Went over to my sister’s last night for a spot of dinner. Brother-in-law William is a wine nut, so we had a few nice bottles open.
First off, Dom Perignon 2002. It’s rich for a Dom P, but quite lovely and elegant. This was contrasted with a more evolved Drappier Grand Sendree 1999. Then we moved on to reds. Consillante 1995 was thrilling, drinking at what must be its peak, although it will probably be lovely for another decade. Then two old favourites from the Rhone: Vieux Telegraphe 1995, which still has some spicy life left in it, and Jamet Cote Rotie 1999, with its amazing perfume of meat, spice and plums.
We ate well. Sister Hester cooked some lovely scallops with a buttersquash puree, and then we had some really nice steak, cooked perfectly. To finish off: some aged Manchego, in two kinds, which William had brought back with him from a trip to Madrid.
Champagne Dom Pérignon 2002
12.5% alcohol. This is quite a rich, ripe example of this famous Champagne, but it is wonderfully elegant and quite fresh with subtle toasty complexity to the pure lemony fruit. Refined and really integrated, with freshness, richness, power and elegance. Really classy. 95/100
Champagne Drappier Grande Sendrée 1999
12% alcohol. Toasty appley nose is quite complex. The palate has lovely appley fruit with some pear richness, toast and vanilla notes. Complex, and showing nice evolution. 93/100
Château Conseillante 1995 Pomerol, Bordeaux
12.9% alcohol. Beautifully perfumed, with notes of minerals, iodine and spice, as well as hints of earh and lovely vibrant cherry and plum fruit. The palate is fresh, spicy and nicely evolved with appealing minerality and nice complexity. Savoury and beautifully poised. 95/100
Jamet Côte-Rôtie 1999 Northern Rhône, France
Amazingly perfumed nose, with meat, bacon, bonfire and olive notes, as well as some lively berry and plum fruit. The palate is rounded, warm, spicy and meaty. It’s quite mellow with lovely smoothness to the fruit and lively acidity. Drinking perfectly now. 96/100
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe 1995 Châteaneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhône, France
Lovely lively animally spicy nose with fine meaty, dark cherry and plum fruit. The palate is lively and spicy with meaty notes and some earthy depth, finishing bright and a bit grippy. This has reached a place of lively, spicy maturity. 94/100
What a fab delicious evening! lucky you!
Hi – do you reckon the Rhone wines had any Brett, or were those animal, spicy meaty characteristics just the terroir and the way they had aged? Have you tried any/many “natural wines” with Brett?
Just wondered how many people were at the dinner? 5 bottles between 4 people sounds perfectly reasonable to me over a long eve with food, even allowing that some will drink more than others. Some may say it’s over the medically recommended limit, but it’s not done every day, and health is as much mental asphysical. As ever a great blog, thanks.
Andrew, I don’t think they were bretty, particularly – no.
Yes, I’ve tried quite a few really bretty natural wines. Some have worked while others haven’t.
Hugh, there were three of us, but we didn’t finish all the wines (we left about half of the VT and some of the Drappier).
I am such a big fan of La Conseillante- going to pop one of my ’95s in the near future now.
This seems like a truly extraordinary dinner. And I love reading your blog. It is rich and luscious…but I feel like such a newbie.
Can you recommend a wine course? Or a way to increase my knowledge (and thereby enjoyment) of wine? I got a mailing about this wine course but I have never heard of this person or the designation “Master of Wine”. For $50 I was going to take a flyer, but your blog is so good and frankly exciting that I wanted to see what you and your readers think.