Goodbye dry January: weekend drinking 31 Jan-2 Feb

Nick Amis

Nick Amis

Location
London
Opened tonight to accompany pizza and a perusal of the TWS Rhone offer, from which this case (split with friends) was purchased six years ago:

2017 Moulin de la Gardette Gigondas La Cuvée Ventabren - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas (31/01/2025)
Such a friendly, charming wine; 'smooth' in the best sense of the word (it's destemmed and grown on sandy soil, which figures). Supple, succulent red and purple fruit, and some earth that helps ward off any concerning jamminess. There's some minerality on the midpalate, too. Felt totally ready, and I'm not sure there's much benefit from keeping my other bottle. (91 pts.)

And belated posting of last weekend's wines, which likewise were most enjoyable without blowing my socks off:

2018 Raul Pérez Bierzo Ultreia La Claudina - Spain, Castilla y León, Bierzo (25/01/2025)
Quite a deep yellow, and richer and more evolved than I had anticipated. Mouthfilling and salty preserved lemon tang, ripe yet well-sculpted, and pleasingly long. I'd gladly drink this again. (91 pts.)

2018 Foradori Teroldego Sgarzon Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT - Italy, Trentino Alto-Adige / Veneto, Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT (25/01/2025)
Dark, cool and mineral, though entirely in its window and approachable without any decant. Juicily concentrated and inky, even scorched, without weight or flab - it's a very silky wine. A nice change of pace, and lovely with some Middle Eastern-style lamb patties. (91 pts.)

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(we went Full Ottolenghi for dinner)

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I seem to have finished January as I started, with no wine at all. Having had no intention of abstaining whatever I don't think I've consumed a total of more than two bottles over the month. Abstention does seem to have a colossal lowering effect on blood pressure though I still hope for a surge in appetite.
 
A lovely lunch at Cornus yesterday. Food included a langoustine claw pasta and bisque sauce dish offering a refined take on a Medlar classic, persillade of snail and cep, duck with lentils, Medlaresque cheese and a chocolate marquis. All lovely with the usual relaxed, friendly and excellent service. Sadly, several trips in the lift revealed no crypto currency tips, and the room was devoid of braying trader types. Oh well. Maybe I was too busy taking pleasure from the excellent food, ambience and company. Oh yes, the wine wasn’t bad either:

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CORNUS - (31/01/2025)

  • 2008 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut - France, Champagne
    Pale to mid straw. Creamy lemon nose, a touch of reductive minerality. Bright and zippy attack. Some mid palate development but still nicely taut and mineral. Opens up after 45mins or so. Lovely. Not quite as open and giving as a bottle a year or so ago. ****1/2 (94 pts.)
  • 2008 Dom Pérignon Champagne - France, Champagne
    Pale to mid straw. Typically reductive nose. Nicely fresh. A little more richness here, cut through with lemon curd. Richer on the palate too. Opens nicely. Just starting. ****1/2 (94 pts.)
  • 2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut - France, Champagne
    Pale to mid straw, just a shade darker than the Comtes and DP alongside. A touch of richness on the nose starting to emerge from the freshness. Very poised on the attack. Mineral line and chalky elegance. Very fine. A youngster, but open for business with lots of pleasure to be had already. ***** (95 pts.)
  • 2008 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
    Dense ruby. Opened 5 hours in advance, double decanted four hours in advance and decanted 90 mins in advance. Quite tannic and taut when first opened, but beautifully resolved by the time it was poured. Gorgeously rich and giving. Nicely balanced. Just a hint of that Chave raspberry purity coming through against a backdrop of meaty mixed red fruit. Good line and fresh finish. Lovely. Good to go with a suitable decant. ****1/2 (94 pts.)
  • 2011 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
    Dense ruby. Just a little fuller than the Chave which might just be the result of not being decanted ahead of travel. Dark fruit, nicely savoury. Still some bite. Not quite at the maturing rendered bacon fat stage. There’s still some upside here. **** (93 pts.)
  • 2009 Château Rieussec - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
    Mid gold. Saffron and light barley sugar nose. A touch of crème brûlée too. Well managed botrytis making it nicely sweet without a medicinal twang. Energy and line. Lovely. **** (93 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker

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after reading about all the cote-rotie's being drunk, I thought I'd open this which was recently taken out of storage. I'm not Ogier's biggest fan anymore due to the oak usage, but thought a 2004 would hopefully have shed that by now. It's drinking pretty well, but the fruit is fading as you'd imagine but doesn't really have enough substance to develop all those tertiary elements I'm looking for. It still has some structure though, and is balanced, so perfectly enjoyable if not classic CR.
 
After a Hundred Hills Rosé de Saignée 2018 (interesting shade of nightclub lipstick pink, rosehip and strawberry juice, firm, trenchant acidity, B-) off the list at La Trompette to round off a mostly (qv) very enjoyable WIMPS, I stayed English for evening sharpener, Rowton Solaris 2022.

A curious spectrum of cheap hotel breakfast flavours here, smoked bacon grease, bottled grapefruit juice and a dash of baked beans. C. Still, it was gentler than the ESW and refreshing enough after the afternoon assault of no fewer than five strapping ocker shiraz in the one flight. I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take this any more, to coin a phrase

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PS check out the difference between these two Grosset Polish Hill, 1998 (cork) and 2002 (Stelvin). Actually the 98 was in a lot better nick than you might expect and the 02 has a decent chance of outliving the cockroaches

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  • 2017 Matthiasson Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley - USA, California, Napa Valley (31/1/2025)
    Initially very red-fruited and lean, liked the restraint but unfortunately became more modernist with air. Too sweet and candied with menthol and vanilla notes after some time. Needs more time, but appreciate the low ABV. EDIT: Second day showing much better and more like when it was popped and poured; the distracting woody and liquorice notes dissipated to reveal lovely silky red fruit that isn't normally present in Cabs. (92 pts.)
  • NV Guiborat Fils Champagne Grand Cru Téthys.18 Extra Brut - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (31/1/2025)
    100% Chardonnay assembled from Chouilly, Cramant and Oiry. Blend of 80% 2018, 20% reserve wines from the previous three vintages. Disgorged February 2021, 1.5 g/l dosage. Fantastic, exuberant nose of green apples, vibrant and ripe citrus fruit on the palate. Fantastic verve and freshness. Very well-balanced, and another winner from Guiborat. (92 pts.)
  • 2018 Aurélien Chatagnier St. Joseph La Sybarite - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (31/1/2025)
    Bacon fat on the nose, initially quite syrupy with alcohol burn on the palate but became more classic and restrained with air. Not as elegant or red-fruited as his other wines that I've tried. (89 pts.)

 
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A delicious Grivot 2011 Bourgogne blanc, does not taste at all like a Cote de Beaune, nice golden colour ...and is "slightly" oxidised (alla Jura),... not in an unpleasant way (and did very well in the sauce) but still.... went very well with the superb scallops with black truffle... as did the old goat cheese with truffle. Truffles mid-end January are really something...
 
Nick Amis said:
2018 Foradori Teroldego Sgarzon Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT - Italy, Trentino Alto-Adige / Veneto, Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT (25/01/2025)
Dark, cool and mineral, though entirely in its window and approachable without any decant. Juicily concentrated and inky, even scorched, without weight or flab - it's a very silky wine. A nice change of pace, and lovely with some Middle Eastern-style lamb patties. (91 pts.)
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Timely note as we have just arrived for a week in Val Gardena and Foradori on the hit list! Anyone got any Alto Adige reccos - not an area I am overly familiar with.
 
Mark Carrington said:
Look no further.
Do not pass Go do not collect €200.
Saying that, keep an eye for Tiefenbrunner Müller-Thurgau Alto Adige - Südtirol Feldmarschall von Fenner. It’s the best M-T in the world.
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I owe my knowledge of them to a generous Italian customer who ordered several bottles of their Gewurz at a casual team dinner a couple of years back. Lovely wines, and I do love the Italians - they're so pleasant to work with.
 
This Brovia 2004 Barolo Rocche was excellent - realistically it’s only just turning the drinking corner - nicely silky texture with sour fruit crunch and peppery strawberries on the palate while the nose has typical very fragrant lifted florals plus the beginnings of sous-bois, brioche and orange peel. Plenty of peppery red and black fruit on the nose too. Really well made, just starting to drink well but lots more to come here.
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While not really taking notes, I thought it worth mentioning two relatively modest Jadot whites drunk on Friday. A Marsannay blanc Maison Louis Jadot 2013 was very much in the drinking window having softened and blossomed on the mid-palate. This has a fabulous lemon oil nose with mature, deep yellow stone fruit. The length is good, but when we came back to this with the cheese, it did seem to tail off a touch at the finish in comparison to the Marsannay blanc Domaine Louis Jadot 2018. This was a similarly lovely wine with a nose that resembled the 2013 but with just a touch more (classy and well judged) oak evident on the nose and palate. Fresh and lively on the palate and very complete for what it is. As we observed at the time, these are the antithesis of the PYCM style - vive la différence. They are broad and bold, with a good lashing of Chassagne style fruit and in no way reductive. It's good to be able to drink this style of wine again after so many years of Jadot being out in the wilderness with premox everywhere you turned. The domaine bottling of Marsannay blanc seems to be a recent acquisition as far as one can tell.
 
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This cleaned the drain. Oxidised with a whiff of baby vomit. Not the worst old White Burgundy ever, it smelt very much like a poor but maybe palatable sherry but wasn’t very palatable. I left it open in the fridge … and guess what?
No miraculous lightening, just worst oxidation. Ergo the only worth in this was a empty glass bottle in the recycling bin.

So instead:

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A very nice wine from Bollinger, focused on Pinot Noir from Verzenay. The base year is 2019 but that is blended with reserve wines back to 2009. The balance is good … not too heavy. Dry but not austere. Very broachable now, but a wine I would be intrigued to age: it’s almost a more drinkable, lighter VVF at a tiny fraction of the price and not that far behind in terms of quality.
 
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Had an old friend who's a huge Musar fan staying, so decanted these to drink with a lovely home made Shepherd's pie. The 2001 Pichon Baron was utterly delicious, ripe black fruit dusted with graphite and a touch of soot. Absolutely open for business. Sadly the 2001 Musar was oxidised - not undrinkable, just tired and not at all like Musar should be. As a result I only had 2 or 3 glasses of wine with dinner and slept like a top.
 
Shame about the Musar. Early bottles were variable but the late-release (post 2018) have been pristine. My most recent bottle opened 18 months ago. Seems sensible to revisit in the near future.
 
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BWC 2013 AND 2018 BURGUNDY PAIRS DINNER - Petts Wood (31/01/2025)

Great chance to compare a more classical and a slightly more solar vintage with three pairs (more were on hand but some absentees meant these were held back for a follow up tasting)

The Whites
  • 2013 Louis Jadot Marsannay Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Marsannay
    A touch of reduction on pouring, some lime oil and just had touch of mandarin segment with air. Palate has lovely zip and concentration. Lovely comparison with the 2018 this is served with, no substantial differences bar the extra age which, I think, just sways me. Happy to have both of these in the cellar. (91 pts.)
  • 2018 Louis Jadot Marsannay Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Marsannay
    A little more in the grapefruit spectrum than the 2013 this is served with. Some hints of chicken roasting juice and some lemon cordial. Palate is composed, long and mouthcoating. Lovely acids and a touch grippier than the 2013. Both these punching above their weight and with time in hand. (90 pts.)
Morey
  • 2013 Domaine Stephane Magnien Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Cuvée Aux Petites Noix - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru
    Tarter fruits here compared with the 2018. Some redcurrants, also some plum flesh and with half an hour in the glass even a faint hint of cassis. There is some umami cèpe interest that I love as it breathes in the glass. Palate is balanced and has a savoury core and lovely acids. Around this core just a hint of chocolate ice. Very hard to separate from the the 2018 think the additional richness of that wine just shades it for me. The only 2018 I prefer on the night. Both lovely. (91 pts.)
  • 2018 Domaine Stephane Magnien Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Cuvée Aux Petites Noix - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru
    Lovely nose with lots going on here, Maraschino cherry compote, some roasted chestnuts and with half an hour in the glass just a touch of strawberry shortcake. Palate also in great shape; some ripe plums, a hint of cherry sorbet, lovely acids and real substance. Touch of creaminess too. Final sip after the bottle had been open a couple of hours and there is just a suggestion of Black Forest Gateaux of yore. Really hard to decide whether I prefer this to the 2013 that it's served with, I think I do but only just. Both great wines (92 pts.)
Vosne
  • 2013 Mongeard-Mugneret Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Orveaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
    Sexy rich nose with some grated dark milk chocolate, venison carpaccio, strawberry bonbon and cranberry fool all vying for your attention. Palate also on the cranberries with some evolving forest floor tertiary notes emerging with air. This is right up my Straße (92 pts.)
  • 2018 Mongeard-Mugneret Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru En Orveaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
    More immediately red fruited on the nose than the 2013 this is served with. There is a touch of volatility on pouring and some tropical almost Malibu notes. These fade with time in the glass and a raspberry fool creaminess begins to emerge. Some Christmas cake and damson jam too. Palate has good acids and some hints of rosehip as well as a certain crème de fraise lift. The MM wines are generally a little bigger than the Stéphane Magnien wines and in 2018 (and 2020) that can flirt with being too much of a good thing. Slightly prefer the 2013 this is served with although this definitely remained the right side side of the ripeness / booziness line and was very enjoyable. (91 pts.)
Fabulous Brucey Bonus
  • 2003 Domaine Louis Boillot et Fils Echezeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
    Lovely bonus wine at the end of the evening, from a Eurocave but as it warmed up and breathed it really shone. Nose is multi layered and complex with some hung steak, iodine, Tizer, incense and cranberry coulis notes. Air really help this and there's a certain pastel de nata creaminess with cinnamon and a touch of char. Palate has really grand cru texture and presence. More rich red fruits caress the palate with beautifully fine tannins and acids that are absolutely à point. Some tomato leaf greenness adds to the complexity. What a wine. (94 pts.)

Overall slight preference for the older vintage although some of hype about 2018 being a bit overripe was not in evidence in the wines we tried. Cracking idea for a tasting.

Posted from CellarTracker
 
Simon Grant said:
A lovely lunch at Cornus yesterday. Food included a langoustine claw pasta and bisque sauce dish offering a refined take on a Medlar classic, persillade of snail and cep, duck with lentils, Medlaresque cheese and a chocolate marquis. All lovely with the usual relaxed, friendly and excellent service. Sadly, several trips in the lift revealed no crypto currency tips, and the room was devoid of braying trader types. Oh well. Maybe I was too busy taking pleasure from the excellent food, ambience and company. Oh yes, the wine wasn’t bad either:

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CORNUS - (31/01/2025)

  • 2008 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut - France, Champagne
    Pale to mid straw. Creamy lemon nose, a touch of reductive minerality. Bright and zippy attack. Some mid palate development but still nicely taut and mineral. Opens up after 45mins or so. Lovely. Not quite as open and giving as a bottle a year or so ago. ****1/2 (94 pts.)
  • 2008 Dom Pérignon Champagne - France, Champagne
    Pale to mid straw. Typically reductive nose. Nicely fresh. A little more richness here, cut through with lemon curd. Richer on the palate too. Opens nicely. Just starting. ****1/2 (94 pts.)
  • 2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut - France, Champagne
    Pale to mid straw, just a shade darker than the Comtes and DP alongside. A touch of richness on the nose starting to emerge from the freshness. Very poised on the attack. Mineral line and chalky elegance. Very fine. A youngster, but open for business with lots of pleasure to be had already. ***** (95 pts.)
  • 2008 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
    Dense ruby. Opened 5 hours in advance, double decanted four hours in advance and decanted 90 mins in advance. Quite tannic and taut when first opened, but beautifully resolved by the time it was poured. Gorgeously rich and giving. Nicely balanced. Just a hint of that Chave raspberry purity coming through against a backdrop of meaty mixed red fruit. Good line and fresh finish. Lovely. Good to go with a suitable decant. ****1/2 (94 pts.)
  • 2011 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
    Dense ruby. Just a little fuller than the Chave which might just be the result of not being decanted ahead of travel. Dark fruit, nicely savoury. Still some bite. Not quite at the maturing rendered bacon fat stage. There’s still some upside here. **** (93 pts.)
  • 2009 Château Rieussec - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
    Mid gold. Saffron and light barley sugar nose. A touch of crème brûlée too. Well managed botrytis making it nicely sweet without a medicinal twang. Energy and line. Lovely. **** (93 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker

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We visited for the first time yesterday lunchtime and had a very jolly lunch. Had similar dishes to you Simon from the good value set lunch menu and because I’m greedy added the snails as an extra starter and had both puddings that were offered! I did enjoy the food, especially the langoustine claw ravioli but even with the extra courses I did want slightly bigger portions. They felt a bit like tasting menu size dishes. Would happily return as the food and service were great but would probably go for the full tasting menu.

The wine gods smiled on us as both our bottles were in a lovely place. Good lively fruit but showing good development. I was especially pleased the 2010 Fenocchio showed well as I still have 4 bottles left from a 6 pack that cost £11.50 en primeur! Will be drinking them over the next year or so. I don’t think there is a rush but on the evidence of this bottle they’re too delicious to resist.

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Younghwa had the seabass tartare which was a very generous portion

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