Christmas in September - With Louis Latour And Friends

A Christmas-themed tasting of top wines from Louis Latour and others at The Bleeding Heart

Some people love Christmas - my children, for example; at its best, it is a time that brings people and families together, a time of shared experience and togetherness.

Food and drink play a part, and if quality is important to you, then you want to put something superior on your table.

Louis Latour helpfully laid on a four-course Christmas lunch at The Bleeding Heart and provided a selction of wines with each course.

Food, wine and company - very Christmassy, and what's not to like?

All the wines were good in their own way; choices really come down to personal preference and budget.

On arrival

Gosset Grande Reserve Brut NV (£45 - £49) deft, elegant and substantial Champage. An excellent start. Very Good.

Starter - marinated salmon and crab
Simonnet-Febvre Chablis Premier Cru Vaillons 2015 (£26.99) deft and complex, with orchard fruit, honeysuckle and minerality. Long and still very young. Very elegant. Very Good.

Seresin Estate Sauvignon 2015 (£14.99) a biodynamic blend of the New World and the Old with a dash of Semillon in the blend and barrel aging; Marlborough character with European texture, restraint and fruit ripeness. Long with good underpinnings. Good.

McHenry Hohnen Amigos White 2012 (£15.99) a blend of Chardonnay, Marsanne and Roussane from Western Australia; toasty oak, fresh and citrussy with a broad waxiness. Incredibly vibrant and youthful. Good.

Main - Norfolk turkey with trimmings

Louis Latour Aloxe-Corton Les Chaillots 2011 (£39.99) elegant and long with good underpinnings; cherry fruited Burgundy in a traditional style with very fine tannins. Wine-making of a very high standard. Good.

Viu Manent ViBo Vinedo Centenario 2013 (£16.99) minty, blackcurranty Chilean Cab with a dash of Malbec; a mix of power and subtlety plus old-vine concentration.

Vidal-Fleury Cairanne 2012 (£13.50) meaty, spicy, substantial Rhone red with red fruits and florality. Long, with good underpinnings. Very Good Value. Good.

Cheeses
Louis Latour Pouilly-Vinzelles 2015 (£19.99) fresh and honeyed with orchard fruits and citrus. Sophisticated and versatile. Still young. Good.

Henry Fessy Brouilly 2015 (£12.99) ripe, elegant, pure and fresh with raspberry fruit and pencil shavings. Very Good Value. Very Good.


Wakefield  Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 (£12.99) rich and textured yet fresh Cab from Clare Valley with minty blackcurrant.

Dessert - Christmas pudding with brandy creme anglaise
Barbadillo La Cilla PX (£24.00) aged for 25 years, complex dried fruits and figs, roasted nuts and Christmas spices; mellow, with the savouriness of age. Rich and sticky. Good.

Blandy's 15yo Bual (£25.00) rich fruitcake and freshness with spice and mellowness. Lovely. Good.

Pellegrino Passito DOC Pantellaria 2016 (£11.50) dried Moscato d'Alexandria grapes; spicy sandalwood, tangerine zest, floral and fresh. Very distinctive. Good.

Digestif
Fontpinot XO (£105) rich mixed fruit, sweet vanilla spice, warmth and roasted spices. Long and complex - balances softness and delicacy with a powerful concentration. Very Good.