Oddbins Wine Fair 1992
16^th-17^th May 1992
Park Lane Hotel, London

Prices shown are those off the Oddbins list at the time (i.e. in 1992).  It’s quite interesting to see how the lower end wines have hardly changed in price at all in the intervening 14 years; indeed some have even reduced –of course, factoring in inflation, all the, say, sub £6 wines have reduced in price fairly dramatically.  By contrast, many of the top end wines have increased significantly: I haven’t done detailed calculations, but my feeling is that they have outpaced inflation.  1987 Barola La Serra from Voerzio for under £12?  If only we knew then, what we know now!

Spanish Wines

• 1986 Gloriosa Crianza, Rioja, Bodegas Palacio, 12% (£4.85)
  100% tempranillo that spends 12 months in American and French barriques, racked twice.  A deep rich, yet still quite young colour.  Wonderful oaky, fruity nose.  Incredibly smooth with a hint of peppery acidity.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100
• 1988 Rioja, Cosme Palacio y Hermanos, Bodegas Palacio, 12% (£4.49)
  100% tempranillo, aged for 10 months in new French oak barrels.  An attractive young colour.  Good nose with some oaky vanilla. Fresh and young on the palate and nicely clean.  Quite good.  86/100
• 1989 Peromato Tinto, Tierra del Vino, Bodegas Fariña (£2.89)
  Good colour.  On the nose it is more reminiscent of southern France and feels quite grenachey.  A bit heavy on the tannins.  83/100
• 1987 Gran Colegiata Crianza, D.O. Toro, Bodegas Fariña (£4.49)
  Very deep rich claret red.  Excellent nose: very complex.  Quite austere, with a hefty tannic structure, but this is very interesting.  Very Good Indeed.  (91/100)
• 1989 Agramont, DO Navarra, Bodegas Cenalsa, 12.5% (£3.85)
  A tempranillo-cabernet sauvignon blend with nine months in oak.  This has a very deep, rich colour.  Great body, quite peppery, with a good backbone and ripe fruit character.  Very Good Indeed.  (89/100)
• 1990 Agramont Tempranillo-Cabernet Sauvignon, Bodegas Cenalsa, 12.5% (£2.99)
  Curiously this is labelled as tempranillo-cabernet sauvignon, while the 89 isn’t, but this is predominantly tempranillo, with just a short time in oak.  This is good stuff, more interesting than the 89, but still feels rather young.  (89/100)
• 1991 Agramont White, Bodegas Cenalsa, 11% (£3.99)
  100% viura, fermented in new Alliers oak barrels.  Quite a full straw colour.  Full nose, with slight spice.  This is a bit different.  There’s good fruit, well balanced with the texture of the oak fermentation.  90/100
• 1991 Castillo de Olite, Navarra Blanco, Bodegas y Bebidas (£2.99)
  Not a bad colour.  Herby nose.  Quite fresh.  A little hard on the finish.  84/100
• 1987 Seleccion José Bezares, Rioja Crianza Blanco, Bodegas y Bebidas (£4.49)
  A rich gold.  Very good, oaky nose with rich, buttery vanilla.  On the palate the balance of fruit and oak is just right.  89/100
• 1990 Cueva de Solana, Bodegas y Bebidas (£2.69)
  Strawberry juice appearance.  This is an attractive spicy, peppery young red wine.  Good.  84/100
• 1982 Casa de la Viña, Valdepeñas Gran Reserva (£3.99)
  Starting to show some maturity, this has a good colour.  Good, but perhaps a bit over-tannic.  83/100
• 1985 Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva (£4.99)
  A reasonably mature colour.  Fairly old fashioned oaky nose.  Excellent.  94/100
• 1985 Marques del Puerto, Rioja Reserva, Bodegas y Bebidas (£5.99)
  Good colour.  Excellent all round, though perhaps the 1985 Campo Viejo Reserva has the edge?  93/100
• 1987 Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Crianza Tinto (£4.69)
  85% tempranillo; 15% mazuelo and graciano.  A good, fairly young colour.  Fruity, tannic nose.  Very smooth and mouthfilling.  Great length.  Good, but maybe a touch unexciting.  88/100
• 1989 Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Crianza Blanco (£4.29)
  A rich straw.  Decent nose.  But overoaked and dull.  82/100
• 1991 Gran Vendema Blanco, DO Rioja, (£3.99)
  100% viura.  The 1991 crop was 10% down on 1990.  Bright, pale straw.  Very fresh, full, fruity nose.  Clean and fresh on the palate.  Quite mouthfilling and with decent length, though rather light.  Very Good.  88/100
• 1985 Rioja Beronia Reserva, Bodegas Beronia (£6.69)
  Fairly young colour.  Not at all bad, but it’s rather over-oaked.  Somehow it’s – apparently – spent only two months in oak.  I find that very difficult to believe.  OK/Good.  79/100
• 1991 Castillo de Alhambra Tinto, DO La Mancha (£3.19)
  A very, very young purple colour.  Bags and bags of fruit on the palate.  This is really very good, easy drinking.  Very Good/Very Good Indeed.  88/100
• 1991 Castillo de Alhambra Blanco, DO La Mancha (£3.19)
  100% airén.
  Pale straw appearance.  Good fresh nose.  Ok, but unexciting.  81/100

Portuguese Wines

• 1989 Periquita, Fonseca (red) (£3.99)
  Good colour.  Very interesting nose indeed.  VeryGood+.  88/100
• 1990 João Pires Dry Moscato (£4.69)
  Pale gold.  Very good muscat nose.  Not bad.  Some length.  This is a decent, fresh, dry muscat.  Very Good.  88/100
• 1989 João Pires Catarina, Palmela (white) (£4.79)
  Pale gold.  Little nose.  Fine.  Rather hard backbone.  Not so clever.  78/100
• 1990 João Pires Cova da Ursa Chardonnay (£6.99)
  Good golden colour.  Full nose, with some oak evident.  Ok, but a bit innocuous.  82/100
• 1988 João Pires Meia Pipa (£4.89)
  Oaky nose.  Deeply uninteresting.  78/100
• 1988 João Pires Tinto da Anfora (£4.59)
  Excellent nose.  Really full, rich and good.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100
• NV Gazela Vinho Verde, Sogrape (£3.69)
  Pale.  Nothing on the nose to speak of.  Dry and refreshing.  83/100
• 1990 Dão Grao Vasco, Sogrape (white) (£3.69)
  OK colour.  Little nose.  Wet and watery.  72/100
• 1990 Quinta de Pedralvites Bairrada, Sogrape (white) (£5.99)
  A pale goldish straw.  Little nose.  Wet and watery again.  Fair length.  Rather odd after.  75/100
• 1987 Sogrape Douro Branco Reserva (£5.49)
  Pale to mid gold.  Slightly herby and citrussy on the nose.  Very odd on the palate and not entirely pleasant.  Very ikky after.  72/100
• 1989 Dão Grao Vasco, Sogrape (red) (£3.69)
  Thin and innocuous looking.  The nose matches the appearance, and there’s little more on the palate: okay, but very unexciting.  78/100
• 1984 Ferreira Douro Reserva Especial (Sogrape) (£8.49)
  A good rich colour.  Good nose.  This isn’t bad, but it’s not really very exciting.  82/100

Champagne

• NV Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut (£16.25)
  Good nose with a nice yeastiness.  Very Good Indeed.  Better than the Perrier-Jouet and Mumm Cordon Rouge non vintage champagnes.  88/100
• NV Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé (£21.75)
  Very attractive, very, very pale orange colour.  Rather slight on the nose.  Not terribly interesting.  84/100
• 1985 Champagne Billecart-Salmon, Cuvée Nicolas-François Billecart (£26.75)
  Markedly superior to the non vintage.  It has a good, slight mousse, and a nice bready character on the nose.  Very Good Indeed.  91/100

German Wines

• 1990 Dienheimer Paterhof Riesling Kabinett halbtrocken, Dr. Becker, Rheinhessen (£5.99)
  Produced organically.  This has a delicate fragrant nose.  Very clean and fresh.  Very Good.  88/100
• 1990 Ungsteiner Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese, Fuhrmann-Eymael, Pfalz (£6.49)
  A fragrant, if slightly syrupy nose.  It has a good, fruity, clean palate with a nicely balanced medium-sweetness.  87/100
• 1990 Ungsteiner Herrenberg Scheurebe Spätlese, Furhmann-Eymael, Pfalz (£5.99)
  Quite different in detail to the riesling, though similar generally.  Lacks the precision of the riesling.  This is a bit sweeter and a bit less crisp.  85/100
• 1989 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese, Grans-Fassian (£7.49)
  Excellent.  Really refreshing.  93/100
• 1983 Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Auslese, Grans Fassian (£9.99)
  Very good.  This feels a bit more serious than the 1989 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese.  Deeper, more complex and sweeter.  Very good stuff.  88/100
• 1989 Grans Fassian Riesling Spätlese (£5.49)
  Simpler.  Decent freshness and delicacy.  Very Good.  85/100
• 1989 Gimmeldinger Meerspinne Grauburgunder Auslese Trocken, Müller-Catoir (£9.99)
  Marvellous nose.  This feels like an extra ‘strong’ pinot gris.  It has an incredible, sharp backbone.  88/100
• 1990 Haardter Bürgergarten Riesling Spätlese halbtrocken, Müller-Catoir (£7.99)
  Fresh, but a little murky and unfocussed.  Would have been better left as a plain Spätlese.  Good.  84/100
• 1989 Bacharacher Hahn Riesling Auslese, Toni Jost, Mittelrhein (£8.49)
  Very full of character, with a very elegant sweetness.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100
• 1991 Bacharacher Schloß Stahleck Riesling Qba, Weingut Toni Jost (£4.99)
  Full fruity nose.  Good fruit on the palate, slightly sweet.  Very fresh tasting.  Very Good.  87/100
• 1990 Villa Sachsen trocken QbA Rheinhessen (£3.99)
  Little nose.  Bland palate.  OK/Good.  77/100
• 1990 Pinot Blanc QbA Rheinpfalz, St. Ursula Galerie, St Ursula (£3.79)
  Very crisp and fresh.  Nicely refreshing.  But it doesn’t excite me.  82/100
• 1990 Dornfelder Rotwein QbA Rheinpfalz, St. Ursula Galerie, St. Ursula (£3.99)
  Looks a bit young.  It has a nice fruity nose.  Good, clean, easy palate.  Hint of pepper on the finish.  Good.  85/100
• 1989 Grosskarlbacher Osterberg Dornfelder QbA Rheinpfalz, Weingut Lingenfelder (£4.99)
  Not too young a colour.  Nice nose.  Quite good really.  83/100
• 1990 Freinsheimer Goldberg Riesling Spätlese halbtrocken, Rheinpfalz, Weingut Lingenfelder (£6.49)
  A bit murky and muddy on the palate.  79/100
• 1990 Grosskarlbacher Riesling Kabinett Trocken, Rheinpfalz, Weingut Lingenfelder (£5.49)
  Crisp and fresh.  Good.  85/100

Alsace

• 1990 Pinot Blanc, Cave Vinicole de Turckheim (£4.39)
  Good fragrant nose, but distinctly unexciting on the palate.  78/100
• 1990 Tokay Pinot Gris, Cave Vinicole de Turckheim (£5.59)
  A pleasant nose.  Bit murky and unfocussed on the palate.  Unpleasant after.  72/100
• 1989 Gewurztraminer Réserve du Baron de Turckheim, Cave Vinicole de Turckheim (£6.79)
  Nice traminer nose.  Unpleasant palate.  68/100
• 1990 Muscat Cuvée Réserve, Cave Vinicole de Turckheim (£5.99)
  Ok, but hardly brilliant.  79/100
• 1986 Riesling Grand Cru Brand, Cave Vinicole de Turckheim (£9.49)
  A superb riesling nose.  Very clean palate.  Very good length.  Very Good+  88/100

Rhône

• 1990 Rasteau Tête de Cuvée, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Cave des Vignerons de Rasteau (£4.49)
  60% grenache noir, 20% syrah, 10% mourvèdre, 5% cinsault, 5% carignan.
  A deep colour.  Very rich, full nose.  Nicely structured.  Very Good Indeed.  91/100
• 1988 Gigondas  Domaine Saint Gayan, Roger & Jean-Pierre Meffre (£7.49)
  80% grenache; 15% syrah; 5% cinsault.  Good.  Not worth more than £5.50.  83/100
• 1989 Côtes du Rhône, Domaine du Père Caboche, Jean-Pierre Boisson (£3.99)
  80% grenache, 10% syrah, 10% cinsault.  Fine, with a good full nose and a nice full palate.  85/100
• 1989 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Domaine du Père Caboche, Jean-Pierre Boisson (£6.99)
  80% grenache; 15% syrah; 5% mourvèdre/cinsault.  A decent wine, but not especially wonderful as a Châteauneuf.  83/100
• 1990 Crozes Hermitage, Alain Graillot (£7.49)
  100% syrah.  Very deep colour.  This is really lovely stuff now, but could do with another three years to reach a peak.  Excellent.  93/100
• 1989 Hermitage, Gérard Chave (£18.99)
  Very, very deep colour.  This is very good stuff, but it needs plenty of time to come round – probably be starting to drink properly around 2000.  92/100
• 1986 Hermitage, E. Guigal (£15.99)
  Very Good.  88/100
• 1986 Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde, E. Guigal (£14.99)
  Great nose.  Very full and fruity with good pepperiness on the finish.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100
• 1990 Côtes du Ventoux, Paul Jaboulet Aîné (£3.99)
  Attractive colour.  Little nose.  Good.  85/100
• 1990 Côtes du Rhône Parallèle 45, Paul Jaboulet Aîné (£4.49)
  A pretty good CdR, but I prefer Jaboulet’s 1990 Ventoux.  84/100
• 1989 Crozes Hermitage Les Jalets, Paul Jaboulet Aîné (£4.99)
  A good, attractive deep colour.  Nice spicy pepperiness on the palate.  A couple of years would do it good.  Good.  85/100
• 1989 Saint Joseph Le Grand Pompée, Paul Jaboulet Aîné (£7.49)
  Very attractive nose.  Good palate with nice depth and character.  Good/Very Good.  87/100
• 1989 Hermitage La Chapelle, Paul Jaboulet Aîné (£19.49)
  Superb.  96/100
• 1990 Coudoulet de Beaucastel, Château de Beaucastel, AC Côtes du Rhône (£6.79)
  The grapes for this are on the wrong side of the road for the Châteauneuf appellation.  This has a youngish good colour.  Very fresh and young on the nose and on the palate.  Very young, yet still attractive.  87/100
• 1986 Château de Beaucastel, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  A very good wine, that’s coming along nicely.  Perhaps needs another 3-5 years before it’s properly ready for drinking.  92/100
• 1988 Château de Beaucastel, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  This too is developing nicely.  Feels like it might not need as long the 1986 to come round properly.  Very Good Indeed.  91/100
• 1990 Château de Beaucastel, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  Cask sample.  Young all round.  But there are some good signs and it all augurs well.  90+/100

Burgundy

• 1991 Macon Villages, Jaffelin (£4.99)
  Unoaked.  A pale straw appearance.  Very nice nose.  OK, but a touch hard.  84/100
• 1991 Bourgogne du Chapitre, Jaffelin (£5.99)
  15% of this was aged in new oak.  Good nose, showing a nice touch of oak influence.  Very firm backbone.  Smooth and rich, with good depth and great length.  87/100
• 1990 Saint Romain, Jaffelin (£7.99)
  This is more mature, with a fuller oak character (25% new oak).  Very rich and full, with a really smooth caressing mouthfeel.  Great structure.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100
• 1989 Rully, Jaffelin (£8.49)
  25% new oak.  Good colour and legs.  Very full chardonnay nose, with butter and beurre noisette along with a touch of vaguely melon fruit.  Smooth and full.  Excellent.  94/100
• 1990 Bougogne Hautes Côtes du Beaune, Jaffelin (£6.99)
  An attractive colour.  The nose too is attractive and inviting.  Feels a bit tough on the palate with some significant tannins, though there is also some good fruit lurking in there.  Needs time.  Good/Very Good.  86/100
• 1989 Rully, Jaffelin (£7.99)
  Very thin colour, showing some slight maturity.  A light Burgundy, but with a real structure.  Very Good+.  87/100
• 1988 Clos de Vougeot, Jaffelin (£29.99)
  Nice, proper colour.  Very nice nose.  But it doesn’t feel quite as special as it should be.  Perhaps it still needs time.  Very Good.  86/100

Other France

• 1989 Domaine Tour d’Elyssas, AC Côteaux du Tricastin
  100% Syrah.  This is a really good Rhône-ish syrah.  Not too peppery.  Though the oak could do with a year or two to integrate properly.  Very Good Indeed.  89/100
• 1990 Château de Paraza Cuvée Spéciale, AC Minervois, 12.5%
  Château de Paraza has been the ancestral home of the De Girard family since the beginning of the 17^th Century.  It overlooks the plain of the Aude and the Canal du Midi.  The vineyard is on a south facing hillside and extends to some 130 hectares and is planted with 30% syrah, 30% grenache, 20% carignan and 20% cinsault, which more or less represents the composition of the Cuvée Spéciale, which is made by maceration carbonique.
  It has a merlot-gamayish nose, but on the palate, this is something special.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100
• 1990 Mas de Daumas Gassac Rouge, Vin de Pays de l’Hérault, 13%
  Very deep, rather young colour.  Massive tannins dominate every aspect of the palate, to the extent that it’s impossible to reach any judgement on the wine.  Not rated.
• 1991 Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc, Vin de Pays de l’Hérault
  Viognier dominated, apparently.  This is something very special indeed.  Excellent.  94/100
• 1990 Chardonnay, Domaine de Ribonnet, Vin de Pays du Haute Garonne (£6.49)
  Good legs, pale gold.  Not bad at all.  Better than many Burgundies.  There’s some crisp acidity to cut the butter.  Good/Very Good.  87/100
• 1989 Syrah, Domaine de Ribonnet, Vin de Pays du Haute Garonne (£4.99)
  Nice colour.  Not especially redolent of syrah on the nose, which is rather dominated by vanilla.  Actually, rather nice, if not especially Syrah-ish.  86/100
• 1989 Cabernet Sauvignon, Domaine de Ribonnet, Vin de Pays du Haute Garonne (£4.79)
  A very deep colour.  Thin cabernet sauvignon nose.  Very tannic.  OK/Good.  79/100
• 1989 Cuvée Clement Ader, Domaine de Ribonnet (£4.99)
  A blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot.  Good colour and nose.  The nose is a fairly straightforward claretty nose.  At the moment the tannins are a bit heavy and I’d say it needs another four to five years to integrate and come round properly.  86/100
• 1990 Domaine La Grange Muscadet sur Lie (£4.39)
  Good straw colour.  Great nose – very fruity.  Fine.  Few sur lie characteristics.  OK/Good.  81/100
• 1989 Manoir La Grange Muscadet sur Lie, oak aged (£7.99)
  A nice oaky, vanilla nose.  Very good, but not noticeably a muscadet sur lie.  83/100
• 1990 Vouvray Demi Sec, Domaine des Aubuisières (£5.99)
  Fine.  Sweeter than I’d expect a demi-sec to be.  81/100
• 1991 Oddbins White, Domaine du Joy, Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne (£2.99)
  Quite a pale appearance.  Clean, good fruity nose.  Actually rather good.  85/100

• 1991 Oddbins White, Domaine du Joy, Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne (£2.99)
  Mid straw fading to pale at the rim.  Very good, almost apple-y nose.  Clean, fruity attack.  A bit hard on the finish.  Great length.  84/100
  (24/5/92)

• 1990 Château Montauriol, Côtes du Frontonnais Villaudric (£3.99)
  A deep young colour.  Bit young and twiggy on the nose.  Ok, though perhaps not brilliant.  Excellent with his foie gras.  84/100
• 1988 Château de Jau, Côtes du Roussillon Villages (£3.99)
  An attractive, not to young colour.  Ok, though scarcely exciting.  81/100
• 1990 Costières de Nimes Rouge, Barton & Guestier (£2.99)
  Very fresh, and a clear winner at the price.  88/100

Beaujolais

• 1990 Beaujolais Villages, Domaine de St. Ennemond (£4.99)
  Nice colour; decent nose.  Not brilliant.  79/100
• 1990 Chiroubles, Méziat (£6.49)
  Nice colour.  Bit lacking on the nose.  Very attractive, with a bit of structure.  Very Good.  86/100
• 1990 Brouilly, Bereziat (£6.49)
  Nice colour.  Excellent nose.  Slightly odd after.  83/100
• 1990 Morgon, Domaine des Souchons (£6.79)
  A bit lacking on the nose.  Very well structured.  86/100
• 1990 St. Amour, Clos de Chapitre, (£6.49)
  A nice maturing colour.  Quite a spicy, peppery feel.  Very Good.  86/100
• 1990 Moulin à Vent, Domaine de la Bruyère (£7.99)
  This is decent stuff.  It could do with some more age, but not bad at all.  86/100

Bordeaux

• 1990 Clos Floridène Blanc, AC Graves (£9.99)
  80% semillon; 20% muscadelle.  Very interesting, very complex nose.  On the palate, several flavours combine well into a rich intensity.  Great length.  Rather good.  89/100
• 1990 Château Reynon Vieilles Vignes, Bordeaux Sec, AC Bordeaux (£6.99)
  Château Reynon is in Béguey, near Cadillac on the right bank of the Garonne.  The vineyards, replanted in 1958, cover some 30 hectares: 18 hectares planted with semillon (50%), sauvignon (45%) and muscadelle (5%); and 12 hectares planted with merlot (40%) and cabernet sauvignon (60%).  The grapes for the white wine are harvested very ripe by hand.  They undergo a brief maceration before temperature controlled fermentation.  The wine is bottled after 6 months ageing on fine lees.
  This is pretty decent stuff with good complexity.  Needs food.  86/100
• 1990 Clos Floridène Rouge, AC Graves (£7.49)
  Quite a rich colour.  Some vanilla on the nose.  Fairly solid stuff with a decent tannic structure.  Good, but not brilliant.  82/100
• 1990 Château Reynon, AC Premières Côtes de Bordeaux (£6.99)
  Aged for 12-18 months in oak barriques, 25% of which is new oak.  It has a good colour.  Nice nose, with some merlot evident (the cépage is 40% merlot, 60% cabernet sauvignon).  Very smooth, clean attack.  Some tannins to follow.  Peppery after.  87/100
• 1990 Château Haut Bertinerie, AC Premières Côtes de Blaye (£6.95)
  An oak aged, dry white.  The nose is a bit odd, but not unpleasant – quite sweet and perfumed.  Very mouthfilling, though possibly a little muddy on the palate.  84/100
• 1990 Château Bertinerie, AC Bordeaux (£4.99)
  Good colour.  Little nose.  Fruity, smooth and rich.  Very Good.  86/100
• 1989 Château Haut Bertinerie, AC Côtes de Blaye (£6.69)
  Some cabernet sauvignon on the nose.  Nice spice with significant tannins.  Needs a couple of years.
• 1989 Fondation 1725 rouge, AC Bordeaux, Barton & Guestier (£4.99)
  A good, clean colour.  This is a fairly easy generic Bordeaux.  Unexciting.  78/100
• 1990 Fondation 1725 Blanc, AC Bordeaux, Barton & Guestier (£4.99)
  Good nose with grassy sauvignon predominant.  Fairly serious and firm; this is a good everyday white.  83/100
• 1990 Bordeaux Nouvelle Tradition, AC Bordeaux, Barton & Guestier (£4.99)
  A dry white, mainly from Entre-Deux-Mers.  Very fresh nose.  Crisp and refreshing, with some body.  Decent, but not the best.  77/100
• 1987 Château Grand Pontet AC St. Emilion Grand Cru Classé (Barton & Guestier) (£7.59)
  Attractive colour.  Excellent nose.  Decent tannic structure.  83/100
• 1989 Château Magnol, AC Haut Médoc Cru Bourgeois (Barton & Guestier) (£7.99)
  A full mellow cabernet sauvignon nose with good blackcurrant fruit (it’s apparently 65% cabernet).  This feels just right, with a nice bite on the finish.  Excellent.  93/100
• 1989 Château Rocher Lideyre, AC Côtes de Castillon, 13% (£4.69)
  Château Rocher Lideyre is a 38 hectare estate in the village of Gardegan-et-Tourtirac, 45km east of Bordeaux.  Its vineyards are now planted with 75% merlot and 25% cabernet franc.  A good deep red, just-right colour.  Very good nose.  Very smooth, with deep, concentrated fruit characters.  Great length.  Very interesting.  Probably needs three years yet before it’s entirely ready.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100
• 1989 Château Tour Martines, AC Bordeaux Supérieur, 12% (£4.89)
  Château Tour Martines is situated in the village of Sadirac on the right bank of the Garonne, in the Entre-Deux-Mers areas, 22km south-east of Bordeaux.  There are 39 hectares of vineyards planted with merlot (40%), cabernet sauvignon (40%) and cabernet franc (20%).  Fermentation takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel.
  Good deep colour.  Brilliant nose, with good fruit concentration.  Rich on the palate and mouthfilling, with a good tannic structure.  Excellent for the price.  90/100
• 1984 Château Grand Mayne, AC Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé, 13% (£8.49)
  Grand Mayne lies in the commune of Saint-Emilion 45 km east of Bordeaux.  The vineyard extends to 17 hectares, planted with merlot (50%), cabernet franc (40%) and cabernet sauvignon (10%).
  Super nose.  Smooth and distinguished, with the tannins nicely integrated.  90/100
• 1989 Château Arnauld, AC Haut Médoc Cru Bourgeois, 12.5% (£7.99)
  Château Arnauld is located in Arcins, a small village in the Haut-Médoc, 45km north west of Bordeaux.  The origins of the estate date back to the 12^th century when the lands belonged to a priory.  Since 1976, the estate has been managed by Philippe and François Theil, owners of Château Poujeaux.  The vineyard, which covers 18 hectares, is planted with merlot (40%), cabernet sauvignon (55%) and cabernet franc (5%).  The winemaking is tradition with long fermentations and two years oak ageing.
  Looks quite young.  There seems to be lots of merlot on the fruity nose.  Smooth and good now, but it has the tannic structure to keep for a minimum of three years.  86/100
• 1990 Château Baron Ségur, AC Montagne-St. Emilion, 13% (£5.89)
  Baron Ségur lies in the village of Montagne, bordered by Saint-Emilion.  Merlot is the predominant variety (60%) in the 20-hectare vineyard, along with 20% each of cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc.
  Quite a spicy nose.  Good stuff, that will improve over the next two or three years.  90/100
• 1988 L de La Louvière, AC Pessac-Léognan, 12.5% (£6.99)
  This is the second wine of Ch. La Louvière, and 1988 is the first vintage made.  It was aged in oak barrels (30% new oak) for a year.  The 37 ha of La Louvière’s vineyards are planted mainly with cabernet sauvignon (70%), along with 20% merlot and 10% cabernet franc, a blend which is largely reflected in the L de La Louvière wine.
  Good blackcurrant nose.  Significant tannins at the moment.  85/100
• 1985 Château Cissac, AC Haut Médoc Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel (£9.99)
  Good cabernet sauvignon fruit on the nose.  A bit weedy, but really it needs 3-4 years.  86/100
• 1989 Château du Breuil, AC Haut Médoc, Cru Bourgeois (£7.99)
  Super nose.  Smooth and full.  Very mouthfilling.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100

Italy

• 1991 Cortese del Piemonte, Viticoltori d’Acquese (£3.49)
  Very, very pale appearance.  Quite fragrant on the nose.  Good palate, with some interest and a nice combination of flavours.  Quite clean.  Good length.  Very Good.  87/100
• 1991 Barbera d’Asti, Viticoltori d’Acquese (£3.49)
  Very young and thin looking.  Heavily dominated by tannins at the moment.  83/100
• 1991 Moscato d’Asti, Viticoltori d’Acquese (£2.89)
  Interesting nose, though oddly not very muscatty.  Lovely, light and refreshing.  Very Good Indeed.  91/100
• 1990 Nebbiolo d’Alba ‘San Giacomo’, Giacomo Ascheri (£5.99)
  Quite peppery.  Great length.  87/100
• 1988 Barbaresco, Giacomo Ascheri (£7.49)
  Attractive colour.  Interesting nose.  Has some astringency alongside the very restrained fruit.  Not fantastic.  OK/Good. 80/100
• 1989 Chianti Classico, Fattoria Felsina Berardenga (£5.99)
  Great nose.  Good, structured palate with good finish, and really nice after.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100
• 1991 Chardonnay Buchholz, Alto Adige, Alois Lageder (£5.99)
  Rather slight nose.  Unbalanced palate.  Not much cop.  76/100
• 1991 Merlot, Alto Adige, Alois Lageder (£4.99)
  Good plummy nose.  Unexciting palate.  Good.  82/100
• 1990 Soave Classico, Masi (£3.99)
  Good fruity nose.  Full and deep on the palate.  Good length.  Very Good.  88/100
• 1990 Valpolicella Classico, Masi (£3.99)
  Super colour and nose.  This is a good classic Valpolicella.  Very Good.  87/100
• 1988 Campofiorin, Masi (£4.99)
  Good colour and an attractive nose with cherry and black fruits, with some depth.  On the palate, the ripasso technique (originally refermentation over the lees of amarone, but now also using a percentae of semi-dried whole grapes), shows itself to have created something a little special.  Very Good Indeed.  91/100
• 1990 Frascati Superiore, Cantine Colli di Catone (£4.99)
  Grassy nose.  Good attack.  Hard and iffy finish.  OK.  76/100
• 1988 Ginestro Rosso, Banfi (£4.99)
  A blend of sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon and oak.  Good and interesting.  87/100
• 1990 Nebbiolo delle Langhe Croera Fossati, Roberto Voerzio (£6.79)
  Very mouthfilling and heavily tannic to the point of being a bit mouth-rotting at the moment.  But there’s some class in there which should come to the fore with age.  88/100
• 1991 Dolcetto d’Alba S. Francesco Croera, Roberto Voerzio (£6.99)
  Very young.  Quite attractive, if not really exciting.  86/100
• 1987 Barolo La Serra, Roberto Voerzio (£11.99)
  This has an excellent nose.  There’s real depth and length on the palate.  This is splendid stuff.  Very Good Indeed/Excellent.  94/100
• 1988 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colle Secco, Cantina Tollo (£4.69)
  Decent colour and nose.  Not bad, but ultimately unexciting.  84/100
• 1988 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rocca di Castagnoli, Matronello, Vino da tavola (£12.99)
  100% cabernet sauvignon.  Ok, seriously structured at a bit too serious a price.  84/100
• 1987 Chianti Classico, Rocca di Castagnoli (£5.99)
  Decent stuff, dry and very tannic.  Solid stuff, if unexciting.  Could really do with food.  Good+.  84/100
• 1988 Chianti Classico Le Pratola DOCG, Rocca di Castagnoli (£4.89)
  Good nose, but the palate is dominated by the very heavy tannins.  83/100
• 1987 Poggio A'Frati Chianti Classico Riserva, Rocca di Castagnoli  £6.99)
  Very pleasant stuff.  86/100