Our private dining room in St. James’s has been the setting for countless memorable wine dinners over the years and decades. But last night was a very special evening. John Kolasa, who runs Chateau Canon, came over to have dinner with a few selected guests and brought some fabulous wines with him. The evening started with a tasting in our cellars. Firstly with a barrel sample of the 2009 Canon, which was deeply impressive and full of velvety structure and perfume, which seems to be the signature of this vintage. The 2005, 2002 and 2000 were also shown. The 2005 was still a baby, but a genuine delight was the 2002, which had far more richness than was expected and if served blind would, we are quite certain, be placed by all in a grand vintage. The best of the 2002s remain some of the great deals in Bordeaux.After a quick glass of Pommery Cuvee Louise ’99 to prepare ourselves for dinner, we headed off to the dining room. The first wine of the meal was the 1998 and it showed what Chateau Canon can do with sufficient age. The 1998s have now begun shrugging off their tannic cloaks and this wine was full of seductive vivacity and lift – absolutely beautiful, and a great match
with the monkfish wrapped in Parma ham. The remaining three vintages were then all served from magnum. The 1985 had evolved into a mature, seamless and silky wine; very elegant indeed, and flattering to the savoury mille-feuille of porcini mushrooms. Next was a magnum of 1979, not by any means a good vintage in Bordeaux, but brought by John to show what great terroir can do in average years. The wine had restraint and class and, it seems, many years still ahead of it. It certainly stood up to the roasted sirloin rib. But the wine of the night was the 1955 Canon. This was absolutely outstanding. It tasted as if it were 30 years younger than it is, and was so seductive and still full of richness. It was so good in fact we drank two magnums!With a delightful evening at a close a few of us then went on to Annabel’s. One of those ideas that seemed good at the time...
