First week of February drinking thread

Ian Hampsted

Ian Hampsted

Location
London
Dinner at Hawksmoor Guidhall last night, with £5 corkage and organised by Aziz, a lovely chap and good friend, who is wonderfully generous … and one of those people who like to be in control ... of everything. It was originally supposed to be a 1996 Bordeaux theme but he couldn’t access his 96s so it turned into a Margaux commune theme.

First up we started with some fizz, supplied by Aziz, which was quite interesting and fully mature. A Jacquesson 734DT, with 2006 base wine, and a 54/20/26 Chardonnay/PN/PM mix, disgorged in Oct 2014, it had a super brioche bouquet, and was creamy, rich, ripe and golden, and evolved but not to the point of being over the hill…a solid 92 pts

With four different cuts of steak <<rolls eyes>> which Aziz insisted on - but I pushed back like a bulldozer when he tried to have them all cooked medium (we settled on medium-rare) - shared between four, two flights of two Margaux.

Chateau Giscours 2000

Aziz served this at a lunch at his at end of June and I really didn’t like it. My note then: Rich and very ripe, with cassis, cherry fruit, sweet shop confectionary and a little bit of a gloopy texture….If you told me it was Chilean I wouldn’t have batted an eyelid. I reminded him that he served it recently (hint, hint…) steering him to find an alternative (but I am no control freak), but nevertheless he insisted on bringing it <<rolls eyes again>>. Well this bottle was significantly worse than the last one. Not that it was flawed in the technical sense, but it was over-ripe – my note said ‘sur-maturite’, while Patrick sitting to my left described it as ‘over-cooked’ - very lush and gloopy, smelling of prunes and lacking in freshness. If you had to guess what it was you would probably go for one of those parvenu Parkerised right-bank monstrosities. This wine was the antithesis of everything I look for in claret. And I doubt time will make this any better. Difficult to articulate a score for this so I won’t.

Chateau Margaux 2011

Another one from Aziz’s cellar, this was discreetly and exquisitely perfumed, with a white floral bouquet that lures you into a beautifully pure, refined and elegant mid-palate with a soft touch silky mouth feel, and a reassuring cool vintage signature. It was such a pleasure to drink this next to its chichi flight mate. However, surprisingly this wine was fully mature. Even more surprising – and shocking - was that it started to fade after a couple of hours in the decanter and then fall apart. The second glass (92 pts) was not as good as the first one (94 pts). If you have any of this wine that should ring alarm bells. The second time a Ch Margaux has fallen apart in the very same room – the last time was the 1994 a few months ago, which given its age is forgivable – but a 14 year old first growth?

In the second flight we matched two Palmers

Chateau Palmer 1996

The last time I tried this in late 2021 it was still essentially closed. Now, based on last night’s bottle, it is finally starting to open up, but it is nevertheless a vin de garde, and one for the ages, which will last 50-100 years. It is conspicuously more backward that Ch. Margaux 1996, and more similar to the Lafite 1996 in that respect. This Palmer 1996 just got better and better as the evening wore on. More pronounced Margaux berries on the nose than the Ch. Margaux 2011 it has cedar and cigar box notes, and is very intense and fine, with a backbone of searing acidity and a long finish...94 pts

Chateau Palmer 2000

Similar aromatically to the 1996, but a bit more giving and open for business – closer to the 1999 in that sense. These two wines were very evenly matched, but the 2000 was a nose ahead of the 1996 throughout the whole evening, and a bit more rounded and opulent than its somewhat austere by comparison flight mate. The 2000 has now evolved into a glorious wine at the beginning of its drinking window (though not quite drinking as joyously as my last bottle of 1999, which is the vintage to drink now). Wine of the night…95 pts

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Yesterday. I may well be mistaken but Aldo Conterno doesn't get a mention much these days. In some ways with good reason, as the winemaking went over to the Dark Side in the mid '90's. But I was amazed, nevertheless, at the state of this 1988 entry level Barolo. It is more that vibrant and classic tar and roses. This shows much better than a 1990 Cicala which was the last Aldo wine I opened. It's in great condition, an elegant tar and roses nose, with red fruit still on the palate. The structure is perfect the tannins rounded. It is just a lovely Barolo. it doesn't have the layers of aromatic complexity of the very, very best Giacosa, or the power and structure of 1978 Monfortino, but it's just a lovely, classic Barolo for a Monday night. I would never have guessed.

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Tonight. Even better? I took the six bottles I have out of storage of Rare 2002 last week. And guess what? Much to my surprise they are under cork rather than Mytik/DIAM. A great wine right up there with the best bottles of Clos du Mesnil 2002 and magnums of Cristal Rose 2002. I see Essi Avelan scores this a rare - pun partially intended - 100/100. And I can see why. It is Chardonnay dominated (70%) but you have the breadth of PN underneath. This is a great Champagne.

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After two surprises how can a really, really good wine not amaze? It's actually a half of Willi Schafer GD BA 2003. There was an auction BA from Willi that is surreally good, even if I didn't understand it when I tasted it as it was auctioned.
With the auction wine you might never suspect 2003. It is just great. But this "regular" BA in half bottle is fresh, dense but cannot avoid the honey/lemon elements of the vintage. But it's aging very slowly, and still very enjoyable.

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Paul Day said:
Yesterday. I may well be mistaken but Aldo Conterno doesn't get a mention much these days. In some ways with good reason, as the winemaking went over to the Dark Side in the mid '90's. But I was amazed, nevertheless, at the state of this 1988 entry level Barolo. It is more that vibrant and classic tar and roses. This shows much better than a 1990 Cicala which was the last Aldo wine I opened. It's in great condition, an elegant tar and roses nose, with red fruit still on the palate. The structure is perfect the tannins rounded. It is just a lovely Barolo. it doesn't have the layers of aromatic complexity of the very, very best Giacosa, or the power and structure of 1978 Monfortino, but it's just a lovely, classic Barolo for a Monday night. I would never have guessed.

View attachment 42707

Tonight. Even better? I took the six bottles I have out of storage of Rare 2002 last week. And guess what? Much to my surprise they are under cork rather than Mytik/DIAM. A great wine right up there with the best bottles of Clos du Mesnil 2002 and magnums of Cristal Rose 2002. I see Essi Avelan scores this a rare - pun partially intended - 100/100. And I can see why. It is Chardonnay dominated (70%) but you have the breadth of PN underneath. This is a great Champagne.

View attachment 42708

After two surprises how can a really, really good wine not amaze? It's actually a half of Willi Schafer GD BA 2003. There was a auction BA from Willi that is surreally good, even if I didn't understand it when I tasted it as it was auctioned.
With the auction wine you might never suspect 2003. It is just great. But the "regular" BA in half bottle is fresh, dense but cannot avoid the honey/lemon elements of the vintage. But it's aging very slowly, and still very enjoyable.

View attachment 42709
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Sounds like a very good run Paul
 
Paul Day said:
Yesterday. I may well be mistaken but Aldo Conterno doesn't get a mention much these days. In some ways with good reason, as the winemaking went over to the Dark Side in the mid '90's. But I was amazed, nevertheless, at the state of this 1988 entry level Barolo. It is more that vibrant and classic tar and roses. This shows much better than a 1990 Cicala which was the last Aldo wine I opened. It's in great condition, an elegant tar and roses nose, with red fruit still on the palate. The structure is perfect the tannins rounded. It is just a lovely Barolo. it doesn't have the layers of aromatic complexity of the very, very best Giacosa, or the power and structure of 1978 Monfortino, but it's just a lovely, classic Barolo for a Monday night. I would never have guessed.

View attachment 42707

Tonight. Even better? I took the six bottles I have out of storage of Rare 2002 last week. And guess what? Much to my surprise they are under cork rather than Mytik/DIAM. A great wine right up there with the best bottles of Clos du Mesnil 2002 and magnums of Cristal Rose 2002. I see Essi Avelan scores this a rare - pun partially intended - 100/100. And I can see why. It is Chardonnay dominated (70%) but you have the breadth of PN underneath. This is a great Champagne.

View attachment 42708

After two surprises how can a really, really good wine not amaze? It's actually a half of Willi Schafer GD BA 2003. There was a auction BA from Willi that is surreally good, even if I didn't understand it when I tasted it as it was auctioned.
With the auction wine you might never suspect 2003. It is just great. But the "regular" BA in half bottle is fresh, dense but cannot avoid the honey/lemon elements of the vintage. But it's aging very slowly, and still very enjoyable.

View attachment 42709
Click to expand...
Delighted to hear about the rare 02
I had one a number of weeks ago and loved it - I was down to my last two bottles though.

I have just bought a few more cases just last week so pleased you have a positive view also

Had another last Saturday
 
Paul Day said:
Yesterday. I may well be mistaken but Aldo Conterno doesn't get a mention much these days. In some ways with good reason, as the winemaking went over to the Dark Side in the mid '90's. But I was amazed, nevertheless, at the state of this 1988 entry level Barolo. It is more that vibrant and classic tar and roses. This shows much better than a 1990 Cicala which was the last Aldo wine I opened. It's in great condition, an elegant tar and roses nose, with red fruit still on the palate. The structure is perfect the tannins rounded. It is just a lovely Barolo. it doesn't have the layers of aromatic complexity of the very, very best Giacosa, or the power and structure of 1978 Monfortino, but it's just a lovely, classic Barolo for a Monday night. I would never have guessed.
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I retain a complete and enchanting memory of an absolutely beguiling 1993 (!) Bussia Soprana drunk many, many years ago that for me was genuinely transformational. It was the wine that marked the movement in my mind of Barolo from being an interesting niche occasional pleasure to a cornerstone of my cellar.

I have a couple each of the 1986 (probably dead) and 1990 buried somewhere in the cellar. Not had either for a decade. Must open one soon.
 
Tom Grande said:
Any hint that storage or cork failure could be a problem with the Margaux? That shouldn't be happening
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No not really Tom. It tasted like a classical Chateau Margaux from the off, and completely normal and not at all flawed. Upon tasting I did not expect it to be quite so resolved given its age, but it was palpable how it fell off quite quickly.
 
Zombies 5/2/25

The annual North London Wine Society ‘Zombies’ dinner. Signing up to this is an act of self-flagellation. You need a venue with hearty and wholesome food and a flexible corkage policy. The last couple of years we did it at Terra Rossa and this year we decided to do it at Gem, a middle eastern restaurant next to the Islington Sampler…but that restaurant just closed and merged with Holy Pita a Greek place further down Upper Street, adjacent to Islington Green. So we held the dinner there. Corkage was £9.50 a bottle and capped at £100.

With the wines we fortunately had more hits than misses but nothing smashed it out of the park, or shot the lights out.

The whites

Domaine Garton & Pierre Ravaut Corton Charlemagne 1996 had a reassuringly pale colour. The fruit had receded leaving some butter and cashew notes; the wine was softly spoken, but a pleasure to drink (which comes partly from knowing it is a Corton Charlie, which is not premoxed)…90 pts

Tim Adams Semillon 1993 (Clare Valley, South Australia)…my last one from an auction lot. These have been absolutely great, and although the colour was golden rather than pale, this was singing with a lot energy and expression, with lanolin and lime and lemon fruits…91 pts

Geyerhof Grüner Veltliner Ried Steinleithn1ÖTW, Kremstal 1993 from Austria - a Wine Society Museum release. Maybe it should have stayed in the museum because it didn’t really show up and was painfully shy. It you tried hard you could entice subtle notes of baked apple, and it had a pleasing texture and was very much alive, but it was blown out of the water by the two Clare Valley wines either side of it…87 pts

Jim Barry Florita Riesling 2004 (Clare Valley)…really vibrant, youthful and pale, it had a huge whiff of petrol/kerosene, which almost knocks you over and tended to dominate the citrus notes in the background. A well made wine with good acidity, which will last forever…91 pts

On to the reds

Chateau Haut Brion 1967 – I was hoping this would be a good bottle from this auction lot as it is Ricard’s birth year. But alas it was nearly dead, and hopes that it would do a Lazarus on us did not materialise….NR

Chateau De Fieuzal 1982 - a reminder what a fully alive bottle of Graves should taste like. This was great with plenty of Graves scorched earth and red tile expression, with some residual blackberry fruits, tobacco and leather. Remarkably good for a 43 year old wine from a relatively humble address…91 pts

Chateau Bellegrave1996 - this was sort of alive but sort of zombiefied too…it had lost all its fruit and delivered absolutely no joy. It wasn’t obviously flawed but hollowed out…NR

Hacienda Monasterio 1995 – a tempranillo from Ribero del Duoro with Petter Sisseck of Pingus fame as consultant. This was alive, kicking and vibrant, and had an impressive fruit, herbal notes and grippiness on the mid palate. It matched very well with the Greek food…91 pts

Font de Michelle Chateauneuf Cuvee Etienne Gonnet 1995 – a wine which was drinkable, but in dignified decline…NR

D’Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz 1998 (McLaren Vale, South Australia) – quite a cult wine back in the day, I remember selling all mine as I went off the style. Meeting this wine again over 20 years later was an interesting encounter which reinforced my thesis that these wines don’t actually improve they just evolve (and should really be put out of their misery). This is a coarse, over-extracted and overwrought wine which has no finesse, but it is still very much alive and kicking…85 pts

Chateau Magdelaine 1993 – corked – NR – my bad

Chateau Liot Barsac 1981 – I didn’t take an notes but really enjoyed it – very much alive despite its brown colour…90 pts

The food was good, the service friendly and the glassware more than adequate quality. We overordered on the food and all in the bill came to £67 a head including £100 corkage and services, which is a bit more than we would pay at Terra Rossa but not bad all things considered.

The wines…

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…and seven middle-aged white guys…L to R…Ricard, Joe, David, Matthew, Andrey, Ed and YT

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Blind by itself my white wine this evening was a complete puzzle: quite neutral, a bit green-gold, a bit citrussy, decent length, a pleasant and probably quite good value piece of competent hack work. Alsace pinot blanc or even sylvaner from a reputable domaine? But then when taken with a mouthful of an exceptionally umami-rich dish of white asparagus cooked in almond milk (yields a wonderfully clean and direct flavour), morel stuffed with chicken mousse, miso hollandaise, chicken jus, blood orange gel, creamy semillon notes came through in force: it’s unmistakably a white Bordeaux blend. But not Bordeaux. Haven’t a clue. South Africa? C- (me), probably 96+ points (critics).

It was Aile d’Argent 2015. Hmm

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Impressed by the Carl Loewen Maximin Herrenberg 1896 grey label this week, I opened a Carl Loewen Thörnicher Ritsch Auslese 2013 bought direct from the domaine. This is again a lively wine with a breadth and forcefulness that is different from say F Haag and Prüm Auslesen. Very good length with a deep seam of acidity beneath the richness. Still tasting young, but the colour has deepened a little. Not a village you come across often. Very good indeed.
 
Dinner at my sister's last night, so two bottles of fizz - Taittinger NV & Chevrot Rosé Cremant NV - both decent enough; a tedious Hartenberg Cab Sauv/Shiraz '19, which brightened up with the last glass.
The highlight
  • 2020 Corte Allodola Recioto di Soave - Italy, Veneto, Recioto di Soave (06/02/2025)
    In tip-top condition, a nutty edge, refreshing acidity, good attack to the finish. No rush needed (90 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker 5/6
Sourced from Lidl discounted by 1/3 a few years ago. It's been a roller-coaster experience but last night was best bottle to date.
 
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  • 2021 Artemis Karamolegos Assyrtiko The Society's Exhibition Santorini - Greece, Aegean, Cyclades, Santorini (07/02/2025)
    Can you drink wine from this grape variety without thinking of Ivor the Engine? No - me neither. Lovely acidity with some breadth behind it - K said "hints of sherry" which I didn't quite get but I think I see what she means. Absolutely cracking value at this price, and was just the ticket for a couple of glasses with grilled salmon and hollandaise.
Posted from CellarTracker
 
Vouvray La Fourcine, Auguste Bonhomme 2022 was everything it needed to be to try and tame a satay sauce. Very vibrant apple, pear and peach with just the right sweetness to appeal to all in the room. Very good value at £14.

Lallement - Brut Tradition NV (2020) was a bit of a let down. A bottle at Christmas had been energetic and vibrant but this was tired, flat (in both senses) and a touch oxidised leading to a bitter finish. Faulty? Maybe but certainly not undrinkable, just much less good than before.
 
Richard Zambuni said:
Impressed by the Carl Loewen Maximin Herrenberg 1896 grey label this week, I opened a Carl Loewen Thörnicher Ritsch Auslese 2013 bought direct from the domaine. This is again a lively wine with a breadth and forcefulness that is different from say F Haag and Prüm Auslesen. Very good length with a deep seam of acidity beneath the richness. Still tasting young, but the colour has deepened a little. Not a village you come across often. Very good indeed.
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At the most recent Oxford get together we had three 2003 Carl Loewen wines from Laurentiuslay; the Auslese, Beerenauslese and Eiswein. All were good with opinion divided amongst the throng as to the best - this largely came down to personal taste. They certainly showed the ripeness of the vintage with a beautiful old gold colour and were drinking well.
A producer that I very much like and is still affordable, the 2023 Thörnicher Ritsch 'Im Schneidersberg' Riesling Kabinett hammered at €20 a bottle at this year's VDP auctions.
 
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