Lunch at mine, Sunday 28th Sept

On Sunday, we had the honour of a visit from T, who had ventured down from the sticks especially for the occasion. It was a good opportunity to drink some nice things that had been lurking in my wardrobe!

First up was this Chablis 1er cru Vaulorent 2008 from Domaine Nathalie et Gilles Fevre. I (and my mother!) have been drinking a lot of the 2010 vintage lately which is arguably infanticide. The 2008 is more mature and drinking very nicely now. T got a whiff of something which G identified as mushrooms, while I found it completely beguiling, perfect mature Chablis. We had it with some smoked trout which G had obtained from Borough Market - a rather complicated filleting process took place before we could eat it, but it was worth it, a great combo.

Next up was this bottle of Chateau Latour 1960 to accompany our lamb shanks and gratin dauphinoise. T made the shocking revelation that he'd never drunk Latour before! Better late than never, I suppose...

Although the level was mid-shoulder, with a bottle of this age that wasn't a particular cause for concern and it turned out to be intense, majestic claret. Latour does seem to be wonderfully consistent and to produce great wines even in lesser vintages. G drew our attention to the minty overtones of the cabernet sauvignon in the mix. A wine to savour.

Finally, with our poached pears, we drank two petite (250 ml) bottles of 2005 Royal Tokaji 5 puttonyos provided by T. This was a beautiful amber colour, complemented the pears very nicely and the finish went on forever, with distinct flavours of apricots. We all agreed that it was more interesting than most Sauternes.

Coffee, a spot of marc de bourgogne and much irreverent conversation completed the picture. I can think of worse ways to spend a Sunday afternoon! Thanks T for coming all the way to join us and for not bringing the Thai pink the Tokaji!