Friday, December 12th, 2008
12th December 2008
Importer Aussino hosted a sumptuous dinner featuring the wines of leading Burgundy negociant eleveur Nicolas Potel at Grange restaurant, the Westin Chaoyang.
Marco Caschera (pictured above) of Nicolas Potel gave an excellent introduction both to Burgundy and to the philosophy of Nicolas Potel (the man and company).
The following wines accompanied the below menu (click on links for full tasting notes).
See below also for details of the charity wine auction that rounded off the dinner in aid of victims of the Sichuan earthquake:
Beaune 1er Cru Vignes Franches, Nicolas Potel 2006
Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes, Nicolas Potel 2004
Volnay 1er Cru Pitures, Nicolas Potel 2003
Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, Nicolas Potel 2003
Santenay 1er Cru Beaurepaire, Nicolas Potel 1985
Menu:
Gravadlax with pea sprouts and herb vinaigrette
Cappucino of roasted pumpkin with almond creme fraiche
Carpaccio of smoked duck, cajun spice mandarin oranges, arugula and blueberry and balsamic ‘pearls’
Wine enriched loin of venison with dauphinoise potato, roasted brussel sprouts and a raspberry bitter chocolate jus
Cheese
The wines seemed to be in good condition and I especially liked the 2003 Volnay 1er Cru Pitures and the 2004 Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes.
The 2003 Clos de la Roche and 2006 Beaune 1er Cru Vignes Franches, however, will both need more time in bottle really.
Certainly no one should overlook 2003 Burgundy outright, even although the vintage conditions were extreme temperature-wise.
In the subsequent auction, Aussino and Caschera managed to raise 7,700RMB for a double magnum of 2005 Volnay 1er Cru Les Pitures and 5,200RMB for a double magnum of 2005 Beaune 1er Cru Teurons.
Monday, December 8th, 2008
8th December 2008
Top Marlborough producer Spy Valley visited Beijing, hosting, with importer Watson’s, an impressive dinner at the JW Marriott’s Pinot Brasserie.
Winery general manager, Blair Gibbs - a winemaker in his own right - talked of the unique conditions of the estate’s terroir, especially for Spy Valley’s Envoy range for which fruit is sourced exclusively from select plots of the winery’s Johnson Estate.
Pinot Brasserie put together an excellent menu (see below) to match with the following wines (click on links for full tasting notes):
Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough 2006
Spy Valley Envoy Chardonnay, Marlborough 2006
Spy Valley Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2007
Spy Valley Envoy Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2006
Menu:
Canapés: chestnut cappuccino and bruschetta of grilled shrimp with pepper compote
Seared-tuna with exotic fruit dressing
Risotto of black olives and parmesan
Caramelized lamb shank, white bean purée and vegetable confit
Tobacco infused chocolate praline mousse with cherry and capsicum jelly, redcurrants and a pecan cocoa nib crunch
Spy Valley’s wines are immensely pure, exhibiting very clean winemaking, strong varietal character but also more complexity than can be found on regular, albeit already relatively high quality, New Zealand wines.
The difference in styles between the Spy Valley Pinot and Spy Valley Envoy Pinot should please different Pinot Noir lovers from around the world.
Saturday, December 6th, 2008
6th December 2008, Maison Boulud, Beijing
Xavier and Marie-Helen Borie of Chateaux Grand-Puy-Lacoste and Haut-Batailley, two of Pauillac’s most respected properties, hosted a dinner at Maison Boulud in Beijing’s impressive Legation Quarter. They were joined by Mark Walford of specialist UK importer Richards Walford.
With a fantastic menu (see below), overseen by Daniel Boulud (in New York) and executed by Maison Boulud’s superb Beijing team, guests tasted their way through the following vintages (click on links for full tasting notes):
Château Haut-Batailley, Pauillac 2004
Château Haut-Batailley, Pauillac 2002
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac 2002
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac 2000
Château Haut-Batailley, Pauillac 1996
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac 1996
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac 1990
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac 1986
Menu:
‘Pâte en Croute’ (Mosaic of Fall Game with Foie Gras in a Savoury Crust)
Langoustine and Rabbit ‘Gumbo’ (Pyramid Ravioli of Simmered Rabbit with Herbs and Crispy Langoustine with Okra)
‘Truite Pique au Lard’ (Green Cabbage-Wrapped Trout with Pine Nut Gremolata, Studded with Pancetta and Sage)
Duo of Beef (Braised Short Ribs with Porcini Marmalade and Pomme Paille, Roasted Tenderloin with Walnut Marrow Toast)
Brie aux Truffes with a Frisée Salad
Sorbet aux Fruits rouge with a ‘Minestrone’ of Forest Berries and Madagascar Vanilla Ice Cream
There were clearly some beautiful wines here (the 1990 Grand-Puy-Lacoste was showing brilliantly). The Bories were on something of an Asian tour, in place of showing their wines at the UGC tasting, having taken in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore with similar dinners.
Our thanks go to the Bories, Mark Walford, Simon Zhou, Ignace Lelceir, Koen Masschelein, Carine Chu and Marcus Ford for making these dinners possible.
Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008
2nd December 2008
A tasting of the wines of Yering Station with Olimpia Luciano (pictured left) of the Rathbone Group and importer The Wine Republic at promising new Sanlitun restaurant Mosto.
The Rathbone Group controls not only Yarra Valley’s Yering Station, but also Mount Langi Ghiran (Grampians, Victoria), Parker Coonawarra Estate (Coonawarra, South Australia) and Margaret River’s Xanadu, all of whom The Wine Republic also carries.
Luciano, on her first trip to Beijing, was sanguine about the opportunities facing Australian wines in China.
We also talked in some detail, with Wang Xin (Editor, Wine in China magazine), about the potential for matching Aussie wines with China’s different cuisines - something we’ve written about before and an area which surely has a great future…
On tasting were (click on links for full tasting notes):
Yering Station MVR, Yarra Valley 2006
Yering Station Chardonnay, Yarra Valley 2005
Yering Station Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley 2005
Yering Station Shiraz Viognier, Yarra Valley 2006
Yering Station Reserve Shiraz Viognier, Yarra Valley 2005
All of these wines are really cleanly made with strong varietal character(s), but elegantly expressed (not overblown or over-ripe or over-oaked).
The 2005 Reserve Shiraz Viognier is stupendously good!
The wines seemed to be in good condition and I especially liked the 2003 Volnay 1er Cru Pitures and the 2004 Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes.
