Chateau Palmer dinner
Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2015 11:43 am
I was in Paris yesterday, a city that evokes emotions in me, with its boulevards and restaurants, it has a uniqueness and specialness. I was going to meet up with Tim last night but I had a punishing week and he had just returned from a long trip. Little did I know when I boarded the Eurostar back to London at 1843 what was about to happen. An appalling and sickening attack on that vibrant metropolis. Tim I hope you are OK.
The attackers apparently targeted Paris's young progressive core inclined to more liberal and tolerant attitudes. There is no shortage of opinions out there on how to respond and what to do, but mine would be to live life and carry on as normal.
Thursday night was a memorable one drinking Chateau Palmer with good friends, a dinner I organised at La Trompette in West London.
Chateau Palmer flight one, with:
- Barbecued shoulder of Devon kid with pine nuts, raisins and crushed Jerusalem artichokes
1964: A Dutch bottle with a white label, stored in Rainer's cellar which is 4m below the garden and rarely gets above 13C. This had a vibrant healthy colour; it looked half its age. It was like a symphony played in low key, nuances of this, nuances of that; delicate and lacey; shy, refined and proper; a good effort from a challenging left bank vintage. After a while it started to fade, albeit with dignity. 88
1978: A promising entry with quite a vibrant floral nose leading into an array of complex secondary notes of mushrooms, truffle, herbs interlacing with dark fruit and Margaux berries. Medium bodied and pleasing on the palate. However rather than open out, this tensed up a bit and became a bit attenuated. I have had better bottles of this. 90
1979: That last observation about the 1978 was made in comparison to the 1979, which initially matched the 1978 then blossomed, pulled ahead and never looked back like a one-sided Oxbridge boat race. This was young for its age and another wine from Rainer's underground treasure trove. It opened beautifully with complex aromas of cedar and berries and a rich expansive palate belying the reputation of the vintage. Whereas its flight mates laboured a bit as the evening went on, this went from strength to strength. A strong year for Palmer and a great bottle. 94
Flight two, with:
- Roast teal (think tweety) with golden turnips, swede, tamarind, livers and roasting juices
1982: Another well stored bottle. An exuberant wine which burst out of the blocks. Full fruity and vibrant, also charming seductive and beautifully resolved with an array of tobacco-ey, herb and spicey notes. It has been written off and criticised for upping the yields but on this showing those jibes seem somewhat unfair. A thoroughly enjoyable wine, even if ultimately it was outclassed by the 1983. 93
1983: Initially this played second fiddle to the 1982 because it took a little while to get going, but once it got into its stride it effortlessly and majestically rowed ahead of its flight mates. It is a wine characterised by great purity, integrity and completeness; it has a wonderful line and a zen-like focus (I had to shut my eyes and put my forefingers on my temples). This was a stunning wine, and as MEK noted whereas the 1982 titilates, the 1983 mesmerises. Well stored bottles of 1983 Palmer are going to provide enormous pleasure over coming decades. I think this will not only turn out to be one of the all-time great Palmers, it will enter the annals of truly legendary Palmers. 97
1988: A textbook Palmer and a revelation. An outstanding example of the 1988 vintage, a wine which shows restraint, but perfect class and pitch. It is refined, with berries on the nose and cool lingering tobacco notes, which waft over the palate. While it may lack the exuberance of the 1982 this is a dream for hard-core claret aficionados. 93
Overall a terrific flight
Flight three with:
- Loin of Hampshire roe deer with ceps, gratin, marrow, row am and elderberries
2005: Of course this is very young and primary, but it is drinkable because it has such refined tannins. To the extent that I can analyse very young wines, this is faultless. It can even be enjoyed now but its is many years away from secondary development. In 20-30 years I am sure it be profound. Very High Score.
2006: We drank this at the chateau in May, and we were so impressed by this on so many levels. Thursday's bottle confirmed this, even if it lacks some of the mid-range density and power (torque?) of the 2005. While the 2005 is perhaps the ultimate I would be thrilled to own a case of this for my senior years. The 2006 Palmer will do nicely. 93-95
Wines we tried from Bouteiller (the other table, our table was Duroux).
There was a healthy cross fertilisation between the two tables, and I managed to try all but the 1989 and 1996 from Bouteiller. Having tried the 1996 on a couple of occasions i am not in the least bit surprised that it challenged strongly for top honours on that table.
1970: A good bottle. A true mature Palmer. A grandee. What it lacks is that little bit of vibrancy and magic, that marks out a legendary Palmer. 91
1985: A good example of the 1985 which we have enjoyed frequently in the last few years. This had the pick me up and pizzaz the 1970 didn't have. Good bottles of this are vibrant and truffle-infused. Not so good bottles are haunted by the spectre of the jolly green giant. 93
1986: Like the 1985, the 1986 Palmer experiences enormous bottle variation. Ours unfortunately was corked, so we were thrilled to try some of the other table's, which showed how magical this wine can be. It is characterised by a seductive charm and a dense brooding core which produces waves of unalloyed pleasure. 96
1990 Rausan Segla: A ringer, which came across as modern and exuberant, but it had the Margaux berries...so I guessed something like a young Kirwan or D'Issan. A pleasurable encounter but I preferred the 1990 Palmer. 91
1990 Palmer: By now we were playing in extra time, but I thought this was glorious. I didn't detect any faults - some others thought the finish was a tad stripped - but by now I was running on adrenaline. Certainly a wine which is ready to go. 94
2000 Palmer: I was not surprised that Bouteiller found this tough sledding early on, but I tried a glass after 11 PM and it was stunning. Full, concentrated and powerful, a wine with magnificent potential. Another Big Score.
2006 Historical: I would say a good wine blighted by the addition of cotes du rhone syrah. John Cleese exasperated voice: 'I mean, what is the bloody point?' It is a bit like Roumier adding Grenache to soup up his Bonnes Mares.
- Bergamot tart with pain d'epices ice cream
The dessert wine (Yquem 1988) wasn't shabby and Graham's 1985 was a perfect note to end on. Both were splits.
On Duroux the 1983 was the wine of the night followed by the 1979 and 1982. We lacked any 1990s wines where my Palmer exposure is now mostly concentrated: 1995/96/99. It would have been a lot of fun to have the 1999 in the mix, a wine I have enormous faith in for the future. Likewise the 1995.
Chateau Palmer? It really is the cat's whiskers.
The attackers apparently targeted Paris's young progressive core inclined to more liberal and tolerant attitudes. There is no shortage of opinions out there on how to respond and what to do, but mine would be to live life and carry on as normal.
Thursday night was a memorable one drinking Chateau Palmer with good friends, a dinner I organised at La Trompette in West London.
Chateau Palmer flight one, with:
- Barbecued shoulder of Devon kid with pine nuts, raisins and crushed Jerusalem artichokes
1964: A Dutch bottle with a white label, stored in Rainer's cellar which is 4m below the garden and rarely gets above 13C. This had a vibrant healthy colour; it looked half its age. It was like a symphony played in low key, nuances of this, nuances of that; delicate and lacey; shy, refined and proper; a good effort from a challenging left bank vintage. After a while it started to fade, albeit with dignity. 88
1978: A promising entry with quite a vibrant floral nose leading into an array of complex secondary notes of mushrooms, truffle, herbs interlacing with dark fruit and Margaux berries. Medium bodied and pleasing on the palate. However rather than open out, this tensed up a bit and became a bit attenuated. I have had better bottles of this. 90
1979: That last observation about the 1978 was made in comparison to the 1979, which initially matched the 1978 then blossomed, pulled ahead and never looked back like a one-sided Oxbridge boat race. This was young for its age and another wine from Rainer's underground treasure trove. It opened beautifully with complex aromas of cedar and berries and a rich expansive palate belying the reputation of the vintage. Whereas its flight mates laboured a bit as the evening went on, this went from strength to strength. A strong year for Palmer and a great bottle. 94
Flight two, with:
- Roast teal (think tweety) with golden turnips, swede, tamarind, livers and roasting juices
1982: Another well stored bottle. An exuberant wine which burst out of the blocks. Full fruity and vibrant, also charming seductive and beautifully resolved with an array of tobacco-ey, herb and spicey notes. It has been written off and criticised for upping the yields but on this showing those jibes seem somewhat unfair. A thoroughly enjoyable wine, even if ultimately it was outclassed by the 1983. 93
1983: Initially this played second fiddle to the 1982 because it took a little while to get going, but once it got into its stride it effortlessly and majestically rowed ahead of its flight mates. It is a wine characterised by great purity, integrity and completeness; it has a wonderful line and a zen-like focus (I had to shut my eyes and put my forefingers on my temples). This was a stunning wine, and as MEK noted whereas the 1982 titilates, the 1983 mesmerises. Well stored bottles of 1983 Palmer are going to provide enormous pleasure over coming decades. I think this will not only turn out to be one of the all-time great Palmers, it will enter the annals of truly legendary Palmers. 97
1988: A textbook Palmer and a revelation. An outstanding example of the 1988 vintage, a wine which shows restraint, but perfect class and pitch. It is refined, with berries on the nose and cool lingering tobacco notes, which waft over the palate. While it may lack the exuberance of the 1982 this is a dream for hard-core claret aficionados. 93
Overall a terrific flight
Flight three with:
- Loin of Hampshire roe deer with ceps, gratin, marrow, row am and elderberries
2005: Of course this is very young and primary, but it is drinkable because it has such refined tannins. To the extent that I can analyse very young wines, this is faultless. It can even be enjoyed now but its is many years away from secondary development. In 20-30 years I am sure it be profound. Very High Score.
2006: We drank this at the chateau in May, and we were so impressed by this on so many levels. Thursday's bottle confirmed this, even if it lacks some of the mid-range density and power (torque?) of the 2005. While the 2005 is perhaps the ultimate I would be thrilled to own a case of this for my senior years. The 2006 Palmer will do nicely. 93-95
Wines we tried from Bouteiller (the other table, our table was Duroux).
There was a healthy cross fertilisation between the two tables, and I managed to try all but the 1989 and 1996 from Bouteiller. Having tried the 1996 on a couple of occasions i am not in the least bit surprised that it challenged strongly for top honours on that table.
1970: A good bottle. A true mature Palmer. A grandee. What it lacks is that little bit of vibrancy and magic, that marks out a legendary Palmer. 91
1985: A good example of the 1985 which we have enjoyed frequently in the last few years. This had the pick me up and pizzaz the 1970 didn't have. Good bottles of this are vibrant and truffle-infused. Not so good bottles are haunted by the spectre of the jolly green giant. 93
1986: Like the 1985, the 1986 Palmer experiences enormous bottle variation. Ours unfortunately was corked, so we were thrilled to try some of the other table's, which showed how magical this wine can be. It is characterised by a seductive charm and a dense brooding core which produces waves of unalloyed pleasure. 96
1990 Rausan Segla: A ringer, which came across as modern and exuberant, but it had the Margaux berries...so I guessed something like a young Kirwan or D'Issan. A pleasurable encounter but I preferred the 1990 Palmer. 91
1990 Palmer: By now we were playing in extra time, but I thought this was glorious. I didn't detect any faults - some others thought the finish was a tad stripped - but by now I was running on adrenaline. Certainly a wine which is ready to go. 94
2000 Palmer: I was not surprised that Bouteiller found this tough sledding early on, but I tried a glass after 11 PM and it was stunning. Full, concentrated and powerful, a wine with magnificent potential. Another Big Score.
2006 Historical: I would say a good wine blighted by the addition of cotes du rhone syrah. John Cleese exasperated voice: 'I mean, what is the bloody point?' It is a bit like Roumier adding Grenache to soup up his Bonnes Mares.
- Bergamot tart with pain d'epices ice cream
The dessert wine (Yquem 1988) wasn't shabby and Graham's 1985 was a perfect note to end on. Both were splits.
On Duroux the 1983 was the wine of the night followed by the 1979 and 1982. We lacked any 1990s wines where my Palmer exposure is now mostly concentrated: 1995/96/99. It would have been a lot of fun to have the 1999 in the mix, a wine I have enormous faith in for the future. Likewise the 1995.
Chateau Palmer? It really is the cat's whiskers.