Food & Wine

The first featured an immensely enjoyable 2004 Blanc des Millenaires,refreshing ,fruity ,focused and elegant,a welcome prelude to the dinner that followed.

The first red served,decanted, was from the much vaunted 2010 vintage,Chateau Pape Clement.This was a bit reticent on the nose,but flush with dark fruits,opulent and full bodied on the palate with rich fruit,acidity balance, supple but non intrusive tannins---a work in progress which will certainly develop into a great wine down the road,enjoyable now,but way off its peak!

My favourite was the '98 Chateau Haut Bailly,fragrant nose of dark fruits and hints of cedar,mid-body palate of ample fruit balanced with secondary notes of leather and spice,with no discernable tannins and very good length---at its apogee and probably good for many years of enjoyment.

The second dinner ,a smaller group,had the 1985 Chateau Mouton Rothschild accompany the cuisine---an absolute delight.This fully mature claret ,with its bouquet of black fruits and some cigar notes,full bodied rich palate of fruits admixed with secondary flavours was as complete a Mouton i have tasted.I don't think it would get any better than now and in the short future,something to savour.

This certainly edged the 2002 Bollinger Grand Annee,one of my favourite champagnes,which was drinking beautifully like a developed wine.

The rest of the white burgundies,Puligny and Meursault were all very good,even in such company.

A very vinous but enjoyable weekend,and if i were to be sacrilegious,for me ,at this stage in time,the'98 Chateau Haut Bailly just tipped the '85 Mouton Rothschild.A pity that was my last bottle of the '98 Haut Bailly

Cheers!

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