1998 Penfolds 707 Cabernet Sauvignon & 1988 Henschke Hill of Grace

An impromptu gathering at Kam Boat on 21 January 2025 without any specific theme…

2019 Domaine Jean-Philippe Fichet Meursault Les Gruyaches. Aired in bottle for about two hours prior. Light golden, exuding dense floral hues with minerally elements in equal measure, laced with traces of vanillin. Quite richly textured, almost opulent, in lychees and complex citrus from the excellent concentration of ripe fruit, structured with a tad of oiliness that lend exquisite teasing intensity. Finished with superb length. Certainly not the reductive sort of Meursault.

2018 Domaine Durueil-Janthial Rully, courtesy of Kieron. Pale golden. Lovely restraint of floral hues amid cool glacial tones. Slightly reductive, its minerally spine lending a chiseled structure to the concentrated white fruit, turning a little more buttery over time though it still retained excellent clarity and linearity.

2000 Domaine Didier Dagueneau Pur Sang, courtesy of LF. Deep golden. This Pouilly-Fumé is effusive in lychees with a distinct sweetness though only medium weight, delicate enough to convey fine clarity within its smooth contours. Very well integrated and balanced.

2001 Kistler McCrea Vineyard Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, courtesy of Sir Bob. Fairly deep golden, showing some cool restraint from the fine density of fruit, teasing the palate with refined intensity. Still fresh and lively with understated acidity, stretching out with good length and astonishing intensity over time.

2015 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Rouges, courtesy of Vic. Darkish pinot tint. Dark plums and currants dominate with a warm fleshy salinity. Somewhat forwardly balanced, producing fine attack though the generous expanse of fruit still retains Grivot’s signature elegance and refinement.

2004 Sine Qua Non Covert Fingers, courtesy of LF. Evolved crimson, producing an unmistakable note of eucalyptus form the full-bodied tensile presence of plummy red fruits on a bed of sweet velvety, stretching out with minty length. Not for the faint-hearted.

1998 Penfolds 707, courtesy of Kieron. Displaying an opaque deep garnet, the estate’s flagship cabernet is still bold and massive, concentrated in currants, black fruits and raspberries that impart a very ripe warmth with tertiary overtones of cocoa and dark chocolate within a frame of sweet supple tannins, producing an intense near-monolithic density underpinned by a firm minerally line. This has barely evolved since a previous tasting in November 2018, also courtesy of Kieron.

1988 Henschke Hill Of Grace, courtesy of Sir Bob. Opaque deep brownish-red, imbued with mature red plums and raisiny fruit amid earthy overtones. The fleshy well-endowed medium-full palate is still remarkably fresh and agile, layered with autumnal but vibrant fruit that belies its thirty-seven years. Modest finish. Very elegant. Probably at its best, and likely to hold on for many more years.