Met for pre-dinner drinks with Raj Parr and his cousin Prerna at 28-50 yesterday. Two bottles between three before dinner wasn’t a smart idea, but they were super wines. The Cathiard is, as you might expect from the producer and vintage, a big expression of red Burgundy – ripe and rounded. The Jean-Louis Grippat was just beautiful. This was his last vintage, and it’s an elegant, almost Burgundian expression of Syrah that has aged fabulously. Grippat sold to Guigal in 2001, and the 1999 and 2000 vintages weren’t bottled at the time (Guigal finished them off).
Sylvain Cathiard Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Aux Thorey 2007 Burgundy, France
Rich, dense and sweet with bold blackberry and black cherry fruit, plus subtle hints of malt and tar. Smooth and mineral in the mouth with a lovely textured mouthfeel. Seductive stuff for near term drinking. 93/100
Jean-Louis Grippat Saint-Joseph 1998 Northern Rhone, France
Sanguine and elegant with hints of tar and olive under the sweet, pure black cherry fruit. This is smoothly textured with just a touch of rusticity, but at the same time it has smoothness and elegance. A truly beautiful wine. 94/100
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