Pinots of the World
Rococo, Glasgow
19th July 2006

All wines were served blind.

NV The Wine Society's Private Cuvée Brut, Alfred Gratien
Mid straw. Spicy, peppery, blackcurrant nose with some lees character and a roundness from oak. There is a richness and roundness on the palate and some ripe, moderately concentrated fruit, but overall, this seems to me to have quite an austere style. A bit short. Very Good+

NV Raymond Boulard Rosé
A deepish kir colour - looks like a kir royale. Quite a deep raspberry-cassis nose. Rich and full on the palate with a lot of depth. A touch sweet on the finish. The mousse/bubbles disappeared very quickly. Very Good+.

2004 Pinot Gris, Marlborough, Kim Crawford, 12.5%
A palish greeny gold. Fairly restrained tropical fruit and quite creamy on the nose. Restrained ripe fruit on the palate. Rich on the finish, but still pleasantly restrained. Guess at New Zealand pinot gris and presumably Marlborough. Very Good Indeed.

2002 Tokay Pinot Gris Réserve Rolly Gassmann, Rolly Gassmann, Alsace, 13%
A mid yellow gold. Rich tropical nose with melons and a hint of nuttiness. Very rich and full attack, and just a bit on the sweet side. On balance, I'd guess this was pinot gris, but I wouldn't be entirely sure: maybe a lieu dit pinot gris from Rolly Gassmann?
This was a sublime match with my terrine of foie gras and duck (which in reality was like rillettes blended with foie gras) and lightly pickled vegetables.

2004 Pinot Blanc, Fleith, Alsace
Open, creamy, rich melon and vanilla nose. Very rich, full mouthfeel. Gorgeous stuff. Slight hints of peaches and pears on the palate, and very minerally. Very Good Indeed/Excellent.

2003 Pinot Bianco, Vino Bianco degli Ulivi, DOC Collio, Aldo Polencic
Pale gold appearance. Lots of oaky vanilla on the nose, a touch of stink and a confected banana note, but in a nice way. Rich and full on the attack: very full and powerful. There seem to be some minor oxidative notes on the palate. Rich rather than sweet. Very long indeed. Very Good Indeed.

2000 Sanford Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara, 14% (on the front label, 14.5% on the back label)
A lightish ruby. Sweet fruit and VA on the nose - very musarey. Very high-toned. Open and high-toned on the palate too. Restrained sweet fruit on the palate, but there's a bit of a harsh tone on the finish. This didn't really do it for me: a bit too musarey for a wine that's not Musar! Good/Very Good.

2002 Peregrine Pinot Noir, Central Otago, 14%
This is a much deeper colour than the Sanford. Very sour-cheesy nose like cheap, stale supermarket parmesan, but with a minerally hint. A bit hot on the attack with a curious bitter fruit character. Very open and a touch floral on the palate. Possibly South African pinot noir, though I'd expect that to be more floral and scented. Very Good Indeed.

2002 Alphonse Mellot La Demoiselle, AC Sancerre, 13%
Ah! This is more like! A "proper" pinot noir nose with earthy sweet red fruits. Lovely balance on the palate. Surely Burgundy, maybe with three or four years of age? Stunning wine. Very Burgundian. Excellent.

1998 Pinot Noir, Hamilton Russell Vineyards, W.O. Walker Bay, 14%
A deeper colour than the Mellot Sancerre. Sweet, rich nose with a hint of sweaty cheese. Very even attack. On the palate, there's a bit of sweet fruit and it's also a bit hot. Very nice, but I prefer the Sancerre. Very Good Indeed.

1993 Pinot Gris Selection de Grains Nobles Clos Jebsal, Domaine Zind Humbrecht, 12.5%, 500ml
Look at the colour on that! A deep bronzey gold. Delicate, rich, sweet nose with lots of apricot and peachy fruit. Very, very elegant and really lovely on the palate. Less precise and pure than the Meinklang, but very nice indeed. Very Good Indeed/Excellent.

2003 Meinklang Pinot Blanc Eiswein, Burgenland, Michlits Werner GmbH, 12.5% 375ml
A lovely floral gentle botrytis nose. Rich, sweet, exceptionally pure nose with cassis and blackberry. Really lovely. The purity and concentration suggests an eiswein. The bottle's wrong for Franken, so maybe Austria? Excellent.

2000 Pinot Blanc Auslese, Pinot Blanc aus Fläsch, Martha und Daniel Gantenbein, CH-7300 Fläsch, 9%
A delicate, gentle nose with lovely fruit. Definitely not pinot gris, so it must be pinot blanc. Very restrained palate. Very light and elegant. Very Good Indeed.

2001 Spätburgunder Weissherbst Auslese Selection, Messmer, 375ml, 8%, AP Nr. 50 106 095 18 02
Bronzey colour. Very delicate, slightly botrytised nose with some sweet cherry fruit. Very sweet attack. Lovely rounded palate. Really nice balance with a nice acidity. Very pure, and the purity would suggest eiswein again. Excellent.