Girls Night Out

It was a pleasure to have Granny Annie and The Cafe Gal call in for a catch up. It's that time if year of course, and you pull ot the stops and try to fit it all in, if you excuse the double mixed metaphors. SWMBO was in her element and it was laughs all-round.

Cold, smoked meats, olives and cheeses first. We polished off a part bottle of Lustau 'Single Cask' Dry Oloroso, deepish coloured, powerful and very dry, but with good acidity. Complexity plus with nuts and rancio. A real mouthful of flavour. A touch of alcohol burn on attack, but it was 20% after all. Then a fully mature 2001 Te Mata 'Elston' Chardonnay. Lovely, brilliant limpid golden hued yellow signalled its glory. Full, integrated stonefruit and mealy aromas and only the merest drying on palate. Remarkable freshness and acidity still showing. At the end of its plateau, and a superb drop of wine.

Then a favourite chicken dish, bacon, sun-dried tomatoes and mustard in creme fraiche on pasta. You could drink anything with it. We had two 2004 burgundies. Burgundies are girls, of course, being feminine. The L'Arlot Vosne-Romanee 'Suchots' was faded in colour, but fantastically aromatic and sweet in fruit. Opulent as the terroir provides. And not showing the cool, wet, unripe vintage notes. Gorgeous now. However, the Dujac Clos de la Roche, darker, tied up with sulphides, but still firm with black fruits, was backward and needing more time. In the glass, it shed the stinkiness, and revealed its greater structure and fruit density. It will always be imperfect, but it will be interesting, always.

Then a pairing of 1998 Hawke's Bay Right Bank style wines. The Sileni 'EV' Merlot/Cabernet was impenetrably dark black red and chock full of savoury, earthy berry aromas and flavours spoilt somewhat by the presence of brett. Not as bad as the last bottle we had tasted, and this bottle drinkable by way of its massive fruit hanging in. But starting to dry. In comparison, an Esk Valley 'Terraces' blend of one third each of Malbec, Merlot and Cab Franc was tight, shy, fresh and berryish. Clean as could be, and this opened up with air time. No hurry for this beauty.

A dish of summer fruits was the food finale. Wonderfully piquant and fresh. Out came an old girl, a 1982 Ch. Rieussec Sauternes. Golden in colour, and a beautifully elegant surprise. These 82s weren't as highly rated as the reds, but time has seen it put on flesh and harmonise. Barley sugar heaven. Lovely Semillon notes. Botrytis there, and oak way in the backround.

Must go out with the girls more often.