1997 Brunello di Montalcino @ Artisan Cellars Showroom

The idea of this tasting came out of the blue, really. A good friend had kept several sets of assorted Brunello di Montalcino wines from the much praised vintage 1997. Having done at least one such tasting in the past shortly after the release of the wines, the idea is really to revisit this wines now that it's past ten years after the vintage.

Not one who would let good wines left untasted, I seized the opportunity to quickly gather appreciative wine lovers at Artisan Cellars showroom to look at how the wines taste now. Eleven different wines to be exact. It is, after all, a good chance to test-drive our tasting room for a first full-on sit-down tasting.

There has been many mixed reviews and impressions for the 1997 vintage in Tuscany, and these differing opinions are further accentuated when the wines of Brunello di Montalcino are considered. After all, the wines of Brunello are considered the crown jewel of Tuscany, its reputation having been firmly placed in the world as one of the greatest wines from Italy. Successful branding does not hurt either, no less thanks to Banfi, a persistent and formidable marketing force who helped put the wines of Brunello di Montalcino on the global map, particularly in the United States who now accounts for a third of Brunello exports.

My impression of Brunello's wines had been mixed. I have encountered both ends of the spectrum, from the very ripe, darkly coloured juice made in modern style, to the gentler understated paler red version. While many can be quite impressive, only quite few are exquisite or are truly representative of the terroir. I know tonight we were going to taste both examples with many shades in between.

We divided the wines into two flights. Flight 1 is served by six wines, followed by Flight 2 with the remaining five wines. And as predicted, the impressions I got were a mixed bag with no specific decipherable formula.

1997 Campogiovanni BdM came straight out as rather overripe, veering towards jammy plum, dark spices and espresso. This wine was visibly tired although some may find its sweet plummy fruits and soft tannins attractive. Though still not dead, to me this just lacked energy and past its prime (85 points). I'm sure it was better several years back. Moving on to 1997 Caparzo BdM "La Casa", I found a different symptom of a heavily extracted wine that missed its balance. This lacked any particular flavours and sweetness, tasting dry and funky. Some questioned whether this was corked but it's more like it's oxidised in my view. Hard to tell whether this was any good before, how sad... (NOT RATED). The next glass of 1997 Fuligni BdM broke the spell of the funky bottles fortunately. Mineral-laced raspberries and subtle hints of brown spices on the nose, this showed its Italian roots proudly. Sound acidity gave this wine verve and charm. Not particularly concentrated but this wine has gentle yet persistent sweetness. A lovely, well made wine (90 points).

Unfortunately fate took another unfavourable turn as we moved to 1997 Poggio Antico BdM. Although not quite as way-off as the Caparzo, this displayed the overripe, stewed fruits character on the nose inauspiciously followed by a flavourless dried out palate. What can I say? (NOT RATED). The 1997 Antinori BdM "Pian delle Vigne" was quite impressive and varietally correct on the nose. Lovely redcurrants complicated by hints of spices, it was ripe but not overripe with a neat flavour profile. So neat, it was almost too correct for me. Despite the polish, this wine lacked midpalate which progressively became more obvious with airing. Finishes a little short but nonetheless a well made modern-styled Brunello that hasn't lost its Italian roots (89 points). And, as chance would have it, the 1997 Due Portine-Gorelli BdM stole the show for me and played as a gracious finish to the first flight. Delicate and painfully detailed, this was a wine of finesse and stature. Sweet red raspberries bathed in minerals and a gorgeous red garnet colour with lovely luminosity testament to the healthy acid spine of this wine. I liked this very much and more so as it sat in the glass and gracefully evolved to reveal its multilayered nuances (92 points).

Before I started engaging my first glass, the crowd had already started to "ooh..." and "aah..." on the wines of the second flight. I could see why. This was a stronger flight indeed, in fact, even if the first flight were not so variable. 1997 Pertimali (Livio Sassetti) BdM is honest to goodness. Intense and powerful, this was, however, not a modern interpretation of Brunello. Good purity and depth with deeply pitched dark fruits and a smorgasbord of scorched earth, smoke and dark chocolate. A gutsy yet understated wine that was ever changing in the glass. Superb energy too. I like! (93 points). The 1997 Siro Pacenti BdM was definitely cut from a different cloth. The approach on this wine was decidedly modern but I must say, quite successfully done. A very dense wine, right from the beginning as one sees the colour, with a wide array of spices that complicated the super ripe (though not overripe) black fruits. This wine was actually sweet - I tend to find strongly extracted wines to lack sweetness - and I was rather impressed. An overachiever of this category given the approach they took on for this already very warm vintage (92 points). Strong reduction clouded the 1997 Tornesi BdM at first. With vigorous swirling, this very well endowed and concentrated wine opened up to reveal dark berries and currants, as well as smoky, ashy overtones. This was a brooding monster, a powerhouse in the making. Lacks the delicacy and details the best Brunellos should offer, but a darn impressive showing nonetheless (92 points).

Some wine writers likened Brunello wines to Burgundy, an association that, frankly, I don't quite get as much as, say, how closely an aged Barolo can taste like Burgundies. But the first thing I thought of when I nosed the 1997 Costanti BdM was Chambolle-Musigny. I suppose they're right after all, although I maintain that this similarity was more of an exception than the norm. Pure crushed candied raspberries on the nose, very pristine and disarming, this wine was pure elegance. The red fruits on the nose carried through the palate, streaming intensely sweet flavours which, like good burgundies, seem to float on your palate. Complicating mineral notes of iron and wet soil. Persistent and understated, this wine was definitely classy (94 points). After such a ravishing performance, I wonder what the last wine might bring. This was once noted as the most memorable 1997 Brunellos some of our friends at the table recounted, and so the anticipation was high. The 1997 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona BdM "Vigna di Pianrosso" was no doubt impressive. A wine of concentration and elegance, this started out slightly off-track with gritty, less polished tannins at first. Very deeply coloured and large-framed, this had the backbone, the flesh and the muscles. An imposing modern wine that was impeccably made. Lots of chocolates and espresso but also fresh plums infused with deft mineral tones. This put on more polish on its tannins as well as a little more freshness as it sat longer in the glass. My only qualm was that I had hoped it carried more energy, and I sadly suspect that we caught it just slightly past its best, at least for this bottle... (92 points)

Due to the famously hot 1997 vintage, there were no green wines tonight. However, what I found a little worrisome was that such heat-stressed year had adversely affected the level of acidity. Some wines fell prey to this feature tonight, and when insufficient raw materials are treated with high-extraction techniques, the fruits (or whatever that's left of it) collapse. It is interesting that the selection tonight showed the 1997 Brunello wines are of good pleasure "already" (note that 11 years is hardly long in most Brunello wine's textbook). This is not necessarily a good sign. But at least the tasting has helped us resolve to drink up most of our 1997s save for some of the very best!

Many thanks to our friend who shared with us this wonderful 11-bottle collection (he does not want his name to mentioned, but you know who you are) and to everyone who took time out to join us in such short notice. There would be more wine exploration through thematic tastings such as this, so look out for our future events.

Mini Pichon Lalande vertical @ Aman's

When Aman told me our customer/friend JT was going to be in town, he had already planned to host a small dinner at his home for JT and his wife P. The couple was as delightful company as anyone could hope for, totally unassuming and in love with life as anything. It was a laugh-a-minute evening with this fun couple and another friend MH who brought with him no small bag of comical personal anecdotes, far too many to belie his youthful age. The only times we were not laughing was when we were contemplating the wines. As it turned out, the host had lined up a 'small' selection of Pichon Lalande which spanned across five vintages between 1985 and 2004.

As I was working in the kitchen before the couple arrived, we cracked open a bottle of Diebolt-Vallois Blanc de Blancs NV (non-dosé). I have wired my brain to demand chilled champagne whenever I was cooking in order to quench my thirst and to stifle the heat. This is of course just one of the concocted excuses to justify my endless craving for bubblies. And at this level of champagne, I got a lot more than just a simple quenching. To many people this is a re-education of champagne appreciation. A very small production with wines made entirely from grown grapes (hence the term grower's champagne) from the top terroirs (in this case predominantly Cramant, a grand cru) provided a stage for a new level of quality for non-vintage champagnes. Crisp, airy, limey, and bone-dry yet quite  creamy in the mouth with distinct minerally tones, this was more than a worthy apéritif, it was a lovely drink (90 points). The crowd was obviously enjoying it too. And the experience was upstaged once the Diebolt-Vallois Cuvée Prestige NV (non-dosé) was opened. This had a touch more delicacy and a more floral character. Light, fluffy mousse with ripe grapefruits and pear fruits flavour profile. P was raving the whole night about it. And no one could blame her. It was indeed a beautiful champagne, non-vintage or not (91 points).

The mini vertical of the Pichon Lalande opened with the 2004 Pichon Lalande. This was decidedly sexy and the crowd was lapping it up tonight, and many were impressed by its performance in spite of its less-than-illustrious vintage origin. Clean, vanilla-scented oak, cedar and explosive currant fruits leaning toward blueberries plus notes of roast coffee and dark chocolates later on. Constant coaxing in the glass revealed that underneath the shiny coating, the midpalate and natural fruit concentration were lacking, plus I also detected a miniscule trace of greenness. Still, who can resist this hedonistic juice built for pleasure and gratification such as this? (91 points)

One sniff at the 2000 Pichon Lalande and I had an instant feeling this might well be the Pichon of the night. Such was the grandeur of this wine even at this early point of acquaintance. This wine was indeed monumental and impressive. Amazingly full and forceful at its youth today, but also supremely elegant and poised and as good an example of Pichon Lalande as I can remember. Still purple in colour now, the initial vanilla-scented oak curtain quickly withdrew to reveal dense but fresh cassis fruits and hints of lead pencil. Thick and creamy in the mouth, this wine was hardly heavy, in fact, rather uplifting and fresh in the mouth with great thrust and vinosity (not unlike the 1996 but without the austerity). This just lacked one additional dimension of volume and the indescribable sense of presence and savour of a top growth, but otherwise this was in every way a complete Pichon Lalande waiting to fully reveal its potentials, and one which would enjoy a very very long life ahead (94+ points) Superb wine.

The 1996 Pichon Lalande would always be remembered as one of the most 'atypical' Pichon because of its unusually high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon that went into the wine, as opposed to the usual Pichon which contains rather high Merlot contents especially in the context of Pauillac. The resulting wine was the most Pauillac-like Pichon Lalande of the night, which, at least to me, was probably the most profound. Deep dark red with brilliant luminosity thanks to its superb acidity. Very reticent nose at this point still, with cool aromas of redcurrants and blackberries, complicated by a touch of smoke and tobacco. Austere and cool in the mouth with relentless backbone energy. Superb vinosity, persistent cool sweetness and impeccably balanced in spite of its rather closed disposition at this stage. The dominance of the top quality Cabernet Sauvignon was highly evident here. Continued to evolve throughout the night but remained aloof. Even the younger 2000 was, by comparison, 'friendlier' tonight (93+ points).

As we moved into the '80s, it's as if we were dealing with different members of the Pichon family: the wines have a trace of dirt that the earlier wines did not have. The 1989 Pichon Lalande was a rather muscular, in fact, almost chunky Pichon. The blackberry fruits was both meaty and spiced up by roasted herbs notes. Already enjoyable now, the sweetness of the fruits have now emerged along with the tell-tale heat-stressed vintage's rather dusty finish. An altogether nicely packaged wine with a good balance, although not too gregarious I must say... (91 points)

A lot of 1985 left-bank Bordeaux possess that drying finish effect I found rather distracting. The 1985 Pichon Lalande was in this sense not too different, but fortunately the issues were not too aggravated. A plush wine, very soft and fully mature now, the wine was cedary with hints of wet earth. There was a slight greenness to the fruits however, and it was lacking the better vintages' mid-palate energy and persistence. In comparison with the wines of the 1990's, this came across as slightly 'dirty' but not in a flawed sense. Lovely wine for the dinner table now, and though not seemingly dissipating, there is little point to hold for too much longer as further upside is not to be expected (90 points).

One key 'benefit' of doing a tasting at someone's house was that the possibility for extra wines added at the end of a tasting is indeed rather probable. Tonight was no exception. P's continued and infectious enthusiasm over the Diebolt-Vallois champagnes served before the Pichon Lalande flight rubbed off on Aman, and he asked me to check his cellar to pull out another bottle of bubblies. A dirty job, but someone's gotta do it, yeah right... Well, being a dutiful friend that I am, I stoically obliged. My slippery fingers rummaged through the top shelf of his cellar and landed on a bottle of another Diebolt-Vallois, but this is no ordinary bottle. I glanced at the host, asking for his consent, and he asked me back how was this wine the last time I tasted it, and I told him frankly we should wait no longer. He gave me the thumbs up and a few seconds later, the cork popped on Diebolt-Vallois Blanc de Blancs 1979. This wine got the table pretty much raving mad at this point as the sense of exoticism overwhelmed everyone. Exotic aromas of grilled nuts, truffle and mild cheese came on at first, with slight hints of fino sherry. The wine became fresher as we let it sit on. The flavours became more focused although the petillant bubbles quite rapidly vanished. Deep, dense and sweet, this was, to be quite honest, proving to be a better bottle than the one I opened just a few months back. Lucky me to try this again! (91  points)

A few more friends dropped by at late night, and while they sipped to try what remained of the Pichon bottles, Aman went to his cellar again to pull off MH's favourite drink: Sauternes. Out came 1989 Château Guiraud with its rich and heady bouquet of dried apricots, hazelnuts and orange peel. Already losing its youthful stickiness, this wine was not quite as honeyed as it was marmalade-like. This wine probably had been in this peak drinkability stage for a while and may hold its own for a couple of years more (90 points). MH was smiling endlessly, repeating himself that his night was made by now. A man who really loves his Sauternes and a happy man indeed. P exclaimed, "Dark chocolate! This needs dark chocolates!" and suddenly I remembered I just picked up a couple of bars of my favourite 1er Cru Michel Cluizel darkies from Culina before dinner. She was right. The choc was a lovely companion to the Sauternes, the reticent and deeply seated sweetness harmonized with each other rather nicely. A fitting closure for a very enjoyable evening...

Bubblicious...!

Drinking a glass of champagne always instantly endows one with a sense of well-being. There is something magical and inexplicable about its ebullient perfume, rousing effervescence, and the gentle caress of the mousse... And the entire process around serving of champagnes — no matter how informal the setting — is an occasion unto itself: ice rustling in the bucket, the unwrapping of the foil, the sigh of the cork a-popping and the lush fizz as it is poured into the glass. It is probably because of all these factors that champagne is the de facto drink of ceremonies and celebrations. Even the uninitiated understands this universal notion.

To the discerning wine lover, however, champagne does a lot more than merely accessorise a celebration. They understand that champagne is wine. It just happens to have bubbles in it. In fact these are wines typically made from two of the noblest of grapes, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, whose capacity for complex development is beyond question. Even the third varietal Pinot Meunier, once thought as the blending grape, an undeserved "outsider", has recently proven itself as equally noble by certain Champagne growers who have successfully demonstrated its complex character in single-varietal cuvées. What an exciting time for Champagne as a region, and for the progressive wine lover who are searching for new discoveries. Funny how these rediscoveries lie in the familiar spaces, like the champagne region.

My friend DO once remarked how wonderful his recent Italian trip was as he dined with friends in great restaurants and tried several older Champagnes on the wine list. Although champagne is not a new beverage to him, having a meal significantly paired with serious champagnes, as opposed to using champagnes merely as apéritif (an unjustifiable misnomer in my books!), opened up a delightful rediscovery of the potential greatness of the bubblies of bubblies as proper meal-time companion. He told me that he wanted to set up a champagne dinner as soon as he got back. I couldn't be more agreeable to the idea. And pairing it with Japanese food is a no-brainer; always one of my favourite combinations.

A quick trio of lesser known champagnes were presented to kick off the evening, courtesy of CL. The first wine was NV Champagne Marie Demets "Tradition" from Gyé-sur-Seine. Very soft mousse, rather reticent somewhat stalky nose, evidently high in pinot noir. Slightly syrupy and quite quaffable, I couldn't help but think there was a tad too much dosage in here. Berry-fruity flavours with a slight bitter pith finish. And uncomplicated champagne with very little distinctiveness unfortunately (83 points).

The second installment, NV Larmandier-Bernier 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs, possessed more vigorous bubbles with a markedly meaty nose. Somewhat harsh and nervy now, but without the promise of finesse of substance in the midpalate, in fact, it was strangely flabby around the edges. I find this disturbingly aggressive and unbalanced at this point (NOT RATED).

The last of the trio brought things back on track. The 2000 Larmandier-Bernier Vielles Vignes de Cramant came from one of my favourite terroir — the grand cru Cramant — and in spite of the preceding disappointing performance of the NV Blanc de Blancs, fortunately this delivered. Fine bubbles with a coherent energy unlike the preceding wines. Intense and creamy with subtle pear and green apples flavours. Finished with persistence and minerally stoniness. Although not a prototype of finesse, this still managed to impress with its balance of intensity, texture and length. Still rather nervous today but at least the wine was cohesive (89+ points).

1976 Lanson Brut in magnum hit home a superb showing today. This strengthened the case for the magnum format for champagne. Lanson's straight vintage cuvée is not their prestige champagne, but as this case clearly showed, it doesn't have to be in order to age well and deliver. 32 years young, this charmed everyone with its slightly nutty, honeyed, oatmeal overtones leading to sweet and sappy flavours of passion fruits and lemon candy. Still quite fresh and utterly delicious at this age, and not at all bone dry. The noticeable dosage did little harm to the overall balance, lending a fine texture and polish to the finish. Delectable (91 points).

JC's 1992 Philipponnat "Clos des Goisses" from an underrated and relatively unknown vintage reminded everyone once again that at the end of the day, it is key to rely on the strengths of the producer and the terroir in order to deliver in less-than-illustrious vintages. Mealy, with hints of smoke and meat in the nose, yet it was gracefully elevated with hints of clove and fresh citrus fruits. The trademark Clos des Goisses sleekness and weightlessness reappeared quite readily with a discreet and unsuspecting length and persistence. Finished with a whiplash of sudden energy and power that this clos is well known for. A great performance for the vintage and a testimony to the greatness of this terroir (92 points).

After the first corked bottle of 1990 Dom Pérignon, the second bottle came on with a healthy nose of honey, oatmeal and a touch of wet earth. Very fine bubbles, a la classic Dom, and a fine mousse, still this version was less fresh and captivating than the last bottle I had six months ago as the overall fruit profile was lower toned and the sweetness was a tad too noticeable. A bottle variation I am quite sure... (91 points).

CW said he couldn't locate his 1990 R.D. at the last minute and so decided to bring along a 1990 Bollinger Grande Année which more than sufficiently held its own. Yummy nutty aromas typical of the house. Although its oxidative forcefulness was already quite subdued at this present age, the autolytic and popcorn aromas could still be found. Yet there's an elevated sense of freshness due to its solid backbone. Complex hint of cardamom spice emerged with further airing. I admire this 'humbler' vintage wine which still promises further upside in the time to come (91+ points).

Up next, the trio of Krugs began with the 1985 Krug. A powerful Krug nose which combined smoke, lees, toast, lemon and butter was followed up with a voluminous palate of discreet acacia honey and barley, framed by a taperingly long finish enlivened by faultless acidity. Already rather mature and delicious now I must say (93 points).

The 1990 Krug followed on. Decisively more acid driven than the plush 1985, the high pitched Krug nose was also noticeably riper than the 1985. Definitive autolytic character in the nose, there was now higher pitched hints of lime blossoms and stone fruits and again preserved at the back end with an impressively energetic acid backbone. This reminded me of a tamer version of the 1996 Krug. Drinkable now but have a long long way to go (94+ points).

When DO asked me to taste the champagnes tonight earlier on in order to determine the order of serving, I was quite clear I had to serve the 1988 Krug last, and for a good reason. This was a monumental wine, reminiscent of a great Montrachet. An incredible soaring melange of smoke, minerals, vitamins and stonefruits in the nose which continued to evolve to unveil exotic tones of lime peels and white flowers. Incredible energy and volume in the mouth yet never once asserted its weight on the palate, plus a haunting sense of presence. The wine could be tasted long after it was swallowed or spat — I admit I could hardly spit this wine — and such was the profundity of its inner mouth perfume. A great Krug, a monument to the greatness of champagne, and is in no way close to reaching its peak (96+ points).

JL who joined us late, sneaked in a blind champagne. Pretty, berry-like fruits with very fine mousse and biscuit-y character. Definitely rather high in pinot noir percentage. A soft tone of meat and mushroom complicated the otherwise rather strawberry oriented fruits in the palate. I thought this was rather Dom Pérignon like but probably lost a shade or two in terms of fineness of the bubbles. Very well preserved for this medium-aged champagne I thought when we discovered that it was a bottle of 1988 Veuve Clicquot (91 points).

The food at Akashi, especially in the company of DO, is always top-quality. Price is never cheap but it is always reliable. And tonight, in the company of the champagnes, I would hardly complain.

For those who wonder what wine to drink with sashimi/sushi-oriented Japanese meal I feel morally obliged to suggest that German Rieslings and champagne are probably the most versatile beverage to pair with after sake. Pick a few styles of champagnes to pair with the diversity of the meal courses to match the weight against the umami/fat quotient of each course. The pairing will most likely work out effortlessly. Going tempura? Even more so compatible. At other times I would also team Japanese food with Burgundies (both white and red), but that would call for more specific combinations. High-acid wines like these can handle the zest and sting of wasabi rather admirably.