It wasn’t all work work work yesterday. We enjoyed a splendid lunch as Chateau Conseillante where we were lucky enough to taste some magnificent back vintages including a magnum of the '45. Most of us assumed that this would be the oldest wine of the day or even the week, but the accolade didn’t last long...
In the evening we had dinner with the superstar winemaker, negociant and general human dynamo, Denis Durantou. Denis is always extraordinarily generous, but last night’s feast was something to behold. Between cabaret from the eccentric but charming Rene Gabriel we enjoyed a fabulous vertical of Eglise Clinet. We started with the '29 (which we are quite confident will be the oldest wine we taste this week and for many weeks...). This was still brimming with life, a wonderfully vibrant example and one with a lovely story as this was the wine that inspired a young (9yo) Denis to become a winemaker; the rest as they say is history. Then followed the '54, '64, '55 and '85. It is hard to pick one vintage out as all were thrilling, however, perhaps particular mention should go to the '55, which was the baby of the flight and received 20/20 from this humble writer. Many thanks Denis for a splendid evening and congratulations on an outstanding 2010.
