SPNS, 15th May

On Monday night, it was a double bill - first the spring/summer tasting of the Burgundy Portfolio, held in the delightfully-named Dragon Hall, and then off to the Savile for the Swiss Pinot Noir Society. I had to be careful not to overdo it on the former especially as I had a six hour meeting the following day... but was impressed by the range on display which included some lively new additions from autres regions.

After the usual impossibility of finding a black cab in the rain, we eventually made it to the Savile and went straight upstairs to the dining room where a chilled bottle of Etoile was waiting for us, provided by D.

This is a non-vintage fizz made by Chandon in the Napa Valley. For me, it was elegant and relatively light with nice toasty notes and a great finish. Others detected baked apples and butterscotch. G, who has drunk far more champagne than me (she says bitterly), said it reminded him of Krug. A very enjoyable aperitif.

Then it was on to an Austrian rose wine made from pinot noir rose, from Weingut Schlossberg, provided by T. Notes on this were sparse but favourable, the general verdict being that it was a very pleasant, crisp light pink and good summer drinking.

With our main courses, we moved on to a pair of clarets. First was this Chateau Charlemagne 1995 Canon Fronsac from P, who bought it at a very favourable price back in the day. It was fully mature but not over the hill, with resolved tannins and good fruit, and despite quibbling in certain parts about the authenticity of the crown on the label, everyone rated it very highly.

I provided this somewhat mysterious "Pauillac" 2012 which refused to be photographed properly. This came from the Wine Society who state that it is from "one of the area's best-known properties in the heart of the commune". This divided the company with T saying it was wasted on him whereas everyone else seemed to enjoy the big, rich, powerful style. I wonder if it would be worth tucking some away for the future. Distinctly reminiscent of Latour and a fraction of the cost. I'll say no more!

It's always a joy to see a bottle looking like this once the contents are emptied. This was a 1962 South Coast rose muscat from from Massandra in the Crimea. A possible homage to the Ukraine's hosting of Eurovision perhaps? It was provided by G, another auction acquisition.

As is often the case with muscat, one was reminded of Turkish Delight, but for once I didn't find that offputting. It was a beautiful tawny colour, concentrated and luscious, but with good acidity to balance it. Some detected ripe figs, and it certainly went very well with my glazed pear dessert. A very special wine. Thanks everyone for another fascinating evening!