Alino’s 60th birthday bash

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.
 
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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

View attachment 27540

Many thanks to Donald and team La T for a fabulous and unforgettable night.
Good to read the Leflaives delivered. And interesting that the Camus did the same.
I avoid both like the plague. Might take the plunge if I ever see something similar, sensibly priced.
 
What a lovely night and many happy returns Alino.

Piper Rare 2002: Fine, light, pure, lemon meringue style of nose. Very consistent with that on the palate, fine and delicate, persistent though not especially complex, very enjoyable. 6-/7
Dom Perignon 2002: Odd nose, bit musty, bit reductive, wet fur, definitely awkward. Very sharp. Doesn't improve. Don't understand this? 4/7?

Batard-Montrachet, J-M Boillot 2006: Medium lemon colour (ie quite light for 2006-era W Burg). This changed hugely over the night. Initially firm, unyielding and a bit hot, feeling very young. Unfurls over several hours to be a serious, complex and fascinating chardonnay going from my last in the flight to my favourite. Give it some more time or lots of air and you will be in for a treat. 7-/7 (eventually)
Chevalier-Montrachet, Dom. Leflaive 2001: Noticeably darker than the Boillot, light gold. Much richer, and also very smooth, slick, lovely. In a nice place, very lovely. Doesn't improve over the night though. 6+/7
Chevalier-Montrachet, Dom. Leflaive 1985: Not hugely different in colour to the 01. Hints of nuttiness. More dimensions than the 01 though structurally a little loose. Not quite as complete as the 01 but what a treat. 6/7

Clos de la Roche, Ponsot 2001: Slightly muddy appearance. Aniseed and cherry ice cream nose. Interesting but not, to be frank, what the we need in GC Burg. Coarse structure, odd finish. Don't get this at all. Iffy period for Ponsot, we're told. 3/7
Chambertin, Camus 2001: Clearer, some obvious age. Some pinosity and a bit of complexity. Coffee comes through later. Bit clumsy on end. Nice, certainly not the Camus feared by some, but it's a bit of a distance off grand cru. 5/7
Romanee-St-Vivant, DRC 2001: Darkest of these by some margin. Really interesting nose, scent and some dark fruits. Later, the famed DRC Asian spice comes through (and I wasn't looking for it). On the palate it's fascinating - not the prettiest, not the most powerful, not the ultimate in anything but very complete, in this sense quite Lafite-like. Probably needs another 5-15 years. Obviously fine, but I still don't quite get why DRC is so feted and expensive. 6+/7

Lafite-Rothschild 1962: Medium colour, wide fade. Slightly muddy nose and woody too. I really want to like this but it's a bit narrow and time in the glass does it no favours. Past it, I'm afraid. 3/7
Lafite-Rothschild 1976: Noticeably darker, low key cedar/wood nose. Clipped palate. Called as corked in places - I don't think so, but it's certainly dumbed down and not as good as it's last showing. 4/7? ....
Mouton-Rothschild 1982: .... in contrast to which, this is obviously singing. Very deep, dark centre, narrow rim with not much age. Glorious, multi-faceted nose, that Mouton mint thing, complex and deep. A great bottle of a great wine and still very young. 7/7

Yquem 1975: Medium, burnished gold. Lots of barley sugar on the nose. Clean, but the sweetness is now a little artificial (cf 76, say). The alcohol sticks out a bit too. It's mature Yquem so it's lovely and a treat, but it's not absolutely top drawer. 6-/7
 
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