A couple of wines to see Fred off
Fred had to catch a plane so we saw him off with style. We started with a little wine, the Krug 1996. This is a huge wine, very Krug. That distinct clotted cream, preserved lemon and vanilla. In mouth, I found it lacking harmony at the moment, needing time. Natural for a wine just beginning its evolution. The acidity was very 1996. The finish, endless. Pairing it with food was quite a challenge. On foie gras, it was superb. Perhaps the best match. With pâtes, a bit of a disaster. I think another great match at the moment would be with Blinis Demidoff. The budget didn’t quite stretch to Beluga caviar though.
Next, a bottle of Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne 2004. A stunning nose, great Corton-Charlemagne character to it. The palate is a little hard at this stage, with oaky flavours and hard wood tannins on the finish. As the wine warmed up, the nose became dominated by oak too — great quality oak, but oak all the same. Shall be stunning when integrated, needs twenty years.
Then, a bottle of Bruno Clair Savigny-Les-Beaune La Dominode 2002. A Burgundian nose without being complex or even that interesting. The palate was a bit of a disaster, over extracted stemmy tannins gave a feel of under ripeness. Hard and unpleasant to my taste. C’est la vie.
Great, long night full of chatter about the wines of the last month.
