1994 Domaine Romanée-Conti Richebourg, 2023 Chavy-Chouet Puligny Les Ensignières, 2022 Guidbert-Gillet MSD Les Milandes, 2016 Armand Rousseau Clos Saint-Jacques, 1969 Pontinet Ampeau Volnay Santenots, 1969 Château Margaux, 2006 Salon ‘S’

Vic hosted his annual dinner at Chef Chan’s Private Dining on 27 July 2026 where the line-up turned out to be quite eclectic, including some difficult-to-source producers that I’d never tasted. Many thanks Vic, and to everyone for your generosity!

2006 Champagne Salon Cuvée S, courtesy of Vic. Displaying a luscious rose gold, this wine is beautifully lifted with a pointed delicate intensity of pears, cinnamon and mandarins. Only medium presence but wonderfully fresh and detailed, its highly refined tiny bubbles so softly contoured and plush that it’s almost ethereal, ending in a note of pilsner and lemon peel. Outstanding.

2023 Domaine Chavy-Chouet Puligny-Montrachet Les Ensignières. Light golden. Vanillin, white flowers and cool icing on the nose. The medium-full palate is structured with clean precision of white tones and well-integrated minerally elements underscored by a dash of salinity, imparting lovely freshness and clarity.

2010 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Clavoillon, courtesy of LF. This bottle is surprisingly developed in spite of its relative youth and stellar vintage, displaying a rather heavy shade of gold with recessed mature white fruits underpinned with olives, leaving behind a dominant acidity. Not representative.

2013 Thousand Candles Single Vineyard Syrah, courtesy of Anthony. Purplish, exuding distinct overtones of nail varnish and enamel whilst a fleshy density of haw and mulberries immerse the palate with sleek acidity, replete with a tinge of stems. Well balanced without the overt hedonism or heaviness one would usually associate with Aussie syrah. Made from the estate’s best plots in the Yarra Valley, vinified in French oak.

1994 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg Grand Cru, courtesy of Sir Bob. Classic pinot tint. The splendid bouquet here is very lovely indeed, a perfumed lift of complex red fruits and haw with a hint of mandarins. Decidedly medium-weight though still wonderfully fresh and integral, its melted tannins giving way to an excellent purity of plums and red apples that impart juicy succulence, carrying just a slight undertow of stems. Impeccably balanced and proportioned, poised with unperturbed elegance.

1969 Domaine Pontinet Ampeau Volnay 1er Les Santenots, courtesy of LF. Very pale. Still boasting quite an attractive bouquet of faint orangey and rosy hues though the fruit has largely receded, leaving behind a shell of high acidity.

2013 Domaine Dujac Vosne-Romanée 1er Aux Malconsorts, courtesy of Kieron. Deeply coloured, delivering an expanse of deep rosy hues, red fruits and cherries with a focused intensity from its concentrated layers, announcing its pedigree with velvety tannins and sleek acidity that enhances its utter refinement. Excellent.

2022 Guidbert-Gillet Morey-Saint-Denis Vieilles Vignes 1er Les Milandes, courtesy of Vic. Purplish pinot, exuding perfumed floral nuances against an intense backdrop of ripe raspberries. Medium-full. Wonderfully fresh, boasting superb integration and sublime acidity tinged with a dash of salinity within a cloak of refined tannins. Seems this producer is increasingly sought after.

2016 Domaine Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos St-Jacques, courtesy of Anthony. Classic pinot tint, imbued with a fine depth of haw, red fruits and plums that impart lovely detail and elegant intensity where the cool ripeness of fruit offsets the darkish ferrous undertones, finishing with a hint of stems. Some grand crus may not actually measure up to such pedigree and beauty.

1969 Château Margaux, courtesy of Anthony. Displaying an evolved crimson, this wine opens with a deep funky reduction on the nose that, nevertheless, did not detract from the beguiling palate of mature red fruits and haw tinged with a hint of medicinal pochai amid orangey hues on a base of distinct ferrous minerals though the fruit has receded somewhat, leaving behind a dominant acidity. But this wine is all about its fabulous bouquet, so utterly feminine and burgundian.

2019 Château Rieussec, courtesy of Sir Bob. Light golden. Inviting notes of nectarine and apricot and barley on the nose though with considerable restraint. Medium presence, displaying some burnt amidst the semi-viscosity but not cloying.