2005 Joseph Drouhin Montrachet MdL, 2013 Domaine Lambrays Clos des Lambrays, 2011 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Musigny, 1990 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Brut, 2015 Harlan Estate The Maiden

The great Dr Ngoi booked out Iggy’s on 09 January 2023 for his special twin-digit celebration, curating a list of wine from his private cellar as well mostly in large format. The burgs were drinking better than the clarets, and I’m surprised that both examples of Hospices de Beaune were showing so well; truly, it is most important to get the correct producers to manage the élevage if you’re planning to bid for a barrel. With Ignatius himself on hand to execute the customised menu, it was a lovely evening from start to finish. Many thanks, Grace & SS, for your friendship and generosity, and may you be blessed with many more years of great health.

1990 Champagne Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin La Grande Dame Brut. Poured from imperial. Gentle nose of mandarins and mature citrus. Still rather full, brightly lit with an intense presence of lime and clear citrus that impart dry intensity with a refreshing icy glow, laced with traces of saline minerals. Finished with fine linearity and length.

2017 Hospices de Beaune Meursault-Charmes 1er Cuvée Bahèzre de Lanlay. This came from the barrel we bid successfully at the Hospices de Beaune auction with the élevage carried out by Bouchard Père et Fils. Poured from magnum. Dryish. Medium-full. Very elegant and stylish in its delicate bouquet of dry summer hay matched by a soft rounded velvetiness, excellent in concentration yet so understated and demure in its relaxed charm. An absolute beauty.

2005 Joseph Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche Grand Cru. Poured from magnum. Dull golden. Rye and summer hay initially on the nose, changing quickly to a dense floral lift with gleaming white tones of Puligny. Somewhat plump but structured with very fine precision, displaying refined clarity with slightly velvety textures, rather understated in chalky minerals. Quite ethereal, fleshing out eventually with elegant depth and controlled power. Still hasn’t quite peaked.

2017 Hospices de Beaune Beaune Cuvée de Maurice Drouhin. Poured from magnum. Brilliant pinot tint. Quite ample in raspberries on the nose. Medium-bodied, boasting sleek acidity within a rather condensed mid-palate but there is no question about its top-drawer fruit. Very subtly nuanced with teasing depth without any vegetal trace. Delicious. Finished well. Robust enough to match the ouef en meurette. Very successful. Élevage by Joseph Drouhin, naturally.

2013 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru. Poured from magnum. Deep ruby hue, exuding a glorious lift of red cherries with a superb rosy fragrance. Quite seamlessly layered and bright with a highly refined tannin structure, yielding great definition amid overtones of charred toast on a distinct minerally base. Very lovely purity of fruit and balance, displaying good power as well. Its pedigree shows. Really excellent.

2011 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Musigny Grand Cru. Poured from magnum. Deep dark rosy hues, exuding a sublime gentle fragrance. Equally darkish on the highly supple palate, rounded with good balance and fleeting power, seamlessly layered with a dash of earthy salinity. Doesn’t call attention to itself.

2010 Château Léoville Las-Cases. Opaque deep garnet, evoking a darkish demeanour with traces of vanillin though the fullish palate is saturated with a concentrated presence of predominant red fruits supported by great acidity and sophisticated tannins. Seemingly approachable as it opened up with glimpses of dense inner detail, very finely balanced though, given its masculine proportions, it probably needs at least another decade before it’s ready.

2003 Château Montrose. Deeply coloured. Aromatic lift of ripe red fruits and dark currants on a subtle bed of gentle forest floor. Medium-full. More savoury over time with a pronouced pungent earthiness as its supple tannins take on a slight velvety feel. Good finish.

2004 Château La Conseillante. Still deeply coloured, its floral lift anticipating the ample predominance of concentrated red fruits on the medium-bodied palate. Highly supple, seamlessly structured with refined inner definition. Excellent.

2015 Harlan Estate The Maiden. Deep purple. Broad swathe of red fruits and currants on the nose with an enticing warmth and some early complexity. Still rather primal with a full presence of delicious ripe fruit still shrouded in hues of varnish and vanillin though very evenly toned and expertly balanced with superb acidity, fanning out after some time with some inner detail amid an intense savouriness. Approachable but far from ready.

1989 Château Suduiraut. Poured from magnum. Dull golden. Effusive lift of apricot and nectarine amid intense diesel fumes. Appropriately weighty, the fruit distinctly mature and slightly backward though its acidity is still fresh. Still has the legs but it should be drunk.