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.
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.
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