PRIVATE CLIENT SPECIALIST
It was Burgundy Celebration time in Sydney and my previous company hosted a tasting of Bonneau du Martray. We were presented with a trio of Corton-Charlemagne (06,08,10) and Thibault led the conversation between the city’s top somms about these bucket-list Chardonnays – whilst I’m sitting there absolutely speechless. At the time, I was under the impression that Riesling had my heart, but from then on Riesling became my seasonal crush and Chardonnay became my one true love (along with everyone else in the room).
I’d pick Coche Dury Meursault Perrieres as this bucket list producer has yet to come across my palate. The Perrieres vineyard because I have been floored by bottlings from Leflaive and Comte Lafon, and surely aiming for 1er Cru means this elusive producer is actually within my grasp, right?
I would have some close friends who are also in the trade to appreciate the wine selection for the evening, just in case my guests are distracted by the sure-to-be hilarious and fascinating chat between Phoebe Waller-Bridge, David Attenborough and Taika Waititi. One of the famous women of Champagne like Nicole Ponsardin or Louise Pommery would be a welcome addition, purely to get the word on the ground of what it was like running the show during the war!
For dinner we would start with a knock-your-socks-off white Rhône like Rotem & Mounir Saouma ‘Magis’ paired with whitebait fritters, grated bottarga and almost too much butter on thick sliced white bread, followed by venison tartare with Kusuda Pinot Noir. The main course would be slow cooked lamb shoulder, so tender you could eat it with a spoon, along with thrice cooked thyme potatoes. Instead of dessert we’d circle back to more bread, butter and add in some antipodean Chardonnay (Giaconda or Valli 2015). Some Comte would never go amiss as well.