2019 Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne GC, 2000 Château Margaux, 2007 Château Rayas 1998 Champagne Krug Brut

In what is now an annual ritual, the great SC closed the year with a long lunch at Omakase@Stevens, albeit a week earlier than usual on 23 December 2023. Chef Shu Kubota has further developed his refined culinary art, now executed with supreme confidence, expertly aided by Chef Kazuki. As usual, the wines were very carefully curated by SC in the same manner as he does for all his bespoke properties where it is all about balance and good taste to accompany the exquisite cuisine, avoiding any vulgar excesses. Many thanks, Sir, and good health to all in 2024.

1998 Champagne Krug Brut. Poured from magnum. Clear golden, proffering a gentle yeastiness on the nose that belies the expansive brilliance of complex citrus and pomelo. Still amazingly fresh and full, laced with a bit of stern minerality amid the refined acidity and intensity. Perfectly balanced, and not too dry.

2019 Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru. Poured from magnum. Pale golden. This wine opens with a gentle buttery nose, oozing cool freshness and refined elegance as it took its time to unfurl subtle layers of ethereal fruit seamlessly integrated with sublime acidity. Perfectly balanced with delicious glowing intensity, stretching out with sensational length as it morphed into a quiet regal essence, a trait consistent with all the great whites of Bouchard.

2007 Château Rayas Réservé. Evolved crimson, exuding a distilled rosy fragrance perfectly matched by gentle layers of mature red fruit and cherries that punch through a highly subtle sheen of ferrous elements with occasional sparkle and understated minty tone. Superbly integrated, seducing the senses with a delicious juicy succulence and supple intensity that marries power with lush velvetiness. Clearly a case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Tasted from two separate bottles with consistent notes.

2000 Château Margaux. Ex-château, poured from magnum. Deep garnet. Softly contoured and open with highly supple tannins that impart refined intensity. Surprisingly lean in body and definition, given the vintage and large format, though the fruit, acidity and tannins are superbly integrated with outstanding precision, marrying subtle power with elegance. Only just beginning to develop secondary characters. Utterly feminine in its delicious essence. Probably the ideal realisation of a Margaux.