Sponteneity and Serendipity

We went out with the Chairman out for a spontaneous, quiet dinner. In some ways, a first public outing at a noted eating house, and it turned out to be one of those delightful serendipitous evenings where we met old friends and made new, and some remarkable bottles tasted.

First a catch up with the new Lady Chairman, sharing a Veuve Clicquot Rose NV, clean, fresh and with a subtle floral beauty like the Lady Chairman (and SWMBO, of course), but not overstated. It got us in the mood with fun and laughter. The Lady Chairman had a catch a flight, so missed the rest of the night with us.

At the restaurant, waiting to decide what to eat, a Lustau 'Papirusa' Manzanilla got the saliva glands into life, quite a task after two months of radiation zapping. But it was cold, crisp, salty and tangy, but not quite long on the palate to make it a star in its own right. But a successful start. We brought a couple of old bottles, which the young sommelier thought he'd tell some other diners who had brought a couple of old and interesting bottles along too. So began a swap fest.

Rumble Tumble Alex was celebrating his birthday and his 1986 Ch. Margaux was the wine of the night. Fresh, youthful, tight, elegant, dark fruited with archetype perfumes, but masses of depth and length. This could live decades, with its fresh outlook. It knocked the spots off our 1989 Ch. Cos d'Estournel St Estephe, which if served on its own would have been a silky smooth lush star, that developed funky nuances throughout the evening. Thank goodness our 1988 Jaboulet Hermitage 'La Chapelle' was the second best wine of the night. Still sweet with juicy fruit. More meaty, savoury and complex than varietal purity - exactly what Hermitage is all about. It was good with the Chicken, Duck and Steak dishes we ordered. Amazingly versatile.

Then came an odd assortment of reds that were a tier down in delivery. A 1997 Borgogno Barolo was drying and savoury. Interesting complex flavours, but the grip was a bit too much. The 2003 Faively Nuits-St-Georges 1er Porets was over-extractive. Some can handle this style of Burgundy, probably needing time - decades maybe, but too hard to enjoy for us. And then a modernist 2003 Isole e Olena Syrah, pepper and florals, international and non-individual, though pleasant.

To cap the night off, we had five Framingham sweet wines, all 2008 vintage. Riesling Auslese #1, huge botrytis on nose, with elegant weight. Then Auslese #2 dumb and flat on the nose, but with good weight. It may have been opened a bit long and seen too much air. Auslese #3, gloriously rich with botrytis and exotic sweetness and complexing positive volatility. It was my third wine of the night. The Botrytised Viognier surprisingly varietal, but a round, full number that could have done with a little more zest, and finally the SGN Gewurztraminer, again with varietal character, but flatter on palate. A fantastic comparison of what Dr Andrew Hedley, the winemaker has a passion for.

For me, the arrival of the Chairman was a starter signal to begin tasting and drinking again. The two days were a true palate workout, quite unexpected - spontaneous and serendipitous. I think I'm on the road to recovery, and will regain much of my palate. And what was pleasing was that all of us were pretty much in agreement. Long live the Chairman!