Spectrum Pre-(London)-Sale Dinner, Hong Kong, 2nd February 2011

Tonight’s wine dinner, for a lucky few invited guests, took place in Hong Kong at Sushi Sase, with a mix of traditional (very fine nigiri sushi) and modern Japanese cuisine of a fairly high quality. Certainly the best sushi I’ve eaten in Hong Kong to date.

The wines made for an eye-popping selection. Indeed, as my host said, ‘it looks great on paper, but you never know in the glass’. Too true, but he needn’t have worried – nothing fell short, and a few just blew my mind!...

1998 Krug Champagne Brut

Pale gold with a lively mousse; rich and more advanced toasty autolytic character than I recall in 2010; there is a lovely candied quality to the fruit, pith, peel and bready notes, very round and mouthfilling richness, cut by crisp but understated ripe acidity keeping it taut and lively. Concentrated extract on the long finish. Seems like effortless years ahead of it, but even since 2010 I’ve felt this is a precocious Krug – nothing to lose drinking this now. 96/100

1996 Salon Champagne Blancs de Blancs

A real contrast in style here. Still pale; a super fresh and heathery nose; taut, fine-boned elegance on the palate. This starts off slender and the bright ’96 acidity narrows the finish to a chiseled finish that verges on raw and very nervy. But there is great extract here that is tightly wound, and the structure feels well covered by fruit. It is just so youthful still – more an exercise in anticipation that pleasure, especially in the wake of the generous fullness of ’98 Krug just finished. 93+/100

1999 Montrachet Grand Cru, Maison Henri Boillot

Full gold and bright; a touch of oyster shell minerality leads on the nose which then immediately fills with creamy richness. There is some nuance here, but everything points to an amply rich palate; concentrated on the palate, but this avoid being blunt and hefty, it is layered and fleshy with sufficient line and flow. This is showing good evolution and is fully ready to drink. Delicious. 94/100

2002 Corton-Charlemagne, Domaine Coche Dury

It is hard not to feel jittery excitement at the chance to drink one of these – the pinnacle of white Burgundy. Yet this bottle exceeded even my very high expectation of it. Light gold in appearance; an extraordinary nose – the kind where you want to hit the pause button on the world around you, even momentarily, just to take in all the beautiful detail this offers. Highly nuanced, real Corton-Charlemagne minerality, exceptional purity and clarity of expression; on the palate, very fine, very focused. ‘Banana’ might sound ridiculous, and it is, but there is a real sense of chardonnay at its most expressive in the fruit. Very layered, melting oily extract, essence-like concentration, yet somehow also an ethereal weightless quality. Amazing, outstanding wine. 100/100

Went very well with the rich bloodiness of the fish

1990 La Tâche Grand Cru, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

Bottle 04222, Wilson Daniels import.

Still a deep pinot shade with a ruddy evolved tone; immediately exciting nose, a potpourri of spices, dried roses, raspberry coulis, vanilla and smoke – so complex; fleshy on the palate, quite detailed flavours and a striking character. This is  La Tâche with extra power and girth – ’the 90 vintage character at its best – yet still pretty, beguiling even. In contrast to the wine that followed, the fine new oak is a clearly defined though not overly distracting element in the frame. This wine remains adolescent, still youthfully fruity, and while the aromatic quality on the nose and on the palate is already exciting, there is the sense of much more to come in time. A real treat to try this again tonight. 96+/100

1998 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru, Domaine Georges Roumier

Yquem at its triumphant best

Fine, still quite fresh colour; lovely sweet spiced nose, very pure and very much at the Chambolle end of the Bonnes Mares spectrum, so seductive; fine on the palate, super pure and expressive with a very low yield feel, small berry concentration, very mineral and an oozing extract feel to the velvet – present – tannins on the finish. The end is yielding and aromatic and quite complex, it’s savoury cool edge offering balance to the lovely fruit making this a real pleasure to drink now, though also many years of pleasure ahead. A great Bonnes Mares and a brilliant ’98. 95/100

1967 Château d’Yquem

Bright glinting appearance, light bronze / deep old gold; salted caramel, candied mint, waxy botrytis exude stylish decadence on the lively fresh nose; concentrated fruit, great play between candied citrus fruit extract, melting toffee and fine acidity. To be honest I had built up something of a prejudice against this much heralded Yquem vintage despite and perhaps because of its statuesque reputation, because bottles I have tried to date have given mixed experiences. But tonight this strident, confident, lip smackingly tangy, decadent Yquem in a form that makes you go “ah, that’s what this is about”. Exceptional. 98/100

Many thanks to Powell Yang and Spectrum Wine Auctions for such generous hospitality, and all the best for their Evening Sale in London on 8^th February 2012.

Linden Wilkie.