SPNS, 8th June

D was in town recently, so we took the opportunity to have another SPNS dinner. There were four of us on this occasion - me, G, D and ACC. 

It was lovely to walk through central London seeing so much life everywhere. It really feels like things have returned to normal at last and everyone's getting on with their lives.

We began with a bottle of Delamotte 2002 which I had thought was my penultimate bottle, but then G informed me that there are a couple left in his Rutland cellar, hurrah! It was lovely, rich and yeasty mature champagne and I plan to polish the rest off fairly soon as it feels like it's at that point.

The Savile were very busy that evening but we had our usual table in the corner and got cracking on the white.

As the Book was used up at the last meeting and G hadn't got round to getting a new one yet, notes were not made and I'm therefore relying on my hazy memory.

Anyway, ACC brought along this white, Clos du Rouge Gorge 2019, which was generally regarded as a food wine. Further research indicates that it's from Roussillon and the grape is Maccabeu. I seem to recall I got melon on the nose, and then there was some discussion of the precise type of melon, during which G mentioned a melon I'd never heard of. 

 

My second contribution was this Vosne-Romanee 1er cru 2012 from Felettig, which has been wonderful - relatively light and pretty for Vosne, as one would expect from a Chambolle-based producer.

G brought along this Les Rouges 1998 from Domaine Jean Grivot which was fascinating and complex. Obviously it had a lot more age on it than the Felettig, but it was drinking beautifully. 

It's not every night you get to drink two premier cru Vosnes...

Finally, D brought along this "Zinfandel Dessert Wine" 2016, Il Padrone from Oak Farm, California. This is a fortified Zin and apparently to be found in the port section of the wine shop. I really enjoyed it, although I'd like to think I wouldn't have confused it with port. Many of the Zinfandels I've tried in the past have been pretty high in alcohol, so at 18% this wasn't that much higher than them. Fascinating stuff and, as usual, I felt fine the next day!

In other news, I attended a rum tasting with the Baron last week which was fun and educational, so will write about that soon. Next week I'm off to the US and will raid the booze store for some bargains, and we're also heading up to Grand Rapids to visit J, which promises to be an epic weekend. Her collection of grower champagne may take a hit, but I also have a few things stashed away that have been waiting for the right moment!

Recent reds

Feeling a bit more cheerful here at AduV Towers with things starting to open up in London now and a sense that things might get back to normal soon. It was great to see ACC and the Baron in real life last Saturday after five months, and I'm looking forward to seeing other friends soon and getting back to tastings, lunches and dinners like the good old days!

Meanwhile, G has been keeping me company and we've drunk some pretty good stuff over the past few weeks. Today's report is on the reds only, in descending date order.

We recently acquired some halves of En Gregoire 2012 from Emmanuel Giboulot, and G located the 2018 vintage of the same wine in bottle, so naturally a vertical tasting ensued!

They were a fairly similar colour but the 2012 had a slightly paler rim. The 2018 had a pretty nose with exuberant ripe fruit, and was big and juicy with notes of black cherry. It came in at 13% and certainly ticked my boxes. Young, but why wait? The 2012 had more sous bois and was a little earthy - less fruity, more serious. It was only 12%. But there was a close resemblance between the two, indicating a strong sense of terroir. It was hard to say which we preferred. I think for G the 2012 was a narrow win, and for me the immediate deliciousness of the 2018 had it. 

The other night we had this Rully 1er cru Preaux from P&M Jacqueson. I had some trouble deciphering the curly font on the label! It was a pretty colour and looked young and fruity. The nose was fresh and pretty although G detected "an enticing whiff of rot", and the wine was light, succulent and delicious with stone fruit. It was quite high-toned and mouthwatering, and the word "croquant" sprang to mind - there was a kind of plum skin note. For me, it was the kind of wine that would be delicious at lunchtime with a baguette and some pate. It was perhaps a little on the frivolous side but there's nothing wrong with that. We gave it a 9. I see that we've actually had white wines from Jacqueson before (2007 vintage!) and thought they were pretty good. Definitely a domaine to look out for especially as Rully is relatively good value compared to more prestigious villages. 

There follow a trio which we had at my place where I failed to take photos. I've been getting better at making notes lately, but apparently not at remembering to take photos. 

The first was old favourite Terres Burgondes 2011 from Giboulot. This had a lovely nose of tinned strawberries and was congruent, sensual and pretty. It had some interesting notes of forest floor and wild fruit. Not too serious, obtained at an advantageous price (thanks ACC!) and very much my kind of thing. If it had been a premier cru, we'd have given it a 9. 

Back in mid-April we had some Chassagne-Montrachet 1er cru Morgeots 2011 from Domaine de la Choupette. This had a glorious nose of black and red cherries and was elegant with blackcurrant on the palate. It was rich upfront but lighter on the midpalate and finish. It went well with our venison fillet, and we gave it an 8. Not quite as good as the 2010, but I always love red Chassagne.

Another recent acquisition was Ladoix 2010 from Domaine Parent. This was very much in the style of the domaine and if I'd been tasting it blind, I might have thought it was a Pommard. It was powerful, polished and rich with a long finish of black cherries. "Quite a serious wine from a minor village" was G's verdict. It definitely needed some red meat to go with it. 

I did remember to take a pic of this Chambolle-Musigny Clos le Village 2010, or at least the bottle. The wine was glossy and 90% opaque with a pale rim. On the nose we got mixed forest fruits - blackcurrant, raspberry and redcurrant. G also detected a note of orange peel. On the palate, there were some chocolatey tannins, blackberry and blackcurrant. It was perhaps not altogether typical of Chambolle and reminded me more of a Morey. I gave it two and half hours in the decanter and it was drinking now but we thought it would be good for another five years. I have another five bottles so that shouldn't be a problem. 

One night at G's we had this Pommard les Croix Noires 1er cru 2009 from Domaine de Courcel. This had been decanted for three and a half hours and was a lovely garnet colour, a little brown at the rim. I found the nose a little brooding. On the palate, there were some dusty tannins which resolved to reveal some lovely ripe blackcurrant and finally some raspberries. It went well with steak, which helped to buffer the tannins. We thought this was starting to drink, but would be good for another decade, and gave it an 8 with the potential to become a 9 in time. Not a wine one would seek out in a bad vintage.

Finally, the oldest of the bunch: this Morey-Saint-Denis 1er cru Les Ruchots 1996 from Domaine Arlaud. It looked mature and had a fascinating nose of tinned strawberry, sous bois, dark chocolate and cherry. On the palate it was extraordinary, there was so much going on. An immediate 10 pointer, happy days! It had lovely berries, was very complete and harmonious, and had a long finish which changed all the time and delivered little bursts of fruit. It was magnificent wine, old school burgundy as it ought to be, not one to be rushed. G told me that 1996 was a good vintage but also quite tough. This was approaching the end of its drinking window, so I'm glad we had it when we did. One of those wines that reminds us why we love Burgundy. 

Veuve vertical and other things, 19th May

A couple of weeks ago I was joined by ACC, G and the Baron for lunch at AduV Towers, and a real treat was in store. It's not every day you get to drink two vintage champagnes from the 1980s!

First up was this Veuve Clicquot 1983 provided by G, who got it at auction for an absolute steal. Based on his experience with other bottles from this lot, it came from a good cellar with good levels. The pop of the cork was certainly lively, and the wine itself was a glorious golden colour. It had a very yeasty nose and was rich and concentrated which made ACC think it had a high proportion of chardonnay. The finish was impressive too and it was drinking very nicely now, whereas apparently the 2008 vintage is falling off a cliff. The Baron thought it would go well with sweet food, but it was fine with smoked trout too. It was as good a bottle of champagne as I've had in recent years.

Meanwhile, ACC had brought along this 1980 vintage Veuve which he obtained for less than 20 euros from a source which I won't divulge in order to preserve this particular hunting ground for the future. Eye injuries were avoided as the cork was eased out with a gentle sigh. It was generally agreed that this bottle had more nutty aromas and was perhaps a little drier, with good grip. Its bubbles were exuberant to begin with but then tailed off more quickly. Comparisons were made to Salon. I wouldn't like to say which I preferred - they were both remarkable wines and it was an extraordinary experience to drink them side by side. They don't make them like they used to!

Those two were always going to be a tough act to follow, but we did our best with the reds. I supplied the Nuits St Georges 1er cru Pruliers from Domaine Bony and once again I was very pleased with it but didn't bother making notes.

From G's cellar came this Chambolle-Musigny Clos le Village 2008 from Felettig. This was drinking perfectly at 10 years old, and was delicious, smooth, plummy and elegant. "Chambolle is sexy pinot noir" said ACC, and this bottle lived up to its reputation.

Finally, the Baron had brought along some Mas de Daumas Gassac 2005 to go with the cheeseboard. This is from the Languedoc and I found myself wondering what grapes it was made from - have just looked it up and apparently it's mostly cabernet sauvignon which would explain why I liked it so much. It was smooth, fruity and ripe, and drinking very nicely now, although the website says this one should be kept further. Apparently it was only 12.5% alcohol so not a hangover-inducing monster either.

I've definitely had worse lunches. Thanks everyone for a very enjoyable occasion!

SPNS dinner, 15th March

Last Friday we had another SPNS dinner at the Savile Club and I'm delighted to report that all members of the SPNS were present and correct for once!

My contribution was this Cremant de Bourgogne Blanc de Noirs from Domaine Felettig, which was bought several years ago and had been languishing at the bottom of the wine rack as we had thought it would be interesting to try a bottle with some age on it. G bravely went first and gave a grimace, which I think created an expectation among the group that it was going to be terrible, but actually it wasn't at all. It was definitely on the elderly side with yeastiness and biscuity notes. Some detected a weird finish but overall it was considered drinkable and actually improved as time went on, although of course by that stage we had inevitably drunk it all.

P brought along a 1992 sauvignon blanc from Cloudy Bay which apparently he bought en primeur at the height of the hype. It was remarkably youthful and zingy with the classic elderflower nose, while D detected green olives. G said it was a marvellous survival and I would never have predicted that it would be so youthful. It was very kind of P to share his last bottle with us.

T contributed this Vina Tondonia rose 2008. It was a beautiful colour and had a lovely floral, herbaceous nose. D described it as bright and alive and P found it vibrant and great with goat's cheese, while T thought it was still a bit young. ACC wrote something in the book which apparently I'm not meant to quote but since I can't read his handwriting anyway there's no danger there. I found this wine full of character. T says it's still the world's best rose and he's the expert so I wouldn't dream of disagreeing

ACC had brought along this Pur Jus 2016 from Chateau Landra in the Ventoux and described it as pure and juicy, ha ha. It had what T described as a full bouquet, quite earthy, and on the palate was very fruity and powerful. It's a low sulphur wine and I found it dangerously drinkable but noticed it was 14% so have to be careful with that! It went well with food and T particularly enjoyed it, I think.

D had brought along something very unusual, a 1999 Small Berry Mourvedre from Cline Cellars in Sonoma. This was another 14% wine but less of a surprise in this case! ACC told me that mourvedre is a Rhone grape so it was very interesting to try this alongside the Ventoux. It was a very dark colour and hard to believe it was 20 years old, it seemed so youthful. It was complex and powerful with lots of mint and fruit.

Finally, G stole the show with this magnum of Harvey's Bristol Cream bottled in 1977 to celebrate Her Majesty's Silver Jubilee. This was a dark brown murky colour and quite sweet. I got notes of butterscotch and it went really well with my millionaire's pudding. G described it as coherent, old school sherry, really very pleasant and good fun. We all enjoyed it and polished off the magnum with no difficulty whatsoever. As ACC put it, God Save the Queen!

All in all, it was another very interesting and enjoyable evening and thanks everyone for your contributions and notes in the Book.

SPNS dinner, 13th May

On Friday it was time for the next instalment of the Chronicles of the Swiss Pinot Noir Society, and for once we had a full turnout!

I found the others picnicking on quails eggs from P's estate and after some confusion with ice cubes, we commenced with this Gaillac "Gouleyant" from Georges Vigoroux which is made from Loin de l'Oeil and Sauvignon, also provided by P. I certainly hadn't come across Loin de l'Oeil before - apparently it is native to the Gaillac region. It wasn't particularly cold so the ice cubes did in fact come in handy. For me, it was an agreeable, refreshing aperitif and G described it as pleasant quaffing wine. Good with quails eggs.

Then we moved upstairs to the dining room and cracked on with my contribution, this Chablis 1er cru Vaulorent 2008 from Domaine Nathalie et Gilles Fevre. I was gushing about this domaine in my post yesterday and this wine was absolutely top-notch. It had a lovely weight and was big and rich by Chablis standards. This was my last bottle but apparently G still has some magnums... there is probably no rush, to be honest. 2008 Chablis 1er cru Vaulorent from N&G Fevre - #nuffsaid read the comment from the Twitter-loving ACC. Absolutely.

We moved on to a pair of pinot noirs. First, this Spatburgunder 2012 Weiler Schlipf from Schneider, contributed by T. This had an interesting nose which for me had earthy and animal elements. It was pretty and definitely a food wine. There was some debate as to whether it was a typical pinot - T compared it to a Gevrey-Chambertin but I couldn't see much resemblance myself!

This Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits 2013 from Domaine Felettig, on the other hand, was definitely very Burgundian. It was brought along by ACC. This was already drinking well and reminded me of a baby Chambolle. I found it relatively light, soft and elegant although G described it as rich and powerful! The comments in the book were universally positive and I think we all thought this was our kind of wine.

Next up was this Barolo 1986 from Bruno Giacosa which G got at auction. As with all these things, there was some uncertainty as to whether it would have survived, since the provenance was unknown.

The waitress did a great job of getting the cork out in one piece and it turned out that we needn't have worried - it was fine. The nose was certainly mature and I found it quite sweet, but on the palate it was integrated and supple, and it had a wonderful finish. It was a treat to drink this mature Barolo.

With pudding, we had a 1973 Tokaji 5 puttonyos brought along by D. This was old school, fruity tokaji, with dried fruit and figs going on. I think D made the right choice of sticky toffee pudding to go with it, but it did go well with my frangipane tart too. G made a reference to filthy wine-making but the results were delightful.

I was amused by the back label.

Finally, I'd brought along this 1998 Eiswein which T had left behind last time from Weingut Hafner in Austria, made from pinot noir grapes. After a quick bath in the ice bucket we opened it. For me this had notes of apricot and G described it as pleasant, lightweight Eiswein. I think we all liked it, but it suffered from being served after the Tokaji.

As usual, we repaired to the garden where the heaters took the chill off a surprisingly cold evening, and conversation continued until various cars arrived to whisk people off into the night. Another very enjoyable evening, thanks everyone!

A trio of premier cru 2007s

Last night I hosted dinner at mine with ACC and G. It turned out that all three wines we were drinking were 2007 premier crus.

This Chassagne 1er cru Caillerets from Domaine Blain-Gagnard was contributed by ACC, who left it here on a previous occasion when it was a back-up wine. I'd noticed it on the rack since then and thought I didn't remember buying it!

I didn't make notes, but it was very classic Chassagne, well-balanced, and opened up after a few minutes. It went well with our pork and apricot pate.

G contributed these two 2007 reds. Clash of the Titans: Titans Will Clash etc. etc.

In the red corner, this Chambolle-Musigny 1er cru les Combottes from Domaine Felettig.

In the blue corner, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er cru "Aux Combottes" from Domaine Odoul-Coquard.

G went long on 2007 reds and I'm very glad he did. I'd decanted them about two hours earlier and they were both terrific. The Chambolle was very Chambolle - elegant, and noticeably paler in colour, with some red fruits going on. The Gevrey was more masculine, glossy and flash in that inimitable Odoul-Coquard style. Which did we prefer? For me, the Gevrey had more immediate appeal on first tasting, but after a while, diminishing returns set in, whereas the finesse of Chambolle continued to be very appealing.

Merci to both ACC and G for a very interesting mini-horizontal!

Dinner at mine, 17th Jan

Last Saturday night ACC and Baron McG made a long-awaited visit to A du V Towers for dinner.

To start, we had a Felettig double-bill - first this Cremant, which has a little bit of age on it now as it's been residing in my wardrobe cupboard for some time. It made a delightful aperitif for thirsty travellers from the SW2 area.

Then it was on to this Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Beaune 2008, which is showing very well at the moment. It's a wonderful golden colour, and has good weight and richness. I'm very happy with it, and with the fact that I have a further six bottles in storage!

G created two assiettes - one of saucisson with walnuts, procured from the cheese shop, and one of Roka cheese sticks, as no Roka cheese crispies were available in our local supermarket. This was rather aggravating especially after the shortage of Bath Olivers around Christmas and New Year. Waitrose, sort it out! First World Problems, I know.

On to the reds. I'd been saving up this Beaune 1er cru Pertuizots 1971 from Domaine Voiret, for a belated celebration of ACC's birthday. The level was very good and the dreadful label was promising. We know nothing about this domaine and it doesn't appear to be still in existence. But the wine itself was wonderful. and it had that old school power and sweetness. It still had it all going on!

With this we ate a tagine-style stew of lamb cheeks with dried apricots and prunes, and G got his Ottolenghi on and jazzed up some couscous with pomegranate seeds, mint and coriander.

Next up was this bottle of Gevrey-Chambertin 1er cru aux Combottes 2007 from Domaine Odoul-Coquard. G went long in 2007 and we're now reaping the benefits. This was just starting to drink but G had "over-decanted" it by giving it 3 hours, and it didn't quite work with the cheese. We will do better next time, not decant it for so long, and eat it with a meaty main course!

It's alive!

I'd made it to Knightsbridge that afternoon to hunt down some ripe cheese which included this excellent Epoisses. It didn't last long...

With pudding we had this Carmes de Rieussec 2005 sauternes provided by ACC, the second wine of Rieussec. It made a very suitable complement to my panettone bread and butter pudding (although memo to self - more custard next time).

Finally, it was on to the remnants of the Marcs de Bourgogne which I brought back from Beaune in November - two Roulots. They were both smashing, in their different ways - the Hors d'Age was fine, rich and powerful, while the 1962 was much lighter, more elegant and even floral by comparison.

Some had apparently been up since the crack of dawn working on a certain En Primeur offer, and so it was time to call it a night. Said offer can be found here and there are many enticing wines to be had. I've spent several days dithering about what to go for this year, but am just about there, and off to order some right now! Bon weekend.