A dinner at D.L.'s 31/05/2008 (TNB)

• Champagne 1989 (Gosset) Mushrooms, lakewater - completely evolved and really rather fine.
• Gewurztraminer Reserve Rolly Gassmann 1983 (Rolly Gassmann) Smoky rose-petals, very gently and quite dry. Lovely. Top
• Chambolle Musigny 1er cru Les Cras 1997 (Roumier) Charming, a touch mineral but also quite light and a little shorter oon the palate than one might hope.
• Echezeaux 1996 (Lamarche) Very bright, flavory, high-acid (as with many wines in this vintage) and with good tannins. Developing nicely.
• Pommard 1er cru Epenots 1986 (Comte Armand) Odd, somewhat oxidised, not really a nice drink.
• Pommard 1er cru Epenots 1985 (Comte Armand) Smoky fruit, gentle yet quite meaty fruit. In really nice condition. Bare
• Barolo Bussia 1967 (Luigi Mascarello) Great condition: pure, mineral and fragrant. Bare
• Ridge Montebello 1985 Corked.
• York Creek Zinfandel 1985 (Ridge) Gorgeous fresh brambly fruit with hints of underbrush and damp earth. Nice balance even with the touch of sweetnes. Seems still youthful. Top
• Bandol Cabassaou 1990 (Tempier) Slightly tainted.
• Maximin Grunhaus Abtsberg Auslese Fuder 88 1983 (von Schubert) Top class mature Riesling, complex long and comletely fresh. Top

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Wine group at J.M's 26/05/2008 (TNB)

Interesting to taste a flight of Lynch-Bages. The wines are very good but seem lacking in the minerality and precision I would hope for in (say) a second growth. I am not sure that the classification system greatly under-rates this property, as many seem to claim.

• Sauvignon de St Bris 2006 (La Chablisienne) Seems rather thin at first but there is some intensity. Quite sharp. Overall, this seems a bit dull.
• Bourgogne Aligote 2004 (H. Lignier) Toffee nose at first, quite intene, high acid, lemony. Needs food really.
• Chablis 1er cru Butteaux 2000 (Raveneau) Intense, round and mouthfilling. This seems a bit one-dimensional at present but I guess it will develop.
• Chablis 1er cru Montee de Tonnerre 2000 (Raveneau) This seems rather lighter than the Butteaux and higher-toned. Again, pretty good. Bare
• Chablis 1er cru Butteaux 2002 (Raveneau) Great balance, intense all through the palate, rich and long. Will develop but already rather lovely. Top
• Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru Chaumees 1996 (Colin-Deleger) On the edge of the pox - drinkable currently but dubious.
• Chassagne Montachet 1er cru Caillerets 1996 (Morey-Coffinet) Very lovely - complex, slightly vegetal fruit. Showing really well. Top
• Chateau Lynch Bages 1990 Smoky fruit, berryish - seems quite Merlot-influenced. The fruit a bit coarse-grained and not terribly well-focussed - a feature of all the wines in this flight. I prefer my Claret a bit more intellectual, but this is good stuff.
• Chateau Lynch Bages 1986 Smoky berry fruit again, but this wine is still a touch hard and slightly bitter on the finish. Rather good. Top
• Chateau Lynch Bages 1982 Quite balanced, ripe and round. This has lost the showy fruit it had in its youth (for which I think I am grateful). Good density. Bare
• Chateau Lynch Bages 1970 Slightly edgy and a touch volatile. There might be better bottles of this although some admired this bottle more than I did. Good, and hints that a better bottle might be excellent. Top
• Vouvray Le Haut Lieu Sec 1957 (Huet) Lemony, dry, the indifferent vintage showing in that it lacks the extra dimensions a great wine of this age might have. Quite demanding, but it repays the attention. Goes quite well with the cheese.
• Rieussec 1990 Pretty barley-sugar fruit, bags of botrytis, a bit blowzy in the way the wines of this property often seem to be. Top
• Smith Woodhouse 1980 Intense raspberry fruit, dense colour, excellent (as so many 1980's are). Seems a bit out of balance currently towards the finish. Excellent though -
• Grahams 1977 Lighter, less assertive, quite aniseedy. One hopes for more from this wine, and indeed a bottle from a different source last November was distinctly better.
• Champagne Perle NV (Lilbert) A great refresher: lemony, dry, elegant, but with the intensity to drink after Port. Top

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24/05/2008 (TNB)

• Chambolle Musigny 1er cru Gruenchers 1998 (Fourrier) Drinking very nicely, this 98 at least is losing its hardness (I assume like most of the vintage it was a bit uncompromising a few years ago). The nature of the fruit reminds me of 1993 a little (quite dark, yet precise) although not quite of the quality that vintage gives. Bare
• Maximin Grunhaus Abtsberg 1988 Spatlese (von Schubert) This seems pretty much mature with an attractive sour apple streak running through the fruit. Very nice. Top

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From the cellar recently 16/05/2008 (TNB)

• Meursault Les Meix Chavaux 2002 (Roulot) In some ways, not a remarkable wine - not so terribly complex in particular. Yet this is so completely harmonious that one always wants an extra glass. There's a sense of easy balance that one tends to have to pay serious money for. Starting to drink nicely. Top
• Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia 1997 (Felsina Berardenga) Substantial wine, juicy like all the best Chianti yet with serious depth. One of my favourite Chiantis although I do question the sort of prices now asked. Like many 97's it is relatively forward.
• Beaunce 1er cru Greves 1997 (Lafarge) Lafarge is never easy drinking. This is light-coloured and still quite tannic, a touch hard, but I think it has the fruit to develop further. Good already in its slightly challenging way. and rising to the top of the range.

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09/05/2008 (TNB)

• Piemonte Moscato Frizzante 2006 (Cantine Volpi) Fresh, grapey fruit, gentle fizz, off-dry. A very nice example of the style.

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03/05/2008 (TNB)

• Champagne Cramant Grand Cru Perle NV (Lilbert) What was once "Cremant de Cramant", beautiful tiny bubbles a bit less fizzy than standard Champers. This is lemony and restrained. Quite dry and very elegant, unassertive but with a good depth and a touch of minerality. Will probably still improve. Top - maybe more

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