Chez Bruce: a tough day at the office with Keith Prothero, Nicolette Waterford and others

Nicolette Waterford: Keith's guest of honour 
Nicolette looks after PR for The Chenin Blanc Association 
and a number of other accounts 

Yesterday was definitely one of those tough days at the office – lunch at Chez Bruce stretching from around midday to 17.30. A small group of us – Christelle Guibert, Neil Beckett, Jamie Goode, Nigel Platts-Martin, Neleen Strauss and Greg Sherwood – invited by Keith Prothero – the luncheon legend plus director and shareholder in The Sampler – to welcome Nicolette Waterford, who runs the PR for The Chenin Blanc Association and various other PR accounts, to London.

Most of the party were welcomed with the 1996 Bollinger RD Extra Brut Champagne from magnum. However, as I'm not drinking Champagne because of their shameful treatment of 'Champagne Jayne' and Champagne is far from his favourite beverage, Keith kindly allowed me bring a bottle of 2004 Les Cormiers Saumur Blanc Château de Villeneuve for our apéro. 

 Young Keith Prothero considering

 the 2004 Saumur Blanc 

   
Keith Prothero

 

 

Greg Sherwood (Handford Wines)

Dr Neil Beckett (editor of World of Fine Wine) @work

 

Is Neil about to take the pledge ....

Neleen Strauss – High Timber. London 

Nigel Platts-Martin, London's leading restaurateur 

giving the flight of red Burgundy serious thought 

Dr Jamie Goode, sans anorak! 

Christelle Guibert

Limbering up for the off ...

(above and below)

First flight: 
 

2004 Meursault J-F Coche-Dury 

wonderfully expressive with complex nose, vibrant wine 

One of my top wines of the lunch   

2008 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru Domaine Leflaive

currently less expressive than the Meursault

2007 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, Bonneau de Martray 

Initially closed but opened up in glass showing 

increased complexity and length

Accompanied by: crab tartlet with thinly sliced scallop salad, 

bisque vinaigrette and chives  

Second flight:  

 The red Burgundy flight 

2001 Chambertin Grand Cru, Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils

– bricky with lovely delicacy

2001 Musigny Grand Cru Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier; 

2001 Clos St Denis Grand Cru Domaine Dujac

1942 Castillo d'Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Bodegas Murrieta (served blind)

Musigny – silky texture and increasingly seductive as it opened up 

Clos St D: silky concentration 
Blind – d'Ygay: bricky to orange colour but markedly more 
dense than the 2001s, this vibrant 1942 
still had lovely texture with tones of balsamic. What a treat!
if bought young there is no way HMRC would 
agree that this 72-year-old is a 'wasting asset' 
ie a life of less than 50 years       

Accompanied by: Rare-roast venison loin with rocket, 

truffle, Coolea and hazelnuts   

Third flight:    

 1978 Château La Mission Haut-Brion, Graves; 1982 Château Haut Brion, Graves;

(today these two would be Pessac-Leognan an AC that started in 1987)

1986 Château Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac (served blind)

(1982 La Mission – corked) 

1986 Mouton noticeably more youthful than 1978 and 1982

Though aging enjoyed the delicacy of the 1978 La Mission

Accompanied by: Roast veal and sweetbread with 

lyonnaise fondant potato and wild mushrooms 

Fourth flight: 

1986 Château d'Yquem, Luc-Saluces, Sauternes 

 (Unfortunately I failed to take a pic of the bottle!) 

 1989 Le Marigny Selection de Grands Nobles, Vouvray

Domaine des Aubuisières, Bernard Fouquet 

Bernard Fouquet's 1989 showed brilliantly with its 

passerilage fruit and character to the fore

rich concentration but marvellously vibrant and long

Keith and some others thought it superior to the d'Yquem

though to be fair 1989 is the superior vintage, 

while the Fouquet was only a small fraction of the price of the Yquem 

Accompanied by: vanilla mille-feuille with Yorkshire rhubarb, 

blood orange sorbet and lemon curd

Undoubtedly a great occasion, very privileged to be there and very spoilt by Keith's generosity. The food was just excellent – not flashy but of a very high quality. My thanks to Sara Bichiorri, Chez Bruce's sommelier and her staff, who looked after us so well. 

Quote of the lunch (Nigel Platts-Martin):

"I don't want wines that want to be my best friend!" 

and what was off the record? That would be telling....! 

Keith making sure he doesn't neglect the essentials 

Lunch with Keith Prothero@theRSJ

2 September 2009

Keith Prothero considering the 1989 Clos de la Dioterie, Charles Joguet

Had a very agreeable lunch with Keith Prothero, who is involved in various charity (just giving) and wine projects including the Pebbles Project, Mullineux Wines and is an investor in the award winning The Sampler.

Apero: 1976 Le Mont Vouvray demi-sec, Domaine Huet

This is one of the remaining bottles that we bought during one of several visits to Domaine Huet in the early 1980s. We bought a number of 1976s – mainly moelleux. Many of them have had problematic corks – not corked but not well sealed so several of them have been quite ullaged. One, indeed, that we tried about a year to 18 months ago was only two-thirds full. Nevertheless I pulled the cork, fearing the worse, and was amazed that it was still fine and not oxidised.

This demi-sec was less ullaged – high shoulder – but was probably more affected. A question of being demi-sec rather than moelleux, the higher level of sugar providing greater protection? Mid to deep gold with definite notes of oxidation on the nose; on the palate this still has that wonderful balance of honeyed fruit and acidity that makes Huet's wines so thrilling. Slightly baked fruit – a reminder of how hot and dry 1976 was. (In the UK Denis Howell was famously appointed 'Minister for Drought' whereupon the skies opened a few days later!)

This being a déjeuner de la modération Keith and I kept some of the 1976 to try later on – it worked well with my linguine and crab and, a while later, with the blue cheese. I had put it in a carafe and over the course of a couple of hours or so it opened up and certainly didn't become more oxidised, although I do think that due to the ullaging it wasn't as good as it might have been. Nevertheless memorable.

First course: 1998 Les Cormiers, Saumur Blanc, Château de Villeneuve

Les Cormiers is Jean-Pierre Chevallier's top cuvée of Saumur Blanc, vinified in 500 litre barrels with a proportion of new oak. JP is always keen to keep Chenin's acidity, so there is no malo here. The 1998 is an interesting contrast to the 1999, one of JP's really great Les Cormiers. The 1999 is much richer, creamier, more flattering than the 1998, which was a difficult year with a wet and cool September. The quite austere 1998 reflects this with precise minerality – still very youthful. Tasted blind it would be difficult to divine that this wine is now nearly 11 years old. Worked well with both Keith's quiche and my linguine and crab.

1996 Grand Clos, Saumur-Champigny, Château de Villeneuve

I'm a great fan of 1996 Loire reds – a really classic vintage – and I think Jean-Pierre Chevallier's Grand Clos is one of the finest examples of the vintage. It has the typical Loire Cabernet Franc herbal character with touches of sous bois, rich, silky fruit and good structure and length. It shows no sign of tiring and will still be a fine bottle for several years to come. Not surprising that the 1996 Grand Clos has stunned the Bordelais on a number of occasions in blind tastings.

1989 Clos de la Dioterie, Chinon, Charles Joguet

Next, the 1989 Closde la Dioterie Chinon from Charles Joguet. This was made when Charles was at the height of his powers, nearly a decade before he retired, and when he was generally considered the best Chinon producer. I've had several bottles of the 1989 Dioterie and, although it had lovely silky, voluptuous fruit on the palate – closer to Burgundy than to Bordeaux – on the nose it was beginning to show its age. Initially when we opened it, it had that typical Joguet animal, kidney nose. However, it soon took on that tiring, slightly pencil shavings nose.

And the wine of the lunch: I'd have to go for the Grand Clos, although all revealed the possibilities of the Loire.