Festive Drinking 2023

[nac]

A slightly later start this year, but once again what have we drunk, are drinking, or planning to drink during this period of vinious excess?

I'll kick off with the (quite long) annual lunch I have with a few ex work colleagues.
Sitting in the Wine Library at 67 Pall Mall last Saturday (9th Dec) we had:
- magnums of La Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva 2005 & Vina Tondonia Reserva 2006 (both showed really well)
- a couple of bottles of Spanish red off the list
- Noval 85, Gould Campbell 85, and Graham 60 (which was particularly lovely)
- halves of Climens, Rieussec, Suduiraut, and Bastor Lamontagne 07
- and a 50cl of Conde De Los Andes Blanco Semidulce 2003 (a very interesting and quite rare sweet white Rioja)

A pretty decent start to the festivities.

[Doggett]

Very nice indeed… I don’t suppose the Tondonia was a Blanco? That would have been an especially nice wine to start your festive drinking!

[nac]

Very nice indeed… I don’t suppose the Tondonia was a Blanco? That would have been an especially nice wine to start your festive drinking!

Tinto.

[nac]

Last night, Tignanello 2009 - excellent but far from ready.
Tonight, Domaine Huet "Le Haut-Lieu" Vouvray Sec 2017 - mixture of freshness and starting to show interesting signs of maturity; unfortunately evaporated soon after opening.

[winesecretary]

J-P Fichet Bourgogne Blanc Vielles Vignes 2020 - like Bourgogne Blanc used to be, taut and yet floral, absolutely splendid with a curry
Collard-Picard, Essentiel, Zero Dosage 2012 - perfect with some halibut at 64 Goodge Street but do not keep, old gold mushroomy wine with a gentle mousse that is fully mature
Egly Ouriet Brut Rose NV (2016 base) - tighter than a gnat's backside, like drinking face powder with a slight dusting of dried apple skin, leave for a decade
Warre 1970

[rich_n]

Just cracked a bottle of Dow Quinta Senhora da Ribeira 2001 to enjoy over the next few days at my parents' place in the run up to Christmas. Even just post-decant it's rather enjoyable and open!

[Alex M]

For Christmas Day/NYE:

Bollinger NV
Ch Montrose 2004
Rieussec 1986
Smith Woodhouse 1970

[mcoulson]

For Christmas Day/NYE:

Bollinger NV
Ch Montrose 2004
Rieussec 1986
Smith Woodhouse 1970

Sm70 should be great ... I have some of them ....

[Bertie3000]

We have actually had our 2 main Christmas lunches already as we are heading overseas for Christmas and New Year:
Lunch 1:
Krug NV (c.2011) - very deep yellow colour, full nose and palate. Great way to start things off.
Tickeridge 2014 Classic Cuvee - not Krug but a very good English sparkling
Danbury Ridge - 2022 Chardonnay - pleasant
Danbury Ridge - 2022 Pinot Noir - I like England’s straight forward and fruity 2022 Pinots but this was not near the top for me (Gutter and Stars has been my favourite this year)
Noval 1950 - old and tired. Never got better, even after one or two days.
Croft 1994 - still seems so young; lots of blackberry and damson. Disappeared very quickly.

Lunch 2:
Louis Jadot Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières 2014 - very limey, plenty of acidity, worked really well with the food.
Grand Puy Lacoste 2005 - lovely time to be drinking this - still plenty of fruit but a touch of tertiary creeping in.
Noval 1927 - unknown 1927 bottled by D Sandeman that I assumed to be Taylor or Graham; this was a mid shoulder bottle but was just fabulous. Still incredibly youthful in colour with the dark fruits on the palate the dominant feature. I asked the family to predict the year based on colour and palate and no went older than 1970.

[flash_uk]

We have actually had our 2 main Christmas lunches already as we are heading overseas for Christmas and New Year:
Lunch 1:
Krug NV (c.2011) - very deep yellow colour, full nose and palate. Great way to start things off.
Tickeridge 2014 Classic Cuvee - not Krug but a very good English sparkling
Danbury Ridge - 2022 Chardonnay - pleasant
Danbury Ridge - 2022 Pinot Noir - I like England’s straight forward and fruity 2022 Pinots but this was not near the top for me (Gutter and Stars has been my favourite this year)
Noval 1950 - old and tired. Never got better, even after one or two days.
Croft 1994 - still seems so young; lots of blackberry and damson. Disappeared very quickly.

Lunch 2:
Louis Jadot Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières 2014 - very limey, plenty of acidity, worked really well with the food.
Grand Puy Lacoste 2005 - lovely time to be drinking this - still plenty of fruit but a touch of tertiary creeping in.
Noval 1927 - unknown 1927 bottled by D Sandeman that I assumed to be Taylor or Graham; this was a mid shoulder bottle but was just fabulous. Still incredibly youthful in colour with the dark fruits on the palate the dominant feature. I asked the family to predict the year based on colour and palate and no went older than 1970.

Nice drinking!

[nac]

The now almost traditional "Cliff" Xmas lunch and dinner took place on 19th with five attendees.

Lunch at Hawksmoor accompanied by:
Charles Heidsieck "Blanc des Millenaires" 1995 - still excellent, but now not going to improve and probably coming towards end of peak, drinking window
Climens 1967 - also excellent, but (unsurprisingly) not as good as the d'Yquem '67
Unknown red, believed Bordeaux 1920s - great colour and got better over a couple of hours
Gaja Barbaresco 1961 - very sadly past it
Biondi Santi Brunello "Il Greppo" 1970 (recorked and topped up 2007) - still OK but faded quickly, needs drinking up
Ausone 1990 - very very good
Quinta do Bom Retrio 1878 - very good
Unknown David Sandeman bottled 1908 VP - excellent

Dinner at 67 Pall Mall:
Yatterna 2001 - not right
Pichon Lalande 1981 - wasn't expecting much, but actually quite good and not overwhelmed by the...
Pichon Lalande 1982 that was excellent
La Mission Haut Brion 1962 - corked
La Mission Haut Brion 1978 - very good
Krohn Reserva Particular 1900 (bt 1944) - a truly wondrous thing
Krohn Reserva Particular 1834 (bt 1944) - excellent but preferred the 1900

Detailed tasting notes by AHB may appear at some point.

[rich_n]

This has been opened and after giving it a generous amount of time to air (there's no available decanter because I forgot to bring one or two with my and I'm with my parents) and using an aerator, this is absolutely fantastic!

[nac]

23/12 - Hyde de Villaine "Belle Cousine" 2009 - still plenty of primary fruit and structure; excellent now but will last for years

Planned
24/12 - Clos de Lambrays 2004 and starting a magnum of Croft 1975
25/12 - Smith Haut Lafite Blanc 2012, La Chapelle 1988, Rieussec 1997, and some more of the Croft 75

[Alex Bridgeman]

Christmas Eve drinking

RV63 and Ch Branaire 1985.jpg (147.49 KiB) Viewed 202498 times

This is what has been selected to be opened this evening.

[winesecretary]

Berthelot - Piot NV with fixing the hot water supply. Remarkably effervescent. Hot water supply fixed.

Burlotto Dolcetto 2020 with the Roquefort treviso and walnut salad. Worked.

Hermitage La Chapelle 1976 with the pheasant soup. The wine on a gentle downward slope but a truly fabulous farmyard nose to remind us what it is we missed by not drinking it in 2001.

[winesecretary]

Finishing the evening with (some of) a magnum of 1952 Roland Thevenin Marc de Bourgogne, bottled 1986. Now been open a couple of weeks. It has the most staggering sweet vinous intensity, the long time in wood giving it an almost olive oil quality.

[nac]

23/12 - Hyde de Villaine "Belle Cousine" 2009 - still plenty of primary fruit and structure; excellent now but will last for years

Planned
24/12 - Clos de Lambrays 2004 and starting a magnum of Croft 1975
25/12 - Smith Haut Lafite Blanc 2012, La Chapelle 1988, Rieussec 1997, and some more of the Croft 75

DP98 added for today.

[mcoulson]

Today I shall be drinking this, along with other stuff, with friends .... don't worry about the low level - this is because I had to 'test' it yesterday and the day before to see if it was any good - which it is .... In the mean time everybody have a happy Christmas and new year...

1985.jpeg (205.58 KiB) Viewed 202315 times

[winesecretary]

Chambertin Grand Cru Domaine Rossignol Trapet 2006. Majestic burgundy served with a Cote de Boeuf. Dark cherry notes and fine grained tannins. Singing.

[MigSU]

Burmester 1995. It was pretty good! Wouldn't wait too long to drink it, though, it's not one for the long haul.

[winesecretary]

Henri Giraud Hommage au Pinot Noir NV on fine red-fruited form. Seems to be a ‘thing’ in the US; for me the best sparkling Pinot Noir at the IPNC in Oregon this year; but in the UK available from Ocado. Go figure…

[nac]

Chambertin Grand Cru Domaine Rossignol Trapet 2006. Majestic burgundy served with a Cote de Boeuf. Dark cherry notes and fine grained tannins. Singing.

Excellent news.

[Christopher]

Warre 66
Taylor 55

[Alex Bridgeman]

The Chateau Branaire 1985 was wonderful, fully mature and delicious. The RV63 got swapped out for a Sainsbury Taste the Difference 2003 - which is a massive mouthful of fruit juice. It’s damn delicious, but also still a decade from showing secondary nuances.

[winesecretary]

Vosne Romanee 1er Cru aux Reignots 2014, Domaine Audiffred. Easy to fall in love with this sort of filigreed complexity in a Burgundy. Gained weight over an hour. A decade from peak. Happily first of six.