Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/101724
STEVEN SPURRIER'S LETTER FROM LONDON 2002 Champagnes and Louis Jadot Burgundies T PHOTO: DECANTER he "Champagne 10 Years On" tasting held by top London wine brokers Bordeaux Index proved conclusively that great vintage champagne begins to taste its best from its tenth birthday. This usually corresponds to when it is no longer widely available, which means buying good vintages on release is a sensible option. Only eight wines were on show, but these were enough to illustrate the superb quality of 2002, a vintage that was virtually rained off in Bordeaux, but very successful in Burgundy. My rankings ranged from 18.5+ down to 17.5 and I have to admit that personal preferences sway my judgement when champagnes are not tasted blind, and my placing Pol Roger Chardonnay top was not the overall opinion, which put Louis Roederer Cristal irst, Taittinger Comtes de Champagne second and Dom Pérignon and Philipponnat Clos des Goisses equal third. This was a superb light of wines and I look forward to Bordeaux Index's 2002 20 Years On Tasting in 2022. Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs 100% Chardonnay Lemon yellow, lovely purity on the nose and an unforced elegance, both loral and nutty, fresh and winey; a wine with a great future. 18.5+ (I drank my last bottle of 1988 recently and it was still vigourously elegant.) Pol Roger 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay Pale lemon gold, broader and more leshy than the Blanc de Blancs but no less elegant; creamy texture, rich yet dry, lifted fruit just beginning to ill out. 18+ Bollinger 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay Lemon yellow, fresh and young for Bollinger, Chardonnay dominates now but the Pinot backs it up; really ine creaminess, vitality and length, great future. 18+ Roederer Cristal 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay Pale yellow (lighter than expected for Cristal) very elegant loral nose, quite different from the richer 2000; great inesse and depth. 18+ Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 100% Chardonnay Lemon yellow, loral and lifted Blanc de Blancs; white fruits and really good texture, more precision than Cristal but less depth. 18 22 / the tasting panel / january 2013 Moët & Chandon Dom Pérignon 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay Fine lemon yellow, all white lowers and elegance, crisp and lively texture, not assertive, but a wine of great class. 18 Dom Ruinart 100% Chardonnay Pale lemongold, lovely lightly creamy Blanc de Blancs, just a touch richer than the others and not quite the depth. 17.5 Philipponnat Clos des Goisses 65% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay Pale gold, rich, full, nutty and robust, creamy texture; very "winey" in this range and is showing maturity, but will still keep well. 17.5 Jacques Lardière's 40 Years at Louis Jadot Having completed his 40th vintage with Louis Jadot, the ebullient Jacques Lardière was given a massive send-off in Beaune (although he is not going anywhere) and a smaller dinner in London and I was able to attend the latter. After Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2000 (perhaps iner than the 2002) we paired 1973 Le Montrachet, rich and nutty, still full of vigour, to Corton-Charlemagne 1978, whose white trufle fruit and terriic grip of acidity belied its age. Then a pair of reds from the 1990s: 1991 (a very small vintage, very concentrated and needed time) Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Les Boudots, still young-looking, a classic energetic and meaty wine with a great future; 1992 (a big crop, light at the start but came together later) Bonnes Mares from the Jadot vines on the Chambolle-Musigny side of this Grand Cru, more delicate with lovely freshness, perfect now. We ended with a pair from the 1980s: 1988 (a slightly unripe year which has kept its grip) Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Ursules, young and vigourness with a touch of greenness still; 1985 (one of Jacques Lardière's favourite vintages where he saw the quality right away) Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St Jacques, bright colour, loral fruit, beautiful taffeta texture, great purity and length—the wine of the evening.