Sunday Times Wine Club Vintage Festival 1988
25^th-26^th March 1988
Royal Horticultural Halls, London

Prices shown are the 1988 prices from the Sunday Times Wine Club (an arm of the now giant Laithwaites).

• 1987 Rhine Riesling, Mitchelton Wines (£62.99/12)
  This has a very Germanic fragrance and cleanliness.  Very Good.  87/100
• 1986 Chardonnay, Mitchelton Wines (£70.99/12)
  Nice nose.  Fairly buttery on the palate, but a bit sharp.  Some acidity in it too.  84/100
• 1985 Cabernet Sauvignon, Mitchelton Wines (£70.99/12)
  Thin and innocuous.  82/100

• 1985 Coonawarra Chardonnay, Mildara Wines (£79.99/12)
  Good nose and a better colour than the Mitchelton chardonnay.  Very decent palate with good length.  Very Good.  86/100
• 1984 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, Mildara Wines (£83.49/12)
  Not bad.  83/100
• 1985 Coonawarra Shiraz, Mildara Wines (£64.99/12)
  Thin and not overly exciting.  80/100

• 1986 Chardonnay, Krondorf Wines, Barossa Valley (£96.99/12)
  This has a little bit more to it than the Mildara chardonnay.  87/100
• 1987 Semillon, Krondorf Wines, Barossa Valley (£72.49/12)
  Good.  86/100
• 1984 Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon, Krondorf Wines, Barossa Valley (£72.49/12)
  Unexciting.  79/100

• 1987 Bin 95 Sauvignon Blanc, Lindemans (£56.49/12)
  Quite good.  83/100
• 1987 Bin 65 Victorian Chardonnay, Lindemans (£56.49/12)
  Fragrant nose.  Remarkably delicate palate, almost too fragrant.  83/100
• 1985 Bin 45 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lindemans (£56.49/12)
  Quite good.  84/100

• 1985 Wood Matured Chardonnay, Hunters Estate (£70.49/12)
  Less scented than the Lindemans Bin 65, and better for it.  84/100
• 1985 Gold Medal Shiraz, Hunters Estate (£70.99/12)
  A fairly straightfoward Ozzie Shiraz.  83/100
• 1984 Cabernet Sauvignon, Hunters Estate (£80.49/12)
  Nice perfumed, blackcurrant nose.  Superior to the Lindemans Bin 45.  86/100

• 1987 Chardonnay, Seppelt & Sons (£77.99/12)
  Unexciting. OK/Good.  80/100
• 1985 Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon, Seppelt & Sons (£82.49)
  A young cabernet sauvignon nose and palate.  Smooth and well balanced.  86/100
• 1985 Moyston Shiraz/Cabernet (£49.49/12)
  Rather thin and unexciting.  80/100

• 1986 Chardonnay, De Bortoli Wines (£59.49/12)
  Light and fragrant.  Rather nice.  88/100
• 1985 Cabernet Sauvignon, De Bortoli Wines (£59.49/12)
  Not bad at all.  A good cabernet.  87/100
• 1986 Merlot, De Bortoli Wines (£64.99/12)
  Very good fruity nose.  Good fruit on the palate, but not overly impressive.  82/100

• 1984 Bin 555 Shiraz, Wyndham Estates (£50.99/12)
  A bit dull.  Not terribly interesting.  80/100
• 1984 Bin 444 Cabernet Sauvignon, Wyndham Estates (£50.99/12)
  Very deep colour.  Not the most fantastic nose, but very good on the palate.  87/100

• 1987 Fumé Blanc (Hunter Valley), Rosemount Wines (£67.99/12)
  Not at all impressive.  Thin and not especially attractive on the palate.  76/100
• 1987 Chardonnay (Hunter Valley), Rosemount Wines (£67.99/12)
  Unimpressive.  78/100
• 1985 Show Reserve Cabernet (Coonawarra), Rosemount Wines (£92.99)
  Good nose.  Rather young.  Promising.  88/100
• 1986 Hunter Valley Semillon Chardonnay, Rosemount Estate
  Nice nose.  On the palate, there’s a touch of sweetness.  Not the best of aftertastes.  80/100

• 1985 Orlando Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (£4.75)
  Quite good fruit on the palate.  Heavy tannins.  82/100
• 1982 Rouge Homme Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
  Very well balanced.  Very Good.  87/100
• 1982 Taltarni Victoria Shiraz
  Pleasant.  84/100

• 1987 Vin de Pays d’Urfé, Côtes de Forez (£34.99/12)
  100% gamay.  Thin, strawberry nose and palate.  A good drinking wine.
• 1987 VDQS Rouge, Côtes de Forez (£40.99/12)
  Very young appearance.  This seems to have far less to it than the vin de pays.

• 1985 Mâcon Clessé, Union des Caves Vinicoles de Bourgogne (£61.99/12)
  OK.  83/100

• 1986 Corbières Rouge, Cave Embres et Castelmaure (£36.99/12)
  Good, smooth characterful everyday red.  85/100
• 1987 Rosé Corbières, Cave Embres et Castelmaure (£37.49/12)
  Thin and uninteresting.  77/100

• 1986 Roc de Lussac, AC Lussac-Saint Émilion, Les Producteurs Réunis de Puisseguin, alcohol content not shown (£53.49/12)
  Rather unimpressive nose.  Good on the palate.  Very long.  Quite fine, and with some staying power.  89/100
• 1986 Cuvée de Luccius, AC Lussac-Saint Émilion, Les Producteurs Réunis de Puisseguin, alcohol content not shown (£53.49/12)
  This is more interesting on the nose than the Roc de Lussac.  This is distinctly superior on the palate too.  There’s less tannin, but it’s more interesting now.  89/100

• 1982 Madiran, Château d’Aydie, Vignobles Laplace, 12% (£57.99/12)
  Quite taut.  Decent stuff, but still some time to go.  88/100
• 1985 Madiran Vignobles Laplace (48.99/12)
  Not as good as the Ch. d’Aydie.  There’s just something less than pleasant in the aftertaste.  79/100
• 1986 Pacherenc Pierre Laplace, Vignobles Laplace (£46.49/12)
  Thin and if anything tending towards unpleasantness.  76/100

• 1987 Cuvée du President Blanc, AC Côtes du Rhône, Les Vignerons de Chusclan, alcohol content not shown (£38.99/12)
  A good, fragrant, though not over-scented nose.  A bit sweet on the palate.  Seems a bit unbalanced, but it’s a bit too warm and needs chilling.  85??
• 1986 Cuvée Classique (Rouge), AC Côtes du Rhône, Les Vignerons de Chusclan, alcohol content not shown (£37.99/12)
  The nose is redolent of Swiss cheese.  Rather thin tasting and with few redeeming features.  76/100
• 1987 Cuvée Syrah, AC Côtes du Rhône, Les Vignerons de Chusclan, alcohol content not shown (£37.99/12)
  Too young and a bit unpleasant.  75/100

• 1986 St Joseph Rouge, Domaine Bernard Gripa (£95.99/12)
  Unimpressive nose.  This just feels far too young at the moment and should improve with bottle age.  85/100
• 1986 St Péray Blanc, Domaine Bernard Gripa (£87.99/12)
  This is quite palatable.  Nothing over-special, but by no means unpleasant.  85/100

• 1985 Michel Lynch Bordeaux Rouge, Compagnie Medocaine (£53.49/12)
  Rather fine.  Very good palate with good keeping qualities.
• 1986 Michel Lynch Bordeaux Blanc, Compagnie Medocaine (£47.99/12)
  This is jolly good.  Very characterful, with a very interesting combination of flavours.  Excellent.  94/100

• 1985 Domaine La Grave Rouge (£61.99/12)
  Smooth palate; good length.  Interesting.  Very Good+  88/100
• 1986 Domaine La Grave Blanc (£88.99/12)
  Fairly interesting, but on the whole rather plain.  Good+  85/100

• 1986 Domaine des Cassagnoles Rouge, Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne (£34.99/12)
  Thin and rather unimpressive, with a heavy tannic structure.  82/100
• 1987 Domaine des Cassagnoles Blanc, Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne (£34.99/12)
  Nothing to it.  78/100

• 1986 Clos du Cardinal Rouge, Domaine Peraldi, Corsica (£114.99/12)
  This has some class to it.  Quite interesting, though it’s not really thrilling me.  86/100
• 1986 Domaine Peraldi Rouge, Corsica (£74.99/12)
  Sciacarello (60 %), Carignan (10 %), Cinsault (30 %)
  Fruity and earthy, but a bit muddy with some slightly unpleasant aspects.  (80/100)
• 1986 Domaine Peraldi Blanc, Corsica (£74.99/12)
  This has plenty of character, but there’s something about it that doesn’t appeal to me.  84/100

• 1985 Château Cazebonne, Graves Sec (£55.99/12)
  Clean and fresh.  Very Good.  87/100
• 1985 Château Magence, Grand Vin Sec, AC Graves, alcohol content not shown (£73.49/12)
  A nice, fairly simple white Graves.  Not really as interesting as the Ch. Cazebonne.  85/100
• 1985 Château Toumillon, AC Graves (rouge) (£67.99/12)
  Not a lot on the nose.  Decent palate: low tannin, good fruit with a nice spicing.

• 1986 Muscadet, Louis Métaireau (£53.99/12)
  Pretty good.  86/100
• 1986 Muscadet, Domaine Grand Mouton, Louis Métaireau (£61.99/12)
  Not noticeably better that the ordinary Métaireau Muscadet.  86/100

• 1987 Gaillac Blanc Sec Perlé, Cave Labastide-de-Lévis (£35.99/12)
  Little nose.  This is lightly pétillant, and reminiscent of an uninteresting Vinho Verde.  81/100
• 1986 Gaillac Rouge Prestige, Cave Labastide-de-Lévis (£36.49/12)
  Pleasant nose.  This is an attractive, good, simple wine with some tannic structure.  Very Good.  87/100

• 1986 Marcillac Rouge, Cave de Valady (£35.99/12)
  Very smooth, attractive palate.  This represents good drinking and is very worth of interest.  Very Good/Very Good Indeed.  88/100
• 1987 Marcillac Rosé, Cave de Valady (£39.99/12)
  Super fruity nose.  Very clean and fresh on the palate.  87/100

• 1983 Crozes Hermitage Rouge, Domaine Fayolle (£72.49)
  Quite animalistic on the nose; indeed a bit cat-like.  Good flavour and length.  This is dominant and interesting.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100
• 1983 Crozes Hermitage Blanc, Domaine Fayolle (£72.49)
  A rather thin, sulphurous nose.  Not particularly interesting on the palate.  79/100

• 1986 Château de la Saule, Montagny, AC Chablis, Bourgogne de Vigne en Verre (£87.99/12)
  Not especially marvellous.  80/100
• 1986 Mâcon Mancey, Cave des Vignerons de Mancey, Bourgogne de Vigne en Verre (£54.99/12)
  Decent nose with good fruit.  This is nice and smooth, yet has a fresh sharpness, but notwithstanding it’s rather pleasant, and there’s some decent complexity.  86/100
• 1985 Auxey Duresses, Bourgogne de Vigne en Verre (£99.99/12)
  On the first taste, this was smoother, yet also felt a bit thinner than the Mâcon and not as good.  Retasting it, it showed a good fruity nose with some body and length, and while not as complex, was actually preferable to the Mâcon.  86/100

• 1987 Beaujolais Villages, Domaine du Grand Chêne, André Jaffre, 12.5% (£52.99/12)
  Decent, fairly basic Beaujolais Villages.  83/100
• 1987 Chiroubles, Domaine de la Grosse Pierre, Georges Passot, 13% (£70.49/12)
  Good, pleasant and promising.  86/100
• 1987 Juliénas “Les Envaux”, Domaine André Pelletier, alcohol content not shown (£65.99/12)
  A bit sharp and astringent, but overall a competent example.  82/100

• 1983 Le Vieux Château Landon, Cru Bourgeois, AC Médoc (£71.99/12)
  Smooth with good length.  Decent stuff.  84/100
• 1985 Le Vieux Château Landon, Médoc (£71.99/12)
  Very young, but this seems potentially better than the 1983 and is likely to be a drop of good stuff.  Though it does, perhaps, feel a bit thin.

The Epervier Selection

• 1986 Château de Calce, AC Côtes du Roussillon (£36.99/21)
  Good.  Nice character and body.  86/100
• 1985 Minervois La Livinière (£40.99/21)
  Quite young tasting.  Very deep, dark purple, almost black.  Oodles of tannins, but this is actually rather good.  86/100
• 1986 St Georges D’Orques (£35.99/12)
  Youngish, and a bit rough on the palate.
• 1985 Fitou (£43.99/12)
  Good.  84/100
• 1985 Château Grand Caumont, Cuvée Louis Rigal, AC Corbières (£41.99/12)
  Not excessively pleasant.  79/100
• 1986 Château Pech Redon (£42.49/12)
  Pleasant.  85/100

• 1985 AC Gigondas, Château du Trignon, 13.5% (£88.99/12)
  A powerful wine with plenty of interest.  90/100
• 1983 Rasteau, AC Côtes du Rhone Villages, Château du Trignon (£65.49/12)
  Pretty good stuff.  Better than the Trignon Sablet.  87/100
• 1982 Sablet, AC Côtes du Rhone Villages, Château du Trignon (£61.99/12)
  Good, though not the best.  84/100

• 1987 Sauvignon, AC Touraine, Vallée des Reines, 11.5% (£50.99/12)
  Good, clean character with plenty of flavour.  Very Good.  88/100
• 1986 Marquis d’Effiat, AC Touraine (red), Vallée des Reines, 11.5% (£52.99/12)
  Powerful, fruity nose.  Good depth of flavour with a good structure and some nice tannins.  Very Good.  87/100

• 1982 Château Sénéjac, Haut Médoc (£95.99/21)
  Ripening and maturing, but still not terribly impressive.  83/100
• 1984 Château Sénéjac, Haut Médoc (£79.99/12)
  Pretty poor and unimpressive.  74/100
• 1985 Château Sénéjac, Haut Médoc (£88.99/12)
  Better than the 1982 and the 1984, but it needs time.  84/100

• 1983 Vieux Château Guibeau, AC Puisseguin-Saint-Emilion, alcohol content not shown (£69.99/12)
  Decent stuff.  At the moment this is better than the 1985.  86/100
• 1985 Vieux Château Guibeau, AC Puisseguin-Saint-Emilion, alcohol content not shown (£69.99/12)
  Decent stuff again.  Not drinking as well as the 1983 at the moment, but maybe some promise?  85/100

• 1986 Saumur Blanc, Cave des Vignerons au Saumur, Loire (£35.99/12)
  Good.  85/100
• 1986 Saumur Rouge, Cave des Vignerons au Saumur, Loire (£39.99/12)
  Very good, open, fruity nose.  Dry and fruity on the palate.  There was some bottle variation between the samples I tasted: one was really rather interesting, and one was merely OK.  On the basis of the good sample, 86/100

• 1985 Bergerac Rouge, Union de Viticulteurs de la Dordogne à St Laurent des Vignes, Dordogne, 12% (£36.99/12)
  Very smooth and fruity.  Very Good.  87/100
• 1986 Bordeaux Blanc Sec, Speciale Longue Cuvaison, AC Bordeaux, Union St. Vincent, Bottled under the supervision of and solely for Bordeaux Direct, alcohol content not shown (£39.99/12)
  This is quite interesting.  Good depth of fruit and a nice dry elegance.  87/100
• 1987 Montravel La Chapelle Semillon, AC Montravel Sec, Cave de St. Vivien et Bonneville, Dordogne, 11.7% (£37.99/12)
  Very smooth drinking with a really nice character.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100

• 1985 Aligoté, Dupard Ainé (£79.99/12)
  Good nose, though a bit thin and uninteresting on the palate.  82/100
• 1984 Volnay, La Pousse D’Or (£198.99/12)
  Really good fruit.  Superb balance.  Very Good Indeed/Excellent.  94/100
• 1984 Chambolle Musigny, Château Musigny (£205.99/12)
  This is really impressive and has amazing promise, but still needs at least five years.  92/100

• 1985 Château La Clarière Laithwaite (£67.49/12)
  Good, with plenty of character.  86/100
• 1986 Château La Clarière Laithwaite, 12.9% (£67.49/12)
  Good and full of character.  More interesting than the 1985.  87/100
• 1984 Château La Clarière Laithwaite, Troisième Feuille, 12.9% (£67.49/12)
  Not bad at all.  Good flavour and character.  85/100

• 1986 Gewurztraminer Kaefferkopf, Les Vignerons Réunis de Kientzheim, AC Alsace, alcohol content not shown, 70cl bottle, (£67.99/12)
  Not a bad gewurztraminer.  Decent balance and restraint.  85/100
• 1986 Pinot d’Alsace, Les Vignerons Réunis de Kientzheim, AC Alsace, alcohol content not shown, 70cl bottle, (£67.99/12)
  Uninteresting.  77/100

• 1983 Cabernet Sauvignon, Jekel Vineyards, California (£95.99/12)
  A very powerful cabernet sauvignon nose.  Very smooth palate, with characterful flavours.  It’s very good, but … I don’t really like it.  Perhaps it needs food?  87/100
• 1984 Chardonnay, Jekel Vineyards, California (£95.99/12)
  Very pale.  Good smooth, round palate.  Very Good.  87/100

• 1987 Sauvignon Blanc, Viña Los Vascos, Colchagua, Chile, 13.5% (£48.49/12)
  Not really very nice.  72/100
• 1984 Cabernet Sauvignon, Viña Los Vascos, Colchagua, Chile, 12.9% (£44.49/12)
  This isn’t a patch on the 1985: it’s rather rougher and with far less to it.  82/100
• 1985 Cabernet Sauvignon, Viña Los Vascos, Colchagua, Chile, 12.9% (£44.49/12)
  This is a good clean cabernet sauvignon.  Perhaps a bit flat and uni-dimensional, but still perfectly pleasant.  84/100

• 1986 Chardonnay, Columbia Winery, Washington State (£56.99/12)
  A bit cabbagey on the nose.  Quite deep and round with decent length.  Might be good with fish?  OK.  79/100

• 1987 Sauvignon Blanc, Canepa, Chile (£44.99/12)
  This is a decent sauvignon blanc.  Fairly interesting.  84/100
• 1980 Finisimo Cabernet Sauvignon, Canepa, Chile (£69.99/12)
  A bit rough round the edges, but on the whole rather good.  85/100

• 1987 Chardonnay, Hunters Wines, New Zealand (£92.99/12)
  Good nose.  Distinctive buttery flavours.  Smooth and well-rounded.  Very Good.  88/100
• 1987 Fumé Blanc, Hunters Wines, New Zealand (£76.99/12)
  Good nose.  Clean drinking, but doesn’t live up to the chardonnay.  83/100
• 1987 Gewurztraminer Dry, Hunters Wines, New Zealand (£64.99/12)
  Good.  85/100

• 1982 Bricco Manzoni, Podere Rocche dei Manzoni, Monforte d’Alba, Vino da Tavola, 14% (£94.99/12)
  Good colour, nose and flavour.  Nice drinking.  86/100
• 1982 Barolo Riserva, Podere Rocche dei Manzoni, Monforte d’Alba, (£172.49/12)
  Lovely open nose.  Smooth, open palate.  Though I actually prefer the Bricco Manzoni vino da tavola.  86/100
• 1986 Manzoni Bianco, Chardonnay, Podere Rocche dei Manzoni, Monforte d’Alba, (£71.49/12)
  A bit sharp and not very subtle.  80/100

• 1986 Chardonnay Alto Adige, St. Michel-Eppan (£46.99/12)
  Scented nose.  A bit thin and unimpressive on the palate.  81/100
• 1986 Oak Aged Chardonnay, Alto Adige, St. Michel-Eppan (£62.99/12)
  The oak influence has actually made the nose more subtle than the unoaked version, than which this is distinctly more palatable.  85/100

• 1984 Barolo La Serra, Roberto Voerzio (£49.99/6)
  This is a good, pretty textbook Barolo.  Very Good Indeed.  91/100
• 1987 Dolcetto d’Alba, Roberto Voerzio (£29.99/6)
  Young, but without the fruity, youthful beneficial characteristics of other young wines.  82/100

• 1983 Copertino Rosso, Cantina Sociale Cooperativa Copertino, DOC Copertino, 12% (£44.99/12)
  Bags of fruit on the nose.  Lovely smooth palate.  This is a good everyday wine, but with something interesting about it.  89/100
• 1986 Copertino Rosato, Cantina Sociale Cooperative Copertino (£44.49/12)
  Unpleasant.  Like an over-acidic weak Ribena.  68/100

• 1983 Rosso Piceno Superiore, Villa Pigna, Marche (£44.90/12)
  Good, smooth, easy drinking.  Very Good.  86/100
• 1984 Vellutato, Villa Pigna, Marche (£44.99/12)
  Rather thin nose, but very good on the palate with huge length.  88/100

• 1987 Südtiroler Chardonnay Turmhof, Herbert Tiefenbrunner (£62.99/12)
  Good nose, but on the palate there’s little to it.  82/100

• 1986 Valpolicella Classico Superiore, DOC, Azienda Agricola Allegrini, 12.5% (£55.99/12)
  Very thin and not terribly impressive.  82/100
• 1985 Valpolicella Classico Superiore La Grola, Azienda Agricola Allegrini (£65.99/12)
  Rather more character than the straight Allegrini Valpolicella.  85/100
• 1981 Amarone, Allegrini (£99.99/12)
  A poor example of an amarone.  73/100

• 1986 Rosso di Montalcino, Fattoria Casale (£55.49/12)
  A good, well-rounded wine.  But a bit inoffensive rather than interesting.  84/100

• 1985 Ramitello Estate Riserva, Masseria di Majo Norante (£43.99)
  An interesting wine.  Very young still, but with promise.  85/100
• 1987 Fiore, Masseria di Majo Norante (£39.99)
  Like a poor Beaujolais Noveau.  76/100

• 1985 Rosso Montefalco, (producer not recorded, sorry) (£49.99/12)
  Absolutely fine, though rather unimpressive.  83/100
• 1984 Montefalco Sagrantino d’Arquata Secco, (producer not recorded, sorry) (£65.99/12)
  Again, absolutely fine with very little wrong with it at all.  Simple, but good stuff.  85/100

• 1986 Dörrenbacher Guttenberg Silvaner Trocken, Gebiets Winzergenossenschaft EG Deutsches Weintor (£43.49/12)
  Fragrant nose and palate.  Very fresh.  88/100
• 1985 Grauer Burgunder Kabinett, Bereich Südliche Weinstrasse, Rheinpfalz, Gebiets Winzergenossenschaft EG Deutsches Weintor, AP Nr. 5 042 092 187 88, 10.5% (£47.99/12)
  Nice and fresh; this is very interesting.  88/100
• 1985 Schweigener Guttenberg Riesling Trocken QbA, Gebiets Winzergenossenschaft EG Deutsches Weintor (£47.99/12)
  Rather odd cheesy nose.  Thin and watery.  OK/Good.  80/100
• 1987 Ilbesheimer Herrlich Dornfelder Trocken, Gebiets Winzergenossenschaft EG Deutsches Weintor (red) (£47.99/12)
  Thin and just as you’d expect from a German red.  82/100
• 1985 Morzheimer Pfaffenberg Kerner Spätlese, Gebiets Winzergenossenschaft EG Deutsches Weintor (£51.49/12)
  Clean and slightly fragrant.  Not really very interesting, though.  83/100

• 1987 Armsheimer, Gau-Bickelheim, Rheinhessen (£40.49/12)
  Clean and fresh.  This is good summer drinking.  85/100
• 1986 Gau Odernheimer Petersberg Grauer Burgunder Trocken, Gau-Bickelheim, Rheinhessen (£42.49)
  Nice and smooth; nicely open.  Pretty good.  86/100
• 1986 Pfaffen’heimer Mandelbaum Silvaner Eiswein, Gau-Bickelheim, Rheinhessen (£140.99/12x375ml)
  Yum, yum.  Very nice indeed.  91/100
• 1983 Guntersblumer Vogelsgarten Spätlese, Gau-Bickelheim, Rheinhessen (£47.99/12)
  No good.  75/100
• 1986 Ober-Olmer Kapellenberg Silvaner Trocken, Gau-Bickelheim, Rheinhessen (£36.99/12)
  Very unexciting.  78/100

• 1983 Lieserer Schlossberg Riesling Spätlese, Moselland (£54.99/12)
  Pleasant, but plain and rather uninteresting.  82/100
• 1986 Bremmer Calmont Riesling Spätlese, Gebietswinzergenossenschaft Cochem, AP Nr. 2 576 280 139 88, alcohol content not shown (£57.99/12)
  Fairly interesting stuff.  84/100
• 1986 Wincheringer Burg Warsberg QbA, Moselland EG Winzergenossenschaft Zentralkellerei, 9%, (£38.49/12)
  Very pleasant.  86/100
• 1986 Schloß Thorner, Qualitätswein, Moselland EG, 9%, AP Nr. 2 676 280 551 88, 700ml (£39.49/12)
  Good-ish.  81/100
• 1986 Landwein der Saar Riesling halbtrocken, Deutscher Tafelwein, Saar-Winzerverein/Moselland EG (£36.99/12)
  Good; clean and fresh.  85/100

• 1987 Grüner Veltliner, Metternich’sche Weingüter (£55.99/12)
  Thin, yet nicely fragrant.  85/100
• 1987 Frühroter Veltliner Kabinett, Metternich’sche Weingüter (£65.99/12)
  Unexciting.  78/100
• 1979 Müller Thurgau Beerenauslese, Metternich’sche Weingüter (£96.99/12)
  This is far too cloying and lacks acidity.  83/100

• 1986 Booser Paradiesgarten (£36.99/12)
  OK, but not over-impressive.  81/100
• 1985 Erbacher Schloßberg Riesling Kabinett, Schloss Reinhartshausen, AP Nr. 32 071 028 86, alcohol content not shown (£97.49/12)
  Attractive, apparently with some promise but it’s a bit dull.  I suspect an under par bottle.  Not rated.
• 1985 Dürkheimer Spielberg (£106.99/12)
  Nice and clean.  Not too sweet.  Generally well balanced.  86/100

• 1983 Balkan Vine Cabernet Sauvignon (£28.99/12)
  Smooth, simple everyday wine.  83/100

• 1985 Rioja Tinto, Martinez Bujanda (£39.99/12)
  Not bad at all.  Smooth, with good flavours and good length.  88/100
• 1985 Rioja Blanco oak aged, Martinez Bujanda (£44.99/12)
  Unexciting.  79/100
• 1981 Rioja Tinto Reserva (£51.99/12)
  Oaky, but in a nice way, that hangs together nicely with the fruit.  Very Good.  88/100

• 1985 Basiano, Navarra, Cenalsa Navarra (£46.99/12)
  Very good, powerful nose and palate.  87/100

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Last updated: 17 December 2006