2020 Claire Naudin Viola Odorata 1986 VCC 1997 Ridge Monte Bello…

An evening at Hua Ting on 14 November 2023 very kindly hosted by LF, all tasted blind. Through sheer coincidence, there were two bottles of Henri Boillot of similar vintage. Many thanks!

2015 Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er. Pale golden. Restrained bouquet of cool floral scents leading to a fullish palate of slick oily density, still quite tightly coiled. Loosened up a little with distant notes of flint and gun smoke whilst maintaining its floral fragrance, morphing eventually into a delicate lift of créme and nutmeg with a high-toned chalky shine.

2017 Château de Meursault Meursault-Perriéres 1er, courtesy of Kieron. Lovely luminosity, exuding delicate white tones with excellent clarity and modest intensity, layered with minerally detail that show some early complexity. Very subtly structured. More velvety over time with an ethereal elegance, lighting up the palate with superb glowing length. This is Meursault as it ought to be.

2015 Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Mouchere 1er, courtesy of Vic. This monopole opens with soft reductive notes amid delicate high-toned citrus and dominant acidity. Highly integral with medium depth of fruit, beautifully rounded with lean definition, layered with a very understated glowing minerally presence tinged with saline and menthol.

2020 Claire Naudin (Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand) Viola Odorata. Deep purple. Profusion of well-extracted raspberries and mulberries that exude alluring fragrance with a deep luxuriant presence but neither imposing nor hedonistic. Wonderfully lithe and agile in spite of its ample proportions, dressed in svelte silky tannins that blend seamlessly with the understated acidity, displaying exemplary balance. From 90-year-old vines, expertly crafted by the wife of Jean-Yves Bizot.

1986 Vieux Château Certan, courtesy of Kieron. Still fairly deep in colour. Subtle tertiary glow of well-evolved red fruits and mahogany. Highly integral and open with lean definition, utterly seamless in its layers of fruit, sublime acidity and melted tannins, boasting superb lift and great cohesion. Outstanding.

1997 Ridge Monte Bello, courtesy of LF. Deep purple. Restrained presence of dark fruits, blueberries and cool currants, structured with equally subdued tannins that oozed a bit of sweet warmth. Amply endowed and still wonderfully fresh, turning a little pruny along with traces of burnt though it suited the mediun-full palate very well.

2005 Château Troplong Mondot, courtesy of Vic. Deep purple. This wine was rather difficult to place, opening with a certain restraint, proffering a dash of sweetness tinged with menthol. Equally understated and soft in its tannin structure, slightly dusty, displaying subtle detail with subdued intensity even though the fruit is placed more forwardly than usual, trailed by ferrous elements laced with a distinct note of sweetness. We all thought New World!