J is for Japan
The omens did not bode well for the trip to Kyoto and Tokyo last week - for although the drinks menu on the plane promised my much beloved Frescobaldi Nippozano 2000, they did not carry it and I had to make do with a glass of Charles Heidseck 1995 (or was it three?). The steward was rather embarrassed and gave us a bottle of some forgettable St. Estephe Cru Bourgeois to take off the plane (could have been the Chateau Segur de Cabanac 2002 but I forget) - as it turned out, it was the last alcohol I was to have for the next five days.
I was so parched by the time I got to Tokyo I was accepting beer, unknown Chilean white wine as well as 10 year old Macallan single malt in the course of the evening - don't ask.
That was Thursday and by Friday, things had taken a turn for the better. The evening began at the swish new faux Wall Street business district in Marunouchi and as chance would have it, the first two bars we walked into were full and we were compelled to take refuge at the newly opened Les Caves Taillevent. I chose a bottle of Jean Pabiot Pouilly Fume 2002 to start with while my new friend Mark G (not to be confused with my old friend Mark H) chose to start with a Jean Durup Chablis 2002.
I have long been a fan of Jean P's daughter Dominique who produces a very classic Loire Pouilly Fume from her own 20 hectares but the father certainly does not come off worse in comparison with a complex, fairly acidic, well-structured white (and I don't drink much white which is not sparkling) which manages to coax a sweetness from the lingering finish. Think mango, papaya and sweet pineapple floating on a mouthful of lemon and lime. Sublime, even. And yes - to the ladies who enquired, it was a Sauvignon Blanc. I think we succeeded in clearing the entire stock of JP's Pouilly Fume in Taillevent by the time we left that night.
Saturday night and I was persuaded to cook in Cara and Mark H's kitchen (see other blog) - but first a trip to Mark H's favourite Yamaya Wine Store in Akasaka where we left with among other things, a bottle each of Chateau Phelan Segur 1999 and Chateau Lefaurie Peyraguey 1996.
The Phelan Segur turned out not to be quite ready to drink and is unlikely to be for at least another two years by which time it should be an interesting proposition. Like a feisty young woman, it was a little too thin, a little too wild and a little unripe but should calm down and mellow if left pretty much alone for some time. So think not about what it is but rather what it could become. Well worth waiting for.
On the other hand, the Chateau Lefaurie Peyraguey 1996 was at the height of its powers - golden, honeyed with a touch of slight bitter woodiness which I think is the mark of a great Sauternes. It is such a shame that it is not considered to be in the same league as the Y'quem, Suideraut or the Rieussec but I have had the 1996 of the last two and I honestly do not think it any less than either of those. So at roughly 20 per cent. cheaper, this is excellent value.
And so the week ended pretty much as it had begun - with a couple of glasses of Charles Heidseck 1995 on the plane and still no sign of of the Frescobaldi Nippozano.
I was so parched by the time I got to Tokyo I was accepting beer, unknown Chilean white wine as well as 10 year old Macallan single malt in the course of the evening - don't ask.
That was Thursday and by Friday, things had taken a turn for the better. The evening began at the swish new faux Wall Street business district in Marunouchi and as chance would have it, the first two bars we walked into were full and we were compelled to take refuge at the newly opened Les Caves Taillevent. I chose a bottle of Jean Pabiot Pouilly Fume 2002 to start with while my new friend Mark G (not to be confused with my old friend Mark H) chose to start with a Jean Durup Chablis 2002.
I have long been a fan of Jean P's daughter Dominique who produces a very classic Loire Pouilly Fume from her own 20 hectares but the father certainly does not come off worse in comparison with a complex, fairly acidic, well-structured white (and I don't drink much white which is not sparkling) which manages to coax a sweetness from the lingering finish. Think mango, papaya and sweet pineapple floating on a mouthful of lemon and lime. Sublime, even. And yes - to the ladies who enquired, it was a Sauvignon Blanc. I think we succeeded in clearing the entire stock of JP's Pouilly Fume in Taillevent by the time we left that night.
Saturday night and I was persuaded to cook in Cara and Mark H's kitchen (see other blog) - but first a trip to Mark H's favourite Yamaya Wine Store in Akasaka where we left with among other things, a bottle each of Chateau Phelan Segur 1999 and Chateau Lefaurie Peyraguey 1996.
The Phelan Segur turned out not to be quite ready to drink and is unlikely to be for at least another two years by which time it should be an interesting proposition. Like a feisty young woman, it was a little too thin, a little too wild and a little unripe but should calm down and mellow if left pretty much alone for some time. So think not about what it is but rather what it could become. Well worth waiting for.
On the other hand, the Chateau Lefaurie Peyraguey 1996 was at the height of its powers - golden, honeyed with a touch of slight bitter woodiness which I think is the mark of a great Sauternes. It is such a shame that it is not considered to be in the same league as the Y'quem, Suideraut or the Rieussec but I have had the 1996 of the last two and I honestly do not think it any less than either of those. So at roughly 20 per cent. cheaper, this is excellent value.
And so the week ended pretty much as it had begun - with a couple of glasses of Charles Heidseck 1995 on the plane and still no sign of of the Frescobaldi Nippozano.
posted by porcorosso at 8:58 AM
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