Blind pairs in the depths of South East London

A friend and I organised a dinner together. He provided the first two flights, I the second (well… that was the intention). I had got carried away with the idea of serving a blind pair of Clarets from my birth year, and things snowballed from there. The nature of wine, of course, is all about the joy of sharing, and sharing joyously is precisely what we did.

The wines were served blind, and whilst I had the privilege of knowing what they were, the discussion around the wines was illuminating and fun. I don’t really buy into the idea that tasting blind is the truest way to enjoy wine, but there is something fun and engaging about the vulnerability and humility it requires.

Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2013, Louis Roederer

Not served blind. Cork came out with minimal pop. Pale gold colour. Something faintly lactic on the nose, this follows through to the palate. Definitely not over the hill but not as youthful and energetic as previous bottles. Given some air and time, pulls itself together I think, a lovely chalky, sherbety finish. No rush I do not think, but I shall be opening another soon. If that is like this, I will drink up over the next couple of years.

2018 White Burgundies

I knew which wines were being served, but not which was which. What was in the glass made it very obvious, however. Our host served these with a home-made terrine, which I have to say was a stunning victory.

Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières 2018, Domaine Louis Jadot

Pale gold colour. Slightly reductive nose – some discussion at the table – “smells like PYCM”. When it was revealed that there was one PYCM – “this is the PYCM”. Well, no, but testament I think to the cleanness and quality of Jadot’s whites in recent years. There is a plushness here – of the pair this is obviously the Meursault, but also good line and zip – some lime curd to go with the lemon zest perhaps.

Corton-Charlemagne 2018, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey

There is a proper ecclesiastical nose to this – walking into a rural high church on a cold but sunny autumn morning. It is but a pup, this is infanticide, but my gosh. This is reductive and tightly wound but there is also enjoyment here. It has an acid spine but there is body around it and a surprising level of balance given its status and youth. My handwritten notes say “Length! Length! Length!” and – yes, there is a lovely length here, and a slight twist in the finish, a little extra dose of…something – earthy maybe, or spicy. This is just magnificent.

Grand Cru Red Burgundies, Decade Apart

Echezeaux 2008, Mongeard-Mugneret

Garnet/purple colour. No bricking. The better behaved of this flight. Some discussion about the level – “are these premiers” – no, no they are not. Then “ah well if it’s Grand Cru, is it Echezaux” – what sorcery is this? This has proper Grand Cru heft and structure, but also 08 acid. This is one of the more pleasurable 08s I have tasted recently but if i owned a few of these – I would probably be leaving them for a little while longer.

Charmes-Chambertin 1998, Vincent Girardin

Garnet colour, a little cloudy, maybe the slightest hint of bricking? I have generally been lucky with 1998 burgundies, and this continued the trend. There is a slight funkiness to this, and some bite, but also some lovely dark fruit behind it. It finishes a little dry – I think this is at best in a gentle plateau, but proper Grand Cru Burgundy and in a normal dinner this would absolutely be the highlight. This dinner, however, is not normal.

Clarets (sadly) separated by a decade

Château Mouton Rothschild 1975

This dinner was largely designed around this wine. My birth year, and also the vintage where Andy Warhol designed the label. Served blind “it’s Syrah!” – well no, but goes to show, at some point, old wine tastes like…old wine. It is revealed that the two vintages are a decade apart – 90s and 2000s? Well again – no – although it has to be said that in blind challenges, we usually think things are younger than they are. This still has some acid red fruits, and while the tannins are resolved, they are still…tannic. Wonderful length – all the cigar box and pencil shavings you want from mature Bordeaux. I have a sense that this may not have been quite as on point as the bottle I had earlier in the year, but nonetheless, drinking wonderfully and showed well. I may have managed to persuade myself that this was my wine of the dinner, although I think if i were given the opportunity to take either another bottle of this or a bottle of the PYCM Corton Charlemagne home, well…give me the choice and see what happens.

Domaine de Chavelier (Rouge) 1985

Offered by our generous host after my 1975 Lagrange was tragically corked. When it was revealed that what we had was a pair of clarets some discussion about whether this was merlot dominant. Then whether it was left bank or right bank – is Graves left bank or not? Strong opinions were confidently voiced. It started off a little warm, and a little disjointed. A kind of porty character? I almost wrote this off while engaging with the Mouton. After time – well I think that whatever was causing me problems blew off, and we had a very nice, well put together Domaine de Chevalier. As is so often the case, the last sip was by far the best.

2001 La Rioja Alta

This was perhaps the trickiest pairing, as I knew that several of our guests had tasted both of these wines, and indeed, some of them had tasted them both at the same dinner, with me, in the not too distant past.

Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial 2001, La Rioja Alta

Cellartracker shows I have tasted this wine at least 21 times. I own it in halves and bottles. By now it is starting to show its age and whilst great bottles can be great, they can sometimes show a little volatility or imbalance. This was a good one. The nose is to die for – you can dive in and engage with the tobacco notes. The palate has this high-toned, red fruit character, and great length. This shows just how good this wine can be.

Gran Reserva 890 ‘Selección Especial’ 2001, La Rioja Alta

More classical, more muscular, you can tell why the Ardanza comes in a Burgundy bottle and this in a Bordeaux bottle. If the Ardanza is designed by Eames or Conran, this is an old armchair in a grand club, the kind where the rich and powerful go to relax among their own. I loved the gentle attack on this, and the rich, long finish – hints of cocoa and fruit cake. At this age, and on tonight’s showing, though, I love the Ardanza more. I can admire this, but I don’t feel comfortable with it in the same way.

All in all, a thoroughly successful evening. And a reminder that – wine isn’t just about wine. The joy of sharing special bottles with those you care about is a joy and a privilege – truly the essence of humanity.