- Location
- London and Boston
Happy birthday Alino! What a wonderful way to celebrate it.
Good to read the Leflaives delivered. And interesting that the Camus did the same.We were blessed last night for Alino’s celebration with a line up which was a privilege to behold and to drink. Four wines were spectacular and it was difficult to choose between them.
These are my impressions
Champagne
2002 Piper Heidsieck Cuvee Rare - bright, racy and beautiful with plenty going on /of interest, an excellent bottle - 94
2002 Dom Perignon - a bit awkward by comparison, a bit and up and down, it divided opinions; not the best bottle perhaps but still delicious fizz - 92
White burgundy flight - the white burgundy flight was a significant step up from the fizz flight - which is why I drink much more white burgundy than champagne - this was the flight of the night.
2006 Domaine Jean Marc Boillot Batard-Montrachet - this wine was fresh as a daisy, grippy, focused, youthful, more steely Puligny than Chassagne, drinking well with excellent light colour, magnificent - 96
2001 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet - some wet wool and lanolin on the entry, slightly more rounded, richer and luxurious than the Batard, also in a very good place, refined and glorious - 96
1985 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet - youthful vibrant colour, timeless; spectacular; perfect ripeness, poise and precision, beguiling, this wine just kept giving and giving - a smorgasbord of subtle but luxe spicey and mineral nuances; a privilege to drink and as good as white burgundy gets - 98 - my wotn (just) group third equal
Red burgundy flight - interesting contrast here, only one winner but a great showing from the Camus
2001 Domaine Ponsot Cos de la Roche Grand Cru - savoury, this was a bid muddy and started off slowly. Initially unconvincing it started to pull its socks up after a couple of hours in the glass - 92
2001 Domaine Camus Chambertin Grand Cru - old fashioned - somewhat rustic perhaps - old style grand cru red burgundy in the perfect place, animale; a joy and a delight to drink now - 95
2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant - Benedict described how it skated majestically away from its flight mates, which was the perfect analogy - difficult to put into words - just breath-taking, intense red fruits, nuanced with perfect grip and poise, thrilling and kaleidoscopic - 98 - group wotn, my #2
Bordeaux Rothschild flight
1962 Chateau Lafite - in good condition, it started out earthy and gritty, and slowly improved as it came out if it’s shell; not showy, but nicely resolved and nuanced, elegant and classy mature claret - 94
1976 Chateau Lafite - initially it seemed corked, and it seemed a little below par, but a second pour at the death suggested it was not in fact corked - even so not on a par with the bottle we enjoyed back in 2018 at the same table - 92
1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild - a pristine bottle, youthful and brooding, it had difficulty expressing itself in the glass which was too small for this wine, even though that did not seem to be a problem for the burgs. For this reason only my #4 wine - it might have muscled its way onto the podium in a bigger stem, still 98
Sauternes
1975 Chateau D'Yquem - an extraordinarily good bottle of 75 Yquem this had a beautiful copper-toned hue, fabulous grip and gusto, probably my favourite vintage of Yquem in the last 50 years - 98 - my #3 wine group third equal
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Many thanks to Donald and team La T for a fabulous and unforgettable night.
Was my last request. Glad to see it at LaT.That pork, apple and black pudding a glasshouse regular for years
There were some different thoughts about Camus around the table, some thought it's problematic. I don't know Burgundy enough to tell but the nose was a bit strange to me.And interesting that the Camus did the same.