A great lunch with Clos des Goisses, Leoville Barton, Ducru Beaucaillou and others

bordeaux champagne

A great lunch with Clos des Goisses, Leoville Barton, Ducru Beaucaillou and others

Occasionally it is good to have a treat. So on Sunday, brother-in-law Beavington and I hatched a plan. He was sans famille, with my father staying. So why not invite me over for lunch? My father isn’t drinking at the moment, and without the usual hordes it was safe to bring some good stuff out and have it ALL OURSELVES.

So I brought a bottle of Clos des Goisses 2002 I had been saving for just such an occasion, and he pulled out two mature-ish Bordeaux from his cellar. Fiona had prepared two rather good salads from her Ottolenghi cookbook, and Beavington managed to secure several large slabs of beef. Things were looking promising.

We began with a pink.

Miraval Rose 2012 Cotes de Provence, France
This is the famous collaboration between the Perrins and Pitt/Jolie: a celebrity rose! Lovely rounded cherry and strawberry fruit. Rounded, textured and with a hint of sweetness from the fruit (it’s dry). Satisfying and broad, but not fat. 89/100

Then it was fizz time:

Champagne Philipponnat Clos des Goisses 2002 Champagne, France
Rich, toasty, broad nose with pear, peach, citrus and a hint of honeysuckle. The palate is vinous and broad, almost like a great white Burgundy, with citrus, toast and subtle nuttiness, as well as hints of apricot. Taking ripeness and richness to the brink, this is a remarkable Champagne. There’s even a hint of baked apple. Sensational. 96/100

With the meat, two clarets:

Chateau Leoville Barton St Julien 1999 Bordeaux, France
Ripe blackcurrant fruit here with grippy, spicy notes and a touch of mint. There’s a bit of earthy savouriness under the fruit. It’s still very fresh and quite structured. A lovely wine. 93/100

Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou St Julien 1996 Bordeaux, France
Mellow, warm, spicy and cedary with a bit of earthiness balancing out the blackcurrant fruit. Showing good elegance and maturity, this is very stylish, for current drinking. 92/100

With pudding:

Chateau la Tour Blanche 2005 Sauternes, Bordeaux, France
Very rich, viscous and sweet with notes of coconut, vanilla and spice as well as smooth ripe peach and pear fruit. Really sweet with a touch of apricot and spice balancing out the viscous sweetness. Lovely concentration. 93/100

1 Comment on A great lunch with Clos des Goisses, Leoville Barton, Ducru Beaucaillou and othersTagged , , , ,
wine journalist and flavour obsessive

One thought on “A great lunch with Clos des Goisses, Leoville Barton, Ducru Beaucaillou and others

Leave a Reply

Back To Top