An incredible day and close to the Ultimate Long Lunch!
The site before us was magnificent – 8 bottles of white Burgundy from the outstanding 2007 vintage. The bottles formed a perfect arc, dominating the the serving table in the corner of the restaurant. Superficially the bottles appeared identical, except for the one with the gold label, but even it exhibited the same design, same shape and same identifier: “Remoissenet Père et Fils”.
There was only one problem. They were empty.
The amazing line-up of 2007 White Burgundies from Remoissenet Pere et Fils
But who could complain. I had just finished a magnificent lunch with a great group of friends and the row of bottles created a thrilling vista gathering envious glances from diners at the other tables in the restaurant.
One of the luncheon groups to which I belong, organises lunch with
a specific wine theme and meets about five or six times a year. We all bring a bottle of our favourite to share, and often there will be a theme. At our most recent lunch it was 2007 White Burgundy from the house Remoissenet Père et Fils.
The Burgundy chateau Remoissenet Père et Fils was established in 1877 and produces some wonderful wines. They are full-bodied with good fruit and beautiful color and exhibit skillful oak handling. They rarely disappoint and cellar well. Remoissenet produces some of the most outstanding white wines in Burgundy and I plan to write a more in depth post on the house itself in the near future.
Members of my group have been collecting Remoissenet wines for many years and 2007 is a great vintage. So off to our usual restaurant for these occasions, La Cucinetta in Woolwich overlooking Sydney Harbour. We have been going to La Cucinetta for many years now and the staff are wonderful and look after us so well.
Louis Roederer Cristal, 1996
As is our custom we started with a bottle of Champagne, for this lunch the renowned 1996 Cristal from the LouisRoederer, and finished
with a desert wine, but the stars of the show and point of the lunch was to compare a range of wines from the 2007 vintage.
This was a fabulous day and exceeded our expectations. So over the never few hours we indulged in fine Italian food and impeccable Italian food.
Tasting Notes : I have included t
asting notes here from our very own “Wine Master”, Fred Schilling. I hope they give you a sense of the afternoon.
Notes from Fred:
We had the most amazing lunch on Friday with these wines and I believe they all showed as well as any of us could have hoped or expected. If they were still available today I wouldn’t hesitate to get some more of the best. These are my notes:
First Group
2007 St Romain (Remoissenet) Pale lemon. Subtle hint of pyrazine with a 
very faint mellowness to bouquet. Somewhat neutral and simple on palate. This is the (first and) least of the St Romain line for me from RP&F. 16.5
2007 Chablis 1er Cru ‘Fourchaume’ (Remoissenet) A touch more colour than the St Romain. Lemon and complex sulphides (smell of hot oyster shells). Lemon crisp and sulphide complex flavours of a classic Chablis. There is a good meld of the subtle RP&F oak stamp in this. Great bargain. 18++
Second Group
2007 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Champs Gain’ (Remoissenet) Sparkling fresh and zesty. Intense lime and some thought it lacked fruit. I just think it needs lots of time – an austere version of the P-M Perrières gives it a sense of starkness. Very Chablis-like. 18.5
2007 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Les Referts’ (Remoissenet) This is riper, spicier and with more impact than the Champ Gains. A more forward wine but still with a wonderful steeliness. This seemed to fade a bit with extended aeration so looks like it’s a pop and pour drink. Perhaps this seemingly more fragile character has played its part in the few premox bottles of this that we have experienced. This bottle now – 19+
2007 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Genevrières’ (Remoissenet) Lemon-yellow. Tight and spicy-zesty with a very subtle nuttiness. Intensely long palate. An undeveloped classic which hints toward a Corton-Charlemagne. 19
Third Group
2007 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Les Perrières’ (Remoissenet) Steel and finesse with a mealy, fibrous tactile impact. Some serious dry extract here but a wine of power without weight. Restraint, elegance and power. For the long haul. 19.5
2007 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Les Folatières’ (Remoissenet) In a richer and more obviously unctuous on the palate style than the Perrières. Somewhat like the Referts but in a finer version. All class. 19
2007 Corton-Charlemagne (Remoissenet) All I can say is that this is the best bottle I’ve had of this and is a step up on anything that preceded it today. A wine of restraint and structure rather than palate fullness but with all it needs to develop in bottle. Superb. 20
Final Group
2007 Le Montrachet (Remoissenet) This was rich, “sweet”, spicy andimpactful with more drying tannins than any of the other 2007s. A relatively more obvious wine than the Corton-Charlemagne. Whether one prefers this to, say, the Corton-Charlemagne comes down to stylistic preference. 19-
The others can give their own views but I have rarely, if ever, seen a bunch of wines as good as these all together at the one time.
Cheers, Fred
I attend a lot of lunches, and dinners and other occasions where wine is the main reason for the gathering. And certainly that was the case here. But rarely do you taste a line up where every bottle is fabulous
What a privilege to attend a lunch like that. Great wine in a fabulous setting with lovely food. Not a flawed bottle amongst those presented to us. Each represented its origin with fidelity; none was out of place.
And to top the day off, a relaxing ferry ride home across Sydney Harbour. It doesn’t get any better. Or does it? Send a comment if you reckon you’ve got a worthy challenge to the Ultimate Long Lunch.
