‘Best of the best’ first growths dinner
Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2024 6:24 pm
Last night at La Trompette in Chiswick west London, where some BWERes have been, and the culmination of seven of ‘first growth’ dinners in London starting with Lafite in the spring of 2018 and finishing with Cheval Blanc in the autumn of 2023. The idea of this dinner was, if possible, to have a line up to include the wines from those dinners which showed best, and while we did not quite get the perfect line up based on this criterion, we ended up with at least one wine from each of the seven chateau.
To get the ball rolling we enjoyed two champagnes, matching a twenty year old and a sixty year old (nothing wrong with that…?) with smoked mackerel rillettes and English muffin:
Comtes de Champagne 1964
Quite an ominous sludgy brown colour with some initial sherry notes, this really improved and was very much alive and kicking. Super on the palate with a lot of drive and lovely tertiary notes of marzipan and Christmas cake and a compelling nuttiness….just lovely…after an hour it faded a bit, but overall a revelation, bravo!…93
Salon 2004
Couldn’t be more different, this twenty year old is still pubescent, but this Blancs de Blanc was beautifully elegant with laser-like focus. A joy to behold. Salon gets a bad rap but both our champagne experts on the table loved it too…93
On to the serious stuff…
Flight one with veal tartare, truffle cream, Norfolk asparagus, crisp hens egg and dressed leaves:
Chateau Margaux 1983
Sniff, sniff…oh no! It’s corked! No doubt in my mind even though some around table were not so convinced that it was …shame because there was a brilliant and remarkably vibrant and youthful wine beneath the dreaded TCA, that really would have given the Mouton a run for its money…ah well…NR
Mouton Rothschild 1982
We meet again. Dark and inky. Tad of high-toned volatility, with a trademark Mouton nose of soy, rich red berry fruit and coffee notes, and on the palate initially uncharacteristically lean, austere and somewhat brooding, with the acidity coming to the fore. Then it began to unfurl, showing a new side to its personality that had a captivating elegance and finesse, whereas good bottles of younger versions of this wine were defined by their energy, drive and fireworks and could be described as epic. The middle-aged, grown up version of Mouton 82 has a seamless texture and just got better and better as the night wore on, good bottles have decades to go…magnificent…98
Cheval Blanc 1964
When we last had this about half a year ago, it was nigh on perfect and it was my wine of the year in 2023. This bottle was also in good shape especially judging by the colour, which was about the same as its circa 20-years-younger flight mates, but while it was a nice drop it didn’t have the magic of that last bottle. Holding on tenaciously, and well into its tertiary phase, it tastes like an old wine with overwhelming caramel notes…well you don’t hit the jackpot every time…93
Flight two with rabbit ravioli with white onion velouté, wild garlic, trompettes and pancetta
Haut-Brion 1989
Now we are talking. At last. A bottle of Haut-Brion 89 that lives up to its reputation. Some slight bricking, the surreal bouquet soars from the glass with scorched earth, gravel, graphite, herbs, olives, berries, cigar box and tobacco, and it follows through on the medium-bodied, taut, racy palate; a racehorse. It didn’t fall off as one or two naysayers were predicting and was riveting throughout. My wine of the night, and the group’s runner up … 99
La Mission Haut Brion 1989
A wine that often comes out on top in a head-to-head with 89 Haut-Brion, and can sometimes ‘shoot the lights out’, I uncorked and decanted this at 430pm. It had quite a bit of funkiness but I was pretty sure it was not corked, but it was less expressive than usual. When it was poured about four hours later it still did not have much to say for itself, was still somewhat listless and had a bitter finish. But then it picked itself – not quite like Lazarus - and became more interesting, but it trailed its flight mates by a long way…92
La Mission Haut Brion 1990
The 1990 which went toe-to-toe with the 1989 at our La Mission dinner in the autumn of 2022 put a marker down as to where the 89 should have been last night. Still remarkably youthful, more serious and less sybaritic than the example 18 months ago, and just brimming with energy, with bright fruit, scorched earth and exhilarating tension and grip. While the 89 Haut-Brion was in the sweet spot, this wine’s best years lie ahead of it…97
Flight three with aged beef rump cap, oxtail and bacon fondant, pickled walnut and red wine
Lafite Rothschild 1986
Oh so serious, big-framed, structured and youthful… but alas, sadly, it was corked …NR
Lafite Rothschild 1996
It is difficult to put into words but this wine sets a benchmark and the standard for which other Bordeaux wines should aspire. Every bit as good as the bottle that edged out Chateau Margaux 1996 for wotn at our 25th anniversary 1996 tasting in 2021, it has an expressive nose of red and black fruits, minerals herbs; it is rich but racy and precise, with a such a refined texture and layered intensity on the palate, impeccable poise and a marvellous finish. The only reason why it was not my wotn was because it is still at least a decade away from its plateau and will go on for decades after that, while the Haut-Brion is right in the sweet spot...99
Chateau Latour 1996
In many ways similar to the 96 Lafite the 96 Latour just about kept its flight mate in its sights, it is a youthful, structured Latour for the long haul, but already provides enormous pleasure. Compared to the Lafite it comes across as a simpler Cabernet-based wine and perhaps lacks a bit of complexity, but this is a great effort from Latour at a time when the Chateau was not on good form.
With Yorkshire rhubarb, crisp wafers, vanilla diplomat, honey and stem ginger ice cream
Chateau d'Yquem 1990
A sublime wine with a sublime dessert – a match made in heaven – another superb showing for 90 Yquem, it is has perfect acidity and is magnificent now and will last for decades…96
I have always maintained that when it comes to the first growths Lafite is the first among equals. Our first dinner in this series which mainly featured less lauded vintages of Lafite was extraordinary, and set a benchmark, which Latour at the next dinner fell well short of, while Mouton and Margaux both showed well at the third and fourth dinners respectively, they could not match the pedigree of Lafite. The Haut-Brion dinner was disappointing with the 1989 not showing particularly well, while La Mission was on fire and so was Cheval Blanc, both challenging Lafite for the ascendancy.
But this dinner again showed that Lafite sets the bench mark, the best of the best:
***Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 1996***
Prices have come down a lot in the last year or two, so it is a wine to seek out, as there is still quite a bit of it about.
To get the ball rolling we enjoyed two champagnes, matching a twenty year old and a sixty year old (nothing wrong with that…?) with smoked mackerel rillettes and English muffin:
Comtes de Champagne 1964
Quite an ominous sludgy brown colour with some initial sherry notes, this really improved and was very much alive and kicking. Super on the palate with a lot of drive and lovely tertiary notes of marzipan and Christmas cake and a compelling nuttiness….just lovely…after an hour it faded a bit, but overall a revelation, bravo!…93
Salon 2004
Couldn’t be more different, this twenty year old is still pubescent, but this Blancs de Blanc was beautifully elegant with laser-like focus. A joy to behold. Salon gets a bad rap but both our champagne experts on the table loved it too…93
On to the serious stuff…
Flight one with veal tartare, truffle cream, Norfolk asparagus, crisp hens egg and dressed leaves:
Chateau Margaux 1983
Sniff, sniff…oh no! It’s corked! No doubt in my mind even though some around table were not so convinced that it was …shame because there was a brilliant and remarkably vibrant and youthful wine beneath the dreaded TCA, that really would have given the Mouton a run for its money…ah well…NR
Mouton Rothschild 1982
We meet again. Dark and inky. Tad of high-toned volatility, with a trademark Mouton nose of soy, rich red berry fruit and coffee notes, and on the palate initially uncharacteristically lean, austere and somewhat brooding, with the acidity coming to the fore. Then it began to unfurl, showing a new side to its personality that had a captivating elegance and finesse, whereas good bottles of younger versions of this wine were defined by their energy, drive and fireworks and could be described as epic. The middle-aged, grown up version of Mouton 82 has a seamless texture and just got better and better as the night wore on, good bottles have decades to go…magnificent…98
Cheval Blanc 1964
When we last had this about half a year ago, it was nigh on perfect and it was my wine of the year in 2023. This bottle was also in good shape especially judging by the colour, which was about the same as its circa 20-years-younger flight mates, but while it was a nice drop it didn’t have the magic of that last bottle. Holding on tenaciously, and well into its tertiary phase, it tastes like an old wine with overwhelming caramel notes…well you don’t hit the jackpot every time…93
Flight two with rabbit ravioli with white onion velouté, wild garlic, trompettes and pancetta
Haut-Brion 1989
Now we are talking. At last. A bottle of Haut-Brion 89 that lives up to its reputation. Some slight bricking, the surreal bouquet soars from the glass with scorched earth, gravel, graphite, herbs, olives, berries, cigar box and tobacco, and it follows through on the medium-bodied, taut, racy palate; a racehorse. It didn’t fall off as one or two naysayers were predicting and was riveting throughout. My wine of the night, and the group’s runner up … 99
La Mission Haut Brion 1989
A wine that often comes out on top in a head-to-head with 89 Haut-Brion, and can sometimes ‘shoot the lights out’, I uncorked and decanted this at 430pm. It had quite a bit of funkiness but I was pretty sure it was not corked, but it was less expressive than usual. When it was poured about four hours later it still did not have much to say for itself, was still somewhat listless and had a bitter finish. But then it picked itself – not quite like Lazarus - and became more interesting, but it trailed its flight mates by a long way…92
La Mission Haut Brion 1990
The 1990 which went toe-to-toe with the 1989 at our La Mission dinner in the autumn of 2022 put a marker down as to where the 89 should have been last night. Still remarkably youthful, more serious and less sybaritic than the example 18 months ago, and just brimming with energy, with bright fruit, scorched earth and exhilarating tension and grip. While the 89 Haut-Brion was in the sweet spot, this wine’s best years lie ahead of it…97
Flight three with aged beef rump cap, oxtail and bacon fondant, pickled walnut and red wine
Lafite Rothschild 1986
Oh so serious, big-framed, structured and youthful… but alas, sadly, it was corked …NR
Lafite Rothschild 1996
It is difficult to put into words but this wine sets a benchmark and the standard for which other Bordeaux wines should aspire. Every bit as good as the bottle that edged out Chateau Margaux 1996 for wotn at our 25th anniversary 1996 tasting in 2021, it has an expressive nose of red and black fruits, minerals herbs; it is rich but racy and precise, with a such a refined texture and layered intensity on the palate, impeccable poise and a marvellous finish. The only reason why it was not my wotn was because it is still at least a decade away from its plateau and will go on for decades after that, while the Haut-Brion is right in the sweet spot...99
Chateau Latour 1996
In many ways similar to the 96 Lafite the 96 Latour just about kept its flight mate in its sights, it is a youthful, structured Latour for the long haul, but already provides enormous pleasure. Compared to the Lafite it comes across as a simpler Cabernet-based wine and perhaps lacks a bit of complexity, but this is a great effort from Latour at a time when the Chateau was not on good form.
With Yorkshire rhubarb, crisp wafers, vanilla diplomat, honey and stem ginger ice cream
Chateau d'Yquem 1990
A sublime wine with a sublime dessert – a match made in heaven – another superb showing for 90 Yquem, it is has perfect acidity and is magnificent now and will last for decades…96
I have always maintained that when it comes to the first growths Lafite is the first among equals. Our first dinner in this series which mainly featured less lauded vintages of Lafite was extraordinary, and set a benchmark, which Latour at the next dinner fell well short of, while Mouton and Margaux both showed well at the third and fourth dinners respectively, they could not match the pedigree of Lafite. The Haut-Brion dinner was disappointing with the 1989 not showing particularly well, while La Mission was on fire and so was Cheval Blanc, both challenging Lafite for the ascendancy.
But this dinner again showed that Lafite sets the bench mark, the best of the best:
***Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 1996***
Prices have come down a lot in the last year or two, so it is a wine to seek out, as there is still quite a bit of it about.