MIXED CASE

Time rewards the patient, particularly when it comes to Doyard-Mahé Champagne. This mixed case highlights a pair of outstanding vintages, both showing the complexity of maturity but also with long lives ahead.

$ 73 $ 438

Chardonnay

Matured for seven years in the Doyard-Mahé cellars, this fine vintage is eager to tell its tale with a dramatic bouquet of quince, toffee and bread dough layered over notes of apple and citrus. The palate remains zesty and full of life with flavours of lemon, green and red apple, white grapefruit and toast. A high-scoring Champagne, particularly notable for its harmonious balance, generous complexity and enduring length. 2023-2031– lw

Chardonnay

It is always fascinating to taste two vintages of an outstanding wine side by side. As expected, the Millésime 2016 Nature Vertus Premier Cru wine is slightly more youthful than its older sibling but clearly evolving on a similarly delicious trajectory. The bouquet expresses scents of pear, apple, and lemon intermingling with nutty, honeyed notes. Fruit outpaces tertiary character on the palate with an appealing array of lemon, grapefruit, lime, green apple and toast flavours. Both intensity of flavour and length exceed expectations. 2023-2028–lw

12.5%

12.5%

Quince, toffee, bread dough, apple, citrus

Lemon, green and red apple, white grapefruit, toast, [0.00]

On its own as an apéritif

Pear, apple, lemon, nut, honey

Lemon, grapefruit, lime, green apple, toast, [0.00]

Duck prosciutto

4102

DM MILLÉSIME 2012, CHARDONNAY, VERTUS PREMIER CRU MAGNUMS

Chardonnay 1500ml 3

$ 158 $ 474 $ 164 $ 492 $ 80 $ 240

A fully mature, decade-old vintage Champagne with six years on its lees after fermentation (note: only three years are required). Still quite light coloured. An expansive, savoury opening – bone marrow and cabbage roll, followed by lemon oil and nutty elements. The wine displays medium acidity on the palate, is extra dry (8 g/L dosage), very supple with integrated mousse, medium texture, extract and body, with nice length and intensity of savoury bouillon notes, lemon oil and hazelnut paste to medium finish. Drink now.–ir

12.5%

Expansive, savory: cabbage roll and bone marrow, citrus oil, nuts

Savoury/bouillon, lemon oil, nutty, [8.00]

Blinis of foie gras

Another lovely mature vintage offering. It has a very low 4 g/L dosage. Still light yellow. A very open, expansive aromatic profile with preserved lemon, lemon oil, and very autolytic, umami character in the best way possible – nuts, toast, rye bread. Medium acidity, superfine lazy mousse, soft texture, medium extract and light-to-medium body with a lovely persistence and fruit intensity of what the aromas promised: preserved lemon, rye bread toast, nuts and lemon oil. 2023-2026– ir

12.5%

Expansive, preserved lemon, lemon oil, very autolytic, nutty, toast, rye bread

Preserved lemon, rye bread toast, nutty, lemon oil, intense, if not big, [4.00]

Salmon tartare with candied salmon tartine

12.5%

Lifted, mushroom, savoury/bone marrow, fresh dough, hint bay leaf

Fresh dough, spice, nutty, savoury, [8.00]

Pistachio-crusted scallops

Light yellow in appearance. Lifted, mushroom, bone marrow, chalk and pasta dough notes with a hint of bay leaf. This 2013 has a medium acidity; it is dry with a medium intensity mousse and medium frame, with medium length and fruit intensity with replays of the aromas: fresh pasta dough, spice, nuts and bone marrow. Drink now.– ir