Well if I look this good when I actually turn 50 I’ll be happy...
anyhow,
a great day out of the office. As is only right and proper, a stroll up chiswick high road resulted in an encounter with several other professional wimps who realise the benefit of a pre-prandial pint. Sean did his best to make sure we arrived smelling like a brewery but managed to save the majority of the beer in the glasses.
then I had to resist starting a conga outside as we all dutifully distanced on the way in.
Once inside it was just like actual ‘normal life’ (yes I realise that having these events as a regular thing in my life might not be normal for everyone but we all have our vices).
a table full of glasses, surrounded by people wearing assorted wallpaper patterns in the guise of shirts. Alistair’s Olympic wrestler was a highlight.
The food is covered by the photos above - as good as it looks.
the service was impeccable as always, lots of other people in the restaurant too so extra kudos to team trompette.
now the wines...
dom Perignon 98.
On the return I wanted to share a really good champagne. This was exactly that but as it was mine I’ll leave a note to whoever would care to write one.
domaine ganevat 2016.
100% Chardonnay from the Jura and a new producer to me. A great expression of the grape that was beautifully handled, I think even better with more age but it was superb with the scallop dish
ar.pe.pe valtellina 2011 magnum.
On paper tge best producer from this region and in person a deserved reputation. This was just so easy to drink. Fun wine - light on its feet without being watery, very clean and fresh red fruit but with enough of a spicy finish to carry it through. Again excellent with the sardine/bouillabaisse pasta dish
Tondonia blanco 1971
my other offering so again I won’t comment other than to say that I don’t think it was friends with the sardine dish - yes if simply grilled or bbq style but the food either side suited this better
chrysiea 2005
a Douro red that shows you why you don’t need to add brandy. Yes big and full fruited and a little new world in style but delicious. Rich and ripe fruit here, exuberant stuff which matched the pork dish way better than I thought it would
mascarello mon privato 2009
barolo shouldn’t look, smell or taste like this. Why? Because a bit like the portugese red I really don’t need yet another region to develop a habit for. Light in colour yet full of vigour it has a tannic structure at odds with what we all ‘know’ about barolo and hence is very drinkable already.
borgogno barolo 1971
for clarity, Nayan is a 71 vintage not me and he brought this monolithic beast with him which he’d been gifted. Alex and ian both noted the colour in the decanter. Lined up next to the others it was the darkest (here on the right
the nose was a great mix of ‘slightly old wine’ and ‘tar and liquorice trying to escape’ but the palate was as fresh as you like. Proper old school barolo but seemingly supercharged. Lots of extraction here and I wonder if another bottle might not be a very different and far less enjoyable beast.
with dessert we had to fall back on reserves which involved a prum which I’m afraid I didn’t catch the vintage or vineyard of but which I enjoyed very much, if perhaps a touch swiftly.
then the finisher - Nayan’s 1971 px. Looks like engine oil, same viscosity. Smells a bit like it too but also has fig, raisin, clove, nuts, liquorice again. Tastes like all of the above with added molasses. I couldn’t drink a bottle!
huge thanks to team Trompette for such great service, the Don for his legendary organisation skills and my table mates for such erudite company and generous wine choices.
my apologies for an earlier than usual exit from the Italian job, but it turned out to be a good idea as Noah’s flood fell from the skies just as I got back and started leaking in through the kitchen extractor hood!
