Croq’Caillotte Sancerre 2009 - Emile Balland

Gooseberry is the classic Sauvignon Blanc note, but I’m not used to it being so pungent in generally austere Sancerre – the fruit note overwhelms the more typical minerality. There is also a note of blackcurrant leaf (not the fruit!) which I find startling in a white wine. Very crisp.

François Cotat – Sancerre – La Grande Côte 2009

The first impression on the nose is stony, ungiving complexity, a wine that one will have to work at to unravel. There is not a lot of fruit in the austere bouquet; on the palate, and with a little airing, apples and quince begin to come through, even though those flinty notes remain the overriding characteristic. The acid is not overwhelming as it can sometimes be in Sancerre; more just a prick at the end of the palate. It also seems pretty alcoholic; we check, and discover it is a whacking 15%. The more we spend time on this, the more the extremely good structure becomes clear.

I guess – and later confirm – that this has been barrel-fermented in old oak barrels. It’s not that it tastes typically of oak (and so it must have been old oak, which imparts little if any flavour) but because the stony, slightly smoky complexity is so typical of those (relatively few) Sauvignons that have seen oak.

The best Sancerre I’ve ever had? With time, a cleansing note of mint shows through, and a suggestion of salami – most curious in a white. This is still very young, and wines of this class can open immensely, and unrecognisably – one to come back to in 5 years.

Weinbach Pinot Gris Cuvée Laurence 2004

Domaine Weinbach (in the Alsace) produces a variety of wines from a fairly wide variety of grapes – the Alsatian way. This cuvée is made from Pinot Gris grapes picked in overmaturity, lending borderline sweetness and intensity. Strong colour, and a very intense, smoky, Riesling-like bouquet of honeysuckle and peach. On the palate, enough sugar to hint at dessert. Fine, and powerful, if a bit of a conundrum for food; not actually heavy enough for pudding, it would kill most savoury dishes.

Château Monlot Capet 1966

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

Very softened, plummy fruit betrays the age on this wine. It is also very gamey; Burgundian notes grow into Worcester sauce (like Château Musar) and it begins to make me think of pet hamster cage. Good acid cuts through the palate. A note of anise on the finish. Soft and well-aged; although it continues to improve as it is open, with the gaminess only growing, I wouldn’t keep this a lot longer.

“There you go,” says N1, “the right bank is ok sometimes.”

Château Léoville-Barton 1988

St Julien, 2^nd growth

Extremely well-made classic left-bank Bordeaux: black fruit (not as clearly cassis as in some), cigar box, graphite, herby, and vegetal notes. Intense and complex: we didn’t have much time to appreciate it, and there was clearly more going on than we properly fathomed. In no way does it feel old; I would judge it is only just entering its peak drinking window.

Louis Roederer Brut 1990

We saw in 2012 with Louis Roederer’s 1990 Brut. The Roederer Vintage Brut might be thought of as the little brother of Roederer’s Cristal, now famous in popular culture as a status symbol for footballers and hip-hop artists. 1990 was a superb champagne vintage; the Vintage Brut is a 70-30 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Very dark gold with salmon highlights. The nose is a little reductive, and takes a while to blow off and freshen up – apparently quite typical across the vintage. The bouquet is more biscuits than bread, with a distinctive malty, “Horlicks” nose – maybe chocolate biscuits. Also cooked apple, and much though I distrusted my nose, there is definitely an unusual note of agave.

Clearly a well-made champagne. N1 is less convinced than I am – I think she finds the “Horlicks” a little off-putting.

Château Rieussec 1967

Sweet wines seem to bear age well, and this Sauternes beauty is no exception.

The burnt caramel-to-amber colour immediately gives away the age. The very intense bouquet mixes burnt notes – crème brúlée – with fresher notes of orange blossom water. The palate is surprisingly dry, with plenty of acid and the dominant fruit impression is of grapefruit rather than orange. There are also Sémillon-esque notes of candle wax. Luscious and fresh, probably at its peak, but equally, I suspect this could continue to lie happily in a cellar for many years without changing very much.