern Rhone. Yet old ones some of the greatest wines in the world, imperfect as your note on the 89 may indicate, but an utter wowing of the senses.

Glad folks drinking these wines. A common theme these days seems to be but how can we? Even if wealthy!

[JDSJDS]

Great notes, amazing wines, thanks for posting!

[mychurch]

Great notes.

I've had a BM and Monty from Ramonet on a few occasions, and I can effortlessly go back to the taste of the 91 BM in my head as it was just stunning and ahead of the Montrachets. Great to see that these are still being drunk as these are well out of my price league now.

[crusty2]

Glad folks drinking these wines. A common theme these days seems to be but how can we? Even if wealthy!

I have come to the position where I cannot afford NOT to drink these wine we purchased for a "song".
eg. If I want to experience a HOG I would be buying new at $xxxx when I could drink older at $xx. Even if I sold older V's the time waiting for the new to mature my kids will be drinking them, not me.

[ticklenow1]

Had to have a laugh at you HOG note.

Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage is still the best wine I've ever had and I'm no lover of French wine.

Sounds like some night....

Cheers
Ian

[Mahmoud Ali]

Glad folks drinking these wines. A common theme these days seems to be but how can we? Even if wealthy!

I have come to the position where I cannot afford NOT to drink these wine we purchased for a "song".
eg. If I want to experience a HOG I would be buying new at $xxxx when I could drink older at $xx. Even if I sold older V's the time waiting for the new to mature my kids will be drinking them, not me.

On the other hand, folks on a UK wine forum look at it from an entirely different viewpoint, that being, in times like this, with a deadly pandemic that threatens everyone's mortality, we should get on with drinking our better wines rather than holding off.

[dave vino]

I guess you could say that for any time, I might get hit by a bus crossing the street tomorrow. I guess we need to mix it up, play the long game mixed in with the short game (although that means multiple bottles of the same wine and at the prices nowadays you would struggle).

It also depends on how much value you put on aged wines. A lot more producers are creating wines that still drink well when young yet can do the long term no problems. Some prefer the freshness over secondary/tertiary elements.

[Pat]

Awesome Dave. That would have been a fantastic night.

[dave vino]

Awesome Dave. That would have been a fantastic night.

Totally was, the only downside that I can say now was the cost. Close to the most expensive meal I've ever had once the Lobster, Caviar options were taken up, plus corkage, specialised degustation, PDR etc, etc. I even kept the receipt!! But hey, you might get hit by the bus again.... so the memories last a lot longer than worrying how much it cost.

[Mahmoud Ali]

But hey, you might get hit by the bus again.... so the memories last a lot longer than worrying how much it cost.

You've been hit by a bus once before?

[dave vino]

Yes, about 3 posts above....

[JamieBahrain]

Sweet-spot for sublime white burgundy for you Dave?

Drink your Montrachet at 8-10 whilst awaiting your more reliable age-worthy whites to come good ( like Chave )

[Mahmoud Ali]

Yes, about 3 posts above....

You know I was merely joshing, but that post does say "I might get hit by a bus tomorrow".

For the record I too have been hit by a bus, but It was a long time ago while traveling in Syria.