Meeting No: 41

Date: August 20th, 2009.

Theme: Vosne Romanee, Grand Cru; Chablis, Grand Cru.

Present: Sir Phillip of Travelle; Sir David of Cirro, Sir Samuel of Pontifico, Sir Leon of Romanee, Sir Russell of Epicure, Sir Peter of Heathcote, Sir Ralph of Plenty, Sir Colin of Chambers, Sir Phillip of Oporto; Sir Peter of Malay; Sir Paul of Rousseau, Sir Philip of Politico.

Food:

First Course – Steamed spanner crab raviolo, stir-fried gingered wombok, crab bisque cream sauce.
Second Course – Chinese roasted Western Plains suckling pig, shitake mushrooms and snake beans with oyster sauce.
Third Course – Seared Japanese citrus peppered venison loin, pan-fried rice noodle filled with eggplant and smoky baba ghanoush, soya bean salad.
Fourth Course – Granny Smith apple ‘cinnamon doughnut’, rhubarb sorbet.

Marvelous food again, the first three courses I thought sensational. Many applauded the match of the crab ravioli with the Chablis, and some said the venison was the best they had ever eaten. Bravo Brendon!

Wines:
(In addition to the group ranking, I give the highest and lowest ranking the wine achieved, together with those who ranked it as such; you get some idea of how much we can differ in our appreciation. I also give the total ranking points after the overall ranking)

NV Leclerc Briant Les Clos de Champions Premier Cru Brut Champagne (CL): Some colour. Nose rich, trace meaty, sweetish. Palate very rich, good mouthful, quite dry belying the nose, good aftertaste. A wine for food a couple of us thought, but others saw it as an aperitif. Not ranked;

1. 1998 Chablis Valmur (Brocard) (CL): Some colour. Nose fine, showing some typical White Burgundy development. Palate rich and structured with good acidity and aftertaste. Good wine, drinking well. Ranked 9th (86). High – 2nd (LC); Low – 13th (RC);


2. 2002 Chablis Grenouille (Droin) (RC): Bright, a little colour. Nose austere, chalky, minerally. Palate rich with fine acidity and long aftertaste. Typically Chablis, and perhaps more Premier Cru than Grand Cru in style. Ranked 13th (149). High – 10th (RC); Low – 13th (PD, CL, PSe, RG, DB, PA, PM, PS)
3. 2002 Chablis Vaudesir (Droin) (RC): Lighter coloured. Nose fine with developed Burgundy overtones. Palate very rich with effusive acidity, weighty, long aftertaste. Top wine. Ranked 8th (84). High – 3rd (PM); Low – 11th (PS);

IC Wine. 1986 Batard Montrachet (Henri Clerc) (PSe): Very coloured. Nose sound but quite plain, lacking verve. Palate better, with good weight, acidity and aftertaste, but an unprepossessing wine. Not ranked;

4. 1995 Romanee St. Vivant (Confuron) (DB): Some colour. Nose fine, perfumed, restrained. Palate very attractive with good fruit-acidity and aftertaste. Very good wine which could profitably take more time. Ranked 10th (102). High – 4th (CL, LC); Low – 13th (PhS);
5. 2006 Grand Echezeaux (Sirugue) (PM): Bright, young colour, some purple. Nose fresh and young, attractive but unformed as yet. Palate big and rich, good fruit-acidity, tannic, still open. Will be splendid in about 15 years or so. Ranked 11th (121). High – 8th (RC, PM); Low – 12th (PD, SC);
6. 1994 Romanee St. Vivant (Dom. Thomas Moillard) (RG): Some colour. Good nose but not great. Palate better, rich, fine fruit-acidity, still quite tannic. Good wine but will get better. Ranked 12th (124). High – 7th (PS); Low – 13th LC, SC);
7. 1998 Echezeaux (Cacheux) (PD): Some colour. Nose fine and aromatic. Palate very rich, substantial, vinous, long, tannic, long aftertaste. Great wine which will get better. Ranked 5th (59). High – 1st (SC); Low – 11th (PM);
8. 2003 Echezeaux (Engel) (PhS): Trace colour. Nose fine, maybe showing development, some perfume. Palate soft and succulent, finely tannic. Lovely wine, elegant. Atypical for an ’03. Ranked 6th (78). High – 3rd (RG); Low – 10th (RC);
9. 1990 Echezeaux (JeanGrivot) (PA): Some colour. Nose very fine, very Vosne. Palate lovely, soft with good acidity, tannic on finish. Splendid wine. Ranked 1st (40). High – 1st (CL, LC, PSe, DB, PA, PS); Low – 10th (PD);
10. 1997 Echezeaux (Desauney Bissey) (SC): Some colour, lightish. Nose fine and pure. Palate medium-weight but with fine fruit-acidity, delicious. Very Vosne. Ranked 4th (56). High – 2nd (RC, PSe, DB, PM); Low – 9th (PA);
11. 1995 Echezeaux (Dominic Laurent) (SC): Quite coloured. Nose fine, developed, rich. Palate very rich and flavoursome, finely tannic. Drinking well but could take more time. Ranked 3rd (49). High – 1st (PD, RC, PS); Low – 12th (PSe);
12. 1998 Echezeaux (Girardin) (PSe): Trace colour. Nose fine, restrained. Palate delicious, fine but still quite tannic. Needs time. Ranked 7th (81). High – 3rd (PSe); Low – 11th (DB);
13. 2002 Richebourg (A.F. Gros) (PS): Trace colour, bright. Nose rich, profound, restrained. Palate very rich and long, finely tannic. Great wine which will need ages to be mature. Ranked 2nd (45). High – 1st (RG, PM, PhS); Low – 12th (PA);

1971 Kallstadler Steinocker Sierger Beerenauslese (Muller) (LC): Brown, yellow-green on edge. Nose biscuity, slightly sour, breathes up sweet. Palate rather plain, only slightly sweet, odd. Too old but probably was never a wine of distinction. Not ranked.
1976 Oppenheimer Kreuz Riesling Beerenauslese (?) (LC): Light brown, yellow on edge. Nose sound, sweet but lacks finesse. Palate sound but rather plain, lacks distinction. Not ranked.
Both these years were top years in Germany, but the vineyard is very important in determining quality, or at least it used to be. Wines from the great vineyards of Moselle and Rheingau should still be good.

NV Fine Boal Madeira (Henriques and Henriques) (LC): Brown, green on edge. Nose rich, molasses-like. Palate medium-sweet, abundant acidity, long aftertaste, good wine. Not ranked.

And last but not least, your assessment of your wine compared with the assessment of your wine by the rest. A plus sign means you think it’s better than others do; a minus sign means you think it’s not as good as others do. The numeral represents the number of ranks of difference. Thus:

PSe: +5
CL: +3
DB: +3
PM: +3
PD: +2
RC: +1.5
RG: 0
PA: 0
PS: -1
SC: -2
PhS: -2

That is all.