1970 Champagne Drappier Carte d’Or, Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault 1995

Champagne Ruinart Brut NV, a bottle that had been stored for twenty years but it appears not to have aged a single day, exuding attractive overtones of burnt toast and yeast from its pale golden hue that lead to a broad expanse of lively citrus with a deep burnished tone on the palate, exerting an exciting youthful intensity of dense white fruits. Excellent.

1970 Champagne Drappier Carte d’Or Brut. Deep dull golden hue, proffering a deep earthy pungent funkiness that is almost musky in character. Rather placid and heavy at first before bursting into life with a lighter touch. Still imbued with plenty of brio as it took on an attractive gentle austerity with emerging notes of bitter lemon and pomelo.

1995 Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault. Luminous golden lustre. This wine opens with a lovely restrained elegance, exuding rounded tones of icing and white floral bloom that blend seamlessly with an understated chalkiness beneath. Deceptively coiled and backward at first, traipsing across the palate with very subtle verve before unfurling its full potential with rich chromatic tones, striking a complex balance with that indescribable gleam that comes with age and impeccable breed. May not even have peaked. Outstanding.

2003 Les Forts de Latour, courtesy of Sir Vic at the Tanglin Club, Singapore, on 15 Nov 2021. Tasted blind. Deep purple with a bare trace of crimson. Very lovely effusive nose of lifted red plums and perfumed fragrance, distinctly feminine. Fairly full with a delicious succulence, displaying excellent presence of dark fruit and currants that exude velvety warmth and fine intensity. Very well-balanced and seamlessly integrated with further notes of cedar amid sweet pliant tannins, thinning just a little towards its short finish. Probably at its best.

2002 Château Léoville Las-Cases. Deep purple. Shut initially on the nose even after ninety minutes of aeration, the fruit equally reluctant on the medium-weight palate, seemingly nondescript. Rather minerally at first, taking a very long time to slowly firm up with a more solid core of dark plums and berries, structured with understated silky tannins but its restraint is still evident. Reflects the weak vintage quality. My previous experience with this wine nine years ago was a lot better. Time to drink up.

1998 Tertre Roteboeuf. Deep garnet. Was there just that faintest trace of cork taint on the nose that hindered its full expression? Past that, the palate is weighty and open with that characteristic savoury quality of Tertre Roteboeuf, structured with sleek acidity and intensity that convey youthful vigour with gritty ferrous detail.