Dinner at Cocoa's

Cocoa the cat's humans kindly made me a fucking brilliant dinner the other night, and, one of them being Mr Bond, there was some splendid wine to go with.

The menu:

Martinis, from the Gin Elephant:
French Kisses (Armagnac soaked prunes, stuffed with Foie Gras and wrapped in puff Pastry)
Veal Liver and Chanterelle Terrine (though I would've called it a Parfait)
Partridge with Bread Sauce and Beetroot Crisps
Apple Sorbet and Shortbread

The Wine:
Gonzalez Byass 'Apostoles' Palo Cortado Muy Viejo
Jean-Claude Bachelet 'Sous le Puits' Puligny Montrachet 2001
Paul Jaboulet Aine, Domaine Thalabert Crozes Hermitage 1983 (in decanter)
Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2002

So, they pulled it off brilliantly. Mr Bond had actually made the puff pastry for the French Kisses, and they were all the better for it. A big whack of prune flavour that initially overwhelmed the foie-gras was followed by the untouchable sweet-savoury richness of the liver. The sherry, one of my very favourite wines, wasn't showing all its layers of flavour as elegantly as usual, but its powerful, almost buttery dried fruit character emphasised the richness of the kisses. Lovely, but I shoulda brought Champagne. I reckon the Charles Heidsieck Mise en Cave '01 would have done quite nicely.
The terrine (parfait) was perfect. Mrs Cocoa done good. Soft, moussey texture and a gently sweet gaminess that was bolstered by the sherry, and sliced into by the Puligny. This Bachelet is a great wine from an average vintage: atypical, purposefully oxidative, hazelnutty Puligny, with amazing weight and piercing pineappley fruit.
Onto the Partridge, and a barrage of fine wine to go with. By this point we were three glasses each - the sherry, the Burgundy, and the '83 Thalabert - and maybe one sheet each to the wind. Still sober enough for a good go at the Thalabert, which was pretty, with lovely dusty rose and violet top notes, but faded; much less assertive than the rest of the wines, and overwhelmed even by the partridge. Never mind, the partridge was splendid, and doubly so with the Burgundy, and the bread sauce got on pretty fine with the sherry.
My first taste of Vin de Constance, one of the most historic wines in the New World, was a bit of a revelation. I've never had a non-fortified muscat of this complexity or depth. Big, sweet, aromatic grape and marmalade fruit surrounded by notes of biscuit, spices (saffron!) and pitch perfect acidity. Amazing. Nice one to round off on, especially seeing as I got to finish Mr Bonds glass, as he'd begun to pass out.
Also, a curiosity:Bodegas Fernando Ramirez de Ganuza Rioja 2006
This was opened to add to the gravy for the Partridge, but also because Mr. Bond wanted to show it off. It's quite weird. 'Like Beaujolais Nouveau on acid' says Bond. Fernando Ramirez de Ganuza has the peculiar habit of cutting his bunches in two when picking, and fermenting the upper portions normally, and the lower portions with carbonic maceration, then blending the two together. It results in an unusual, piercing Rioja joven style, but with a touch sweeter strawberry fruit, coupled with the sensation of sticking your tongue on a 9 volt battery. Electric.