Festive Wine Tasting

Another eclectic wine tasting, with the main focus on Italy (Piemonte, to be precise).

La Buxynoise Montagny Premier Cru 2001 (Burgundy, France)

http://www.vigneronsdebuxy.fr/

16.5-17/20

Bought from the winery some years ago. Medium gold, open nose with some developed (but not fully mature) Chardonnay characters. A touch tropical, a touch mineral. Ample, full palate, well balanced. Lovely, strong, medium-length finish. Mature, but perhaps a touch short of its peak. I would chance keeping another bottle 2-3 years more.

This is their best white Montagny. I’ve had some old Montagny Premier Cru wines this good (if not better) from La Buxynoise before, but also some real stinkers – corked, aged and just wrong (all bought at the winery). But when it gets this good I can forgive them. Value for money, this wine is hard to beat in this area of Burgundy. 13%.

Gérard Mugneret Bourgogne Passetoutgrain 2004 (Burgundy, France)

15/20

Sourced from the Wine Society, this is the typical Passetoutgrain blended Gamay and Pinot Noir. Light, brick red rim. Light, red fruit and a little floral; open and rather earthy pinot rusticity underlying this. Thin on the palate with fair acidity. Little tannin. This is not at all serious, but is enjoyable. Best suited to a summers day as a lightly-chilled easy-drinker with a good sized dish of the local fayre.

Domaine de la Chevalerie ‘Chevalerie’ 2001 (Bourgueil, Touraine)

http://membres.lycos.fr/pierrecaslot/

16.5-17/20

Very open on the nose. Tea leaves, cedar. Rather aristocratic in nature (ironic given Chinon was always taken to be so, with Bourgueil the rustic relative). Developed and mature. Tannins are now delicate, unassuming but there remains a core of fruit matched by ample acidity albeit it in a lighter than usual style. Delicate and lasting finish. Textbook, and a testament to their winemaking skill given the vintage. Traditional Loire, this is looking to partner a good meal. Fine.

At some point I must type up my tasting notes from visiting this winery - remarkable, age-worthy traditional wines, that offer excellent value for money.

Cascina Orsolina ‘Caminata’ Barbera d’Asti 2003 (Piedmont, Italy)

http://www.cascinaorsolina.net/

15.5/20

Bought from the winery in 2006 and cellared at home. Bright red with a watery rim. Open nose, all primary red fruit and cherry. Fruit driven, tasty palate with typical Barbera (and northern Italian) high acidity. Palate is forward, still primary fruits. Light tannin. Approachable, generous and gluggable. Needs pizza and pasta. Drink now. 12.5%, which is surprising as it comes across more heady than this.

Cascina Orsolina ‘Bricco dei Cappuccini’ Superiore 2003 (Piedmont, Italy)

http://www.cascinaorsolina.net/

16(++)/20

Similarly bought from the winery in 2006 and cellared at home. As the ‘Bricco’ title suggests (Piemontese term for the vineyard summit, supposedly the best sites) this is their heavyweight Barbera Superiore, oak aged and a more serious proposition. Noctieably a little darker in colour than the Caminata, this has a deeper and more concentrated nose of cherry mixed with black spice. Some vanilla is still perceptible, but well integrated. The palate is full and round, though perhaps lacking in some of the depth that the lead-up suggests it will have. Nonetheless, this is intense and enjoyable. Leathery, balanced by red cherry fruit and neat acidity cutting right through. Perceptible tannin lines the mouth and a persistent finish. This has several more years ahead of it and it will be interesting to open another bottle in 3-4 years time. 13.5%.

NB. On second tasting this improved further, with dense bramble and cocoa characters coming through. Very rich.

Bricco Maiolica ‘Cumot’ Nebbiolo d’Alba 2003 (Piedmont, Italy)

http://www.briccomaiolica.it/index.htm

‘Cumot’ is a Nebbiolo wine from this highly regarded winery. Characteristically light-cherry in colour, even lighter than a comparable pinot noir. Open nose redolent of the classical rose-water notes, though perhaps without much else. Palate has a soft start before a strong tannic bite hits. Light red fruit are to the fore in this well-balanced wine with a relatively short finish. It’s doubtful this wine isn’t going to offer more with further keeping. Drink now. 14%.

NB. On second tasting this had lost much of the rose-water character and seemed a little hollow. Drink up.

Produttori del Barbaresco, Barbaresco 2001 (Piedmont, Italy)

http://www.produttoridelbarbaresco.com/default_en.htm

This Barbaresco ‘normale’ is a generic local wine from this most famous of Italian co-operative producers. It's produced every year, but in the best vintages the Cru vineyard components are vinified and sold separately.

Bought following a tasting at the winery in 2006. Colour is pale and innocent, nose a little subdued, not typical Nebbiolo, and then on tasting the tannins quietly creep up behind you and smash a baseball bat into your mouth. Gripping doesn’t come close – ripping would be a better way of describing it. This is not a criticism in any way; this is traditional characteristic of these wines from Barbaresco (and neighbouring Barolo). This is meat and tar; no international style crowd-pleaser, something much more true and serious. Good length with the typical bitter-cherry bite. It is difficult to see how this will develop from here. There is certainly enough stuffing in it to go on, but I can’t say I have a feel for which direction that will be in and whether it will actually improve. I suspect not. 14%. 16/20.

NB. On second tasting this had evolved slowly, and in the company of Italian meats the tannins were calmly subdued leaving a much more rounded wine. Not something to be tasted/drunk in isolation.

Club dinner

Jamet - Cote-Rôtie 1998 (Northern Rhone, France)

Decanted an hour before dinner. Inky black, not really showing any age. Huge, open nose of quite fantastic depth, smokey, coffee, chocolate, dark spices. A companion thought it akin to liquid smelly socks! Gripping palate, surprisingly so, age had not softened the tannins yet. May never do! Quite four-square and volatile. Seemed to me to be a little old-fashioned in style – but this is not meant as a detrimental comment! Dark black fruits behind this, balanced with a medium finish. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but I very much enjoyed it as almost a caricature of itself – a fine, age-worthy syrah. I would think this will see out another decade, though certainly ready to drink now. 16.5+/20.

Warre’s 1977 vintage port

Decanted. Quite a show-stopper! I have tasted many, many different bottles of ’77 Warre’s over the past decade, and this was undoubtedly the best yet. This must have been perfectly stored in some very dark, deep cellars under Pall Mall as it was quite staggeringly youthful. Aged on the rim, but in the most part this wine had kept its colour with little of the orange-faded body I have seen in previous bottles. A little heady on the nose but quite classic. Remarkably full-bodied, with plenty of fruit remaining, although tannin clearly starting to fade. This was a splendid surprise and I can’t imagine there are too many bottles this good still in existence? This youthful wine could have passed for an ’85 in a blind tasting. 17/20.

Tasting Experiment

Tasting Experiment

Peter Lehman ‘The Futures’ 2006 (Barossa, Australia)

vs

Domaine les Goubert ‘Cuvée Florence’ 2003 (Gigondas, Southern Rhone, France)

The story of two wines decanted and drunk over three nights. A lesson in the difficulty associated with giving a note or score based on a single snap-shot tasting of a wine. Also a lesson in the difficulty of judging when to open, decant and serve a wine to see it at its best!

Night 1

Fillet steak

The Futures: inky dark, open nose redolent of a classic Barossa syrah-bruiser though perhaps showing a little more restraint than the styles of old. Dominant young red fruits and more than a touch of oak on the nose. Attractive but one dimensional for me. Palate similar – heavy in a good way; powerful, meaty, weighty. But not particularly complex. 16/20.

Cuvée Florence: showing a little age at the rim. Nose relatively closed, with some mature character typical of a ‘rural’ southern Rhone blend. Palate rather flat and thin, but otherwise well balanced. Angular – needs food to partner it. Good finish. 15.5/20.

Night 2

Sirloin steak

The Futures: opened up considerably, not necessarily different in character but just more of everything. Black spice coming through to the fore much more. Palate tasting broader, rounder but still lacking in a little complexity. 16(+)/20.

Cuvée Florence: What a metamorphosis! Having been seriously disappointed by this last night, it has changed almost out of recognition. Huge, opulent, complex nose. Spice, tobacco, and coffee all come across. The palate is broad and expansive, with seemingly much greater fruit that just wasn’t perceptible last night. This would easily pass for a middle-ranking Chateauneuf-du-Pape in a blind tasting such is the depth of character that has now evolved since opening. Trounces ‘The Futures’. 16.5-17/20.

Night 3

Beef joint and Yorkshire pudding

The Futures: Remarkably little change or development; this is certainly not tiring yet suggesting a long potential cellar life ahead of it. Similar note to last night.

Cuvée Florence: Developed a little further and perhaps faded a touch since the splendour of last night. Perhaps a few more years ahead of it for the bottles yet to be opened, but I would suggest keeping it much beyond then. For the scorched 2003 vintage this is a very good showing. I now look forward to tasting the 2001 still to be broached!

Domaine Filliatreau

Domaine Filliatreau Wine Tasting
www.filliatreau.fr

Our second visit to the tastings rooms of this highly regarded domaine just a few minutes outside Samur. Regardless of the wines, the trip is worth it just to see the troglodyte dwelling above the Loire that forms their tasting rooms and cellars. The quality here at the top end remains high. The availability of mature vintages is noteworthy, and overall value is excellent. This was an excellent tasting, jumping around a number of vintages and concentrating on the reds.


Domaine Filliatreau - Samur blanc 2008
15/20 Drink now

Pale, dry, crisp, fruit dominant. Has some of the typical mineral austerity underlying this. Needs to be cold on a hot summers day. Modern in style. Short term keeping.


Domaine Filliatreau - Cabernet de Saumur 2008
14-15/20 Drink now.

Not as much red fruit as one might expect. Very drying on the palate. Refreshing, and clearly meant to accompany food – this is no TV wine. To be served lightly chilled, a good picnic wine. Short term keeping.


Domaine Filliatreau – Château Fouquet “Bio” 2007 (Saumur)
15/20. Short term keeping.

Blackcurrent character, very classic. Some grip and density to this but easy drinking nonetheless. A summer evening red, to drink lightly chilled and young. Light, fruit dominated finish.


Domaine Filliatreau – Cuvée Lena 2006 (Samur-Champigny)
15+/20 Medium term keeping

From magnum. 20-30 year old vines, mainly bought in fruit since 1986. Not particularly dissimilar from the previous wine tasted, maybe just a little more gamey in character belying its age and better vintage.


Domaine Filliatreau – La Grand Vignolle 2007 (Samur-Champigny)
15+/20. Medium term keeping.

Vineyard from the top of the hill – the roof of the caves and tasting room! This wine was targeted at the American market originally, but did so well it has been released in Europe too … with one big difference. Counter-intuitively, the American bottling is not filtered, where as the European bottling is! Meaty, animal character. Altogether a more serious wine, palpable tannin with supple fruit and a more rigid structure. Will keep.


Domaine Filliatreau – La Grand Vignolle 1995 (Samur-Champigny)
16+/20. Plateau, will keep medium term.

Perhaps a useful reminder at this point how well these wines can age and develop in the right years. This is fully mature now, and lovely. Rather rustic Bordeaux-like, all cedar on the nose. Tannins are still ample and edgy but with sufficient developed red fruit body and plentiful acidity to balance this out. Long finish.


Domaine Filliatreau – Vielles Vignes 2007 (Samur-Champigny)
15-16/20. For dinking in the medium term.

Not a great year for their flagship estate wine. It still maintains the classic Cabernet Franc character with ample structure but lacks the concentration of greater year. For drinking younger than previous vintages.


Domaine Filliatreau – Vielles Vignes 1996 (Samur-Champigny)
16+/20. Will keep ~5+ years.

Gamey, meaty, smokey. Tertiary characters seem to take about 10 years to develop in these Cabernet Franc wines, and this has certainly reached that stage now. Good levels of acidity and firm tannin indicates this still has some years ahead of it, though I think this is approaching its peak. A complex fine wine. Partner with some mature hard cheese.


Domaine Filliatreau – Vielles Vignes “Affutée” 2005 (Samur-Champigny)
16++/20 now, with significant future potential. A 20-year wine.

The outstanding 2005 vintage of this wine has only just been released in the past few weeks. Eighteen months ageing in oak barrels, 4 months new, 4 months 1 year old and 4 months in 2 year old. Oak unsurprisingly dominates the nose currently and is not yet fully integrated into the wine, with a bitter cherry character. However, there are layers of sweet red fruit behind this giving considerable weight and depth. Very ripe tannins, but in balance with the wine. This is clearly a wine with huge future potential, and given it is already 4 years old without a hint of age I would imagine it will see its 20th birthday in with ease. To put away and forget about.


Domaine Filliatreau – Château Fouquet “12 Fûts” 1995 (Saumur)
17/20. Keep a further 5-10 years.

In my opinion, “12 Fûts” is the best Filliatreau wine, and this is a wonderful bottle from an excellent year. It originally spent 18 months in barrel. Very open, intense, classic mature characters of cedar and tobacco. Tannin beautifully balanced, substantial opulent mature red fruit core. A wine of significant complexity and weight, with large tears still running down the inside of the glass. Years of enjoyable drinking ahead of it. Best accompanied by a fine cigar. Bargain price (€15.50).


Domaine Filliatreau – Lena 1989 (Côteaux de Samur)
16-17/20. No hurry to drink.

What a wonderful surprise to finish the tasting – a fine example of a mature sweet Chenin Blanc. Pale gold colour, pure crystalline aromas of peach and marzipan. Sweet palate but with high acidity, I suspect this may well have been even sweeter than it tasted in residual sugar terms. Not overly cloying or luscious, but a great palate cleaner at the end of such a tasting. Long, complex finish. Harvested on the last day before Christmas, simply because the workers were all due to leave on holiday! Wines like this from Chenin Blanc and sufficient acidity (as in this case) tend to be relatively immortal. Again, a relative bargain at €18.80/75cl bottle.

Holiday wines

Domaine des Forges – Bourgueil Cuvee Vielles Vignes 1996 (Loire, France)
16/20 Drink now - 2014
Decanted immediately beforehand. An interesting example of a fully mature Bourgueil, from a producer that I haven’t encountered before. Light orange rim, retaining a dark core. Open nose reminiscent of a rustic Bordeaux – cedar and tobacco notes. Tannic palate, balanced, with a seam of black fruit remaining underneath. Mature and slightly smokey in character. Drying finish. It is an interesting wine, but more for academic interest. I’m not sure this is the best example, despite the good vintage. Served at room temperature, which was perhaps a little too warm (the reds of Samur and Bourgueil are usually served a degree or two cooler than this, even when mature). Given the level of tannin remaining, I think this is a wine for the long haul but I find it difficult to see it developing into anything finer than this. It’s certainly not going to fade in a hurry. The rusticity in the tannins needs to be carefully matched to food and personally I felt this was the perfect foil for the fromage!


Château de Varenne – Savennières 2004 (Loire, France)
17+/20 Drink 2014 – 2020+++?
This was undoubtedly the wine of the week, and more than anything made me determined to revisit the wines of the Loire. Served just cool, I swear that many would mistake this as a red wine in one of Reidal’s opaque tasting glasses such was the depth of concentration and flavour. Pale gold in colour, with a nose overlaid by a touch of dark oak. Underneath this was a wine with considerable momentum, and concentration – controlled power, of the like I have only ever previously encountered in Grand Cru Chablis or Burgundy. Weighty, and majestic with intense minerality. This is already five years old but seems like an infant. The oak is subtle, but could yet marry into the wine better. The fruit is monolithic and yet kept light by the high acidity, with hints of peach and marzipan on the palate. The finish is suitably long and piercing. 14% alcohol, hidden very well and particularly high for such a cool climate. I wouldn’t touch another bottle of this for at least another five years and given the ability of Chenin Blanc to age I’d wager this wine has a decade or two of development ahead of it. Very fine.


Domaine de la Rectorie – Col del Bast 1999 (Collioure, France)
16.5-17/20 Drink now-2014
With dinner at Château Cocove. Not decanted. Mature rim and core beginning to lose some colour too. Wonderful open nose, deeply impressive. Tertiary (Mouvedre?) characters of dried meats, game, light spices – reminiscent of Banyuls, it’s fortified brother from the same vineyard area. Palate almost as impressive, fine grain tannins with a rich core if drying somewhat. Good acidity keeps this fresh and very good length on the finish. This is very fine, and evolved over the evening before fading a little. I think this is fully mature, probably in the middle of its plateau and although it may keep up to another five years, I can’t imagine it will improve any further, and why would you want to keep it? Enjoy it now – this is easily comparable to a good Mouvedre-based Châteauneuf-du-Paper or Bandol in its own way. Fine.


Domaine Weinbach – Pinot Gris, Cuvée Ste Catherine, Clos des Capucins 2006 (Alsace, France)
16.5-17/20 Drink now – 2014(+)
With dinner at Château Cocove. Not cold, cellar cool and just the right temperature. Certainly the best Pinot Gris tasted so far this year, quite monumental. Although 2006 was a poor year for Alsace, this wine just goes to show what a top producer can do with their top vineyard. Light gold colour, very open, classic and pronounced varietal nose. Pure, delineated. Palate concentrated, deep, balanced and pure. None of the mushroom character from the rot that so troubled this vintage of Alsatian wines. Fleshy, almost (but not quite) oily weight on the palate. Very pure classic fruit character, this would be a great varietal wine for a blind tasting. Good medium length finish. 15% alcohol, but hidden quite well. Given the quantity of tartaric acid crystals in the bottom of this bottle, I would say that there will be ample freshness to keep this wine going for many years to come. This is a great example of the grape, but so heavy and powerful it will divide drinkers and those not accustomed to it may find this character too much for them. Fine.

Cahors History

Clos de Gamot 1978 (Cahors, France)
16.5/20, mainly for curiosity and longevity! Drink now.

Birthday dinner at Gee’s, Oxford. Not decanted. Clos de Gamot has historically been the most distinguished domaine in Cahors, making very traditional Malbec wines from ancient vines. I’ve been familiar with the estate since the mid-1990s, but this was a rare and wonderful opportunity to try a vintage from the era that put this estate on the map (from when they first auctioned off old vintages over a decade ago). A real piece of vinous history. I didn’t have very high expectations, but was very surprised at how well it showed.

Mature orange rim with very pale core. Open nose, surprisingly so, very akin to a rustic, mature Bordeaux. Complex, gamey and cedar notes. Palate thinning out, little fine tannin left and just an anaemic softness remaining. Dry and delicate. Opened up then faded away in the glass over the evening. Difficult to match to food, probably would have been best with some plain beef or light/medium hard cheese. Well worth tracking down. One bottle remains. It is fading but isn’t going to fall off it’s plateau in a hurry. Fine.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Domaine Bois de Boursan - Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1999 (Rhône, France)

16.5/20 Drink now 2012

Still maintaining a deep colour with very open nose of rustic, meaty notes with a good dose of Brett. To my mind that adds to this wine, but I know it won’t be to everyone’s liking. Full bodied, ample drying tannins with a dusky finish to it. Very good. On the plateau, drink up.Wonderful value given this was picked up for under 10 Euros at a French supermarket a few years ago. I recently saw a younger vintage of the same wine for sale through Adnams for twice this. Given the high standard of this generic Châteauneuf, I'd be very interested to try their top wine "Cuvée Felix".

Cult Wine Tasting

Cult Wine Tasting
18 June 2009

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2008
16/20 Drink now £20
Clear, bordering on colourless. The nose has an almost jumping out of the glass character. Becoming a bit of a caricature of itself? Has that strong pyrazine note, very piquant and distinctive. The palate is thinner than one would expect with such aromatic intensity, almost a bit of a let down. Classic cat’s pee sort of notes. Melon? Plenty of acidity to keep it crisp. Short / medium length.

For those who like this sort of thing, all well and good, but I think there are better examples (at better prices) to be found now than Cloudy Bay. For me, this is just all to much. It seems to be carving out a sort of unnatural super-charged Sauvignon Blanc character that just isn’t too my taste.

Didier Dagueneau Silex 2005
17-/20 Will keep ??10 years £65
A classic from the late icon of the Loire Valley – indeed icon of winemakers around the world. A superlative vintage too. Complex nose, dominated by light fruits. Heavy, masculine pallet. Dry but with great reserves of fruit that almost give it a sweeter character. Musky, in a good way. Oily but totally balanced with it. This takes Sauvignon Blanc to a whole new level of complexity and refinement. Almost reminds me of some of the great Sauvignon Blancs from Bordeaux – to my mind it has more in common with these than some of its siblings from other Loire producers. Defined by its length and subtleties. A great wine.

Vega Sicilia Unico 1974
18-19/20 Will doubtless keep decades, but drinking beautifully now £238
What can I say? My notes on this wine are marked by their brevity. One word – wonderful. A great wine in a great vintage. Captivating open nose of immense depth and complexity – every time you return to it another character emerges. Overall it is dominated by notes of maturity including tobacco, coffee and even tea. The plaate is full and balanced. Soft tannins are still present, with sufficient acidity to keep the wine fresh for many years to come. Persistent finish with great length. A truly great wine, the memory of which will stay with all those tasting it for many years to come.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 1998
18/20. Decades ahead of it. £864
Pale colour typical of Pinot Noir and no darker than any other good Burgundy. Very aromatic, perfumed nose. Perfume is the right word to describe this – all the classic words like velvety, enveloping, alluring come to mind when nosing this. It has a sweet, soft, comforting character unique to such great wines. The palate does not let itself down either with great depth of fruit built on a solid backbone. The tannins are not overbearing in any way, but this reminds me of a stocky Nuit-St-George in the quality of them. Clearly a wine for the long haul. The continued evolution in the glass proved we did this wine an injustice by moving on too early.

I have one main concern about this wine - the price to quality ratio. Let there be no doubt this is a truly outstanding example of what Burgundy can achieve. But note I say Burgundy – not Romanée-Conti specifically – as there are other domains producing great wines too. Hence my concern that you are clearly paying sorely through the nose just to have a Romanée-Conti in your cellar. Is this the result of the blue-chip commodity status these wines have achieved? Doubtless, yes, and for those with the money to invest in these wines good luck to them. My worry is that the more passionate wine enthusiast and collector will purchase this to be the finest wine in the world – and I don’t think it is. Don’t get me wrong, my complaint isn’t not the monetary value exactly, more what you are getting in return. You are paying for a bottle with Romanée-Conti on the label. Some may think they are paying for what is inside, but I’m not sure the two are directly connected any more.

Though I should note my intrinsic bias here in that while I try to be objective in tasting this and can clearly see its greatness, I am firstly offended by the price and secondly would rather be drinking something a little more edgy for the same money – a great vintage of Grange or La Chapelle for example. Just my thoughts anyway…

Château Musar 1997
16/20 Will keep for up to another 10 years, but drinking well now £21
This was clearly the surprise of the tasting. Not a noted vintage of Musar, and coming from that period in the 1990s that some critics suggested the wines were missing their old concentration. Regardless, this famous Lebanese wine stood up to its esteemed company remarkably well and shrugged off any worries with a great display of what makes Musar so unique and revered. Still maintaining a deep coloured core, the wine was showing little age. Wonderful open nose marked by that love-it-or-hate-it volatile acidity not too far removed from nail varnish remover. This continued through onto the palate, balanced by a core of spicy fruit. Tannin more rough than polished is in the nature of this wine and just adds to the character. My only concern was that the finish was rather short.

I think this was doubtless showing at its best this evening, but given the concerns about the winemaking and vintage I wouldn’t bet on keeping this much longer if I had any in my cellar. Though from tasting excellent lesser vintages back to the 1970s, I would never be in a hurry to write off any vintage of Musar.

Regardless, its showing tonight and its ability to hold its own against wines over ten-times more expensive won Musar a lot of new fans.

Gaja Barbaresco Costa Russi 1985
16.5/20 Drink up £243
I’m not sure what to make of this wine. Clearly in such a heterogeneous tasting it is quite difficult to place it, but coming after the Musar did seem like the right place for it. Despite this, I was just expecting a little more from it than I found. Open nose, redolent of the classic Nebbiolo characters of tar, rubber, rose water perfumes. The palate however was lacking a little fruit to my mind. Plenty of rasping Nebbiolo tannin still abound and really dried the palate out without much fruit to balance it. Still sufficient acidity to keep it fresh. Overall I was slightly underwhelmed by this wine. Is this bottle not showing so well or is it just a little too old? I would like to re-judge it set with some local Barbaresco produce over dinner to do it justice – though wouldn’t everyone?!

Stags’ Leap Cask 23 1995
15.5-16/20 Short term keeping, drink up £172
This wine really didn’t do it for me, although others seemed to be impressed. I found it a very good example of Cabernet Sauvignon, but certainly not a great one. It has matured very quickly, but without any great complexity. All in all I found this rather one dimensional. A good Bordeaux at the same price would run rings around this, and I say that as someone who is not a particularly great fan of Bordeaux wines!

Château Latour 1967
16.5-17/20 Will keep++ £258
A pleasure to be able to taste such a great mature vintage of Latour – but only for half the people attending as one of the two bottle was definitely faulty. Not corked, but clearly not showing as well in comparison to the other, which was on fine form. Buyer beware with these older vintages even of the greatest wines. If we had only had the lesser bottle we would have been left with a very different impression.

Thankfully the impression that we were left with was one that admirably lived up to the great reputation of this first growth. For me, the most notable feature throughout the tasting was how well this had aged – or not in fact, as to taste this blind I’m sure most would underestimate the age by at least 10 years. This seem to be a hallmark of the good years of Latour, and something I have come across before in other first growths. Indeed, I have been caught out myself guessing the age when tasting a vintage from the 1970s. I was wrong by about 15 years!

Pale red rim, but still a deeper core persists. Classic notes of cedar, tea, fine old tobacco. Some very fine tannin remains on the palate but thinning out now. Indeed, this wine is thinning out overall, surely slowly coming towards the end of its long plateau? The word I would use is delicate.

Château Cheval Blanc 1997
15.5/20 Drink now £149
Good now. Not a keeper. Showing more maturity than expected, but without really feeling it is peaking, more just growing old. I would be upset if I had bought any of this at the over-inflated 1997 en primeur prices.

Château d’Yquem 1999
16/20 Will keep, might not improve £158
Together with the Cheval, the last two wines of the night proved a little bit of a let down for the finish. While d’Yquem can always make something good of even lesser vintages, the 1999 was not a patch on other vintages I have tasted (even lesser ones). At first I was worried we would be committing infanticide opening such a young bottle, but this has now reached its tenth birthday and is ready for broaching. Golden, luscious, and complex with ample acidity to ensure a long life. My big concern however was the lack of the classic piquant botrytis character that d’Yquem always exhibits in such a unique and distinctive way. This was very subdued, but with no indication that there was anything wrong with the bottles. It just seemed to be missing from the 1999, which relegated it from being the king of sweet wines to the slightly less exalted level of a great Sauternes. Previous bottles have always stood head and shoulders above the other wines of the appellation, but not the case here. I don’t want to leave you with the impression this was not an impressive wine, it was, just a lot less than I would normally expect d’Yquem to be.


Final verdict

It was a fascinating exercise in wine tasting to sample such a great and contrasting array of wines in one evening. An undoubted treat, but the final conclusion of many was that incremental appreciation in quality for the most expensive wines was very small – too small to justify the premium you would pay for these. In a scientific way, the quality versus price would appear to follow a sigmoid curve – beyond a certain point the increase in quality returned is minimal despite large increases in price.

Considering the red wines, on a show of hands the favourites from the evening were:

• Vega Sicilia Unico 1974: 15 votes
• Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 1998: 6 votes
• Château Musar 1997: 1 vote
• Gaja Barbaresco Costa Russi 1985: 3 votes
• Stags’ Leap Cask 23 1995: 3 votes
• Château Latour 1967: 1 vote
• Château Cheval Blanc 1997: 1 vote

• Best value wine: Château Musar 1997

So it seems the clear majority favoured the Vega Scilia, followed by the La Tâche.

Easter wines

Gräflich Wolff Metternich’sches – Durbacher Schloßberg Clevner Traminer Kabinett 2002 (Baden, Germany)
Not scored
This caused some considerable division amongst those tasting it. The floral nose and pleasantly crisp palate formed one line of opinion, the flat nose and enamel stripping acidity formed mine. To mind little of merit, too old, no doubt should have been consumed in its youthful light summer fruit stage, though still think the searing acidity would have been too much even then.

NB in the Ortenau region of Baden, Clevner is a synonym for Traminer, whereas elsewhere in Europe it refers to various (interchangeable) members of the Pinot family.

Guigal – Cote du Rhone 1998
14.5+/20
Not just any Cotes du Rhone, Guigal are along (with Chapoutier and the newly re-energised Jaboulet) amongst the best producers in the Rhone Valley. This was a lauded vintage and a critically praised wine when released. Now it is over the hill. Very pale in colour, mature tertiary character nose. Very gamey nose and palate. Tannin largely faded away. Still retains some fruit and delicacy to it. Would suit some mature hard cheese. Drink up.

Guigal – Cote du Rhone 2001
15.5/20
Fascinating to compare with the above wine, tasted alongside. From a much more lauded vintage, famous for outstanding southern Rhone wines. Much more body remains in this wine. Deeper colours, long tears inside the glass. Big open nose, farmyard Brett character. Most enticing. Real richness and warmth to this. Still a big mid palate but not going to develop further. Could still stand up to a southern French cut of meat, but equally lending itself to something more structured. Hard cheeses – works well with Barnstormer cheddar! Maybe another year or two ahead of it, but its not going to develop further so why wait.

Domaine le Clos des Cazaux – Cuvée des Templiers 2000 (Vacqueyras, France)
15.5+/20
Bought directly from the domaine when Vacqueyras was still very much regarded as the little country baby brother to Chateauneuf, and even Gigondas was still relatively unknown. How times change. The Archimbaud-Vache family that produce this are charming and welcoming, with their grandmother selling direct from their ancient farmhouse some distance outside the old town walls. Surrounded by vineyards on the baked plains of the valley, they produce wines which in recent years have started to become better known. Initially not so much of a fan, I have been gradually converted over the years and recent vintages have impressed me greatly both for quality and value for money. This is their basic syrah dominant blend. Decanted an hour before tasting, with a fair deposit in the bottle. Still very dark with only a hint of age on the rim. Nose is mature with a shot of pepper and hints of black truffle. Palate is mature, but rich, warm and a good mid palate still with a touch of grippy tannin and red fruits. Good finish. Rustic wine (in a good way). On balance this should probably have been drunk a year or two ago, but it is holding up well. Drink now with rich red meat dishes.

Vinarium - Chateau Messzelátó Tokali Aszú 5 puttonyos 1988 (Tokaji, Hungary)
16+/20
Produced during the post-revolution era under the rule of the Communist Party, this wine is a piece of history. Made by Bene Miklós, who has gone on to become a noted producer. This very much represents the oxidative, traditional style. Amber-gold coloured, very recognisable and distinctive Tokaji nose of burnt toffee and caramel. The plate may well be sweet, but the true level of this is impossible to discern given the overwhelming blanket of acidity. Almost palate cleansing in that respect, this wine is like a sorbet between courses. Very long finish. For those who prefer the sweeter, more modern style this may not be to their tastes. I very much like it. Given the level of acidity and extract, this wine is near immortal.

Domaine de Cayron

Domaine de Cayron 2000 (Gigondas, France)
Not scored - faulty
(although this is a 90-Parker-pointer for those who are into that sort of thing)

With Sophie at Harts Restaurant in Nottingham. Fabulous dinner, though sadly this wine was troubled by some secondary fermentation in the bottle. I guess that is the price you pay for natural unfiltered and unfined wine. The nose was fantastic, really Chateauneuf style, all gamey rusticity and brett. The plate was spoiled. I suspect underneath was a great wine trying to get out, but we'll have to wait and see - I have another two bottles and from what I can detect from the underlying wine this has at least another 3-5 years ahead of it.

Domaine du Cayron is one of the most notable producers in the scenic little village of Gigondas, which used to be a poor-mans Chateauneuf-du-Paper, but is now producing outstanding wines in its own right. This bottle was bought from Mouseuir Faraud in his garage sales room under the house. Much use of pigeon-French required! http://www.domaine-cayron.com/

Parkers note: "This rustic, traditionally-styled Gigondas is normally a blend of 70% Grenache, 15% Syrah, and the rest Cinsault and a touch of Mourvedre. A sexy, Provencal fruit bomb, the 2000 Gigondas exhibits notes of dried Provencal herbs, licorice, kirsch, smoke, and incense. Old hippies take notice. There is good fat and flesh along with low acidity, and a precocious, flamboyant personality. Drink it over the next 7-8 years. Drink 2003-2011. (last tasted 2003)".

Taittinger Champagne Tasting Notes

Taittinger Champagne

What a privileged tasting! Always one of my favourites, it was a pleasure to welcome their Brand Ambassador Justin Llewellyn back to OUWS. This is a chap who endured 135 champagne dinners last year in the line of duty. Little sympathy was shown!

The history of this famous “Grand Marque” is well known if somewhat convoluted. The key point is that it remains family owned, which is unusual for a house of this size in the commercial world of Champagne today.

Taittinger was originally founded as “Fourneaux” in 1734 (the third oldest), and the Taittinger family link began in 1931 when Pierre-Charles Taittinger acquired the property and cellars. The vineyards were thrown in for free! Pierre-Charles had originally been billeted in Chateau La Marquetterie during the 1914-18 war and had vowed that if he survived he would one day return and purchase it. Despite the larger family conglomerate which included Taittinger being purchased by American owners briefly in the 1990’s, the Champagne house has always remained under family control and is now back in their hands again as an independent producer under the leadership of Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger.

It was interesting to take our guest speaker off-topic a few times during the evening. Grey market Champagnes, loss leader offers and the significant differences between the Champagne and the rest of the wine trade were all covered. In the current time of economic uncertainty Champagne sales are apparently being crunched across the board for all producers. Many prestige cuvees that were previously on allocation are now freely available as producers try to shift unsold stock. With respect to the newly enlarged Champagne AC area, the feeling was that despite recent publicity this will make little difference to the market for 20-years. In the current climate no-one will be rushing to define and plant this anyway.

An interesting defence was made for the Pinot Meunier grape during the tasting. Others have spoken of this in a disparaging light. Although acknowledging that it is cheaper than Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, it adds a floral character and matures quicker hence is well suited to NV blends.

For me Taittinger is defined by its style – this is a Chardonnay dominated house (never less than 40%), although this evening revealed a number of newer wines with a much stronger Pinot Noir character. This may come as a surprise to some who are familiar with the lighter Taittinger style – I have always thought of this as more elegant and feminine compared to the brawn of its classic competitor Bollinger. That is not to say one style is preferable to the other – it just depends what you’re having for breakfast with it!

Taittinger Brut Reserve NV
15.5+/20
45% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Meunier, 20% Pinot Noir
Pale lemon colour. Open nose, clean, crisp and cool. Lemon grass character. Fine mousse, light and delicate. Crisp apple acidity. A little nutty on the finish and notable long. This is a really significant step up from your average NV blend.

Taittinger Prelude Grand Cru NV15.5+/20
50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir. The style aims at half way between NV and vintage Champagne. Intended as an aperitif wine. All Grand Cru fruit.
Notably darker with obvious Pinot Noir – hints of blush. Perfumed nose, again with Pinot character noticeable. Feels like a touch of sweetness with a noticeably richer palate. Balanced and structured. Long.

Taittinger Les Folies de la Marquetterie NV
16/20
60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay
This is a single vineyard wine, unusual in Champagne. Coming from the vineyards immediately surround Chateau la Marquetterie, its name originates from the local villagers who maintained it was a folly to plant vines there! Small production of 10,000 bottles. Half of the Chardonnay was vinified in oak barrels.
Lighter pale lemon colour. Nose quite subdued. Needs time? Palate is really very fine however. Structured, weighty, complex. Finely wrought. More like a fine Burgundy. Definitely sufficient structure to accompany food. Will doubtless improve further in the short term. Very enjoyable. Impressive.

Taittinger Brut Vintage 200216+/20
Pale lemon colour with an open, very floral nose. Classic Taittinger. Steely character, very expansive with a lot of extract. Mousse a little too full for me. Whilst enjoyable now, this clearly needs some more time in the bottle to develop and evolve – many years ahead for it. Very good length. Impressive wine.

Taittinger Brut Prestige Rosé NV
15.5/20
Made by the addition method, simply mixing in red wine to the base white.
Very pale rose colour. Nose is closed currently but some strawberry character is discernible. The palate is a little austere to my mind, and the Pinot almost seems to have given it some tannin. This is a more serious rosé, not an apéritif quaffer.

Taittinger Nocturne Sec NV
??/20 – probably I would give this 15-16/20
Tricky – I found this very difficult to place, particularly after the previous wines we’d tasted this evening. A rich ‘sec’ style with considerable sweetness. Intended for dessert or the end of an evening.
Pale lemon colour. Open, sweet floral nose. Palate is moderately sweet – it tastes like something ~30-50 g/L of residual sugar, though I suspect this may be higher as the acidity doubtless offsets this. Pinot Noir overtones. I suspect when drunk as intended this is a splendid glass of wine, but after all we have tasted so far this evening I found this a little difficult to adjust to.

Viña Errazuriz Tasting Notes

Viña Errazuriz Tasting
Patrick McGrath MW returned to Oxford this evening to present the wines of Viña Errazuriz from Chile. I’ve always enjoyed these wines, although much of the range has struck me as competent rather than excellent. This is by no means meant as a criticism as the wines still offer very good value for money at their price points. It is several years since I last had the opportunity to taste their range, at which point the Wild Ferment Chardonnay and Don Maximiano clearly stood out from the others in terms of quality.

As a country, I don’t need persuading that Chile is already producing some of the best quality and best value wines in the New World. Their appeal to me is the traditional style in which they are made, much less showy than Australia for example (ooh – broad generalisation!) I’ve head Chile described as the most “English” county of South America, and the wines I have tasted thus far do have a subtle, refined elegance so often missing outside of Europe. They suit my palate; for others they may not. Patrick described them as “New world wines with old world elegance”, resulting from longer ripening periods and greater balance.

We were introduced to Chile and specifically the Aconcagua Valley region. With a thin strip of country sandwiched between the Pacific and the Andes, no other country has such a range of climates coupled with such ideal climatic conditions. This contributes to a great diversity in the types of wines they [Chile] are able to produce. The cold Humbolt current of the Pacific ensures coastal regions are kept cool, with the temperature rising further inland, though moderated by cool air from the Andes.

In most of the viticultural areas the coastal range of hills shelters the inland vineyards, such as in Central Valley. Aconcagua Valley, however, is open ended onto the coast, giving a spectrum of climatic regions as one moves inland. On the western coastal side the maritime influence suits cooler climate grape varieties, whilst further inland to the east even the climate suits shiraz. This range of conditions is nearly unique, perhaps only comparable to Sonoma or similar Californian coastal areas.

Vintages are very consistent, never experiencing rain at vintage time. Odd years including 2007 and 2005 (outstanding) have been particularly good of late.

Errazuriz is family run, currently by Eduardo Chadwick who visited OUWS some years previously. Don Maximiano Errazuriz founded Viña Errazuriz in 1870 in the Aconcagua Valley, 100 kms north of Santiago. Eduardo Chadwick is the sixth generation of his family to be involved in the wine business. In 1995 they were the first to plant vines on the valley slopes rather than the valley floor in order to naturally reduce yields.

Chile currently has approximately 8% of the UK market.

For me the Wild Ferment wines both stand head and shoulders above the rest (particularly the Chardonnay) although the Max Reserva and Don Maximiano are clearly special wines. Errazuriz have no plans to make a Wild Ferment Shiraz, which I think is a real shame. They should reconsider!

Viña Errazuriz Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (Casablanca Valley)
14-15/20
Pale yellow, almost colourless. Cool aromatic nose, no oak. Lacking NZ intensity, less pyrazine, and better for it although less distinctive.

Viña Errazuriz Chardonnay 2006 (Casablanca Valley)
15/20
Very pale straw. Open nose. Butter character dominates on nose, but not overdone. Quite full palate, fresh apple. Short finish. Typically retailing for £6-7/bottle.

Viña Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2007 (Casablanca Valley)
16/20
Pale straw. Open attractive nose, earthy and distinctive. Obvious complexity, very Burgundian in character. Integrated oak, apple and exotic fruit. Very full palate, with plenty of flesh. Elegant with a nice finish. Around 2-3 years aging potential ahead of it.

Viña Errazuriz Wild Ferment Pinot Noir 2006 (Casablanca Valley)
15+/20
Patrick notes the PN is getting better – through better clones in better places, made in open top fermenters. Production of 2000 cases/year. French oak casks with 1/3 new.
Pale ruby. Very reminiscent of a German Spatburgunder. Earthy character on the nose again as per Wild Ferment Chardonnay – presumably from the wild yeast. A little hot and thin to my mind. An earthy PN style. Good length.

Viña Errazuriz Merlot 2007 (Curico)
15+/20
Purple edge, dark core. Open nose – herbaceous, spicy. Medicinal quality to it. Full, very new world in style. Full of fruit with very dry tannins.

Viña Errazuriz Shiraz 2005 (Aconcagua)
15+/20
Note the excellent vintage. Was previously bottled as syrah!
Deep core, not quite opaque. Very Rhone style, black spice character. Ripe, fine tannins. Earthy again. Short term potential.

Viña Errazuriz Max Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 200515-16/20
Note the excellent vintage. Max Reserva is made from five selected vineyards surrounding the winery. Stainless steel fermentation. 100% French barrique for approximately 18 months.
Pronounced blackcurrant nose. Dusky character. Balanced finish.

Viña Errazuriz Don Maximiano Founders Reserve 200516+/20
Predominantly cab sauvignon with a touch of petit verdot and also some cab franc and shiraz.
Notable deeper core compared to Max Reserva. Very pure, strong blackcurrant. Very fine, ripe tannins. Big, full bodied with a long finish. Very fine. Is this worth £30 though? Given comparable Clarets, I would say yes. This is clearly something special, although perhaps not to my personal style. Medium term aging potential, perhaps more – although I do not had the benefit of tasting older vintages of this.

Contrasting 1999s

Some wines from the weekend...

Domaine de la Chevalerie - Busardières 1995 (Bourgueil, Loire)
16.5/20
Bought directly from the well regarded domaine on our visit last summer (~8 Euros!). Busardières is the older vineyard, producing a more "vin de garde" style.

Remarkable at 14 years old. Still deeply coloured with a little brick tinge to the rim. Open nose (decanted a few hours beforehand) with fine tea notes. Plate is still tannic and structured around a light red fruit core with plenty of weight remaining. Very enjoyable; needs food to show at its best. Curiously this was a match made in heaven with Wensleydale cheese! Very pure, mature Cab Franc. Easily has another 5+ years ahead of it, but probably not going to improve much further.

Domaine le Clos des Cazeaux - Grenat Noble 1998 (Vacqueyras, Rhone)
16/20
A private wine not generally released by the Archimbaud Vache family, and only made in special years. This was part of a case bought en primeur from the Wine Society, though I don't belive they've offered it since. They don't appear to be offering it from the domaine when we've visted recently either. Made from pure Grenache that has been left on the vine and late harvested - even with a bit of rot (hence the 'Noble'). Decanted a few hours in advance.

The colour is now heading towards a pale tawny with hints of brown. The nose is powerful and heady, with game and dry earth. Mature, secondary characters but still distinctly Grenache. Palate is huge, high in alcohol, low in acid and tannin. Massive weight of fruit. Powerful and firey, this could easily be a mid-weight Chateauneuf-du-Pape if tasted blind. Now mature, need drinking.

Domaine le Sang des Cailloux - Cuvée de Lopy 2000 (Vacqueyras, Rhone)
16.5/20
Bought direct from the domaine in ~2002, and amazing to think 7 years have now passed. How I wish I'd bought more; the price has risen dramatically as this domaine has attracted Parker's attention - it has been flagged up as a potential 'wine of the vintage' for the appelation. The 'Cuvée de Lopy' is the estates vieilles vignes bottling - grenache dominant with a slug of syrah too. Decanted a few hours in advance.

Deep and dark, almost boardering on opaque core. Little hint of age showing at the edge. Big, open nose - very secondary, earthy, gamey characters. To me, that classic and distinct Vacqueyras character of dusty tannins dominates. This is a fierce wine, big and bold, with grippy, dry tannins and a very firm structure. Partnered with Aberdeen Angus fillet steaks, those tannins fade away to leave this beautiful red fruit core. Excellent stuff. Will doubtless keep 5 more years and may well develop further.

M. Chapoutier 2008

M. Chapoutier
Tain L’Hermitage, Rhône, France
chapoutier@chapoutier.com

Passing through the Rhône Valley on the way down to the Luberon, it would have been criminal to pass by Maison Chapoutier’s tasting room. Once again our visit overlapped with that of Robert Parker, which was a great opportunity to taste some wines not ordinarily available. Unfortunately we were time constrained by the long drive south still ahead of us, so my notes are brief.

Chapoutier labels the most prestigious wines from the hill of Hermitage “Ermitage”. These wines are not cheap, but the high end vineyard bottlings are some of the most profound wines I have ever tasted. Sadly prices have risen sharply since I first started following Chapoutier in the 1990’s, and I am not convinced that some of the lesser generic appellation bottlings are in any way worth the price. The Rasteau 2005 proved a nice exception; this was tasted separately but I include the note for completeness, along with an older vintage of Ermitage De l’Orée drunk recently.

Michel Chapoutier’s forthright views on biodynamic cultivation are well known. I once had the pleasure of dinner with him in Oxford some years ago, at which he espoused these views for most of the evening. While I remain to be convinced by the evidence base for biodynamic viticulture, our dining companions (including an evolutionary biologist and PhD student in biological science) took scepticism to a whole new level. Thankfully on this occasion the biodynamic preaching went unchallenged, at least allowing us to enjoy dinner!

Tasted at Maison Chapoutier:

Invitare 2007 (Condrieu) €28.70
Open, highly aromatic. Fresh; higher acidity than usual, almost crisp on the palate. High alcohol comes across on the palate. Finish goes on for minutes. Invitare is essentially a brand rather than a vineyard.

Chante-Alouette 2005 (Hermitage blanc) €35.50
Medium yellow, very open nose. Huge bouquet of flowers. Powerful, enormous palate. Crisp, fresh and very long. At least a decade ahead of it.

Ermitage De l’Orée 2004 (Hermitage blanc) €144
Very open nose, so rich it boarders on tropical. Piercing sharp multi-layered powerful flavours with fresh acidity and a very long finish. Very fine.

Les Bécasses 2006 (Côte Rôtie) €40.50
Open nose, red fruit, floral perfume. Good acidity. Beautifully ripe tannin with an good edge on the finish. Enjoyable now; will obviously keep well.

Monier de la Sizeranne 2006 (Hermitage rouge) €48
Deeply coloured, almost opaque core. Meaty nose. Clearly richer, more tannic structure. Bolder, stronger. Longer finish bites back a little at the end. This has a good 20 years ahead of it.

Ermitage Le Pavillon 2004 (Hermitage rouge) €142
Much darker body. Black spice on the nose, with a lovely smoky character. Huge rasp of tannin ++++ on the palate. Monolithic wine. 20 years +.

Tasted in December:

Ermitage De l’Orée 1997 (Hermitage blanc)
Honey and mineral character. Layer upon layer of complexity. Beautiful, contemplative wine to sip and consider.

Rasteau 2005 (rouge) €8.90
16+/20 (could likely improve with cellaring further)
Decanted an hour before tasting. Dark ruby. Open nose of primary dark red fruits, very appealing. Palate has very ripe tannin and masses of fruit behind this. Reflects the vintage very well. Some remained in the decanter the following day. This had opened up considerably on the nose and the palate had broadened out. Impressive, especially for the price (bought in France). I will wait 5 years before opening the next bottle. Without doubt the best Chapoutier I have tasted from their generic appellation wines; usually these aren’t worth the money!

Christmas Wine Tasting Notes

An eclectic collection of notes from wines opened over Christmas:

Tim Adams Semillon 1998 (Clare Valley, Australia) £8
17/20
Decanted to open it up before tasting. Light gold in colour, darkened with age. Fabulous open nose, classic mature Semillion character. Quite complex. Palate is very full, with layers of fruit. Very fine indeed and would have kept longer.

Révovin Habánské Sklepy – Veltlínské zelené (Gruner Veltliner, Czech Republic)
14+/20
An oddity brought back from my surgical elective in the Czech Republic a few years ago. Would have been better drunk then. Seems a little rustic in terms of winemaking and certainly lost some freshness. Lacks the classic Gruner Veltliner character. However, quite a full bodied palate with nice concentration and weighty. Drunk young and cold on a Czech summers day I imagine this would be a much more enjoyable wine than on a freezing cold evening in the UK!

Männle - Durbacher Kochberg Weissburgunder 2004 (Baden, Germany)
15/20
From one of the better producers in this beautiful wine village. Light yellow colour, nose a little closed. Palate is fresh and straightforward. An enjoyable Weissburgunder. Perfect aperitif or would go well with salads and light fish. No point in keeping this further.

Coriole Redstone 1996 (Mclaren Vale, Australia)
Shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and Grenache blend.
16-17/20
Stood for 24 hours and decanted an hour before opening, with plenty of sediment. Losing some colour on the rim, but still deep core. Beautiful big, rich open nose. Deep and gamey, with dark spice notes. Palate softening out. Very fine.
Next day in the decanter this had completely faded away. Fantastic that this had kept 13 years, especially given this isn’t even their premium wine; they don’t make them like this any more (not at the price paid for this anyway!)Time to drink up now.

Bodegas Los Llanos - Pata Negra Gran Reserva 1999 (Valdepenas, Spain)
14-15/20
Pale red with brick red rim. Open nose, but rather subdued. Vanilla notes. Soft palate, fine tannins melting away. I have had much better more memorable bottles of this from other vintages (particularly a lovely 1994 some years ago). Drink up now.

Château Cissac 2002 Cru Bourgeois (Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux)
15+/20
Decanted an hour before tasting, Classic cedarwood nose but a rather mid-weight palate. Not a particularly good year, I know, but is certainly not the bold, concentrated, tannic Cissac of old. I have followed this producer since vintages from the late-1980’s and this does not resemble what is used to be, rather lightweight in fact. Did not improve in the decanter.

Cosme Palacio y Hermanos 1995 (Rioja, Spain)
14/20
A faded beauty. What was a wonderful wine is now over the hill. I would hope that it might be bottle variation or perhaps even a quiet phase in development, but I doubt it. At 14 years old it had lasted well so far, and am surprised it has faded away so soon.

Château Monmirail Cuvee des Deux Freres 2000 (Vacqueyras, France)
13-14/20
Well past it. For cooking only. Many wine guides list this producer as one of the better ones in Vacqueyras but my experience is very variable.

Château de Pizay – Cuvée du Py 1999 (Morgan, Beaujolais)
15-16/20
Very pale, almost colourless rim with pale ruby core. Faded nose (which subsequently opened up) of red cherry fruit. No true secondary aromas seem to have developed. Soft, luscious palate, devoid of tannin and very juicy. Fresh. Shortish finish. Fantastic at 10 years old - just goes to show how well good Cru Beaujolais can age – although this hasn’t developed the classic aged Burgundian Pinot Noir that many describe. This went on to keep admirably for a good 2-3 days after opening, suggesting it is not in any immediate danger of falling off its perch. One final bottle remains that will be kept a few more years for interest. However, note some previous bottle variation with this – the last bottle was opening a 2-3 years ago and was no-where near as enjoyable as this. The most amazing thing about this is that when this was bought from the Château in 2000 it cost just £3.52!!!


Durbacher Kochberg Spatburgunder Auslese trocken 1997 (Baden, Germany) £14 for 50cl.
16+/20
Coffee, smoky character. Is this a caricature of itself? Maybe, maybe not. The key point is that I really enjoyed drinking it. Huge tears in glass. Huge core of ripe fruits. Spice - oak++. One dimensional? Soft tannins. Good extract, persistent. Would last longer. Bought from the Durbach co-operative in 2004. Fully priced, as most German reds tend to be.


Denis Balaran Vendanges Dorées 2006 (Gaillac, France)
15+/20
Pale gold colour. Open, aromatic, with marmalade tang, citrus and apricot botrytis. Perhaps a little cloying. Persistent. Makes a pleasant aperiftif or digestif. Not quite sweet enough to go with dessert and given the unusual (though enjoyable) tang from the local grape varieties I’m not sure what food this could be best partnered with.