Pol Roger 2002 - lovely mature Champagne. Mid buttery yellow. Superb nose with autolysis and that aged hay and undergrowth on a June evening vibe. Not a lot of mousse but a lovely rounded but still mineral taste, great length. Wonderful. 95.
Lismore Chardonnay 2017 - decent New World style a bit angular to start, very much the squonky lime notes I get from a lot of NW chards but all in balance and a tad on the young side. Good now but has upside I’d say. 90-91 now, probably 92-93 in time?
Mullineux En Passant Chardonnay 2015 - lovely ripe buttery Chardonnay with an inky blue edge that I often find in good Meursault. Reminds me of a Lucien Le Moine 1er. Really good stuff. 94-95.
Alheit Cartology 2019. Needs a bit of time in glass and to warm up. Young but drinking nicely already, quite a bit going on here with stone fruits, a dryish rasping streak to balance, and almost a quince lick on the end. 92 now a point or two more in time?
These are all from memory so apologies if I get a bit wrong.
Newton Family Reserve Pinot - I liked this but wasn’t quite so taken with this as perhaps Julian and a few others were. Quite a ripe New World style for me, though not candied or ridiculous like I find a lot of NW Pinot. Lacked a bit of grip and tension for me but perhaps I’m being picky. 90 ish. (others certainly would score higher.
Meerlust Rubicon 2009 and 2006 - I have drunk the odd bottle over the years but never this aged. The 09 was ripe and nice but compared with the 06 was just a nice broad rather unfocussed but very decent mouthful. The 06 I thought was just the ticket. Structured, aged, complete, maybe a touch on the austere side when drunk on its own but superb with the Oxtail pie and it complemented it brilliantly unlike the 09 which was “just” a nice mouthul with the pie in comparison. 91 ish and 95 ish for 09/96.
Lismore Syrah - This confused me a bit. Interesting nose but a bit reticent, palate fatigue maybe setting in a bit. This was very drinkable but not very Syrah like to me, almost tasted as though it were co-fermented not with Viognier as in Cote Rote but with Riesling or something as they do in Aus. Nice smooth fruit, good acidity, very little obvious tannin. A nice wine but to me not very Syrah like. 92.
A sauterns 09 - served blind. I’m not a great Sauternes drinker and this was nice but a bit soft for me.
A Loupiac 09 - again served blind, a freebie from Wild Flor, for me this was more interesting than the Sauternes, with more structure and grip and verve.
Warre Otima 20y - I love a good Tawny as many of you will know, and 20yo is my sweet spot. This was a nice treat but it wasn’t up to one of the top 20 yo for me.
Apologies if I’m coming across negative or picky because all of them were a joy to drink.
We finished with Julians Heidseick NV (2016) - I dont need to say how good CH is usually and this was on form, quite strict but in a good way, really good at the end of the meal, power and presence. 93 now but some upside certainly. I just wish theyd change the label design back to the one they used in the eighties/nineties with the man himself shown.