A Bash For Two Birthdays

We ambled down to one of our favourite eateries to meet up with O&E. There were two birthdays to celebrate and a few good bottles needed to be shared. O&E looked fab, and they were in good form. For openers, a 2002 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Rosé. Pretty to look at, but very substantial to drink. This surprised us all how dense and nearly unctuous this was in texture and weight. And as it warmed up, the autolysis amalgam just grew stronger. It was a very cold night, so the power and the body of the wine was a positive. It could have been a good food Champagne too.

Then with the entrée course, a 2007 Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio Sudtirol. A bit of a classic, as was the tier for this famous producer. Hinting at complex flintiness on the nose, it was clean and clear-cut, but with good textures and the subtle nuances mandatory for interest. And of course, it went with all the entrees from oysters to salmon and quail. The mains of pork belly, duck and beef had a 2002 Ch. Pichon-Lalande Pauillac to do the job. And it did, working with each dish without any conflict. The wine itself is tight and tidy, showing its vintage provenance. Archetype blackcurrant leaf notes, but with perfect elegant proportion. Fine drying tannins, and just enough fruit sweetness to let you know it could keep for another decade if need be. It will never be a blockbuster or show winner, but always a shy charmer.

We had a platter of cheese presented, and that was the cue for the 1996 Ch, Guiraud Sauternes and 1997 Ch, d’Yquem Sauternes to come out to the table. The former darker burnished gold, with forward caramel and lozenge aromas and flavours. Some phenolic dryness especially on the back palate suggested it will decline soon. Nevertheless a brassy Sauternes that still had good richness. The latter wine was a step up and backwards, as could be expected. Light golden in colour, this had a flashy, deep lanolin and waxy-marmalade and honey-packed nose lifted with VA and a hearty dose of new oak. The palate certainly fruity with youthful characters, the wine yet to become really complex and of interest. Yet the sheer class, richness and potential was all there. It’s a ripe, full and solid Yquem, and better because of its youth. I reckon it’ll be one of the better releases. But it sure delivered plenty for the two birthday people.