Last night's Paulée

You've heard of hostess anxiety causing some pretty silly oversights and domestic catastrophes – flat soufflés, burnt toast, champagne turned to ice in the deep freeze? How about the case of the anxious hostess who forgot her two opened bottles of Coche Dury, Enseignières 2002 Puligny-Montrachet…

At the beginning of the evening I was so anxious that last night's Paulée de Purple Pages at Clarke's in London should be a success that I completely overlooked the little bottle carrier I'd brought with my two carefully recorked bottles and put in a discreet – far too discreet – place on...