selection of coffin Bay oysters with salmon roe and paprika prawns
NV Pol Roger
Fine mousse. All apples and brioche. Enjoyable but a little too youthful.
*
autumn vegetable terrine
2001 Olivier Leflaive, Meursault ‘Charmes’
Colour starting to show a little age. For 2001 this is surprisingly rich - well balanced acidity never makes this a struggle. Never going to be a great wine but it sure is good. Very good.
*
linguine of wild mushrooms
2001 Domaine des Lambrays, Clos des Lambrays
Light ruby colour. Nose is of red fruits and crushed stones (?). Superb silky mouth feel. Mineral city. Long finish. Rich and elegant all at the same time. Will be outstanding!
*
paupiette of beef with potato gratin and autumn vegetables
1994 Henschke ‘Mount Edelstone’
Deep red with still a hint of purple after all this time. Rich black fruits and a touch of spice. Forward and ready to go. This really shows class to show so well after the preceeding wine. Perhaps a touch sweet overall but otherwise superb. Outstanding.
*
blackberry tart
1997 Nairac Barsac
Amber but bright, glowing colour. Nose of apricots and tropical fruits. Good balance of fruit and acid, rich mouthfeel. Good length. Exellent.
*
WOTN was an equal split between Lambrays and Edelstone. Two votes Lambrays, two votes Edelstone.
DOTN (dish of the night) was even tougher to call. No one thought the terrine could be beat but then came the linguine. Inspired by Tetsuya’s oriental mushroom linguine - the linguine this was a real hit. Protests of ‘no more!’ arose when the individual blackberry tarts were presented but even they posed no challenge once it was tasted. In hindsight: one vote terrine, two votes linguine and one vote blackberry tart. A special mention must go to the wonderful bread from Matisse (stopped making bread after discovering it).