Miscellaneous Tasting Notes 2005 - 2008
(most recently tasted at the top)
Last updated: 29 May 2011
1996 Meshach Shiraz, Barossa Valley, Grant Burge
Decanted off
the sediment and served pretty much straight away, at cellar
temperature, at least for the first couple of pours.
A bright mature garnet. Smoky tobaccao and bacon fat on the nose - and
then you get some incredibly deep black fruit - there's restrained
black and cherry fruit with a black pepper and cumin spice. Ripe and
big of the attack. Lovely chewy palate with great depth. Super
structure with pretty grippy tannins on the finish. There's a rich
chocolately feel on the palate, but without any notable sweetness. This
is flippin' marvellous.
I'd like to try this alongside a Chave of similar age to see how they
compare.
Pretty bloody magnificent. 94/100
(31/12/08)
2006 Guru, DOC Douro, Wine
& Soul
Very
pronounced legs. It has a pale straw colour, with just a touch of lemon
yellow. Very rich, nutty nose with some over-ripe pears and fresh hay.
Possibly a hint of banana skin? Quite direct on the attack. Fills out
gradually and widens enormously across the mough. There's rich fruit
and very good acidity, which combine to give it a super balance. Very
complex flavours. This is one of wines that almost defies analytical
description. Initially it seems very savoury. Then there's a sort of
polished leather feel in the mouth. It's very difficult to pin down the
flavours - there's a bit of nuttiness, a bit of madeira, a hint of
cakiness, some olives and other things that would probably only come
together otherwise on a Ferran Adria plate. Huge length. Fascinating
stuff. 93/100
(31/12/08)
NV Brut 1er Cru Grand
Réserve, Champagne Dumangin Fils
Very
good constant and very fine bubble stream. Fairly muted nose, but very
attractive. Some black and cherry fruit with a sweetish, smoky vanilla
edge. Lovely full palate with a very nice, attractive, fruity richness.
Not too aggressively dry, but without verging on any sweetness. Super
finish. 91/100
(30/12/08)
2007 Homestead Reserve Riesling,
Finger Lakes, New York State, Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards
A
very, very, very pale straw colour - almost clear. Crisp lemon and lime
nose with a touch of 3in1 oil. Good palate: fairly fresh with good
crispness. There's some RS evident which gives it a peachy and peary
character. There are layers of minerality behind the fruit. Very
persistent in the mouth. It lacks a bit of acidity, with the result
that as it warms up, it carries its sweetness a bit heavily. But
chilled, it's an attractive, food-friendly drop. 88/100
(29/12/08)
2006 Agiorgitiko
Nótios, Gaia Estate, Nemea, Peloponnese,
Greece.
Sealed with a
Supremecorq.
It has a very young purple colour, but a lightish texture and a certain
murkiness fits better with a two year old. There's quite a perfumed
black fruit scent coming out of the glass, even before I get my nose
in. There's sweet black fruit, some raspberries, chocolate, cocoa,
lavender and a general garriqueyness, along with a hint of bubblegum.
Nice and open on the attack, there is some obvious fruit there, but
it's got a very pleasant restraint - much more so than I was expecing.
I was definitely expecting a more powerful glassful than this. It has
good structure and balance, with soft tannins and a good acidity. Very
nice, very characterful, very drinkable. More interesting than I was
expecting. If you wanted a comparator, I think the closest I could get
would be if you imagined a Beaujolais made in Tuscany. 90/100
(28/12/08)
NV Laurent-Perrier Champagne
Grand Siècle "La Cuvée"
From a bottle
bought in 2004.
It has a very pale, slightly lemon-yellow colour and a very fine,
non-exuberant bubble stream. The nose is very attractive: quite subtle
and biscuity with blackcurrant fruit notes.
An attractive, easy palate with some black fruit character to the fore.
Very full and rounded - probably a fairly high dosage. Perhaps it's not
the most elegant of champagnes, but it's very nice with great depth.
91/100
(25/12/08)
1977 Fonseca Vintage Port
A
lovely bright, fairly youthful appearance (though more of the
appearance of a youthful red wine, than a thick young port). There's
black sweet fruit on the palate. Really quite young feeling. Nice
class, but not really ready yet. 90/100
(5/12/08)
2007 Ernst Loosen Erdener
Treppchen Riesling Kabinett (Marks & Spencer bottling),
AP Nr. 2 576 162 16 08, 8% (screwcap)
Pale straw.
Closed, slatey nose with a hint of peach fruit. But feeling very
closed. Really rather classy on the palate. Perhaps just a tad on the
sweet side, and there's no in-your-face acidity. But it does have a
nice balance. It feels more mature than I'd expect of a yearling Kab.
But a very nice drink. 90/100
(1/12/08)
2006 Capatosta,
DOC Morellino di Scansano, Poggio ArgentierA, 14%
This is a blend of 95% sangiovese and 5% alicante
Aged 12 months in French Allier 225 litre botti. Bottled unfined and
unfiltered.
The
nose has rich red and cherry fruit with sweet toasty oak. Fairly ripe
immediately, it opens up and calms down into something more austere.
Very dominated by pretty fierce tannins. Very deep and concentrated.
Really needs plenty of time. 86/100 for now
(30/11/08 at The Italian
Orchard, Broughton)
2005 Vigna del Merlo, DOC Langhe, Cascina
Morassino, 14.5%
A
very attractive colour - a bright plummy red with quite a glass-coating
consistency. Very chocolatey nose, with a touch of blackberry fruit.
Very warm and inviting on the nose and on the palate. Probably a bit
too young, but very voluptuous and pleasurable. Just a little hot on
the finish. 88/100
(30/11/08 at The Italian
Orchard, Broughton)
2002 Eschendorfer Lump Riesling
Trockenbeerenauslese, Horst Sauer, Franken, Germany
Absolutely marvellous. There's huge acidity, that's not quite obvious
enough to start hurting your teeth. There is a full and intense
sweetness, but there's so much acidity that you scarcely notice it.
The balance and purity is astoundingly good. 95/100
(22/11/08)
1982 Château
Chasse-Spleen, AC Moulis en Médoc
A good, even
mature garnet colour. Initially there is some (mainly) blackcurrant
fruit and some (lesser) blackberry fruit on the nose, though that
quickly blows off to give way to hints of coffee, cigars and pencil
shavings. Just a very tiny bit high toned.
Fully mature and ready on the palate. This is a very nice mature
claret, possibly a bit luncheon-y, but very nice. Excellent balance.
Good soft red fruits are balanced and supported by the structure
provided by lots of integrated tannins.
Very nice, though not particularly thrilling.
Remarkable absence of sediment. 89/100
(14/11/08)
1994 Eitelsbacher
Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spätlese trocken, Karthäuserhof
A fairly
loose cork coated with gunky, tarry deposits that suggest seepage,
although there's nothing wrong with the level.
Cor! Minerally and then some on the nose. Like a petrol spillage in a
slate quarry.
Vibrant, racy palate. There's ripe pear fruit, and some almost cidery
flavours alongside some strong, stoney minerality. There are also some
hints of rather strange, almost vermouth-like notes, but on the herby
side, rather than the oxidised side. A nice crisp minerality holds it
all together. A big, mature-ish dry riesling, though old enough not be
aggresively dry. But it just has that certain lack of satisfaction that
I often find in trockens. 88/100
(29/10/08)
2001 Chablis 1er Cru
Cuvée Première, Domaine Laroche
Well, this
was a surprise. I was expecting it to be a bit average, but this was
superb stuff. Starting with a lovely, rich, deep nose, touched by some
beurre noisette overtones. Maybe there are some furniture polish and
banana skins on the nose too, but there's also a bit of granite
minerality. Lovely palate. Pleasantly rich and full, but with a very
nice acidity, especially evident on the finish. There's a lovely depth
of flavour and a mouthcoating finish. Superb with some mushroom
tortelloni and a wild mushroom cream sauce. 93/100
(24/10/08)
2001 Pinot Blanc
Spätlese trocken, Willi Opitz, Burgenland, Austria
A deep golden colour. This has a rich, roast butter nose. Very nice,
forward, friendly palate. Rich, buttery, with a very slight hint of
raisins. It has a nice, but not overwhelming interesting character.
Very good length. A very good food wine.
(18/10/08 at The Box
Tree, Ilkley)
2004 Primofiore, IGT Veneto,
Giuseppe Quintarelli, 13.5%
An even ruby colour - bright, fresh and clean looking with a hint of
youth. Licorice and cinnamon are the immediate impression on the nose.
Then you get a touch of cumin; then the spice is joined by deep, black,
plummy fruit with a floral lift at the finish. Nice and open on the
attack, with forward red and black fruits. Then it really widens to
completely fill the mouth, cheek to cheek. Oddly it seems to worth
widtways in the mouth rather than vertically. It has a nice structure
with good integrated tannins. Alongside this fruit, there's a bitter
edge that's very appealing. Super stuff. 92/100
(15/10/08)
2004 Syrah "The Craic", Garretson
Wine Company, Paso Robles, California
A very deep
garnet, darkening to almost black at the centre. Very attractive nose:
black fruit for sure, but there are lots of other interesting aromas
too - floral, minty, antiseptic, violets, orangey-chilli chocolate. But
there's also a hint of spirit.
Very velvety attack. This is powerful stuff. There are lots of bright
fruit, but in quite an austere style and it actually feels a touc lean.
Gentle, integrated tannins. 89/100
(11/10/08)
NV Manzanilla Pasada Pastrana,
Bodegas Hidalgo
This was a
bottle purchased June 2002 (lot number L-21503 to be
more precise than is strictly necessary)
A
very pale teak colour with orange hints. The nose is rich and complex,
though with a slightly musty edge. There's a certain fishiness on the
nose, like a mix of sardines and leather. Initially, it's quite subdued
on the palate. There's a rich, intensely savoury feel in the mouth with
some orange peel in there, along with big umami, almost parmesan-like
savoury flavours.
It is interesting to try this wine with bottle age. It seems to have
lost the vibrancy of a youthful bottle, withthe flavours more
integrated, more even, and maybe a bit flatter. But it also lacks the
slightly aggressive finish that some sherries can have. It hangs on,
but with a very elegant, huge length rather than one that grabs your
throat and refuses to let go. 88/100
(8/10/08)
2006 Valpolicella Classico
Superiore Campolieti, Luigi Righetti
Quite a rich
nose with velvety, plummy and black cherry fruit. Fairly simple on the
palate, but very attractive. A nice drink. It has good mouthfilling
fruit with a nice structure. There's a touch of alocholic heat on the
finish, but nothing too distracting and it's barely noticeable with
food. Definitely improved with food. Very pleasant drinking with food.
87/100
(7/10/08 at The
Duke of York, Grindleton, Lancashire)
2006 Sandford Estate
Shiraz-Cabernet
Solid, if
rather unexciting black fruit nose. Forward sweet blackberry fruit on
the palate, but it feels very cheap and simple, which is reinforced by
a feeling of a chemical burn on the finish, lingering somewhat
unpleasantly. 79/100
(27/9/08)
2004 Kaplja, DOC Collio, Damijan
Podversic
A cloudy,
mid-deep gold. Very minerally nose with citrus and tropical fruit. Full
and open on the palate with peach fruit to the fore: peach and agrumes
on a complex, layered palate. Very balanced. Not overextracted, which
was a bit of a concern looking at the deep colour. There are some
tannins on the finish, which really develop as it warms up.
94/100
(21/9/08 at The Italian
Orchard, Broughton)
2000 Sauvignon Blanc Eclisse, DOC Colli Orientali del
Friuli, La Roncaia
A mid gold.
Very attractive nose with a lovely floral honeysuckle scent and a
spirity note that for once is attractive. Nice fresh attack, despite
being nearly eight years old. Good, food-friendly drinking.
90/100
(21/9/08 at The Italian
Orchard, Broughton)
2005 Vin de Pays des
Côteaux du Libron, Domaine de la Colombette, 13%
An even, bright ruby colour, with a deeper-coloured core. The nose has
ripe, subtly perfumed blackberry fruit and a bit of chocolate plum
richness. There's ripe, forward fruit on the attack. quite a vibrant,
almost zingy feel on the palate. Quite curiously sweet red and black
fruit flavours give way to a tannic structure which starts to feel very
bitter. This is a wine that has some high points, but overall fails to
convince.
Returning to the bottle a day later, it had very significantly
declined. 82/100
(15/9/08)
NV Champagne Raymond Boulard
Champagne Petraea XCVII - XCIX
Very lively
on opening: despite very careful handling and opening, a good third of
the bottle gushed uncontrollably out.
Quite a deep straw colour. Fairly rich nose: there are some black
fruit, plenty of candied pear and a touch of sherbert. Possibly the
merest hint of menthol too? At least that's a smell coming from the
carpet where so much of it ended up. The palate is rich and full with
ripe to over-ripe pear flavours particularly noticeable, alongside a
fruit-sourness that is out of proportion to the apparent acidity.
Feeling quite evolved and maybe getting a bit too old - it does need
drinking up, I think, which confirms the impression of Friday's bottle.
Maybe it will continue to evolve and emerge from this slightly rustic
stage? Don't know. It's a bit better a bottle than Friday night's ...
but I suppose that might just be because tonight's bottle isn't being
overshadowed and outclassed by a well nigh perfect Nyetimber. 88-89/100
(7/9/08)
2006 Domaine du Vieux
Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc La
Crau
A fresh,
savoury nose. Very clean palate with a nice richness to it. Very well
balanced. 89/100
(30/8/08 at The
Angel at Hetton)
NV Oloroso Muy Viejo, Bodegas
Tradicion
Bottle
414/875. Composite cork.
This has a lovely limpid orangey teak appearance. The nose is amazing:
very fresh, very vibrant, with lots of citrus, combined with some nuts,
but predominantly there are some tarry notes, some furniture polish,
fresh sawn timber and a slightly stale sunflower oil note. No, it's
actually more like a touch of a scent of oil that's had fish or prawns
in it. This is fascinating stuff.
Very fresh on the palate, feeling much more like fino than oloroso.
There are flavours of orange and grapefruit, then some cashew nuts,
then some Pledge furniture polish. Then there are some white chocolate
flavours. Incredibly complex stuff. It's not showing it's alcohol
content at all. There's quite a bright acidity throughout.
This is much fresher and younger feeling than I was expecting. A
fascinating wine. 94/100
(28/8/08)
2005 Vignot Barbera d'Alba, Cascina
Morassino, 14.5%
A
ripe nose with quite plummy black fruits and a touch of spirit. Velvety
and mouthfilling on the palate: it has deep, brooding black fruit and a
sort of sweaty, compost-like, mushroomy finish. A very fine wine. Very
elegant. 92/100
(23/8/08 at The Italian
Orchard, Broughton)
2006 Winston Hill Syrah
Quite a deep colour. Attractive nose - sweetish red fruits
and some peachiness with a nice spicy (nutmeg & black pepper?)
edge. Fairly simple on the palate, but really rather enjoyable. Nice
forward fruit, a hint of sweetness. Worked well with pork tenderloin
with peas and a pea and cider-cured bacon risotto. 89/100
(22/8/08 at The
Dining Room, Rawtenstall)
2001 Clos du Causse, AC
Minervois-La Livinière, Domaine La Combe Blanche
This has a
maturing garnet colour. The nose is quite spicy, with nutmeg, cloves
and a nice toastiness to the fore in front of black fruit. Possibly
very slightly high-toned. Fresh, floral notes are to the fore on the
palate, where the wine feels a bit more high toned than the nose. On
the whole it's nice and clean, but feels a touch hot on the finish. It
gives an impression of interest and character, but ultimately it feels
rather simple and inelegant. 84/100
(20/8/08)
2002 Piesporter
Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett, Weingut Kurt Hain, AP Nr. 2
596 432 8 03 8%
A nice, fairly fresh, fairly young, open riesling nose with appley
fruit giving way to minerality. Fresh, clean and lively on the palate
with quite appley-minerally flavours. 89/100
(18/8/08)
2002
Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett, Weingut Kurt Hain, AP Nr. 2
596 432 8 03 8%
The nose is fairly subdued, yet still very attractive. This has lost
the vibrancy of youth/infancy, but has yet to develop any real
maturity. Lovely palate. Crisp, fresh riesling fruit with a marked
appley overtone. Light and refreshing and delicious. 90/100
(12/8/08)
2006 La
Rosée
de Montesquiou, AC Jurançonm,
Domaine de
Montesquiou
A
pale straw appearance. Very fresh on the nose, with a grassy
herbaceousness initially, but it opens out into a straw and rhubarb
aroma with a hint of peach. Fuller on the palate than I expected.
Really quite rich and full, with a slightly oxidised feel. Overall,
really rather dull and uninteresting. 83/100
(6/8/08)
2006 Bourgueil Ca
profite, AC Bourgeuil, Domaine de la Chevalerie, Loire,
France
A bright
cherry red. This has a really nice nose with red fruits some cocoa-y
cum chocolatey cum coffee notes and an attractive, subtle touch of the
farmyard.
Light and bright on the palate. Immediately attractive with very nice
balance. There are soft, sweetish red fruits, with a fresh, firm
acidity quickly following. It finishes very cleanly with soft, velvety
tannins and a very notable length. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
(4/8/08)
2006 Three Peaks, AC
Côtes du Roussillon, Domaine Treloar
A
very young purple colour. The nose is rather closed with plummy black
fruit and a bit of peppercorn spice. Very round, luscious and inviting
on the palate. Red and black fruit flavours combine with a really
savoury edge, and there are some attractive meaty and cheesy overtones.
Broad, soft tannins make themselves felt on the finish. Needs time.
88?/100 for now.
2006 Domaine Saint
Ferréol Vin de Pays d'Oc
A
pale gold with a green tinge at the edge. It has a very, very delicate,
elegant, restrained viognier nose with almonds, apricots and pears.
Fresh and clean on the attack, it rapidly fills out. Fairly rich and
full, but there's a hard edge to it, especially towards the finish and
after. A restrained, but also a rather simple viognier. 83/100
2005 Pinot Bianco, DOC Friuli
Isonzo, Masùt da Rive
This
has green fragrant frits on the nose, with subtle melon and apple
scents. Fresh and open on the palate, with very good fruit flavours,
but also a nice structure, finishing with plenty of acidity. A very
nicely balanced, fresh, fragrant wine. 91/100
(13/7/08)
2005 Collioure, Domaine
Piétri-Géraud, Roussillon, France
A youngish
ruby colour with a raspberry juice rim. The nose is perfumed and sweet
with sweet chocolate-coated blackberries. On the palate, this is very
silky with a bright, sweet fruit character. As time goes by in the
mouth, the fruit develops an interesting bitter licorice anc cocoa
character. Dry on the finish: a tannic dryness, but without any really
obvious tannins. A nice, interesting wine. 88/100
(30/6/08)
2000 La Roncaia DOC Colli
Orientali del Friuli Ramandolo Verduzzo
Verduzzo
friulano, aged in French oak for 18 months.
A deep orange colour. Light and fresh on the nose, with some quite
subdued ripe apricot fruit. Fresh and balanced on the palate. Sweet,
but not very sweet and with some acidity noticeable on the finish. Good
with mature Montasio cheese. 88/100
(29/6/08 at The Italian
Orchard, Broughton)
2001 Quattrocentario, IGT
Toscana, Castello della Paneretta
A leathery,
tobacco-laden cherry fruit nose. Really good feel in the mouth. Very
serious stuff, but there's a delicious edge from a red fruit flavour.
Good structure with firm tannins, which add a real spiciness to the
finish. Great length. 93/100
(29/6/08 at The Italian
Orchard, Broughton)
2000 Le Blanc, Vin de Pays des Côtes
de Brian, Domaine la Combe Blanche
Deep orangey
gold. Rich, marzipanny-nutty nose with perfumed orange and grapefruit
notes. Very rich palate with quite an oxidised feel. There's
a bit of a dry orangey-marmalade flavour. Very long and powerful. Very
deeply coloured.
A little challenging on its own (i.e. high geek appeal!), but much more
accessible with food (actually went very well with a sirloin steak).
90/100
(23/6/08)
2006 Château de Selle, AC Côtes de Provence
Rosé , Domaines Ott
A very pale
pink, almost a vin gris. Gentle light red fruits on the nose with a
hint of perfume. Decent palate - fairly fresh and clean, but it's
pretty simple, and really I was expecting more depth and complexity
from such a famous wine. Nothing wrong with it: solid stuff and good
quality winemaking, but it's just rather simple and basic. 82/100
(18/6/08 at Northcote
Manor, Langho)
NV Grand Reserve, Champagne
Vilmart (from a half
bottle)
Gorgeous nose full of fresh, vivacious, slightly scented lemon. Mmm...
this is a very enjoyable drink. Good balanced flavours: fairly full,
but not too obvious. We were going to have this half bottle as an
aperitif between the two of us and then take it through to the dining
room to have with amuses/starters, but, oops, we finished it with
canapés - just too moreish! 91/100
(18/6/08 at Northcote
Manor, Langho)
2007 Riesling, Verus Vineyards,
Ljutomer-Ormož, Slovenia, 12%
(screwcap)
A very pale straw colour. Superb, fresh, pure riesling nose - lemony
citrus, a hint of pear, a faint hint of kerosene, and with a dominant
stony minerality.
Quite light on the attack, but then it develops quite a mouthfilling
feel with lots of minerality. It's absolutely bone dry, but without the
savage austerity of some German trockens - in that it's got a bit of an
Austrian feel to it, if you must pin it down to the style of a riesling
from another country. There are some very stony, slatey flavours, which
combine with a lovely acidity. Possibly a hint more fruit might have
been beneficial? Though that would be turning it into something more
Germanic. But still very good indeed and also a very interesting take
on riesling. 91/100
(16/6/08)
1998 Acininobili, Maculan,
Veneto, Italy
From a half
bottle.
A bronzey deep gold. Rich, honeyed, fragrant nose, slightly raisined.
Very poised palate. Lovely, haunting sweetness without any hint of
cloying. 91/100
(13/6/08)
NV Susie Q, Tickle Hill
Vineyards, New York State, USA
Not really
sure what this is, and neither the bottle nor the producer's website
really helps. The bottle merely says that it's white table wine from
New York. Oddly, there's not even any alcohol content shown, though
there's a surgeon general warning. So this is pretty much a blind
tasting note.
It's a bronzed mid gold colour. The nose is very strange: the initial
impression is of a perry (pear cider), with some candied orange, some
citrus-based air freshener and a very slight hint of petrol. The palate
is very strange too: quite sweet, but not cloying or sticky, with lots
of peach and pear fruit flavours, and a very slight hint of sweet
yeastiness. This feels almost like it has some fruit juice in it, maybe
even more like fruit juice than wine. Or maybe, it almost feels a bit
like a vermouth of sorts, weaker in alcohol than most vermouths, and
the colour would sort of fit this too. But it seems more like a wine
and fruit juice cooler sort of drink. But it can't be, as the one thing
the bottle does say, it that it's wine. Ho hum.
It's certainly not unpleasant, but it is very odd. I think it must be a
non-vitis vinifera variety. It's wine Jim, but not as we know it. I
have to say, it's growing on me and I quite like it - as a drink, not
necessarily as a glass of wine. 85???/100
(8/6/08)
2005 Tikves Vranec,
Tikveš Wine Region, Macedonia, from 187ml
screwcapped bottle, 13%
A very deep, dark young ruby appearance. There's tobacco, chocolate and
black fruit on the nose. Quite rich and ripe on the attack, but a bit
gentler as it sits in the mouth. Fruit forward, for sure, but there is
a nice and interesting spiciness and good length.
Quite possibly the best 187ml screwcap bottle I've had. 89/100
(2/6/08)
2007 Lagar de Fornelos
Albariño Rías Baixas Lagar de Cervera
A good
albarino - refreshing and crisp. Worked well with the food at Rogan
& Co, ranging from dressed crab to blanquette de veau. 89/100
(31/5/08 at Rogan
& Co, Cartmel)
NV
Croft Pink
This is the first rosé port to be produced and represents a
certain reinvention
in the port industry. Warre’s
Otima port
with its innovative packaging and advertising was the first step, and
Croft
Pink is, I think, the next – and very big step.
Most ports come in at around 20% alcohol by volume, and to
produce a
light style is a challenge. The
grapes
were pressed before the juice was cold-fermented for seven days off
their
skins. The slow
fermentation – twice as
long as standard port – has helped to create a fresher,
lighter style.
This has gentle, softer red fruit on the nose than an ordinary ruby
port. On the
palate, it feels a touch on the sweet
side, but it’s pleasant enough.
85/100
(21/5/08)
A subdued, gently fragrant, minerally pinot gris nose.
Good rich body; not too full, but it doesn’t
really thrill me. 87/100
(21/5/08)
A greenish, dull nose that is tending towards the funky. Good palate.
Decent balance and length.
Very
drinkable, but with no fireworks.
85/100
(21/5/08)
2000
Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese, Fritz Haag, 7%,
AP Nr. 2 577 050 701
A very minerally nose that feels like it is just starting to mature. A lovely, maturing
riesling palate. It’s
fairly austere, especially on the finish
and after, but there is still some nice youthful fruit too. There’s a bit of
sweetness, but no so as you
would called it sweet or even off-dry, and anyway, it’s
balanced by an elegant
and integrated acidity. 92/100
(20/5/08 at One-o-One,
London)
2001 Vertente, DOC Douro, Niepoort, 13.5%
A
deep ruby that's lost its first flush of youth. Rather closed nose,
giving off some very gently perfumed black fruits. Gorgeous attack.
Rich and cossetting on the palate. There's lots of fruit, but not
over-ripe and bomby. Some rather sandy tannins appear towards the
finish as the fruit fades a bit. Bit of alcohol on the finish. (But
this was uncorked and poured straight away - it might improve having
been open a while. There are lots of interesint flavours going on -
mainly plummy black fruit, clearly redolent of the Douro, but also a
bit of a licorice note. Very Good Indeed. 92/100
(11/5/08)
1994 Forster Jesuitengarten
Riesling Beerenauslese, Reichsrat von Buhl, Pfalz, Germany, 8.5%, AP
Nr. 5 106 044 32 95
A
coppery mid tan with a greenish tinge on the rim. Quite a dull,
restrained nose with just hints of marmalade and raisins. A sweetish,
rich palate. Nicely balanced. Not earth shattering, and a bit lacking
in riesling character. But it's still a pleasant, very balanced sweet
wine. 88/100
(10/5/08)
2005 Pinot
Noir, San Antonio Leyda Valley, Chile, Amayna
A
bright ,clean, raspberry-fruit pinot noir; soft, gentle, fruity with a
juicy deliciousness. Very Good Indeed -. 89/100
(10/5/08)
2006
Encruzado, Quinta dos Roques, DOC Dão
Served
much
too cold, which completely disguised whatever nose this might have. But
on the palate, this is a nicely balanced Dao that manages to balance
freshness and a touch of oxidation. Nicely food-friendly. Very Good+.
88/100
(10/5/08)
2005 Pinot
Grigio Ramato, DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli, Azienda Agricola Specogna
A pale
copper colour. Unfortunately served a bit cold, which initially I
presumed was dulling it, but even once it had warmed up a bit, it was
plain dull on the nose, with little character, and just a bit bland and
watery on the palate, with just a hint of PG character. Very
unimpressive. 81/100
(10/5/08)
2004
Peppertree Vineyard Shiraz, Clare Valley, Australia, Mitchell
Seemed a
pretty basic Ozzie shiraz to me, and certainly didn't light my fire.
Good. 84/100
(19/4/08)
2001 Riesling
Le Kottabe, Josmeyer, Alsace, France
Quite a pale
straw gold. Very rich, oily, slightly honeyed nose. Rich and full on
the palate. Feeling rather oxidised and spoiled. Drinkable. Just.
Not rated - faulty.
(18/4/08)
2006
Riesling, DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli, Valle
Initially
there's a talcy minerality, and then a more oily minerality behind,
along with some winey apples and honeysuckle. Quite deep on the palate
with a good fruit character. A searing acidity, especially on the
finish, keeps it feeling very fresh. 91/100
(11/4/08 at Latium,
London)
2007
Chardonnay-Pinot Noir, Boschendal, W.O. Coastal Region, South Africa
Quite a
creamy nose with a touch of red fruit and blackcurrant leaf. Open and
round in the mouth, with some acidity and some slightly sweet oak
balancing each other. Unsurprisingly, it's primarily reminiscent of a
flat champagne, though without the acidity. 86/100
(29/3/08)
2003 Refosco,
DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli, Moschioni, 14%
The nose has perfumed, very rich, sweet blackberry fruit. Very rich on
the palate. A bit hot initially, with quite sweet black fruit blaanced
by a pleasant acidity and some gentle, but drying tannins. With
exposure to air the alcoholic heat seems to blow off. 90/100
(25/3/08)
2000
Trincadeira, Herdade do Esporão, Vinho
Regional Alentejano, Portugal (500ml bottle)
An
even, fairly mature ruby. The nose is rather nice and evolved, with
prunes, leather and nuts. A good, even palate with a nice touch of
maturity evident, pushing some ripe fruit into the background. Pretty
good balance and structure, carrying its high alcohol extremely well
indeed. Initially some fairly firm tannins on the finish, but these
become less noticeable with time. Not overly complex, but a thoroughly
enjoyable bottle-ette. 91/100
(26/3/08)
2004 Vous en
Voulez en Voilà, Domaine du
Gravillas, Vin de Pays
des Côtes de Brian, Languedoc, France, 13.5%
Only 2004, but a considerable sediment in the bottle (as we found out
when we poured the last of the bottle into one of our glasses). There
are black plums and black cherries on the nose with some spicy garrique
notes. Fairly simple on the palate, but perfectly pleasant. Good
restraint and balance, though fairly gentle tannins dominate the
finish. 86/100
(26/3/08)
1999
Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spätlese
trocken, Karthäuserhof,
Saar, Germany
A very pale,
lemon-straw colour. This has a really lovely nose: creamy apples, a
refined, subtly petrolly, minerally backbone. It's clean and precise on
the palate with a razor edge balance and razor sharp acidity. It
maintains its character throughout. Excellent length. Absolutely bone
dry. 89/100
(23/3/08)
1996 Edmunds
St. John Syrah Durell Vineyard, Sonoma, California, 15%
A
deep, dark, inky purple colour, though not a youthful purple - more a
royal purple. Deep, very fragrant, very floral blackberry fruit. Open
palate. Initially there's some soft black fruit, but it then falls away
a bit on the finish, revealing some spirity, hot alcohol, that it
doesn't really carry all that well (it's 15% abv). The sweetish, very
pure black fruit remains. With time, exposure to air and food, it calms
down a lot, though you can certainly still feel the high alcohol level.
88/100
(22/3/08)
2003 Silver
Lake Pinot Cuvée Spätlese trocken, Willi Opitz,
Burgenland, Austria
Nice weight
and balance that worked well with a wide range of dishes and flavours.
Rich and interesting. 89/100
(15/3/08)
2005
Afrós Tinto, Vinho Verde, Casal do
Paço Padreiro
A very dark,
inky, glass-coating young purple appearance. The nose is vey rich,
almost glossy with gently perfumed black fruits. There's juicy, quite
crisp fruit on the attack, which makes you think that it's going to be
full and a bit jammy; but quite the opposite. It's very light and fresh
with a very pleasant, if idiosyncratic elegance. There's a nice, gentle
bite of tannins on the finish with interesting flavours to boot.
90/100
(5/3/08)
1993 Laurel
Glen Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma Mountain
Lots of
sediment in the bottle.
This has a very attractive mature cabernet nose with gentle, sweet and
sour blackcurrant fruit and some subtle high tones. Nothing over
complex though.
Open and wide on the palate with sweet fruit and a soft, integrated
tannic feel that spreads across the whole mouth. This is a nice,
attractive wine, feeling well mature, with a winning lightness. There's
a nice bite on the finish with good fruit character again.
88/100
(1/3/08 at the
Freemason's Arms, Wiswell)
2004
Edelzwicker, Domaine Materne Haegelin, Alsace, France
A rich
nose with almost truffley hints, some minerality and some subtle floral
notes. The nose pretty much carries through on the palate: it's rich,
with an apparent touch of sweetness initially. It has a nicely poised
weight on the palate, apparently combining the weight and richness of
gewurztraminer with the buttery oiliness of pinot blanc (or gris?).
Probably something else in it too, giving some freshness. Whatever, the
blend, it's all nicely melded and worked well with a wide variety of
foods and a revelation with a dish combining cep purée in a
cep
alginate ball, parmesan cream, parmesan panna cotta, maple syrup and
brown bread ice cream. One of the better edelzwickers, I think.
91/100
(23/2/08 at L'Enclume,
Cartmel)
1997
Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Kabinett, Laurentiushof, Mosel, Germany, AP Nr. 2
607 184 4 98 8%
A green tinged gold colour. Lovely nose: oily, gasoline, warm slate
with a hint of honeyed richness. Forward and rich on the attack.
Immediately, it feels a bit sweet. Then there's some acidity, which
counterbalances the sweetness, but then, on the finish, there's a real
toffee flavour, that's a bit odd. 83/100
(22/2/08)
2003 Cabernet
Sauvignon, Yarra Valley, Australia, Yarra Glen (International Vintners
Pty Ltd), 14% (Direct
Wines/Laithwaites)
An even colour with apparently more maturity than youth.
Quite a
light nose, with green hedgerows, a nice minerality and some very
restrained, very reticent black fruit. Thin and weedy on the
palate initially, but then it displays a not entirely pleasant rawness,
especially on the finish. There is some balck fruit an
minerality
on the palate, but overall it just feels disjointed and dominated by
the rawness. 78/100
(16/2/08)
2003
Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Auslese, Kurt Hain, 8.5%, AP
Nr. 2 596 432 15 04 (French & Logan)
A very attractive, very even mid gold. Rather nice nose: very
forward minerality, but more hot granite and limestone than wet slate.
Alongside the minerality on the nose, there is some slightly
sweet apple fruit with a hint of honey. In the mouth, it's
much
richer and sweeter than the nose would suggest: this is a rich, full
Auslese that's already drinking really well. There's some
acidity, but possibly not enough to warrant long-term keeping.
Hmmm ... after a while, I begin to wonder if there's not more
acidity than I first thought. There's a marked sort of
grapefruit
character towards and on the finish. A fairly interesting
wine.
I'm not sure where it's going in the long term, but it's
pretty
nice stuff and pleasant drinking now. 91/100
(11/2/08)
1994
Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red, Napa Valley, California, 14.3%
A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec, petit verdot and
cabernet franc. A restaurant purchase, so opened and decanted
and
drunk. Quite a murky appearance. Mmmm ... nice nose. It feels very old,
with rather subdued black fruits, polish and forest floors. At a
cursory sniff, you could be forgiven for thinking this was early 1960s
Burgundy. On the palate, it's very open, with evident age, but still
very much alive. There's a nice balance here. Very smooth and silky
initially, followed by great complexity of flavour and finishing with
some gently sandy, fine-grained tannins. It starts off with some sweet
black fruit flavours, then the sweetness tails off quite quickly and
you get some leatheriness and bramble fruit, before it finishes with
quite a marked woody licorice flavour (the woody licorice sticks that
you chew).
It opened up a bit with time, but not as much as I thought it might.
Definitely an interesting wine. 91/100
(9/2/08 at the
Freemasons Arms, Wiswell)
2003 Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso, Giuseppe Lonardi,
13.5%
Initially a touch weedy on the nose, but it opens up well with
time. There is a nice richness of cherry fruit and
chocolate on the nose, but there’s also a burnt rubber
edge. Decent straightforward palate initially, but
improves over the course of a couple of hours.
There’s a nice depth and weight on the palate.
Pretty good.
85/100
(2/2/08 at The Sparling, Barton)
1998 Gran
Colegiata Reserva, Bodegas Fariña, DO Toro
Lightish
nose - slightly green initially, but with some elegant black fruit and
a minty note. Good, open, fairly refined palate.
Maybe a
touch weedy, but it's nicely mature.
(27/1/08 at Grado,
Manchester)
2004 Pinot
Blanc, AC Alsace, Domaine René et Vincent Fleith, 13% (French
Regional Wines)
A pale-mid straw colour. Rich, buttery nose with some boiled
lemon sweets and a nice minerality. Nice palate: there's some
minerality immediately evident. Builds enormously in the
mouth,
but without overblowing at any point. Rich and full, and a
very
nice wine. 91/100
(23/1/08)
2001 Altano
Tinta Roriz-Touriga Franca, DOC
Douro, Symington Family,
12.5%
The first thing you notice is the really rather pathetic looking tiny
cork. It’s
a deepish garnet colour. Nice
nose: not over-complex; with quite sweet
black fruit with chocolate and leather notes.
Soft, gentle palate.
Interesting
flavours: black fruit, with a nicely structured leathery feel. Quite persistent in the
mouth, with huge
length. Though
there’s a touch of
bittnerness on the finish with mars the overall sensation slightly. Probably needs drinking up? 87/100
(16/1/08)
2003 El Filo, IGT
Vigneti delle Dolomiti (Trentino, Italy), Pravis, 13%
From the rare gropello grape. The first bottle opened smelled
to
me rather high-toned and Musar-like in a way which when the wine
isn’t Musar suggests a fault. On the palate it was
a bit
green and weedy. Possibly drinkable, but without great
pleasure,
and certainly a substandard bottle. The second bottle was
much
better: immediately much more fruit on the nose and more open and
fruity on the palate. The nose has spicy blackberry fruit
with
some good raspberry and blackberry flavours along with a nice
spicing. Towards the end of the bottle, the flavours have
taken
on more of a strawberries with black pepper feel. Good
length. An interesting wine. Very Good
Indeed. 92/100
(12/1/08 at the Italian
Orchard, Broughton)
2003 Vacqueyras Les Christins, Perrin et Fils, 14.5% (Costco)
An even ruby. Rich-ish hedgerow nose with some chocolate
notes. But it just feels a bit flat. There's ripe
fruit on
the attack; but it fades quickly to very big sandy tannins, which give
a sort of mealy blotting paper feel on the finish. After the
initial bit of fruit it really falls away quickly. It's a bit
hot
too. Very unresolved and not exactly full of
pleasure.
80/100
(4/1/08)
NV Don Pedro Romero V.O.R.S. Palo Cortado Viejisimo Prestige 50,
Bodegas Pedro Romero, 18%, 500ml (Halifax Wine Company)
A pale polished oak colour. Delicious nutty nose, with a
touch of
raisins, some candied orange peel, a vague hint of teak oil and an
overall note of salted cashews. Rich and lush on the
palate. Quite powerful, but there's also huge poise and
elegance. There's a nice savouriness and a nice creamy
texture. Some acidity makes itself felt on the finish, which
builds enormously on the tip of the tongue long after. This
picks
up on the lime and tangerine notes I found earlier on the
palate.
Delicious stuff. 97/100
(31/12/07)
2005
Mtsvane, Kindzmareuli, Kahketi, Georgia, Tamada, 12.5%
(Laithwaites)
A golden colour with a hint of copper. Sweetish, rich nose:
nutty, fresh, with some notes of grappa without the spirit.
Full-on palate. This is a big wine, but it has
pretty good
balance. Quite crisp on the finish with an acidity that comes
to
the fore after. Very, very long indeed. 90/100
(28/12/07)
2000
Aux Vignes Clos Rebberg Riesling, AC Alsace, Marc Kreydenweiss,
12% (Chateauonline)
Mid gold. Very full, oily nose with lots of oxidation. Very rich, full
palate. Very concentrated, almost a touch raisined. But it does have an
appeal, I suppose.
The next day, the oxidation and concentration was just too powerful and
off-putting and the rest went down the sink. 83/100
(23/12/07)
2002
Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer,
Kurt Hain, 8%, AP Nr. 2 596 432 8 03 (French & Logan)
A very pale golden colour. The nose has a hint of appley
fruit,
but the main note is a petroleum-based minerality. Lively and
really quite forward on the palate. There's a real zing
there,
but it's very integrated now. Lovely balance.
Overall, it
has a nice elegance to it. 89/100
(12/12/07)
1998
Chianti Classico Lucarello Riserva DOCG, Borgo
Salcetino, 13% (Edencroft Fine Wines)
On first opening, there were some bretty, VA, Musarey notes, but they
quickly blew away, to reveal a deep, meaty nose, laden with tobacco
notes and some deep black cherry fruit. A nicely precise
palate,
feeling fully mature - and possibly just drying out a bit, especially
on the finish. There's a nice depth to the wine, but without
it
becoming over-serious. There's fair complexity with some nice
layering of flavours. There's a touch of heat evident on the
palate, but nothing unpleasant. There is a nice sour cherry
note
on the finish, turning into cherry kernels as it lingers in the mouth.
88/100
(5/12/07)
NV
Champagne du Mont-Hauban Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Prestig Brut,
12% (Champers)
Very lively in the glass, giving it a very persistent foam head.
Initially, it's toasty and yeasty on the nose, then you get
some
peach and white flowers after a few moments. Very foamy in
the
mouth, but it immediately delivers a nicely refined perception.
There are some fairly powerful flavours, but it's all very
nicely
balanced by a fresh crispness. Very persistent in the mouth
and
very long after. There's more character here than is often
the
case in blanc de blancs champagne. Very Good Indeed.
91/100
(2/12/07)
1997
Crozes-Hermitage Les Jalets, Paul Jaboulet Aîné,
12.5%, magnum (Oddbins)
A pale garnet with a very light pink rim. The nose feels very
old
with sweet raspberry and blackcurrant. Sweet palate; fairly
astringent. It tastes of very old Rhône that's past
it.
Definitely over the hill. 78/100
(2/12/07)
2005
Dr. L Riesling, Qualitätswein, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Loosen Bros,
AP Nr. 2 907 805 11 06, 8.5%
A simple but attractive nose with some nicely mineral-driven riesling
fruit. Light and very clean on the palate, with just a hint
of
sherbert behind the gently apple fruit and soft, slightly off-dry
minerality. Very Good. 88/100
(28/11/07)
2003
Selección Especial, Sardon de Duero, Vino de la Tierra
Castilla y León, Abadia Retuerta, 14% (Halifax
Wine Company)
A lovely deep, plummy ruby, with the youth fading. The nose
has
deep plummy and blackberry fruit that's not too sweet and a sort of
savoury vanilla edge. It feels remarkably mature on the
palate. Very nice balance. There's good structure
with
nicely knitted tannins and a very good balance of fruit and tannin
lingering on the finish and long after. Very Good
Indeed.
91/100
(26/11/07)
1998 Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Perdrix, Domaine des Perdrix
The nose is fairly open, and is really quite gorgeous,
balancing
nice fruit, mushrooms and some sous bois notes, together with (after a
little while) a firm suggestion of dentist's waiting room (an oil of
cloves scent). On the palate there is some good fruit to the fore,
though the acidity feels a bit separate, especially on the finish. With
aeration in a more open glass, the wine feel much sweeter and rounder,
with more elegance.
(24/11/07)
2006 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett, Dr. Loosen,
AP Nr. 2 576 162 18 07, 8%. Screwcap. (Booths)
A much deeper more yellow straw colour than I was expecting: still
pale, but deeper than I was expecting. There are lots of
bubbles
resting at the bottom of the glass. Lemony, chalky
nose. It
doesn't seem a typical Mosel nose. Nice minerality
though.
Much more normal palate: zesty, sherbetty; very delicious; very
citrussy. A lovely drink, though still not entirely
typical. Very Good Indeed. 92/100
(19/11/07)
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Aconcagua, Chile, Errazuriz Estate,
14.5% (Booths)
A darkish ruby with a bit of youth at the edge. The nose has
good
cabernet fruit: fairly pure blackcurrant initially, perhaps with some
leather, possibly slightly reductive. Then there's a real
cheesiness, almost with the savouriness of cheese and onion
crisps. After a few moments, the nose starts to settle down
and
integrate a bit to give an overall impression of black fruit, cheddary
cheese and tobacco. Nice attack, with fruit and acidity
nicely
balanced. Some structure builds in the mouth. It
feels a
bit young and needing to integrate more. Some drying tannins
appear on the finish. Good length. I can't get past
that
weird cheesiness though. Not the most impressive of wines;
and
not the most impressive of Errazuriz wines I've tasted.
81/100
but I suspect there's perhaps something a bit wrong with this bottle.
(18/11/07)
2006 Nivole Moscato d'Asti DOCG, Michele Chiarlo, 5% (Booths)
A grapey, air-freshener nose with some peary spirit and a hint of
oxidation. This feels corked. Very flat on the
palate and
very dull. Corked.
(30/10/07)
2005 Mtsvane, Kakheti, Georgia, Tamada, 12.5% (Laithwaites)
A mid straw colour with a slightly oxidised look. A lovely
creamy, citrussy nose with a hint of very fresh sardines, and a touch
of gooseberries - a very attractive, very interesting nose.
Fresh
and clean on the attack. Lovely and full in the mouth: full,
yet
quite crisp, with very good balance and a very pleasing dry
savouriness. There's almost an umami feel to it.
Very Good
Indeed. 90/100
(17/10/07)
NV Champagne du Mont-Hauban Séléction Brut,
12% (Champers)
Pale straw appearance with a slightly coarse, uneven bubble
stream. Lovely, minerally nose with some very fresh citrus
and
air freshener notes. Really quite dry with notably high
acidity. Very crisp and clean with some pear fruit on the
finish. Very good. 88/100
(6/10/07)
1994 Tempranillo Gran Reserva, Rioja, Bodegas Sierra Cantabria
A big nose - we could smell it from the decanter off the
table. Gorgeous, evolved nose with smoky, pruney, tobacco
notes,
with a slight hint of volatile acidity at the end. The nose
develops some vanilla notes with time. Lovely palate, again
feeling fairly evolved. It has quite a Burgundy feel to it in
terms of earthiness. Refined and elegant, with some dried
black
fruits and some fresh raspberry/strawberry flavours. Very
Good
Indeed (just). 89?/100
(3/10/07 at The
Freemasons Arms, Wiswell)
NV Champagne du Mont-Hauban Rosé Brut, 12%
(Champers)
A mid salmon pink; and a very active bubble stream. Dullish
black
fruit on the nose. Decent palate: it has some interest and
attraction, though there's a slightly stewed feel to the fruit and
acidity. Very Good. 87/100
(1/10/07)
2005 Armand Riesling Kabinett, Reichsrat von Buhl, 9%, AP NR.
5 106 1044 73 06
A fresh clean nose, feeling quite developed and minerally.
Delicious palate. Quite forward in attitude and
development. Nice finish with great acidity. Great
length. Very Good Indeed. 89/100
(27/9/07 at the
Bildeston Crown, Suffolk)
2004 Sablet Blanc, AC Côtes du Rhône, Domaine de
Piaugier, 13.5%
A waxy, slightly reductive nose with fresh white flowers and peach
aromas. Nice clean palate with plenty of interest. Initially it has a
nice freshness, but then reveals a lovely depth, with some gently spicy
vanilla-ey notes. Very Good Indeed.
(26/9/07 at Maison
Bleue, Bury St Edmunds)
1999 Beaune Les Épenottes, AC Beaune, Domaine Machard de
Gramont, 13%
The nose has some raspberry/cherry fruit with some sweet high tones and
orange peel. Lightish, yet forward palate, feeling a touch disjointed.
It has a slightly high toned, almost Musarey feel on the palate. It
feels rather young and vibrant, but improved with food, which sort of
stabilised it. Good.
(25/9/07 at the Roade
House, Roade)
2003 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese, Dr. Loosen, AP
Nr. 2 576 162 63 04, 8.5%, 375ml (Tesco)
From a half bottle. An extremely pale straw. Rather
dull on
the nose, though there's a hint of apples and of petrol.
Fairly
sweet on the plate, and a bit unbalanced, and just feeling a bit
simple. There's a bit of a caramelly feel. Clean
finish
with good length. Good, but deeply unimpressive for an
Auslese
from a good producer. 82-84/100
(17/9/07)
1994
Alluvium, Knights Valley, Sonoma County, Beringer Vineyards,
13.5%
A
deep, mature ruby with a slight murkiness. A rich and
interesting nose
with layers of black fruit and a nice spicing, together with a few high
toned notes. Smooth and inviting on the palate, with a really
very
good fruit character. Excellent structure and softening
tannins make
themselves evident on the finish. Very Good Indeed.
90/100
(15/9/04 at the
Freemasons Arms, Wiswell)
1994
Forster Jesuitengarten Riesling Beerenauslese, Reichsrat von Buhl,
8.5%, AP Nr. 5 106 044 32 95
A deepish coppery gold. There are sweet perfumed apricots on
the
nose with a hint of oxidation. On the palate, there is
immediately an impression of great balance. Very fresh
tasting. Very clean and bright on the finish and
after.
Very Good+. 88/100
(13/9/07)
2005 Mtsvane, Kakheti, Georgia, Tamada, 12.5% (Laithwaites)
A rich, slightly nutty, creamy fragrant nose with lemon zest and a
curious overtone of rotting melon. Forward and direct
attack. The palate is full, but it has a nice freshness,
alongside some fairly concentrated noted, which make if feel slightly
raisined. There's also some buttery creaminess on the palate,
leading to a nice, clean, precise finish. Very good
length.
Very Good Indeed. 89/100
(13/9/07)
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, Glenmore, 14%
(Halifax Wine Company) Screwcap
There is some very, very deep blackcurrant fruit on the nose with
eucalyptus and a certain metallic edge. Quite concentrated
attack. Powerful, very concentrated, almost condensed
fruit. Moderate tannins seem to give a slightly rubbery
note. A bit strange on the finish and after, feeling a bit
dumb
and raw. Interesting, I suppose. Will it
age? Don't
know. 87/100
A surprisingly poor match with a roast rib of Dexter beef.
(10/9/07)
2003 Pinot Gris, AC Alsace, Charles Schleret, 13.5% (Yapp)
A bright, light gold with almost a coppery tinge. Very rich,
powerful pinot gris nose - very concentrated, with beurre noisette, a
hint of roses, cinammon and some pear fruit. Full and
powerful on
the palate, almost over-rich and with a touch of oxidation.
There's a richness tending towards a slight sweetness, but it sort of
folds in on itself on the finish, with a slight harshness.
Good
length, but with no development. Good. 84/100
(5/9/07)
2003
Meruge, DOC Douro, Lavradores de Feitoria, 14% (Halifax Wine
Company)
A nice even ruby with just a hint of youthfulness. By the time we're
down to the last couple of glasses, it's looking darker (cloudier?).
The nose is just gorgeous: layers of black plums, chocolate and
violets. There is some forward, fairly fresh fruit on the attack,
followed up by some big ripe fruit on the palate. But it's not at all
overdone. There are some interesting flavours, which become really
fascinating after. Massive length. What's particularly interesting
about this wine is that it combines some forward ripe fruitiness with
what feels an most restrained approach: there's some nice acidity which
combines with or maybe to produce a pleasing astringency that neatly
balances the wine. Jolly interesting stuff.
(3/9/07)
2004
Wiebelsberger Dachs Silvaner Trocken, Franken, Weingut Behringer,
AP Nr. 5040-021-05, 12%
I think this is my first Bocksbeutel closed with a screwcap. Not very
easy to open. Also, for someone used to ordinary bottles, you do have
to readjust your pouring technique - or at least the bottle holding
technique when pouring.
A palish straw colour. The nose is delicate, lightly scented with hay,
talc and lemon. Open and inviting attack. This has a good depth of
flavour on the palate and has a quite remarkable length. Quite
interesting, with a nice overall feel to it. Needs food though. Very
Good/Very Good Indeed.
(27/8/07)
1996
Gewurztraminer Brand, Alsace Grand Cru, Preiss-Zimmer,
13% (Morrisons)
A bright, even mid gold colour. Powerful, concentrated lychee
nose. Very, very powerful on the palate.
Concentrated, but like the nose, very, very simple. Lacking
any depth at all. Very difficult to drink. One of
the poorest gewurztraminers I've had. 76/100
(20/8/07)
2005
Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Kabinett, Dr Loosen, 8%, AP
No. 2 576 162 14 06 (Tesco)
A lovely nose, feeling remarkably mature with a very marked petrolly
and slate minerality outweighing some creamy apples.
Delicious and refreshing on the palate, this is a touch sherbetty, just
off dry, but with some acidity. Unfortunately, however, the
overall impression is of simplicity and a lack of depth.
86/100
(19/8/07)
2005
Mtsvane, Tamada, Georgia, 12.5% (Laithwaites)
A full, sweetish nose with almondy and oxidised notes. Round,
full palate with very good balance. It's rich and creamy in
the mouth, but there's also a very integrated acidity that just starts
to separate out on the finish. A nice interesting wine, but
not the best bottle I've opened of it. 87/100
(13/8/07)
2006
Nivole, Moscato d'Asti DOCG, Michele Chiarlo, 5% (Booths)
A light grapey nose with a delicate white flower fragrance.
Elegant, supremely refreshing fine palate. There's some
sweetness and a honeysuckle aroma. Lovely. 91/100
(12/8/07)
2005
Dr L Riesling, Qualitätswein, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Loosen
Bros, AP Nr. 2 907 805 11 06, 8.5% (Tesco)
A pale straw colour. The nose is sherbetty and slatey with
some lemon
zest. Light and fragrant on the palate. Nicely
balanced. Pretty darn
good for a generic Gutsriesling, particularly one as widely available
in UK supermarkets as this. Decent length
too. Good/Very Good.
85/100
(16/7/07)
2005
Mtsvane, Wine of Georgia, Tamada, 12.5% (Laithwaites)
A rich creamy nose with a musky perfume. I think there's a
bit of
gooseberry or greengage fruit in there too. Quite light and
open
on the palate, but there's a nice depth. Some interesting
flavours come along, some fairly powerful, but there's also some quite
crisp, green fruit there, combined with a creamy texture.
There's
also a certain fishy savouriness too. Undoubtedly an
interesting
wine! While there's consistency between bottles, the style of the wine
and the unfamiliarity of the grape seems to make it easier to find
different characteristics each time I taste it. Very Good.
88/100
(3/8/07)
2003
Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso non filtrato, DOC Colli Orientali del
Friuli, Moschioni Davide Vignaiolo, 14%
A very deep, youthful ruby-purple colour. The nose is very
interesting: sour cherries, blackberries, a hint of leather and a hint
of cloves. The palate very much follows the nose with layer
on
layer of flavour, includes those cherries and blackberries and some
real leathery tannins. You just feel the alcohol a bit on the
finish. Very deep and rather powerful. Immense
length.
Very Good Indeed. 93-3/100
(1/8/07)
1999
Selección Especial, Sardon del Duero, Vino de la Tierra de
Castilla y Leon, Abadia Retuerta, 13% (Chateauonline)
An even, attractive deepish ruby colour, with the merest hint of youth
at the rim. It's plummy and leathery on the nose; though
possibly
a tiny bit high toned. A good, even palate, but with lots of
layers of flavours: black fruit, leather. There are some soft
tannins which tighten their grip a bit on the finish. Very
Good
Indeed. 89/100
(30/7/07)
2005
Mtsvane, Wine of Georgia, Tamada, 12.5% (Laithwaites)
A mid to deepish straw colour. Rich and full on the nose:
quite
creamy, buttery and a touch biscuity with some nondescript tropical
fruit character. Very rich palate, feeling slightly
sherrified.
Quite big, powerful flavours are backed up by good depth and
great length. It's not especially complex, with most of the
interest probably coming from the character of the grape (which I
suppose is how it should be, but so often isn't!). It's a
nice
wine; round and open with some interesting flavours. Jolly
good
value at under £6. Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
89/100
(27/7/07)
2002
Langenloiser Grüner Veltliner, Kamptaler Terrassen, Weingut
Bründlmayer, 12% (Costco)
A creamy nose with some delicate nectarine fruit curiously combined
with salt and pepper crisps. Quite fresh on the palate
initially,
before opening out into a nice fullness of flavour with a gentle pepper
spice and a crisp freshness. Very good length, though the
overall
impression is that it feels a touch simple. Nice wine,
though.
Very Good. 87/100
(25/7/07)
2005
Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Kabinett, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Dr Loosen,
AP Nr. 2 576 162 14 06, 8% (Tesco)
A mid lemon gold colour. Very soft, subtle nose with a nice
wet
stone minerality. There's an immediate impression of subtle
sweetness, but it quickly balanced out by an equally gentle acidity.
This is very attractive, with gret poise and elegance.
Not
particularly complex, but it represents stylish easy drinking
epitomised. 88/100
(18/7/07)
2005
Dr L Riesling, Qualitätswein, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer,
Loosen Bros, AP Nr. 2 907 805 11 06, 8.5% (Tesco)
A pale straw colour. The nose is sherbetty and slatey with
some
lemon zest. Light and fragrant on the palate.
Nicely
balanced. Pretty darn good for a generic Gutsriesling,
particularly one as widely available in UK supermarkets as
this. Decent length too. Good/Very Good.
85/100
(16/7/07)
2004
l'Òra, IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti Bianco, Pravis,
14.5%
100% nosiola, which has been lightly dried on graticci before being
vinified in barrels of acacia wood. A deep gold. Nutty, slightly
raisined nose with a creamy richness and a hint of polish. Powerful
flavours on the palate. A nice concentration, but not overdone. It has
a very good acidity that keeps it quite dry on the palate. Carries its
high alcohol very well. Very Good Indeed.
(15/7/07 at The Italian
Orchard, Broughton)
2006
Chardonnay, Central Valley, Chile, Los Vilos
Nice, light, fruity chardonnay. Clean and fresh with Chilean purity.
Very persistent in the mouth. I rather liked this. Very Good.
(14/7/07 at The Dining Room Restaurant, Rawtenstall)
2006 Alto
Pampas del Sur Pinot Noir, Mendoza, Argentina, Bodegas Trivento (part
of Concha y Toro)
A very warm cherry and blackberry nose with a hint of beetroot and a
bit of spirit. Open, warm palate with good fruit, but also a slightly
hard spirity, hot edge. Very good length. Good+.
(14/7/07 at The Dining Room Restaurant, Rawtenstall)
2005
Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling
Kabinett, Dr. Loosen,
AP Nr. 2 576 162 30 06, 8% (Tesco)
A very minerally nose with some petrol hints, but all in all feeling
rather
closed. Very nice
attack. Fresh,
creamy and quite rich with a nice kind
of sweetness. Quite
open and round in
the mouth (unlike the nose). Good
length. 87/100
(12/7/07)
NV (but
reportedly 2003) Piesporter Treppchen Riesling Traubensaft,
Kurt Hain (non-alcoholic grape juice) (French & Logan)
A sweet, grapey nose with a sweet rose petal scent. Clean and
refreshing in the mouth. Sweetish, but not at all
sugary.
Very nice.
(10/7/07)
2005 Erdener
Treppchen Riesling
Kabinett, Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben, AP Nr. 2
602 041 003 06, 9%, screwcap (French &
Logan)
An incredibly pure, clear colour with just the merest hint of green. Zingy, sherbetty nose with
fairly petrolly
mineral hints. Very
attractive attack,
which opens out into a creamy, sweetish palate with a
real zing to it. There
is noticeable acidity, which gives it a
razor sharp precision. Pretty
good
length. 88/100
(8/7/07)
1999 Brut
Premier Cru,
Quite a deep straw colour with lots of very fine bubbles. The full nose has some
yeasty fresh bread with
some blackberry fruit and a faint hint of green pepper.
It is full on the palate with some remarkably
strong flavours, but it really lacks charm.
It’s a touch green with a funny sort of
coarseness on the palate. Really
rather unsatisfying. Made
a nice bucks fizz the next morning,
though. 82/100
(7/7/07)
2004
Pinot Grigio, DOC Collio, Aldo Polencic, 14%
A full, fragrant nose that's quite zesty, along with some very subtle
rose petal scents. There are nice ripe, spicy flavours on the
very open and expressive palate. This is a nice,
full-flavoured
wine with a very, very lingering finish, though it really needs to be
drunk with food. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
(20/6/07)
1999
Zinfandel Planchon Vineyard,
Contra Costa County, California, 15%
(Edencroft Fine Wines)
The Planchon Vineyard is a small vineyard planted in 1902 by the
Planchon
family and now owned by Stan and Gertie Planchon.
It is an even, mature garnet. There
is
some high-toned cherry fruit on the nose with some green blackberry
fruit. The palate
has sweet black fruit with some
clear tobacco and licorice flavours.
A
touch hot on the middle, but it calms down again on the finish. Great length.
An interesting wine, or at least an interesting bottle. Very Good Indeed. 89/100
(17/6/07)
2005 Graacher
Himmelreich Riesling
Kabinett, Weingut Kees-Kieren, AP Nr. 2
583 092 18 06, 9.5% (French & Logan)
A pale lemon gold. The
nose has lemon,
baked apples and a sweet minerality.
Lovely palate: vibrant, fresh, clean.
Perhaps a bit too sweet and it could do with a touch more
acidity. 88/100
(13/6/07)
1993
Burg-Layer Schloßberg Riesling Kabinett, Michael
Schäfer, AP No. 7 763 076 21 94, 8%
A mid gold with a very marked green tinge at the edge. It has
a
mature, creamy, petrol nose. Similarly the palate is very
mature
and even feeling a touch over the hill. There is some apple
fruit
in there, but it is dominated by a dry minerality on the palate.
Good/Very Good. 85/100
(4/6/07)
NV
Champagne Yapp Brut, J. Dumangin Fils, 12% (Yapp)
This was a fairly recent purchase, but the cork was quite straight
sided, revealing some bottle age. Very deep,
almost bronzed colour. Very, very fine
bubbles. Quite a big nose: deep, full,
and creamy, with peaches and yeasty notes. Wide and full on
the palate with very rounded, creamy
flavours and a nice fruit croissant/brioche flavour. Very
Good Indeed. 89/100
(30/5/07)
2005
Vidal Icewine, iceBees, Niagara Vintners, Niagara Peninsula, Canada,
10%
There are concentrated pear and peach notes on the nose. Very pure
flavours on the palate, but it gets a bit sticky at the end of the
mouth. Good. 84/100
(24/5/07)
2005
Caché Special Reserve, Fall Creek Vineyards, Texas,
13.5% A blend of chardonnay, viognier and muscat, together with some
riesling, gewurztraminer and chenin blanc. This has a nice floral nose,
though it’s a bit sweet and confected. The palate largely
follows the nose. It’s drinkable, but I wouldn’t
bother. OK. 79/100
(23/5/07)
2003
Meritus, Texas Hill Country Red Wine, Fall Creek Vineyards, Texas,
14.5% This is a blend of 95% cabernet sauvignon, 4% merlot and 1% petit
verdot. It’s a very strange colour: very mature looking, but
also very deep. Unattractive nose: green and stalky. The palate is hot
and simply unpleasant. 72/100
(23/5/07)
2002 Late
Bottle Vintage Port, Casa de Santa Eufemia, José Viseu
Carvalho & Filhos, Bottled 2007
Decent enough. A bit unexceptional. 84/100
(22/5/07)
2003 by
Bollinger, Brut Champagne, Bollinger
A rich, fresh bread nose with some blackcurrant and flowers.
An open, remarkably austere palate. Possibly a bit straightforward, but
it’s fairly interesting. Very Good Indeed. 89/100
(22/5/07)
NV
Prosecco di Valdobbiadene DOC, Vino Spumante Extra Dry, Bele Casel,
11%
A crisp nose with some zesty notes. Dry palate: crisp but
with a nice fruit character too. Really very impressive and
in a much more champenois style than many a prosecco, but it still has
the edge of nectarine fruit. Very Good Indeed.
91/100
(22/5/07)
NV
Prosecco di Valdobbiadene DOC, Vino Spumante Brut, Bele Casel,
11%
This had only been bottled seven days previously. It has a
nice light, peachy nose. Nice fruity palate. Light
and fresh with the same peaches and nectarines on the palate.
Very Good. 87/100
(22/5/07)
2006
Millesimato Luca Ferraro, Prosecco DOC Montello e Colli Asolani, Az.
Agr. Luca Ferraro, 11.5%
Grape juice is used for the dosage. This is a new
line. It has a somewhat coarser nose. Very good
palate with plenty of character. Very gentle in the mouth and
very foamy. Lacks a bit of complexity which is where the non
vintage blends can have an advantage. Very Good.
86/100
(22/5/07)
2005
Grüner Veltliner Renner, Schloss Gobelsburg
This was a fairly rich, full GV with lots of spice and –
because initially it was served far, far too cold – a lot of
acidity. Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(21/5/07 at the Capital Hotel,
London)
2003
Riesling Brut, Deutscher Sekt, Mosel, Weingut Kurt Hain , no
AP number, 12.5%
A mid straw colour. Fairly rich nose:
quite zesty with some lemon sherbert and a decent minerality.
Very good bubble stream. Quite secondary on the
palate, with little in the way of fruit flavours. Very
dry and biscuity on the palate. Very Good+. 87/100
(19/5/07)
2002
Stravino de Stravino, IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti Bianco, Pravis,
14.5% (Italian Orchard)
A mid yellow gold colour. Rich,
minerally nose with some lemon zest. This is quite a light
fresh feel on the palate –
most unusually for this
wine: this is very atypical of the 2002 Stravino di Stravino.
It’s quite
concentrated, but there’s also
some fresh acidity. It’s
so different to the norm, that I suspect it’s probably a
faulty bottle, but
the fault, whatever it is, makes it very drinkable. Very
Good. 88/100
(16/5/07)
2003
Chardonnay Maxwell Vineyard, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Peter
Howland , 14.5%
A mid lemon gold colour with a green tinge towards the rim.
Rich, creamy, smoky-oaky
nose with some papaya and sweet melon fruit. Rich and
very, very full on the palate. It feels
massive and really utterly overdone. This has really
suffered from being kept a year or two. It’s very
oaky,
and rather reduced. There is a decent flavour in there, but
it’s
on the finish that it over-concentrates, cries and becomes a bit
unbalanced with an excessive pungency, which lingers forever.
Will it come around again? I’m not
sure. But it’s not really drinking now, so
I’ll keep my remaining bottles for
perhaps another four or five years. OK/Good.
81/100
(12/5/07)
1981
Saint-Joseph, J.-L. Grippat , alcohol content not shown
(Yapp)
This had a mouldy, slightly raised cork, but the wine inside was fine.
A bright, light mature
garnet colour. There is some slightly reductive, massive
sweet black cherry fruit on the nose with some sweet raspberry notes
too. Very mature appearance. It’s
quite sweet on the attack with a very old feeling. Very
light on the palate. Curiously, it really needs food:
it was so much better with some rib-eye steak, jersey royals and
Kentish hop shoots in fresh Cumbrian butter. Very Good
Indeed. 89/100
(9/5/07)
NV
Pink, Rosé Champagne Brut Premier Cru, Champagne Dumangin ,
12% (Yapp)
A nice deep salmon pink. Quite a rich
nose with strawberries, musk and a hint of cinnamon. Nice
open palate with a certain richness and
body. Nice and creamy, yet still really
precise. Very Good Indeed. 90/100
(3/5/07)
1989
Vouvray Nectar, Vin Moelleux, Marc Bredif , 375ml, 12.8%
(Byrne’s)
This comes in a baby clavelin style bottle, sealed with a very dinky,
tiny
cork. It’s a bright mid yellow gold colour.
Very
attractive, delicate nose with a zesty, sherbetty citrus note.
Light and fragrant on the attack, it then fills out a lot.
Possibly it’s
just a touch oxidised. It’s got decent balance
with a gentle
understated sweetness. Nice and clean,
especially on the finish. This is fine and elegant, with
notable length. Very Good. 88/100
(30/4/07)
2003
Chablis Champs Royaux, William Fèvre , 12.5%
(Frank Stainton)
A pale-mid lemon gold appearance, with a tinge of green.
Ripe, creamy, buttery nose
with a chalky lemon zest minerality. Very open and
full on the palate. It’s very big and
ripe, and suffering from the “2003 disease” (i.e.
of a very hot summer). Quite buttery with some concentrated
orange
flesh flavours, melon fruit and a hint of grapiness. It just
feels overblown and overdone. Good. 83/100
Actually, it improves with food quite a bit, and probably could be as
high as 85/100
(30/4/07)
1998
Gewurztraminer Reserve Selection, Mór Region, Hungary,
Hilltop Neszmely , 11.5% (The Wine Society)
A deepish coppery gold. Concentrated reductive nose with
some obvious oxidation too. Old and badly oxidised on the
palate. This is simply past it. Not rated.
(30/4/07)
2002
Stravino di Stravino, IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti Bianco, Pravis
Rich and very full flavoured, even more so than many Friulan or
Trentino
whites. Very Good Indeed. 89/100
(27/4/07)
1999
Grave’s Gate Shiraz, McLaren Vale, Chain of Ponds ,
13.5% (Bibendum)
A deep, moderately mature ruby colour. Lovely nose with lots
of fragrant black fruit, lots of
leather and a hint licorice. Rich and smooth on the
attack. There’s lots of ripe fruit
initially, but there’s also a really lovely balance, with a
nice freshness. It finishes with a fine elegance, almost
tending towards some high toned notes, but without getting there.
Very Good Indeed. 90/100
It continued to drink well over the next 36 hours.
(25/4/07)
1999
Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Auslese, C. von
Schubert’schen Schloßkellerei , AP Nr. 3
536 014 7 00, 7.5%
An extremely pale straw – almost clear. The nose
is rather dull and unexciting with some oily
minerality only. There’s big peachy fruit on the
attack. It feels
rather sweet on the palate, but not overly so and it finishes very
cleanly. But it has these odd, very, very peachy flavours,
which are really excessive and quickly become most
unattractive. OK/Good. 81/100
(25/4/07)
1972
PX Gran Reserva, DO Montilla Moriles, Bodegas Toro Albalá ,
375 ml, 17% (The Wine Society)
This has the appearance of thick black cough medicine, leaving a dark
oak smear on the glass. There are licorice, sweet raisins
and dandelion root on the nose. Sweet and very rich and
syrupy on the palate, but there is a very nice
streak of acidity too, which stops it being too heavy. In
fact the acidity – which is a sort of grapey fresh acidity
– really shows and almost dominates the
finish. This is very interesting stuff and rather delicious.
Very Good Indeed. 91/100
(19/4/07)
2000
Riesling Wineck-Schlossberg, AC Alsace Grand Cru,
Meyer-Fonné , 13% (Lay & Wheeler)
A mid-deepish gold. Big round, minerally
nose with some baked apple fruit and a touch of sweetness.
Oh, hello, big boy! This is big, powerful
stuff on the palate. Rather blowsy with some clear
residual sugar revealing itself in a caramel flavour that slightly
dominates the finish. I think this needs more time.
And
indeed, the next day the remaining half of the bottle was much
improved. Very
Good. 86+/100
(17/4/07)
2005
Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett, Kurt Hain ,
AP Nr. 2 596 432 8 06, 9% (French & Logan)
A very, very pale straw with a greenish tinge. The nose has
sweet, extracted, concentrated apple-pear
drops, and is quite chalky. It actually feels more
sauvignon blanc-like than riesling. Fairly sweet attack with
lots of fruit, and then the
sweetness builds on the palate. It feels like a simple,
slightly faded Auslese and a bit odd as a Kabinett. For a
Kabinett, it’s a touch oversweet. 84/100
(16/4/07)
2002
Quinta Generacion, Colchagua Valley, Chile, Casa Silva , 14%
This is a blend of 50% cabernet sauvignon, 30% carmenere, 10% shiraz
and 10%
petit verdot. This has sweet black fruit and tobacco on the
nose. Very
attractive palate with nice complex flavours and a spicy finish.
Very Good/Very Good Indeed. 88/100
(11/4/07)
NV
Amontillado 1830, Vinos Viejos, Bodegas El Maestro Sierra ,
375ml, 19% (Byrne’s)
Bottle number 505. This is a deep, teak-tinged orange-gold
colour. Lovely
nose: salted almonds and orange caramel with some slight gingery notes.
Wow! On the palate, it’s very clear and
bright and very focussed indeed. Very
smooth, there’s an initial feel of
sweetness, but it reveals itself moments later as thoroughly dry and
with a nice hint of acidity on the finish, lingering long after.
This is a particularly
refined cherry with none of the alcohol having any presence whatsoever.
Very Good Indeed/Excellent. 93/100
(8/4/07)
2000
Ronco delle Acacie, DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli, Le Vigne di Zamo ,
14%
A very deep gold. Very rich,
concentrated nose with some dried pears. Powerful, rich
flavours. It’s a
bit of a monster on its own, but is excellent with food.
Very Good+. 88/100
(7/4/07 at the Italian Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2002
Nivole Moscato d’Asti, Michele Chiarlo , 5.5%
(Booths)
Light, fragrant and a touch sweet, with a firm petillance.
This is a very good
moscato, though this particular vintage is now at the end of its
drinking window. 87/100
(6/4/07)
2005
Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett, Joh. Jos.
Christoffel Erben ,
AP Nr. 2 602 041 004 06, 9% (French & Logan)
Closed with a screwcap. It has a fresh,
very talcy, very slatey minerally nose with some green grapey fruit.
Very zingy on the palate,
this is ultra-refreshing, although there’s a hint of residual
sugar
there too. Quite mouthfilling without being heavy.
It actually has a nice cleansing feel. Very Good
Indeed. 90/100
Curiously, having left half the bottle overnight, it had refermented by
the next day.
(5/4/07)
1993
Gewurztraminer Kappelweg de Rorschwihr, Rolly Gassmann , 14%
(D. Byrne, Clitheroe)
A deepish lemon gold colour. The nose is
rich and smoky, initially with lots of gewurztraminer character, but
then some smoky oxidised notes take over. Very,
very powerful palate: this is a very deep and full wine that almost
feels rather spirituous. Overall
this feels a bit oxidised and a bit heavy and spirity. Might
be faulty? Good-. 81/100
(2/4/07)
2003
Vespa Bianco, Az. Agr. Bastianich, DOC Collio Orientali del Friuli
This is a blend of 45% chardonnay, 45% sauvignon blanc and 10% late
harvest picolit.
A deepish gold. Quite a rich buttery nose, with some pear drops and
some raw green beans. Very rich and full on the attack. Blimey, this is
powerful stuff! Very dense, concentrated flavours. It has a sort of
grappa flavour on the finish. A very big wine, that tasted alone felt
overdone, but improved greatly with food (in my case a nice involtini
of pork with a creamy cheese sauce). Very Good.
(1/4/07 at The Italian
Orchard, Broughton)
2000
Platinum, Barone Rosso, Vigneti Fantinel, IGT Rosso delle Venezie,
13%
A blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and refosco, aged for 12 months
in French oak.
A nice even, maturing garnet colour. Smoky, old leather on the nose
with some nice, peppery black fruit. Very nice flavours on the palate:
there are layers of flavours with a nice complexity. Very rounded and
ready. Very Good Indeed.
(1/4/07 at The Italian
Orchard, Broughton)
1988
Vosne Romanée Les Maizières, Robert Arnoux,13%
An old colour, starting to brown. Chef-patron, Ian Martin, was
concerned that it might be over the hill and falling apart.
But, no, it was just old - a lovely old wine.
It had a lovely old nose and palate. All in all, a very pleasant wine.
What was interesting, was that it didn't develop in the glass or
decanter over the two hours or so, but neither did it fall apart at
all. I really enjoyed it. Very Good Indeed.
(31/3/07 at The
Freemasons' Arms, Wiswell)
1998
Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling
Spätlese, Karthäuserhof , AP Nr. 3 561 303
20 99, 8% (French & Logan)
A stoney-slatey-minerally nose with some developing kerosene notes
greets you. It’s a touch sweet on the attack,
but that’s followed up by a very integrated feeling in the
mouth. There’s lots of minerality and some lovely
acidity. Some quince fruit flavours
appear on the finish. Very Good Indeed. 89/100
(26/3/07)
1997
Hermitage, Domaine de Colombier , 13.5%
A bright clear ruby appearance, starting to show some maturity.
After an initial blast of
black fruit, the nose is big and meaty, and full of tobacco.
It’s velvety and caressing on the palate and
there are some sweet black fruit and sour cherry flavours.
Deep
and characterful. After a few moments some
lovely spicy chocolate richness coats the mouth. This has a
superb balance of fresh fruit,
spice and an integrated tannic structure. A very impressive
wine. 93/100
(21/3/07)
1994
Barolo Bussia Soprana, DOCG Barolo, Poderi Aldo Conterno
Very mature appearance. On the nose, I'd have put this at
nearer 1970 than 1990: old, sweet, nutty, figgy nebbiolo aromas. The
palate too, seemed much more mature than I'd expect, even for an off
year. But there's never been any storage problem with any other of the
wines at the Freemasons Arms, so I presume this really is this mature.
There's no oxidation and no faults, just a very mature wine, delicious
in its own way, but I was wrong-footed by not expecting something quite
so mature. Very integrated and open palate with some nice sweet
black-figgy-pruney fruit and a nice depth and balance. On the evidence
of this bottle, very much at a peak: drink up. Very Good.
(17/3/07 at The
Freemasons' Arms, Wiswell)
1998
Messmer Riesling Brut, Pfalz, Germany, 12.5%, AP Nr. 501 609
522 01 (French
& Logan)
Very good persistent, fine bubble stream. Attractive peaches &
creamy apples on the nose - mainly peaches - with some cakey notes.
Quite a foamy feel on the palate. Quite crisp initially but with very
good rounded peachy riesling fruit. A rather nice drink: fuller and
rounder, with lower acidity than many champagnes. Very Good+.
(5/3/07)
NV
Champagne Gavroche, Cuvée Albert Roux
A good aperitif champagne. 86/100
(26/2/07 at Le Gavroche, London)
2003
Barrel Selection Low Yield Roussanne, Domaine de Sainte Rose
A good roussanne that worked nicely with a clean, elegant and light
lobster
salad with mango, avocado, basil and lime.
(26/2/07 at Le Gavroche, London)
1998
Meursault 1er Cru “Poruzots”, Domaine Mikulski ,
served en magnum
Good meursault that worked reasonably well with a grilled scallop
served with carrots and salad leaves and a tarragon sauce.
(26/2/07 at Le Gavroche, London)
2005
Cuvée Clarendon, AC Côtes de Provence, Domaine
Gavoty
Mainly from the rolle grape, with just a bit of marsanne and roussanne,
this
has a sort of melon air-freshener nose (nicer than that sounds).
Fresh and crisp on the
palate, with a nice fruity balance, this worked well with an excellent
dish of roast john
dory façon bouillabaisse. 89/100
(26/2/07 at Le Gavroche, London)
1997
Tokay Pinot Gris, Selection de Grains Nobles, Léon Beyer
Absolutely top class pinot gris SGN offering all that could be asked of
it. Worked superbly with all aspects of
a dish of escalope of foie gras served with a duck pastilla flavoured
with cinnamon. 92/100
(26/2/07 at Le Gavroche, London)
1998
Chateau La Croix Toulifaut, Pomerol
Decent stuff. Served with agneau de lait des
Pyrenées
Rôti, ragout de flageolets with a delicate thyme
scented jus.
(26/2/07 at Le Gavroche, London)
2002
Chateau Cabezac Grande Cuvée “Belveze”,
AC Minervois
A blend of grenache, syrah and mourvèdre. Nice
enough, but a bit unexceptional. Served with the
Gavroche’s excellent cheese selection.
(26/2/07 at Le Gavroche, London)
NV
Banyuls Reserva, Domaine de la Tour Vieille
A good, though not stunning banyuls that worked fairly well with Le
Palet au Chocolat Amer et Praliné
Croustillant (very similar to the Louis XV dessert that is a
signature dish
of Alexis Gauthier at his Roussillon restaurant in London).
86/100
(26/2/07 at Le Gavroche, London)
2005
Coteaux du Layon Saint Lambert, Domaine V. Ogereau
A lovely, light fresh Coteaux du Layon that was just a little
overwhelmed by the roast pineapple with vanilla and dark rum and a
white pepper ice
cream that it accompanied.
(26/2/07 at Le Gavroche, London)
2005
Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese, Kerpen ,
375ml, AP Nr. 2 576 562 506, 9.5%
A minerally, sherbetty, creamy nose. Quite appley on the
palate, but with very good balance. Ultimately a bit simple.
86/100
(24/2/07 at Gary Danko restaurant, San
Francisco)
2003
Pinot Noir, Peter’s Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, Papapietro Perry ,
375ml, 14.5%
This has a very fragrant nose tending towards volatility and become
even more so as it sits in the glass. Quite zingy
and explosive on the palate initially, but then with time it just seems
rather flat and quite hollow on the palate with a touch of spirit and
lots of
orange peel flavours, with just a bit of red fruit. This
seems poor to me, to the extent that I can’t believe
it’s
right. Eventually the head sommelier
comes to discuss it with me, and quickly agrees it’s faulty.
She’s worried
that it might be a batch problem, so we choose a different bottle
instead of a straight
replacement.
(24/2/07 at Gary Danko restaurant, San Francisco)
2004
Paraduxx, Duckhorn Wine Company , 375ml, 14.5%
This is a blend of 65% zinfandel, 28% cabernet sauvignon and 7% merlot.
The nose is laden with
chocolate cherries, chocolate blackberries and tobacco. It
has a smooth, rich, velvety palate that’s quite big and
immediately impressive. But there’s also a nice
balance and it’s quite fresh on the finish. Very
Good Indeed. 90/100
(24/2/07 at Gary Danko restaurant, San Francisco)
NV
30 year old tawny port, Ramos Pinto
This feels more like a 10- or 20-year old tawny, given the impressive
fruitiness. Obviously this is a very fresh bottling.
Very
Good+. 88/100
(24/2/07 at Gary Danko restaurant, San Francisco)
2002
Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill, Diamond Creek
This has big oaky black fruits on the nose with cedar, smoke and some
tobacco scents. Very big and very tannic on the
palate, with very powerful, forward flavours.
There’s huge oak and great gobs of fruit. This
feels like it needs
years to integrate, if indeed it ever will. Good/Very
Good? 85/100
(24/2/07 left over from the next table at Gary Danko
restaurant, San Francisco)
2003
Les Cailloux Chateauneuf du Pape
This was the last glass in a bottle that had been open some four and a
half hours. It had a lovely delicate balanced
nose with just a hint of mourvèdre fruit.
There’s soft, refined fruit on the palate, but
it then develops a real intensity. Even
open this long, there’s a huge structure, especially on the
finish, with quite drying tannins. Very Good?
85/100
(24/2/07 left over from an adjacent table at Gary Danko
restaurant, San Francisco)
2004
Serriger Saarstein Riesling Kabinett, Schloss Saarstein , AP
Nr. 2 555 014 09 05, 8%
This had a creamy, lemon zesty nose and zingy, fresh palate with lovely
fruit. Very clean with a slight hint of sweetness on the
finish. Very
Good Indeed. 90/100
(23/2/07 at Slanted Door restaurant, San Francisco)
NV
Champagne Demoiselle, Brut, Vranken , 375ml, 12%
A nice, fairly basic non vintage champagne. 88/100
(22/2/07 at Gary Danko restaurant, San Francisco)
2004
Syrah La Bruma, Sonoma Coast, Peay Vineyards , 375ml
No proper note, but this was 'correct' in all regards.
Bright,
clean, with decent interest. An enjoyable wine that worked well with a
pigeon (over)stuffed with couscous. 89/100
(22/2/07 at Gary Danko restaurant, San Francisco)
NV
Crémant de Bourgogne, Simmonet-Febvre
A very, very slight nose. Crisp, clean palate. Nice
bubbles. Fairly innocuous. Good.
(20/2/07 at Redd, Yountville, California)
2005
Rüdesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Riesling Spätlese ,
Weingut Josef Leitz
Fresh creamy apples on the nose. Unfortunately served way too
cold, but once it warmed up, everything was in order and the palate as
you would expect. Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(20/2/07 at Redd, Yountville, California)
2005
Dutton Goldfield “Dutton Ranch” Pinot Noir, Russian
River
Warm raspberry and cherry fruit on the nose. Warm fruit on
the palate, but it has a good restraint. Very Good+.
(20/2/07 at Redd, Yountville, California)
2005
Gewürztraminer, Anderson Valley, Mendocino,
Navarro Vineyards , 13.6%
Quite a gentle lychee nose. Fairly
delicate on the palate. This has really
good balance and is a nice restrained, elegant gewürztraminer
that will work well with food. 89/100
(17/2/07 at Passionfish, Pacific Grove, Monterey)
2005
Ashley’s Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills, Brewer-Clifton ,
15.1%
A very powerful black cherry nose with chocolatey-appley notes.
Silky & smooth on
the palate, this immediately feels very concentrated. Quite
sweet fruit on the palate with a good structure and soft grained
tannins, especially on the finish. Very Good Indeed.
92/100
(16/2/07 at Mattei's Tavern, Los Olivos, California)
A
few wines tasted at the Los Olivos Tasting Room
This small wine shop attracted me in with its blackboard list of wines
and
advertised tasting: it looked a good opportunity to taste a range of
good
producers in an independent setting. Unfortunately, the list
of wines outside didn’t
match what was available for tasting; what was available was poorly
stored (the wines, including
the whites, were served at the – warm – ambient
temperature, and to judge from levels, many had been open a while); and
furthermore, the shop was
staffed by a seriously grumpy, miserable chap, who appeared to regard
the intrusion
of a customer as an inconvenient distraction from whatever else it was
he
was doing. In such a wine-orientated small
town, it was remarkable to find someone working in a wine shop who was
so utterly disinterested.
2005 Mason Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley ,
13%
A bit lacking in character on the nose and palate.
Straightforward and dull all round. OK. 80/100
2005 Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County, Au
Bon Climat , 13.5%
An unexciting dull nose. It’s a decent chardonnay,
but – at least in the condition in which it was
served – very unexciting. Good-ish.
82/100
2001 Chardonnay Reserve, Santa Barbara
County, J. Kerr , 14.5%
There is evident oak on the nose (apparently it spends 18 months in
barrel), but with good fruit too. A pleasant full
palate with a nice structure. Very
Good/Very Good Indeed. 88/100
2005 Julia’s Vineyard Pinot
Noir, Santa Maria Valley, Lane Tanner , 14.6%
There’s clean raspberry fruit on the nose. Nice
fresh palate with a bit of a zing on the finish. Good finish
with gentle
tannins and some woody spice. Very Good+. 87/100
2003 Seven Twenty Eight Pinot Noir,
Fiddlestix, Santa Rita Cellars, Fiddlehead Cellars , 14.1%
Dried meat, prosciutto nose with decent red fruit. Good
palate. Very balanced. Very Good/Very Good
Indeed. 88/100
2003 Stolpman Vineyards Sangiovese, Di
Bruno, 14.5%
Warm cherry fruit on the nose. Straightforward, rather warm
palate. Pleasant enough stuff. Very Good.
86/100
2005 Syrah, Santa Barbara County, Jaffurs
Wine Cellars , 14.9%
Meaty, gamey black fruits nose. Soft,
precise palate with very good balance. Nice peppery spice on
the finish. Very long and fairly powerful after.
Very Good Indeed. 90/100
2004 Piocho, Happy Canyon Vineyards,
Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Santa Ynez
Valley, Grown, Produced and Bottled by Barrack , no alcohol
content shown
Deep, concentrated black fruits on the nose. Sweet, forward,
jammy fruit on the palate. A crowd pleaser.
Good/Very Good. 84/100
2005
Pinot Noir, Cork Dancer, Hartley-Ostini Hitching Post
This is a blend of fruit from six vineyards which stretch
from Santa Maria, through Los Alamos and into the Santa Rita Hills. It
has muted warm red fruits on the nose. The palate is very lively with a
real zing to it. It’s decent stuff, but not overtly
interesting. After a while, the palate calms down a little. Good+
(14/2/07 at The Hitching Post, Buellton, California)
2005
Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley, Hartley-Ostini Hitching Post
This had a warm inviting nose and a nice warm climate pinot
noir feel on the palate. Quite silky and pleasing. Very Good+.
(14/2/07 at The Hitching Post, Buellton, California)
2004
Pinot Noir Highliner, Hartley-Ostini Hitching Post
This showed warm red fruits on the nose, along with a rather
bizarre touch of cassis. The nose had a lovely perfume to it too. Very
attractive on the palate: maybe not the greatest pinot noir, but
undoubtedly very attractive. There’s plenty of interest and
notably good balance. Very Good Indeed.
(14/2/07 at The Hitching Post, Buellton, California)
2005
Generation Red, Hartley-Ostini Hitching Post
This is a blend, primarily of cabernet franc, along with some
syrah and some merlot. There are warm, leafy black fruits on the nose.
Very attractive on the palate with a nice balance. There is some quite
powerful black fruit initially, but it’s really nicely
integrated. It’s a well structured wine, but by no means
over-tannic. It’s possibly heretical to say so in Sideways
country, but I think this is possibly the most impressive of the
Hitching Post wines that I tried. Very Good Indeed.
(14/2/07 at The Hitching Post, Buellton, California)
2003
French Camp Syrah, Anglim, Paso Robles, Central Coast, California
A very dark appearance, but with a very young edge - though
only right at the rim. Quite a strong, minerally black fruit nose: very
elegant and a touch Hermitage like. There's also a real blast of
chocolate violet creams on the nose. Lovely attack. It has a lovely
freshness and balance which persists throughout. It has a good, rich,
velvety feel, manifesting itself in some crème de
mûre and chocolate flavours. Very Good Indeed/Excellent.
(12/2/07 at Artisan Restaurant, Paso Robles, California)
2003
Mer Soleil Vineyard White, Treana Winery, Central Coast California
A blend of two-thirds viognier and one-third marsanne. A deep golden
colour. There are almonds and apricots on the nose. Very full and
really quite concentrated on the palate. It has decent balance, but you
feel the alcohol a bit on the finish and after. A decent wine, but I
can't say I'm over-enamoured of it. Very Good.
(12/2/07 at Artisan Restaurant, Paso Robles, California)
2000
Radici Taurasi DOCG Mastroberardino , 13.5%
From the aglianico grape, aged three years.
It has a meaty nose with mint and eucalyptus, together with some
blackberry
fruit: a very powerful nose. Not quite
as powerful on the palate, though still no shrinking violet.
Rich and full, with quite
a chocolatey, porty feel (though without the spirit of port).
Nicely balanced. Lightly spiced on the finish.
Very Good Indeed. 89/100
(7/2/07)
1987
Clasico, Priorato, Masia Barril , 16.5%
A blend of 75% grenache and 25% carignan. This is a mature,
very clear garnet colour with some
slight bricking at the edges. Very
porty nose, with bitter chocolate and blackberries and a hint of orange
peel. Powerful palate. There’s some
huge alcohol immediately
evident, both in a generaly, slightly spirity feel, and also in a
sweetness on the palate. Very big and powerful, but
it’s not heavy: it’s actually quite lightly
textured with some very soft
grained tannins appearing briefly on the finish. After the
first few sips, the alcohol is much
less evident, and possibly even a bit of the spiritiness has blown off,
leaving a well balanced, if quite unique wine.
There’s some mint and lavender flavours on the
finish and after. Very Good Indeed. 89/100
(29/1/07)
2004
Barbera d’Alba, Tre vigne, Vietti , 14%
30,350 bottles produced. This has a sweet,
gently perfumed cherry kernel nose. Light and fairly
delicate on the palate. Overall, it feels very young,
especially towards the
finish and after, when it develops a certain power. Very
Good. 87/100
(28/1/07 at a restaurant I am not allowed to name for legal
reasons)
2003
Mâcon-Farges, AC Mâcon Villages, Cave Talmard ,
375ml, 13%
Lemony-zesty nose with good minerality. Fresh, clean palate.
Nice fruit with really plenty of interest. Very
Good. 88/100
(27/1/07 at the Freemasons Arms, Wiswell)
2000
Oslavje Bianco, Azienda Agricola Stanislao Radikon, DOC Collio, Friuli,
Italy, 13.5%
The back label says that it should be served at 15°, but this
was a lot colder and we had to let it warm up. The back label also
states that there is no SO2. Curiously, what it doesn't say is that
it's unfiltered. Perhaps that's because it's so blindingly obvious that
it's unfiltered: it looks like apple juice, straight from the press,
with a bit of onion skin and caramel for colour. That's to say, it's a
markedly cloudy, orange onion-skin colour. There are dried figs, orange
and cinnamon, together with some old wine, on the nose, though there's
also a certain mustiness. As it warms up, it displays more Oloroso like
notes on the nose. There's concentrated dried fruit on the palate -
dried figs, pears, apricots and a hint of raisins. But there's also a
slightly musty, murky feel. As it warms up, there are more dried orange
peel flavours with a hint of caramel. But overall, it just feels a bit
murky and muddy. The five of us come to the conclusion that this is a
duff bottle (others had a magnum of the same a few months ago, and
reported it to have been much cleaner and positively enjoyable, in
contrast to this bottle) and the remaining half bottle is consigned to
the kitchen for cooking. Flawed bottle.
(20/1/07 at The Italian
Orchard,
Broughton)
2000
Breg, IGT Venezia Giulia, Josko Gravner, 13.5%
The white Breg is a field blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling Italico,
Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio, which are picked and vinified separately
(sometimes in pairs) and then blended. This was my third time with this
wine (once previously at a tasting with Miha Gravner and once at
Locanda Locatelli in London, where we had to pass the sommelier's quick
test before we were allowed it). This bottle was really singing. A
bright, clear, brassy orangey-gold. The nose is quite raisiny nose with
sweet agrumes and a very pleasant fragrance and a hint of
sherrification (if that's not a word, it is now). The nose is much
cleaner than the Radikon. On the palate too, it is much cleaner and
more precise than the Radikon. The flavours are really quite
concentrated and deep; it feels quite creamy, and there's an odd, but
not unpleasant, hint of polish on the palate. Like the Radikon, this
too was served a little too cold (cellar temperature), and it improved
greatly as it warmed up (there's a comparison to be made with white
Musar, I think), revealing much more fruit on the palate and much more
of a delicious, savoury umami note. A superb bottle.
Excellent.
(20/1/07 at The Italian
Orchard, Broughton)
2005
Sauvignon Kolaus, IGT Venezia Giulia, Pierpaolo Pecorari
A rich gold appearance. The nose has
tropical fruit, bananas and cream, with a hint of asparagus.
Very full and creamy and
quite un-sauvignon blanc like. Very long indeed.
This
has been barrique fermented and it’s given it quite a pinot
blanc/chardonnay feel in the mouth. Very Good Indeed.
89/100
(20/1/07 at the Italian Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2005
Tocai Friulano Rive Alte, DOC Isonzo del Friuli, Masùt da
Rive , 13%
A yellow gold colour. Very fragrant on
the nose and quite minerally and musky too. Round and open
on the palate, with quite strong flavours. Very full, with a
nice
rich feel, but without any sweetness. Very Good Indeed.
90/100
(20/1/07 at the Italian Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2005
Kaseler Nies’chen Riesling Kabinett, Weingut
Karlsmühle (Ruwer) ,
AP Nr. 3 536 016 10 06, 9.5% (French & Logan)
A pale straw appearance with a very slight green tinge.
There are lime, cinnamon, apples and some
strong minerality on the nose. Zesty,
zingy attack: very fresh and vibrant, but not really at all together at
the moment. I think this needs a year or two
integrate and settle down – or at least that’s what
I hope will happen. Decent balance, with good acidity on the
finish. Good. 85/100
(15/1/07)
2005
Tocai Friulano Rive Alte, DOC Isonzo del Friuli, Masùt da
Rive, 13%
A lightish yellow gold colour. The nose is very fragrant,
quite minerally and musky. Round and open on the palate, with really
quite strong flavours. Very full, with a nice rich, weighty feel, but
without any sweetness of over-ripeness. Went very well with a platter
of assorted Friulan hams, sausages and salamis and with some mussels in
a slightly salty cream sauce; less well with canneloni, but still not
an unpleasant match. Very Good Indeed.
(13/1/07 at
The Italian
Orchard, Broughton)
2004 Sud Syrah ,
12.5% (French Regional Wines)
A good ruby colour with a hint of youth. Gorgeous, soft,
fruity nose with cherry and raspberry
fruit and a touch of sous-bois. Juicy,
juicy, juicy: this
has really forward, juicy fruit and is very giving and open.
Simple, yet delicious and
with remarkably good length. Very Good Indeed.
90/100
(1/1/07)
2004 Sud Chardonnay ,
13.5% (French Regional Wines)
Opened for cooking. A mid gold, with a
bit of a green tinge. Fairly fresh nose
with some butteriness, melon and tropical fruit with a hint of
herbaceousness. Light, fresh, round
palate with lovely fruit. Nice
and clean with ripe fruit and decent length. This is only a
simple chardonnay, but it delivers in spades. Very Good
Indeed. 89/100
(1/1/07)
1995 Riesling
Cuvée Bicentenaire, Kuentz Bas , 12.5% (ex cave
2/10/98, FF66)
A mid greeny gold – almost a lime gold. A huge
über-minerally nose with lots of wet petrol station
forecourts. Fabulous, precise attack,
and then it opens out enormously in the mouth to give a very big mature
riesling, very minerally palate. It has
enormous depth and concentration. This
really is a stunning wine: absolutely stunning. 98/100
(23/12/06)
2001 Eschendorfer
Lump Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Horst Sauer, AP Nr
4397-029-02, 500ml, 7% (Noel Young)
A deep bronzed gold. Very fresh nose with
lots of rich, ripe apricot and warm apple pie. Very pure and
precise on the palate. Surprisingly, this is not at all
oversweet and not in the
slightest bit cloying. It has a very firm acidity,
which gives it well nigh perfect balance and huge elegance.
I would guess it was an
Eiswein from the purity and elegance rather than a TBA: even to the
extent that it
perhaps lacks the weight you might expect from a TBA. It has
fairly rich, creamy, quite apple-y fruit on the
palate. Enormous length. Excellent.
95/100
(20/12/06)
2004
Cuvée des Peintres, AC Collioure, Cave de
l’Abbé Rous,
13.5% (French Regional Wines)
This is a blend of 65% grenache gris; 20% grenache blanc; 5%
roussanne-marsanne and 5% vermentino. It has a sort of
builder’s sand colour. Immensely floral
on the nose: scented and musky with some marzipan and faint banana
hints. Full flavoured and creamy in the mouth, this
has very intense and concentrated fruit. Very concentrated
with immense length. Very Good Indeed. 90/100
(18/12/06)
2005 Sauvignon
Blanc Special Cuvée, Limited
Release Estate Wine, Light Natural Filtration, W.O. Robertson,
Springfield Estate , 12.5% (Sainsbury's)
A very pale light straw appearance. Crisp gooseberry and
cats pee nose. Crisp, bright attack, but very creamy and
round on the
palate, yet it also retains some vibrancy. It
has an odd sort of floral back taste. A fairly
interesting wine, that’s quite deep on the palate.
Very good length. Good+. 85/100
(17/12/06)
2003 Muskateller
Kabinett, Weingut Herbert Meßmer , AP Nr. 501 609
521 04, 13%
A mid straw colour with quite a yellow tinge. Powerful
musky, muscatty nose with lots of pungent lychee
fruit. Very forward attack. Full and
round on the palate, though very even. A bit hard
and four square on the finish and somewhat odd after. Good+.
85/100
(14/12/06)
2003 Beauvignac
Merlot, Vin de Pays d’Oc, Les Vignerons de Pomerols ,
13%
An even garnet colour with no evident youth. Very strange
nose: very perfumed, mainly of play-doh and
pencil erasers. Light, fruity attack. Very
open on the palate. It has a confected note and is a tiny
bit hot
on the finish, but otherwise it’s a perfectly pleasant,
simple wine. 82/100
(11/12/06)
2002 Passo Doble La
Arboleda, malbec-corvina doppia fermentazione, Masi Tupungato ,
13.5%
The nose is very, very obviously chocolate coated kirsch soaked
cherries. Maybe there’s a bit of cinnamon or
mulling
spices too. Smooth, richly textured attack. This
is
pretty powerful stuff, and feels much bigger than its 13.5% abv.
Very meaty with a somewhat grainy texture. It has
an attractive sour edge on the finish
which contrasts well with the sweet fruit. It was still
drinking well five days later. Very Good Indeed.
89/100
(6/12/06)
2003 Riesling
Spätlese Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg,
Karthäuserhof , AP Nr. 3 561 303 33 04, 9.5%
(French & Logan)
A mid lemon straw. Lots of lovely
minerality on the nose, with some creaminess and a certain oiliness.
Big, wide attack. There’s a nice
off-sweet balance on the palate. It’s
quite direct and actually feels a bit simple. But
it’s still pretty attractive and a super food wine.
Very Good Indeed. 90/100
(3/12/06)
2000 Trilogy, DOC
Collio, Vigneti Fantinel, 13%
A blend of Tocai Friulano, Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc.
£26 at the Italian Orchard in Broughton, near Preston. Good
solid example of Friulan winemaking. Nothing weedy or insipid about it,
but light enough for an easy drinking lunchtime wine, but with plenty
of interest. Remarkably complex nose. Very Good Indeed. Went well with
both my involtini cacciatore and pizza with prosciutto San Daniele.
(2/12/06 at The Italian
Orchard, Broughton)
1996 Tokay Pinot
Gris Altenbourg, Selection de Grain Nobles, AC Alsace, Albert Mann ,
375ml,
13.5% (Lay & Wheeler)
High quality very long cork. A very deep
brassy gold colour. Fantastic barley
sugar nose that I can smell while the glass is still eighteen inches
from me on the table. Bring the glass to the nose
and it’s amazing: apricots, honey, barley sugar, honeysuckle
perfume, maybe some pear drops and a touch of polish and butter.
Very concentrated deep fruit on the palate. Rich
and
full, but with a nice acidity that gives it an excellent balance.
There’s a nice buttery richness on the palate
with superb tropical fruit flavours. Deep and
rich, but becoming fresher and lighter on the finish.
Stunning length. Outstanding. 98/100
(30/11/06)
2001 Rutherford
Ranch Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California
Very attractive nose, with a nice oaky feel, together with
some buttery tropical fruit. Very pleasing palate, with nice depth and
a good richness on the palate that meant it went very well with a
confit duck terrine with shaved foie gras, scallops with an oyster
emulsion and cauliflower purée and a variety of cheeses.
Very good food wine. Very Good Indeed+.
(29/11/06 at Cassis Restaurant, Stanley House Hotel, Blackburn)
2003 The Manse
Semillon, Riesling, Chardonnay, The Schrapel Family Vineyards, Bethany
Wines Pty Ltd, 12% (Majestic Wine Warehouses)
A mid gold colour. Zesty, lemony, mineral nose with a real
musky overtone. Nice, attractive attack. In the
mouth, there are rich, buttery, slightly tropical fruit
flavours. Quite full and direct with a hint of
sweetness/ripeness. It's a unusual blend of grape varieties,
and I'm not convinced it entirely works. It's an interesting
wine, but not overly so. Good.
(22/11/06)
2004 Tocai Friulano,
DOC Collio, Azienda Agricola Branko, 14%
A fairly pale gold. Nice attractive nose with some delicate
floral scents. Clean and fresh on the palate, which rather
understates what a nice wine this was. Very Good
Indeed.
(19/11/06 at The Italian
Orchard,Broughton)
2003 Tocai Friulano,
DOC Collio, Aldo Polencic
A deep golden colour. Quite spirituous on the nose,
or rather with a hint of grappa sort of concentrated fruit, without the
fiery spirit. Very concentrated on the palate. Made
in a more oxidative style than the Branko: the Polencic is a lot more
complex, fuller and deeper. I'd presume late harvest and
probably older vines. Difficult to compare alongside the
Branko, as although they are both the same grape, from the same DOC,
and produced remarkably close to each other, the two wines are really
quite different. The Polencic is deeper, more serious and
more concentrated, but that's not to downplay the charm and attraction
of the Branko. Very impressive wine. Very Good
Indeed.
(19/11/06 at The Italian
Orchard, Broughton)
2004 Pinot Grigio,
Il Carpino, DOC Collio
This was a treat served by chef-patron Ivano: produced in
very small quantities, not mentioned on Il Carpino's website and (in
2004 at least) released in magnums only.
The immediately striking thing about this is its colour: it's an
onion-skin pink rosé! Deeper than a Listel Gris de
Gris. This must have spent ages macerating on the
skins! Quite a slight nose. Very full on the
palate, but with some elegant, delicate flavours. There's
even - a first time for me from a Pinot Gris, let alone an Italian
Pinot Grigio - more than a hint of tannins in the mouth. A
vague touch of evidently deliberate oxidation adds another layer of
flavour and complexity. There's a concentrated, almost grappa-like
flavour on the finish, with a touch of raisins too.
Fascinating, remarkable stuff. Excellent.
(19/11/06 at The Italian
Orchard, Broughton)
1999 Grauburgunder
Spätlese Trocken, Weingut Heitlinger, Baden, Germany,
AP Nr. 605 17 00, 13.5% (French & Logan)
A deepish gold colour. Very rich, buttery nose with some
toffee notes, some pear and some banana. It's rich and very
full on the palate. The immediate impression is that it's
hardly trocken (dry), but the dryness really hits in on the
finish. Very rich and full, but it doesn't feel especially
pinot gris-like: it could easily be pinot blanc or
chardonnay. Very Good+.
(17/11/06)
2004 Vamvakada,
Tsiakkas Winery, Topikos Oinos Lemesos, 12.5% (from the
producer)
Matured in French oak for six months. Sealed with a very high quality
cork. This has a deep, vibrant, very young appearance, with a
glass-clinging purple. On the nose there is deep, plummy, cherry fruit
with some chocolate fruit and tar. Smooth and silky on the attack, this
really opens up beautifully in the mouth with really good fruit.
There's an interesting, very weighty, slightly tarry/treacly richness
on the palate. There are also some interesting flavours and a loose
sandy tannic structure. This is a very interesting, well-made wine
showing very good balance. Very Good Indeed.
(15/11/06)
2005 Schloss
Vollrads Riesling Kabinett, Rheingau, Germany
Fresh sherbetty and zingy. Very good with the
excellent food at L'Atelier du Robuchon in London.
(14/11/06 at L'Atelier du Robuchon, London)
2005 Wachenheimer
Goldbächel Riesling Spätlese Trocken, Weingut Josef
Biffar, Pfalz, AP 5 106 026 062 06, 13% (French &
Logan)
Mid yellow gold. The nose is rather dull, but very heavy on
the minerality. Dry and precise attack. Pretty much
bone dry in the mouth, which makes it feel a bit hard on the
finish. I'm sure it would have been better left as a
Spätlese, rather than fermented to trocken. But it's
still a good example, and very well made. Very Good.
(13/11/06)
2005 Piesporter
Kabinett, Reinhold Haart, Mosel, Germany, AP Nr. 2 596 429
406, 9.5% (French & Logan)
Sealed with a screwcap. This has a pale straw-gold
colour. The nose is sherbetty, lemony and zesty, with a
strong granite/slatey minerality. Fresh and zingy on the
palate, and it's really as sherbetty and delicious as the
nose. Very Good Indeed.
(11/11/06)
2003 L'Originel, AC
Madiran, Domaine du Crampilh, 14% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
There are deep red fruits on the nose with some blackberry.
Nice and open and inviting. Good palate: initially a touch
astringent, but it fills out with some good fruit before a green
astringency returns on the finish. There are virtually no
noticeable tannins, which is a little surprising. Good.
(5/11/06)
1998 Gaiospino
Fumé, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore,
Az. Agr. Fattoria Coroncino di Lucio Canestrari, 14.5% (Lay
& Wheeler)
Fermented and aged in new oak for 23 months before being bottled
unfiltered. It is a mid, bright yellow gold. Rich,
creamy nose with some spirity nutty notes. Very full palate:
very rich and powerful, almost too much so. Very deep and
concentrated flavours. Utterly enormous finish, followed by
immense length. Very Good. 87/100
(5/11/06)
1979
Château Léoville Las Cases, AC St. Julien, Bordeaux,
alcohol content not shown
Remarkably deep colour, showing very little of its 27 years of age.
Rather closed nose, feeling rather underdeveloped, and it didn't really
open much at all over the 2 hours of lunch. Though, predictably, the
last sip was the best! Really quite good on the palate. On first
tasting it, it did feel a bit thin, as you might expect, but it did
improve with being open and with food. There was a sort of feeling that
the wine was holding something back, if you see what I mean. But it has
a nice mature claret feel to it, with some sweet black fruit eventually
coming through on the palate. Pretty good length, as well. Surprisingly
good.
(4/11/06 at The
Freemasons' Arms, Wiswell)
1997 Santenay La
Comme Dessus, Domaine Amiot Guy et Fils, 13.5% (Bibendum)
A pale, mature garnet colour: nice and clear but it doesn't half look
old! There is sweet, slightly high toned red fruit n the nose
- strawberries, cherries and touch of rose scent. Light and
fresh on the palate, again with some high toned notes, but on the
palate the high high tones just push the fruit to the side a
bit. Possibly a bit dried out? Still fine and
elegant though. As I've got some more of this, I'm hoping
this is a below par bottle. Good. 84/100
It was no better when finished the next day: still too high toned and
lacking character.
(3/11/06)
2001 Domaine du
Garinet, Fûts de Chêne, AC Cahors, 13%
(french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A deep, very young ruby colour. The nose is concentrated and
powerful with blackberry fruit, leather and some brett.
Pretty concentrated attack with some very direct fruit. This
has a really nice structure with some fairly grippy tannins and a nice
chocolatey richness on the palate with some pruney fruit and a certain
freshness on the finish. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
(1/11/06)
1994 Forster
Jesuitengarten Riesling Beerenauslese, Pfalz, Weingut Reichsrat Von Buhl,
AP Nr. 5 106 044 32 95, 8.5%
A very mouldy cork. In the glass, this has a deep orange
caramel colour - a bit suspiciously dark a colour. Very rich,
sweet nose with some barley sugar, but really quite slight.
There's lots of acidity immediately evident on the palate. It
has a luscious, rich silkiness in the mouth. There's huge
balance with the sweetness just coming slightly to the fore on the
finish when the acidity recedes. Very long and with huge
freshness after. Very Good Indeed/Excellent.
(30/10/06)
2003 Riesling Brut,
Flaschengärung, handgerüttelt, Deutscher Sekt, Mosel,
Weingut Kurt Hain , no AP number, 12.5%
An attractive pinky mid-straw appearance, with a good fine bubble
stream. Peach biscuits on the nose. Full
and round on the palate with a nice ripe peach fruit character.
Very
Good. 87/100
(26/10/06)
1997 Late Bottled
Vintage Port, Unfiltered, Quinta do Noval, 19.5%
A very deep, very dark ruby appearance with just the merest hint of
youth. Deep and full nose with loads of blackberry and
chocolate to the fore. There are some lovely pure
flavours on the palate, which is sweet, rich and rounded with deep
chocolatey, plummy fruit, and with a very velvety, caressing
texture. Soft tannins gain a bit of grip on the finish, where
there's just a touch of spirit initially, but that's blown off after
five minutes in the glass. Very Good Indeed (+)
(25/10/06)
1999 Tokay Pinot
Gris, Selection de Grains Nobles, AC Alsace, Fleith , 500ml,
13%
Pale gold appearance. Fragrant, gently
spicy, gently honeyed nose with a strong minerality behind.
Very precise, focussed
attack with very clear fruit flavours. Absolutely
superb balance. Not terribly complex, but it’s
absolutely spot on. 95/100
(23/10/06)
2002 Amarone della
Valpolicella
Classico BG, Italy, Tommaso Bussola, 16%
Looks more mature than it should. Black cherry, perfumed violets and a
bit of chocolate on nose. Quite restrained and elegant on palate with
really good structure. A very impressive amarone indeed. 95/100
(21/10/06)
1998 Tokaji
Aszú
6 Puttonyos,
Hungary, István
Szepsy,
11.5% 50cl
Lovely fresh mamalade nose. Rich and full. Utterly delicious. It has a
lovely acidity on the finish and after, which gives it life and
vivacity. 94/100
(21/10/06)
1992
Mußbacher
Eselshaut Riesling Auslese
Pfalz, Müller-Catoir, 11.5% AP 5 174 079 21 93
Very delicate, hugely attractive, very focussed nose with some peaches
and apricots. Gorgeous palate with lots of lovely peachy fruit. 93/100
(21/10/06)
1975
Château Montrose,
AC St. Estèphe, Bordeaux
Somewhat high toned on the nose and quite meaty. Quite precise and
proper on the palate. There are lots of nicely integrated tannins but
with decent fruit still. It has a nice elegance on attack, but is a
touch hollow towards finish. Very firm blackberry fruit flavours
accompany tannins on the finish. 92/100
(21/10/06)
1999 Meursault En La
Barre, François Jobard,
13%
Slightly smoky beurre noisette nose with some talcy minerality and some
passion fruit. Lovely palate. Really precise with nice depth. Very
pure. Nicely austere on finish.
Interestingly, did not go well with onion
tart.
92/100
(21/10/06)
2000 Huët
Vouvray Pétillant 12%
Dry nose with some citrus. Crisp attack. Really quite classy.
There was no diaresis over the e in Huet anywhere on the
label. 91/100
(21/10/06)
1979
Château Climens,
AC Barsac, alcohol content not shown
This has a somewhat muted nose with a light grapey botrytis character
and a slight tobacco hint. Quite light initially but very full on
finish. Perhaps lacks depth, but very well balanced. Nice
elegance. 90/100
(21/10/06)
1989 Madame
François Colin
Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Demoiselles, 13.5%
very deep colour. Deep, fairly sweet more - very rich. Rich full
palate, but not dominating. Just a touch three maybe. 89/100
(21/10/06)
1997 Quinta dos
Roques Touriga Nacional Dão, Portugal, 12.5%
Lovely deep black fruit on nose - very ripe fruit - blackberries with a
touch of leather. Rise palate - very smooth and velvety but with a racy
acidity. 89/100
(21/10/06)
1996 Bodegas Roda
Rioja Roda II Reserva, 14%
This has a rich full nose with minty black fruit. Quite spicy
especially on the finish. Immediately I think of Australia but it
isn't. A syrah-cabernet blend maybe?
There's a slightly rubbery quality, so I guess South Africa as the
character seems too match. I don't think I'd have ended up in Spain,
less so Rioja, until many more options had been exhausted!
Oddly the back label says 57713 bottles produced, but it also says this
is bottle no 070918. 86/100
(21/10/06)
NV
Warre's 20 Year
Old Tawny Port, 20% (Tesco)
Decanted off a not inconsiderable sediment. This has a
browning orange-strawberry brick red colour. Very
nutty nose with some hints of maderisation and some dried
figs. Smooth and fairly rich attack. This is fairly round and
attractive on the palate with lots of dried fruit flavours.
On first pouring, some spirit on the finish detracted, but after being
open just 30 minutes that was less of a problem and was replaced by
some fairly complex flavours on the finish with some flavours of
raspberries dipped in dark chocolate. Very Good Indeed.
(16/10/06)
2003
Merlot enfin!,
IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti, Pravis, 13.5% (Italian Orchard)
100% merlot from the Grumel vineyard, 400 m above sea level.
Aged for 12 months in small oak botti. 3336 bottles
produced. It has the colour of dark youthful
plumskins. Plummy black fruit with lots of tobacco on the
nose. But there are also some acetic notes that give it a bit
of an off-note. Quite light on the attack. It does
feel a big high toned with light fresh fruit. Very
Musarey. There are very soft grained tannins towards the
finish. Marred by the excessive high tones. Good.
(16/10/06)
2005
San
Thomà, Müller Thurgau, IGT Vigneti Delle Dolomiti,
Pravis, 12.5%, 13320 bottles produced.
Pale to mid gold. Not especially giving on the nose, but on the palate,
this is really very pleasant. It feels like there might be a touch of
oak, which lends it a bit of depth and creaminess. If it's not oaked,
then I've no idea how they've coaxed those characteristics out of M-T.
Very pleasant, light, lunchtime/afternoon wine. Very Good+.
(15/10/06 at The Italian
Orchard, Broughton)
1998
Tokay Pinot
Gris Dorfburg, AC Alsace, Meyer-Fonné, 13.5% (Lay
& Wheeler)
A fairly full golden colour. Rich nose - very rich passion
fruit and mango fruit, with some beurre noisette. Very rich
and full on the palate. This is really powerful stuff:
there's very concentrated tropical fruit on the palate witha fair bit
of sweetness turning almost caramelly. Really, this is a bit
over-blowsy. A Riedel Sommelier Montrachet glass neturalises
some of the sweetness compared to the Vinum chardonnay glass or an
ISO. This is undoubtedly a really good wine and has a real
Vendanges Tardives weight to it, but there's no indication whatsoever
on the label that you might expect this rich weightiness.
Nice stuff, but it's the sort of stuff that can give Alsace a bad
name. Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(14/10/06)
2003
Pinot Noir,
Carneros, Napa Valley, Clos du Val, 14.1% (Byrne's)
From a cooler climate are of the Napa Valley, this is aged for twelve
months in French oak. It has an even ruby appearance with
some youth still showing. There's sweet strawberry fruit on
the nose with a bit of spirits, and with some cherries too.
There's very fragrant, ripe pinot noir fruit on the palate and it's
very attractive, with a nice freshness from a touch of
acidity. It feels very young indeed, however, and a touch
hot. Soft - very soft - tannins round it off. Very
good length. Really, I think, it needs time. Very
Good.
(8/10/06)
2003
Vulcaia
Après Vino Dolce, IGT Veneto Bianco, Inama , 12%,
375ml
(Wine Traders UK)
A medium orange gold. A fairly rich nose with some fresh
marmalade notes. Good fresh palate with a nice light sweet
richness and some lightly caramelised orange flavours. Really
good balance with very precise, clear, clean flavours. Lacks
the opulence and decadence of richer sweet wines. Not at all
cloying and leaves the mouth nicely refreshed. Very Good
Indeed. 91/100
(25/9/06)
1964
Gevrey
Chambertin, Patriarche Père et Fils no alcohol
shown (Straker Chadwick)
Lots of white puffy mould on top of the cork,which doesn’t
augur well, but the cork came out almost complete, just breaking right
at the end. The wine was decanted off the considerable
sediment. It has a lovely even garnet appearance, but is not
at all over-mature looking. Sweet, delicate red fruits on the
nose with some volatility and raw mushrooms. Restrained sweet
fruit on the palate. Quite delicate. Again, a touch
high-toned, and there’s a rather odd hint of cough medicine
on the finish.
After a couple of hours, the volatility was less evident on the
nose. Warm, sweet, raspberry and strawberry fruit.
Just a hint of air-freshener and lime. A light attack with
sweet red fruit. Some light, gentle tannins appear towards
the finish. Quite even throughout. Very long.
Some ten hours later, the nose had faded a bit, but the palate remained
very similar. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
(22/9/06)
1989
Oberemmeler
Karlsberg Riesling Auslese goldcap, Reichsgraf von
Kesselstatt , AP Nr. 3 561 077 103 90, 8% (The Wine Society
26/1/05)
The cork was seeping a bit. A rich gold appearance.
Big, very minerally nose with lots of wax, pollen-honey and some
raisins soaked in sauternes. Quite rich and sweet on the
attack, but feeling nicely mature overall. Very stylish and
elegant with enormous balance. There’s some lively
acidity evident on the finish and after. Nice concentration
too. Very Good Indeed+. 93/100
(22/9/06)
2004
Tormaresca
(Antinori), Neprica, IGT Puglia , 13%
Antinori, best known for their Tuscan wines, including the deservedly
famous Tignanello bought the Azienda Tormaresca in 1998. This
is a blend of 60% negroamaro, 15% primitivo and 25% cabernet
sauvignon. There’s sweet prune and tobacco notes on
the nose along with some undergrowth. Fairly easy, sweet
black fruit on the palate, with good tannins on the finish.
Very good length.
(20/9/06 at Twelve Restaurant, Thornton)
NV
Champagne Deutz
Good fruit and nice balance. Not a bad non-vintage big name
champagne.
(20/9/06 at Twelve Restaurant, Thornton)
1998
Chianti
Classico DOCG, Lucarello Riserva, Az. Borgo Salcetino , 13%
(Edencroft)
Sangiovese-canaiolo blend. A bright clear garnet with no
youth apparent. There is lovely warm cherry and black fruit
on the nose, which is really soft and inviting. Lovely attack
with gorgeous pure flavours. Lots of lovely elegant fruit,
but it’s well balanced by good acidity and tannins.
The tannins come to the fore on the finish. Very Good
Indeed. 91/100
(17/9/06)
2004
Chardonnay
Signatures du Sud , 13.5% ( french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A rich creamy nose with a nice fresh fruit note. Fresh on the
palate initially, though there’s also good body and decent
depth. Quite powerful on the finish. Very Good
Indeed. 91/100
(17/9/06, opened for cooking)
1983
Côte-Rôtie Les Jumelles, Paul Jaboulet
Aîné, no alcohol content shown
Good colour, but starting to fade. Initially the nose was
rather reticent, but about five minutes after decanting it started to
open out: not a great deal of fruit at all, but there was a nice meaty
gaminess. On the palate this was still fine and lovely drinking, but
evidently showing its age without being at all dried out. Good balance,
still fruit lingering, and very soft overall. Elegant drinking, but I
had expected more. Very Good+.
(16/9/06 at The
Freemasons' Arms, Wiswell)
2004
Syrah
Nobles Vignes, Vin de Pays d’Oc, Vanel , 12.5% ( french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A young, deep purpley ruby. Black fruits, undergrowth and
hedgerows on the nose. Lovely round, open fruity
attack. A bit hollow on the middle and there’s a
bit of acidity that hardens it. But it finishes well with
notable length. Simple, but Very Good+. 88/100
(13/9/06)
2004
Merlot Nobles
Vignes, Vin de Pays d’Oc, Vanel , 12.5% ( french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A youthful bright ruby.. Rather slight nose with hot plummy
fruit. Very fruity palate: smooth and round with really juicy
young fruit. Simple and very pleasant. A very good
simple wine. Very Good Indeed. 90/100
(11/9/06)
NV
Vino Aromatizado,
Masia Barril , 15% (Everywine)
Obtenido con la mezcla de vino tinto semiseco y vino blanco viejo sin
adicion de alcohol. Aromatizado con hierbas procedentes del
jardin botanico en torno de la Masia. The herbs, in
alphabetical order, by their Spanish names are: ajenjo moruno, angelica
arcangelis, cantueso, cardo santo, hierba luisa, marrubio, melisa,
mento poleo, romero, salvia española and tomillo.
The base wine has two-thirds white wine (3 years old) and one third
rancio red wine.
The wine’s appearance is close to a 20 year tawny
port. The nose too is quite port-like, just a bit lifted by
some volatility, or is it the herbs? An interesting palate,
like a mild vermouth, but rather nice. This seems one of the
better bottles of this, unless it’s just the extra bottle age
that has benefited it. This is really very drinkable, if
still a bit odd – but much less odd than bottles in previous
years have been. It seems to have integrated more.
Very interesting and Very Good Indeed. 92/100
A second bottle was very similar, but had much more marked herby notes
on the palate.
(10/9/06)
2004
Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes, Bernard Morey & Fils,
13.5%, 375ml
Fairly pale gold. Elegant, quite rich nose with minerally citrus and
soy. Good freshness on the palate balanced by very good weight
& balance. Very long. Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(9/9/06 at The
Freemasons' Arms, Wiswell)
2001
Château Siaurac, AC Lalande de Pomerol, SCE Baronne Guichard ,
13.5% (Majestic)
An even ruby colour with no youth. The nose has black fruit
and tobacco. Nice, round and open on the palate –
quite warm. Very good balance. Soft-grained tannins
appear towards the finish. Very Good+. 88/100
(7/9/06)
2005
Zonte’s Footstep Shiraz Viognier, Langhorne Creek, Australia,
Zonte’s Footstep Pty Ltd , 14.5%, Stelvin
(Sainsbury)
93% Shiraz; 7% Viognier. A deep, young purple with a very
heavy appearance and quite glass-coating. The nose is very
hot and a blend of sweet blackberry jam and cough medicine –
really quite unattractive. Initially very similar to the nose
on the palate, but it improves a bit with exposure to air. On
the palate, there is sweet, very sweet blackberry fruit and alcohol
– lots of spirity alcohol, which dominates rather.
Grainy tannins after. This is just hot and overblown and
ultimately really quite simple and lacking in any charm
whatsoever. Good. 81/100
(2/9/06)
2003
El Filo, IGT
Vigneti delle Dolomiti Rosso, Az. Agr. Pravis , 13%
From the less well-known gropello grape; a mere 2496 bottles were
produced in 2003.
This has a youngish deep ruby appearance. The nose is rather
muted and very integrated with warm woody spices – cinammon
and a bit of cloves, along with some pruney blackberry fruit.
Very interesting on the palate: fresh and fairly light chewy and
raspberry fruit. There are lightish tannins which really grip
on the finish. A very interesting wine. Very Good
Indeed+. 93/100
(2/9/06 at The Italian
Orchard, Broughton)
2005
Special Late
Harvest Gewürztraminer, W.O. Robertson, Van Loveren ,
11%
(Woffenden Wines)
Pale straw with a slightly pinky gold tinge. Fairly simple,
very straightforward sweet gewurztraminer nose: creamy, rich with a
spicy perfume, but no rose petals to speak of. Sweetish,
fairly delicate palate. Very even, with good
balance. This seems very much in its own style and completely
lacks the weight of Alsace. Very Good+. 87/100
(1/9/06)
1974
Colheita Old
Tawny Port, Quinta do Noval, Bottled in 2002 , L2332, 20.5%
(ex cave)
A pale orangey tawny with an almost teak core. Dry, very
nutty nose with lots of citrus, sultanas and prunes. This
seems older than I’d expected and clearly shows some
development in the bottle since the last bottle of this that I
tasted. Nice and open, and just a bit sweet on the
palate. Lots of complex dried fruit flavours.
Initially it feels a touch hot, but that seems largely to blow
off. Actually, this has a really lovely balance and a nice
elegance to back up the sweetness and alcohol, which remains very
smooth. This is very fine and elegant and a lovely
drop. Maybe just a touch high toned. Very Good
Indeed/Excellent. 94/100
(29/8/06)
2000
Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée Albéric Bouvet, Gilles
Robin , 13% (The Wine Society)
A bright, even ruby with just the merest hint of youth. Very
rich, powerful nose with very solid, sweet cherry and blackberry fruit
and new leather. Very big attack. Very ripe and
very full with apparently a touch of brett that wasn’t
evident on the nose. This is powerful stuff, but has a good
structure that falls away towards the finish to reveal some lovely
elegance and fragrant, floral fruit. Soft grained tannins
appear on the finish. Very elegant after, with superb
length. This could really do with a few more years
yet. Very Good Indeed+. 91/100
(27/8/06)
2003
Vacqueyras Les Christins, Perrin & Fils , 14.5%
(Costco)
An attractive colour: very dark black plum skins with just a hint of
youth at the rim. Enormous nose – utterly
massive. Sweet blackberry fruit with a hint of quince and
some velvety suede/leather. Sweet, rich and powerful
attack. Very big, very ripe fruit. Huge structure
with lots of tannin on the finish. Very young and very
hot. Seems to need three to four years to integrate properly
yet. Very Good/Very Good Indeed. 88/100
(21/8/06)
2004
Pinot
Blanc, Fleith , 13% ( french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A very pale straw with a greenish tinge. The nose is very
rich with butter, straw and fresh-mown grass, along with some mineral
perfumes. Rich and very pure attack. Fills
enormously and there’s huge depth and character on the palate
with massive richness. Behind all the richness there is some
fresh melony greengage fruit and some nutmeg/cinammon woody
spice. A very interesting wine indeed.
Excellent. 95/100
(18/8/06)
2001
Domaine
du Garinet Réserve, AC Cahors , 13% ( french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A youthful, purplish ruby. Lively, youthful, zingy blackberry
nose with floral violets. Very soft and mouthfilling with
lots of giving fruit. But then you find some really good
character with a nice fresh, plummy chocolate note. Very Good
Indeed. 90/100
(16/8/06)
2002
Château La Colombière Tradition, AC
Côtes du Frontonnais , 12.5% ( french-regional-wines.co.uk)
An even deep garnet with no youth. Dusty, cedary nose with
fresh leather and ashtrays and some rather lean black fruit.
Very attractive attack. Very open and inviting with lovely
fruit and excellent balance. Loads of good character, and it
has an interesting freshness. Very good length.
Very Good Indeed. 89/100
(14/8/06)
1994
Chapoutier Hermitage Monier de la Sizeranne , 13%
A meaty, gamey nose. The palate is savoury and
delicious. Mature and rounded notes. Superb
balance. Goes down very easily! Very Good
Indeed(+). 92/100
(12/8/06 at Nutter’s, Cheesden)
2004
Cabernet
Sauvignon Nobles Vignes, Vin de Pays d’Oc, Vanel ,
12.5% ( french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A bright ruby with some youthful purple at the edge. The nose
is rather unimpressive: there are some hedgerow fruits, but overall
it’s very, very simple. On the palate,
there’s lots of pleasing juicy fruit. Very simple,
but not without attraction. Soft, grainy tannins dominate the
finish. Good. 82/100
(11/8/06)
2005
Viognier
Nobles Vignes, Vin de Pays d’Oc, Vanel , 12.5% ( french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A pale straw gold colour. Sweet, nutty, creamy nose with
marzipan, but also with some furniture polish and used cooking
oil. Fairly rich and full, but unfortunately rather
unsatisfying, simple, and a bit plasticky and industrial.
Competent and drinkable, but unsatisfying. OK/Good.
80/100
(9/8/06)
2005 Ugni
Blanc –Colombard, Domaine de Millet, Vin de Pays des
Côtes de Gascogne , 11.5% ( french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A palish straw colour. There are marked herbaceous notes on
the nose with notes of hay and raw mushroom. Open and round
on the palate. Refreshing and easy, but really wide and
expansive with some rather interesting flavours. Very clean
on the finish with good length and really quite decent
complexity. Very Good Indeed. 90/100
(7/8/06)
1993
La Jota Vineyard Co., Howell Mountain
Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, 14%
As soon as the decanter was brought to the table, the air was filled
with a powerful, perfumed Ribena, sweet blackcurrant scent.
Unfortunately the glasses were recently washed and must have had a bit
of detergent lingering, as in the glass the nose was much more muted at
first, but once the wine had washed out the glasses, the same sweet
Ribena was there in spades. On the palate, this tasted pretty much
à point, without having started to descend into full-blown
old wine status: the edges of youth had gone, leaving a beautifully
smooth elegant, very pure cab in the mouth. A very nice drink and,
despite its 14% alcohol, nice and elegant. Very Good Indeed.
(5/8/06 at The
Freemasons' Arms, Wiswell)
2005
Chardonnay Nobles Vignes Vin de Pays d’Oc, Vanel ,
12.5% ( french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A pale-medium lemon gold. Good, crisp chardonnay
nose. Sweet, lightly perfumed melony nose with some
apple/pear notes and a hint of lavender. Quite big on the
attack, and it has an immediate feel of sweetness – is this
chaptalised? Big and round on the palate. Very
simple. A decent wine, but a bit dull and
uninteresting. Good. 82/100
(4/8/06)
1999
Original Vineyard Pinot Noir, Bindi,
Macedon Ranges, Victoria, Australia
A very fragrant nose with touches of new carpet. Nice, gentle
soft red fruit on the palate. Gentle tannins on the finish. This is a
nice and easy pinot noir, but overall it seems a bit flat with no peaks
or troughs of interest. Very Good+.
(29/7/06)
2004
La
Pierre Blanche, AC Jurançon Sec, Domaine Bellegarde ,
13.5% ( french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A pale, slightly greenish gold. Fragrant nose with peachy,
melony fruit and some herbaceousness. There’s rich,
creamy fruit on the palate with a nice structure. Really
quite full with very interesting flavours. Very good
balance. Very big on the finish with utterly huge
length. Very Good Indeed+. 93/100
(24/7/06)
2004
Afros
Tinto Vinhão Vinho Verde, Casal do Paço Padreiro ,
12%
Very, very deep black, blackberry dark purple with very young purple at
the rim. A deep, very powerful nose with strong blackberry
fruit, lots of chocolate, some tar with a nice elegant
perfume. A bit of a fruit juice zing on the attack.
Extremely fruity palate, with plenty of acidity. A very
unusual flavour – definitely very fruit juice
juiciness. A bit of a sweet balsamic flavour. Very,
very gentle tannins on the finish give a bit of structure.
Very interesting flavours – unusual, verging on the
odd. Very long. Very Good. 87/100
(21/7/06)
2003
l'Òra, Az. Agr. Pravis,
IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti Bianco, 14.5%
From the nosiola grape. The grapes are lightly appasito on
graticci before being vinified in acacia wood barrels. The
name comes from l'Òra (Aura in Latin), the name of the wind
that blows from Lake Garda.
A bright, deepish gold. Sweet nose with some raisings and
some furniture polish: like old polished wooden furniture.
Rich and full on the palate. A very unusual flavour,
presumably largely from the grape, which is previously unknown to
me. The wine carries its high alcohol well. Very
smooth, very rich, very dry. Very Good Indeed.
(22/7/06 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2002
Palliser Pinot Noir
Tamarillo (according to CP, though I've no idea what that smells like)
and roast beetroot nose. Great palate very elegant.
(15/7/06 at Providores, London)
2001
Fleurs d'Automne Condrieu, Domaine
Pierre Gaillard
Delicate fresh nose, not at all identifiable as viognier. Rather nice.
Lovely sweetness, but very restrained and quite elegant.
(15/7/06)
1996
Tokay Pinot Gris Vendanges Tardives
Domaine Weinbach (from a half)
Deep gold with bronzey hints. Bit oxidised on the nose with little in
the way of pinot gris fruit. A touch dried out, with an oxidised feel
on the palate. Pleasant drink, but in this state unexceptional.
(15/7/06)
2001
Château de Saurs Réserve Eliézer, AC
Gaillac , 13.5% ( french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A blend of merlot, brancol, syrah and duras from vineyards on the right
bank of the Tarn. A deep, even plummy ruby colour.
Ripe red fruit with mulberries on the nose: very deep, rich, ripe
fruit. Ripe, very balanced palate with a background of soft
sandy tannins. Very full, very concentrated fruit with bitter
chocolate notes on the finish. Very Good/Very Good
Indeed. 89/100
(12/7/06)
2004
Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec, Domaine du Crampilh, SCEA Oulié
Père et Fils , 12.5% ( french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A yellow-straw colour. Zesty nose with lots of grapefruit
skin alongside some round melony fruit. Fresh
attack. Nice and round and open on the palate with good
fruit. Very round, inviting and attractive. Lovely
finish with some depth. Very Good Indeed. 90/100
(10/7/06)
2005
Syrah
Rosé Nobles Vignes, Vin de Pays d’Oc, Vanel ,
12.5%,
plastic cork ( french-regional-wines.co.uk)
There’s very attractive strawberry fruit on the
nose. Light, fresh and fruity palate, with a touch of
residual sugar on the finish. Simple and fun. Good
length with really quite interesting fruit flavours. Long
after, with strawberries, orange and cherries. Very
Good. 86/100. (Very Good Indeed at the price.)
(3/7/06)
2005
Sélection Le Lutin, AC Côteaux du Tricastin, Les
Vignerons de SCV La Suzienne , 12.5% ( french-regional-wines.co.uk)
Plastic cork. A blend of viognier and grenache
blanc. Pale-mid straw. Fresh crisp nose.
Fresh, relatively crisp and very open on the palate. Served
blind, I’d be guessing this was from the Loire.
Good/Very Good. 85/100
(28/6/06)
2005
Chateau de
Saurs, AC Gaillac , 12% ( french-regional-wines.co.uk)
Plastic cork. Mid straw colour. Very fragrant,
floral nose with hints of grass and asparagus. Fresh, very
elegant melony and gooseberry fruit on the palate. Lots of
character. A very pleasant drink. Very Good
Indeed. 91/100
(26/6/06)
2001
Domaine du
Pech, AC Buzet, Magali
Tissot & Ludovic Bonnelle artisans vignerons, 13% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
Low yields (25-30 hl/ha). Two years' ageing in oak foudres (50% new).
Bottles unfined and unfiltered. According to the back label, this
should be decanted and is "un hymne à la nature"!
A mature mid garnet colour. Fantastic nose with blackberry and violets
with some plummy fruit too. Elegant ripe fruit on the palate. This
really has lots of character and is a very attractive wine indeed.
Soft, grainy tannins on the finish provide a good structure. Very Good
Indeed. 91/100
(25/6/06)
2003
Pinot Bianco, Vino Bianco degli
Ulivi, Az. Agr. Aldo Polencic, DOC Collio, 14%
A deepish gold. Ripe, buttery fruit on the nose, with a whiff of oak:
quite sweet-grapefruit on the nose. Round and full on the palate.
Really quite complex and multilayered. Very fine finish with huge
elegance taking over from the earlier power. Very Good Indeed +
(24/6/06 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2003
Domaine du Crampilh, AC Pacherenc du
Vic Bilh, SCEA Oulié Père et Fils,
13.5%, 50cl,
A bright mid gold with the merest hint of green. The nose is redolent
with pear and apricot jam with almonds. Very fresh, almost melony
sweetness on the palate. Well balanced if you like it fresher and not
too sweet, as there's plenty of fresh acidity on the palate. With the
acidity, this is more off-dry rather than sweet. Lovely sweet pear and
apricot flavours linger for ages after. Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(23/6/06)
1999
Domaine Gauby La Jasse, Vin de Pays
des Côtes Catalanes, 14% (The Wine Society)
Corked
(23/6/06)
2001
Domaine du Garinet Classique, AC
Cahors, 13% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A young deep purple colour. There is stinky leather on the nose with
lots of black and red berry fruit. A touch high toned on the nose.
Ripe, rather simple black fruit on the palate with a big tannic
structure. Just a bit out of balance: the fruit is just a bit too fresh
to balance the tannins fully. Fresh, slightly high toned acidity on the
finish. Good/Very Good. 83/100
This was much improved the next day, when it was rounder and much more
open with better fruit and much better balance.
(20/6/06)
2002
Chateau La Rayre, Premier Vin, AC
Bergerac, 13% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A very deep, dark inky purple. The nose is ripe, cedary and heavily
laden with tobacco, and with lots of sweet black fruit. Ripe, very
fruity attack. Big and round with very good character. Just a touch of
hot alcohol on the finish. A very big, ripe wine. Very Good Indeed.
There was significant sediment in the bottle, so I'd recommend this be
decanted.
This was beautiful with Mrs Kirkham's tasty Lancashire, served with Sue
Forrester's Buttermilk Slice (a fruit loaf made with flour, butter,
lots of sultanas, sugar, nutmeg and buttermilk)
(19/6/06)
2004
Waitrose Valpolicella DOC, G.
Campagnola, 11.5% (Waitrose)
A light, bright, clear raspberry red with a touch of youth. Weedy
cherry fruit on the nose with some warm woody spice. Ripe and very
fruity attack. Fresh and clean on the palate. Really quite simple and
bit too hot on the finish. Very Good.
(13/6/06)
2003
CT, Les Vignerons de La Suzienne, AC
Coteaux du Tricastin, 13% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
An even, lightish garnet with a youthful rim. Big, very fresh
nose full of hedgerow fruits and a hint of amaretto and peach
stones. Ripe and very open on the palate. This
shows a lovely restraint, with soft tannins on the finish.
Very Good Indeed.
(11/6/06)
2002
Pinot Nero Madruzzo, Pravis, IGT
Vigneti delle Dolomiti, 13% abv
6648 bottles produced in 2002 says the back label. Perfumed, minerally,
violets and soft red fruits on the nose. Ripe, fruity and full making a
very satisfying palate. Totally different to most other pinot noirs,
and with a real sense of place. It's soft and fruity with slight
medicinal hints, but underlain with the pinot noir delicate character.
Excellent length. Very Good Indeed.
(9/6/06 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2000
Côte-Rôtie, Robert Niero
With dinner at Hipping Hall near Kirkby Lonsdale, so no
proper note. This was a really classy wine in superb nick with the
elegance to match the excellent food. Very Good Indeed+
(7/6/06 at Hipping Hall)
1999
Morey St.
Denis, Domaine des Lambrays,
13.5%
From a half bottle. Fairly youthful raspberry red appearance. Soft red
fruits on the nose with a touch of volatile acidity, which follows
through onto the palate. Elegant ripe fruit with a bit of woody spice
on the finish. Very Good +.
(3/6/06 at The
Freemasons' Arms, Wiswell)
1999
Riesling
Altenberg de Bergheim Grand Cru, Gustave Lorentz
A fairly closed, mature riesling nose. Rich,
oily palate, with a very mature feel. Good
acidity, and it’s bone dry. Very
Good Indeed+. 93/100
(16/5/06 at Le Gavroche, London)
2005
Viognier,
Mendocino County, California, Bonterra (RRP
£9.99)
Very perfumed nose with musky notes. Nice and fresh and
clean. It has a really rather interesting fruit character and
a pleasant sweetness cum richness. Very Good
Indeed. 90/100
(16/5/06)
2005
Amayna
Sauvignon Blanc, Leyda Valley, Chile, Viña Garces Silva
(RRP
£13.49)
A very full sauvignon blanc nose that’s a touch on the hard
side. Full palate: quite spicy. Very good
length. An interesting sauvignon blanc that makes a nice
change from the classic New Zealand and French styles.
Good/Very Good. 85/100
(16/5/06)
2000
Tokaji
Cuvée Llona, István Szepsy
Wow! The nose is like an apricot fruit salad. This better
than dessert. Deep, complex and delicious. This is like drinking a
grilled apricot tart with honey cream. Excellent.
(15/5/06 at Pied à Terre, London)
2002
Grüner Veltliner Ried Grub,
Schloss Gobelsburg, 13.5%
A very inviting nose - full and rich. Very deep and complex. Excellent
(15/5/06 at Pied à Terre, London)
NV
Carluccio's Vin Santo, Vino Bianco da
Tavola, 15%, 375ml (Carluccio's)
This was included with a panettone that I was given for Christmas a
couple of years previously. It's a caramel gold.
Sweet, sugary nose with some banana and mango notes, though with very
little fruit overall. A sweet attack, but with fairly high
acidity. It has a slightly oxidised feel. This has
nothing at all to recommend it and is all but undrinkable. A
cheap, nasty industrial vin santo. Yuk.
(10/5/06)
2002
Nivole Moscato d'Asti DOCG, Michele
Chiarlo, 5.5%, 375ml (Booths)
Mid straw. Soft, sweet, zesty, grapey, floral-scented
nose. Initially quite delicate in the mouth, but it quickly
develops a very-ripe-nectarine flavour. Though, while it does
have a sweetness, the wine doesn't quite match a very ripe nectarine
for sweetness. Very Good Indeed.
(10/5/06)
1995
Château Beaumont, Cru
Bourgeois, AC Haut-Médoc, 12.5% (magnum: 1500ml),
(Bibendum)
A rather nice colour - a slowly maturing garnet. Loads of
leather and tobacco on the nose, with tar, sweet black fruit and
crème de mûre in the background. Open
and very attractive attack. Quite big and full on the palate
with dense black fruit and a softening, yet still firm tannic
structure. Dense and complex, but with a hint of spirit on
the finish. Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(7/5/06)
2001
Riesling QbA, Forstmeister Geltz
Zilliken, AP Nr. 3 551 083 8 02 (Lay & Wheeler)
A very, very perfumed, rather soapy apple/crab apple and blossom nose.
Fragrant, slightly confected palate. A touch sweet.
Absolutely fine, though hardly earth shattering. A good
Gutsriesling. Very Good.
(6/5/06)
1964
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grande
Cuvée, A. Ogier & Fils, 13.5% (Straker
Chadwick auction)
After the last bottle was completely dead, I really only
opened this to save the bottle taking up space, expecting to pour it
down the sink. Unfortunately the cork snapped in two and the bottom
half was welded solidly to the bottle, meaning the only option was to
repeatedly bore through it until there was a big enough hole to pour
the wine through. So this was decanted, though not left to rest after
decanting. A very mature, very pale ruby with fairly significant
bricking. Very high-toned on the nose with lots of citrus notes and
secondary fruit. Though there actually is a vestige of sweet black
fruit there too. Light, very mature palate. Still with some fruit, if
largely rather secondary. A certain sandiness at the edge of the mouth
presumably represents the last vestige of the wine's tannins. Well,
this is a nice surprise: this bottle isn't dead, and is even really
quite pleasant. I don't know that my first thought would be
Châteauneuf, or even any part of the Rhône if
tasting it blind. But then it's clearly not old claret, and it's
clearly not old Burgundy, and it doesn't seem to be like old sangiovese
or nebbiolo, so maybe I would end up heading off to the south of
France. A lovely old wine that (just about) held up to the mutton and
Dent Brewery ale pie served with it.
(3/5/06)
1999
Eitelsbacher
Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spätlese Trocken,
Karthäuserhof, 12% AP Nr. 3 561 303 14
01 (French
& Logan)
A minerally, sweet fruit nose with a creamy edge.
Very clean attack. Quite powerful. This has a
ripeness to it, but is really very dry. Very pure, with very
clean flavours. Very Good+.
(1/5/06)
2001
Tullio Zamò, Le Vigne di
Zamò , DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli, 14%
This is a 100% pinot bianco from Zamò, the Friulian winery
with the Ridge-look-alike labels. According to Zamo's website, the
grapes are hand picked and cold-macerated before fermentation in new
barriques, followed by 10 months on its lees in barrique.
Quite a rich gold colour. A big, round, expressive, creamy nose,
initially with lots of banana, though the banana mostly blows off after
a few moments, leaving rich, buttery tropical fruit aromas. Very full
flavoured. Very rich. Huge concentration and massive length. A big
wine, possibly to my tastes a bit overblown. Slips down a treat though.
Very Good Indeed.
(17/4/06 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2000
Sauvignon Riserva non filtrato, Il
Carpino, DOC Collio, 14%
The Azienda Agricola Il Carpino in Borgo del Carpino, a short distance
from Gorizia, has about 15 hectares of vineyards between Oslavia and
San Floriano del Collio, on the border with Slovenia.
This sauvignon has had a touch of the Gravner treatment, being
subjected to long maceration in large Slavonian oak barrels. Fermented
in French oak, followed by a further 12 months' ageing in oak.
A lovely pale gold. On the first sniff, it's really rather impressive
immediately: crisp and fresh, not at all oaky, with some sweet
grapefruit aromas and a certain green freshness. This bears as much
relation to Marlorough Sauvignon Blanc as ... errr ... well as a thing
which has virtually nothing in common with Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.
On the palate, it's really lovely. Rich, clean and very deeply
flavoured. Difficult to pin down any particular flavours, though
there's virtually no evident oak masking anything. Deep, textured, very
serious and just a really superb, extremely well-balanced wine. Very
persistent length. One of the best sauvignons I think I've ever had.
Excellent.
Very good drinking on its own and it also went beautifully with some
mixed meats (San Daniele, speck, bresaola, some slowfood (I think,
certainly artisinal) pork bresaola from Piedmont that had been cured in
Barolo, and that the restaurant had been "affining" for several months,
etc.); with some fabulous, very meaty, smoked tuna (looking to all
intents and purposes like a very lean bresaola) as antipasti; and then
equally well with some ham and mushroom tortelloni (probably bought in,
I guess) in a nice light cream sauce with more ham and mushroom.
(17/4/06 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2000
Vigneti di Foscarino, Azienda
Agricola Inama, DOC Soave Classico Superiore, 13.5%
From pergola trained garganega vines, 20-30 years old, on a 10 ha plot
on the Monte Foscarino, picked late when fully ripe. The grapes are
destemmed and crushed followed by 4-8 hours maceration. After pressing,
the must is left for two to three days at around 5°C before
alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in barriques (some new, some
old).
A glorious deepish gold colour. The nose is sweetish, waxy and buttery
with a herbaceous edge. This is very big on the palate, with rich
citrussy flavours and a nice acidity, together with some good oak. Very
well balanced. An interesting and complex wine. Very Good
Indeed/Excellent.
(15/4/06 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2003
Peter Howland Individual Vineyard
Chardonnay, Maxwell Vineyard, Hunter Valley, New South Wales,
14.5% (Establishment Boutique Wines)
A mid straw colour. Lovely, elegant nose with lots of melony
tropical fruit, nicely knitted together with a good use of
oak. Big and open on the palate. There are some
big, concentrated, powerful tropical flavours, with hints of melon,
pineapple and banana, together with a bit of caramel on the
finish. Very concentrated and with huge length.
Very impressive. Very Good Indeed +.
(16/4/06)
1996
Mas de Bicary
AC Gaillac,
12.5% ( (DeVigne
Wines)
A pale, very pale, very mature garnet. Sweet, high-toned nose
with some strawberry and cherry fruit. Light and fragrant on
the palate. Fully mature, to the point of needing drinking up
quickly. Light and very even, with only the merest hint of
tannin. I suppose it really lacks structure. But
it's very pleasant! Very Good+
(14/4/06)
2004
Château Laval, AC Costières de Nîmes,
13% (Booths)
From an 83 hectare estate, this is a blend of syrah, grenache and
cinsault. An even, very clear garnet colour with just a hint
of youth at the rim. Rather dull, hedgerow nose.
Decent, fresh, fruity palate with good structure and soft grained
tannins towards the finish. Not at all overdone, and I'd
actually guess at a cooler climate than Nîmes if given this
blind. Good balance. Perhaps a bit green on the
finish. Very Good.
(11/4/06)
2000
Ronco delle Acacie DOC Colli Orientali del
Friuli, Le Vigne di Zamò,
14%
A blend of chardonnay, tocai friulano and pinot bianco. Deep
gold colour. Smoky, rich, tropical nose. Nice use
of oak. Nice minerality. Round and full, with
lovely balance. Very well done. Very Good Indeed.
(10/4/06 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2000
Il Fusco, La
Roncaia, IGT delle Venezie, 13.9%
A blend of 30% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Franc, 10% Refosco and 10%
Tazzelenghe. A remarkably high-toned nose with lots of citrus
and a real meaty bolognesy scent. Ripe and very fruity
flavours in the mouth. A touch high toned on the palate, but
it's very very slight. Light and very elegant, with a nice
spicy feel on the finish. Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(10/4/06 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
1995
Amarone della
Valpolicella Classico, Lorenzo Begali, 15%
(Served blind, again from a bottle that had been open a couple of days
to confuse me!) Minted hedgerow fruit on the nose, and just a
touch hot. Precise, fairly elegant fruit. Quite
warm, with a big tannic structure. Possibly a Bordeaux blend,
maybe with some sangiovese thrown in? Very Good+.
I'd never have guessed this was Amarone.
(8/4/06 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2001
Tigiolo, Lorenzo Begali, Rosso
Veronese IGT, 14%
Served from a magnum that had been open - and largely drunk - for
around 5 or 6 days. It doesn't keep that long,
unfortunately! Really rather dead.
(8/4/06 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2003
Vigneti Sant'
Helena Refosco del
Pedunculo Rosso, Vigneti Fantinel, DOC Friuli-Grave, 13%
A big, minerally nose with blackberry and mint. Ripe, yet
very elegant fruit. A touch simple perhaps, but very
attractive with good interesting flavours. Very Good+
(8/4/06 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
1999
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico,
Brigaldara, 16.5%
(served blind) Lots of orangey volatile acidity on the nose,
along with syrup of figs and tobacco. Big, full and fruity on
the palate, and quite portlike. Presumably Amarone, and not
especially young. Fooled a bit by this having been open a
couple of days. Very Good+
(8/4/06 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2002
Cabernet Franc,
Masùt da Rive, DOC Isonzo del Friuli, 13%
A fresh, vibrant nose with herbs, fresh hay, blueberries and quite
minerally after. Remarkably complex palate with real depth:
there is ripe fruit initially, then complex, layered sweet and sour
flavours knitted together with a soft tannic structure. Very
Good Indeed.
(8/4/06 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2004
Château Rousseau de Sipian
Rosé, AC Bordeaux Rosé, 13% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A deepish pink with a slight coppery hue. The nose is
redolent of those little strawberries-and-cream sweets. Very
open on the palate, this has a touch of sweetness/richness that makes
it easy going, but there's quite a bit of body, so that this is by no
means a frippery. Will go well with many foods, including red
meat. Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(3/4/06)
2001
Gevrey-Chambertin, Drouhin-Laroze
From a half. Perfectly decent stuff. It seemed a bit young
and in quite a forward fruity style. Not especially identifiable as a
Gevrey. Good/Very Good.
(1/4/06 at The
French Restaurant, Midland Hotel, Manchester)
NV
Canard-Duchene Champagne Brut
From a half. Nice and crisp with a hint of apples. Worked
well with the food. Very Good+
(1/4/06 at The
French Restaurant, Midland Hotel, Manchester)
NV
Louis Roederer Champagne Brut Premier,
12%
This bottle was bought about ten years previously. Like most
of the big houses' non-vintage champagnes, mid to long-term bottle
ageing really helps. Even a year helps. This was a
mid straw-gold and had a good fine bubble stream. A rich
leesy nose with some butter and a hint of blackberry and an air of
spring meadow after a rain shower. Very full-flavoured on the
attack. Rich, creamy and full on the palate with a sort of grape
must/balsamic sweetness flavour. Very clean finish, with
great depth and huge, huge length. Very Good Indeed + (with
this sort of ageing)
(1/4/06)
1983
Ch. Talbot, AC Saint-Julien
Decanted, but only off the dregs, about five minutes before drinking.
A fully mature garnet. Pencil shavings and blackcurrants on the nose.
It has a very mature feel on the palate, with a touch of VA-like
sweetness and plenty of soft mature tannins. Lovely, sweet blackcurrant
fruit on the finish. Notable length.
When I first tasted it, I thought this was going to be one to tip for
getting your stocks drunk up quickly. But over a few hours, over lunch,
it changed very little, remaining hugely enjoyable throughout.
Definitely ready to drink now.
Very Good Indeed.
(25/3/06 at The
Freemasons' Arms, Wiswell)
2004
Collioure Cuvée des
Peintres, AC Collioure, La Cave de l'Abbé Rous,
13.5% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A blend of 65% grenache gris, 20% grenache blanc, 10% vermentino and 5%
roussanne-marsanne. 35% of the harvest is fermented in new
wood and then aged for 4 months in 600-litre oak vats on its lees with
frequent stirring. Bottled March 2005.
A pale to mid yellow straw colour. The nose is sweet and
nutty with marzipan and a touch of woody spice. This wine has
a lovely rich weight on the palate. Very precise, clean
flavours with lots of interest and depth. Some acidity
appears on the finish and freshens it up. This will work well
with seafood, especially prawns and scallops and with white meat such
as chicken and pork, especially when served in a cream or butter
sauce. I opened this bottle on the 25th March 2006, but
didn't get round to drinking it all and discovered to my surprise and
delight that it was still drinking very well over a week later on the
2nd April! Very Good Indeed.
(25/3/06)
1994
Banyuls Grand Cru, Cuvée
Christian Reynal, La Cave de l'Abbé Rous, AC Banyuls Grand
Cru, 18.5% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
From selected grenache noir vines in the best sites, yielding between
18 and 22 hectolitres per hectare. Macerated for a further 20
days after fortification (mutage sur grains) before ageing for six
years in small oak vats and demi-muid (300 litre) barrels.
This has a fabulous tawny mahogany colour: bright and clear with a
touch of tan at the rim. The nose is hugely attractive, with
muscovado sugar, pure black fruits, and some citrus peel, raisins and
nuts. Smooth and very open on the palate, and remarkably
delicate for its 18.5% alcohol. Very
integrated Very fine flavours, with elegant
fruit. Though it falls away a bit on the finish.
Excellent length overall, however. Very Good Indeed.
(24/3/06)
2003
Banyuls Rimage, muté sur
grains, mise précoce, Cornet & Cie, La Cave de
l'Abbé Rous, AC Banyuls, 16% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
100% grenache noir, harvested between the 15th and 20th of September
2003. The grapes underwent a long (20-day) maceration after
the addition of alcohol (mutage) to fortify the wine. Bottled
in April 2004.
A young ruby colour, with a fair bit of purple at the rim.
Quite a heavy nose, fresh with violets and really weedy
blackcurrants. Rather sweet and thin. Very
disappointing. Quite weedy. Oh! ... Ah! ... when I
went back to sniff the bottle there was a strong, unmistakable whiff of
TCA. An object lesson in always sniffing before swirling, as
the aeration can mask some off scents. This is corked.
(24/3/06)
2004
AC Mâcon Villages, Louis de
Jolimont, 12.5% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A pale, very slightly pinkish straw appearance. Very nice
nose with buttery richness and a nice fragrance vaguely reminiscent of
geraniums, and a nice minerally touch too. Open and quite
richly-flavoured on the attack, this has a very creamy feel in the
mouth, with good simple buttery chardonnay flavours. Quite
pure and direct. Very Good Indeed.
(21/3/06)
1999
Abadia Retuerta Selección
Especial, Sardon del Duero, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y
León, Spain, 13% (Chateauonline)
A blend of tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon and merlot, bottled
unfiltered. A deep ruby colour. Lovely nose:
blackberries and plums with a touch of anise and tar. Good
attack, with plenty of forward fruit to invite you in. Then a
great structure takes over - not at all overly tannic, but it's nicely
knitted with a really good depth of flavour. Not at all
overripe and there's no hint of jamminess, although clearly the fruit
is very ripe. Good, precise, clean black fruits on the
finish. Very good length. Coming along
nicely. Very Good Indeed +
(15/3/06)
2001
Château Rousseau de Sipian,
AC Médoc, 12.5% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A very deep ruby colour with a bit of youth at the rim. This
has a nose of restrained green hedgerows, with some tobacco and
slightly hot plum fruit appearing with aeration. Decent
attack with some fruit. Decent structure and
balance. A bit green, but overall a decent luncheon claret,
that's really helped by being drunk with food. Good+
(12/3/06)
2001
Châteauneuf du Pape, Les
Vieilles Vignes, Domaine de Villeneuve, 14% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
"ce vin," the label helpfully points out, "doit être
carafé et servi à 17°. Ne pas
chambrer."
A very attractive, lightweight even ruby colour that's starting to
mature. There is blackberry fruit on the nose, with some
plums, a bit of leather and some wet galet minerality: a gorgeous
nose. Hugely attractive on the palate. There is
lots of lovely, clear fruit initially; then it builds in the mouth with
layers of flavours - plummy fruit, hints of chocolate and a soft tannic
structure. This has lovely balance and elegance. An
excellent clean finish gives way to exceptional length. This
is quite a stunner, distinguished by its poise and elegance.
And this is straight out of the bottle! When you do follow
the instructions and decant it, the room-filling scent is quite
gorgeous. Excellent.
(8/3/06)
2004
AC Petit Chablis, Alain Geoffroy,
12% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
Pale straw with a slight greenish tinge. Quite a rich buttery
nose with some melon fruit and a bit of pear drops. Very
crisp on the attack, it then broadens out a little in the mouth with
fresh, open, greenish, vaguely tropical fruit. There is
noticeable acidity, which makes it a very refreshing drink, though
perhaps the acid is a touch harsh on the finish. Very Good +
(6/3/06)
2003
Rosso Carpino non filtrato, Il
Carpino, Vino da Tavola, 14%
This is a blend of 80% merlot and 20% cabernet sauvignon. It undergoes
a 15-day long fermentation and maceration in open tanks, with daily
pigeage. It is then aged for 18-24 months in large Slovenian oak
barrels before being bottled.
Quite a murky garnet colour. A minerally nose with lots of sweet black
fruit (especially blackcurrants), blended with fresh wet hedgerows, and
really quite perfumed. Very interesting on the palate: it has ripe, yet
very elegant fruit on the attack, which really broadens out into a very
attractive mouthful. Soft grainy tannins appear on the finish with a
bit of sour cherry fruit. Very Good Indeed +.
(4/3/06 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2003
Bianco Carpino non filtrato, Il
Carpino, IGT delle Venezia Giulia, 14%
This wine is a blend of 40% Chardonnay, 30% Ribolla gialla and 30%
Sauvignon. It has a rich, buttery, caramel, nose with an
oxidised feel and evident overtones of
Gravner,
though there are also some grassy sauvignon notes in there, together
with just a hint of sweet oak. Rich and powerful on the
attack, this has huge fruit and very interesting flavours: rich, dried
stone fruit flavours with a powerful integrating oaky, drying
feel. Again, on the palate it's reminiscent of some of the
Gravner whites. This is a big powerful wine with real body,
character and flavour. Excellent with food. Very
Good Indeed +.
(4/3/06 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2002
Gigondas, Montirius, Christine et
Eric Sauret, 14% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A biodynamic wine (think organic with knobs on!), this is a blend of
grenache and mourvèdre, of which some of the parcels of
vines were planted in 1925. The Saurets have some 54 hectares
that have been cultivated biodynamically since 1996.
This has an attractive, even ruby colour with just the merest hint of
youth. The nose is quite restrained, with scents of lavender
and the garrique, though it seems a touch green. Open and
fruity on the attack, this is quite jammy-textured and quite a
concentrated wine that needs time yet. After being decanted
around 20 minutes, this opened up a lot. There are chocolate
coated plums and rolling tobacco on the nose. It's fairly
sweet on the palate with concentrated black fruit. Very
firmly textured, this is firm and full.
After 24 hours, the nose is more muted with leather and really rather
restrained fruit with lavender and tobacco. Open, wide and
rich on the palate with good elegant fruit that's quite restrained and
even a bit green. There's a touch of spirit on the finish
together with big, fleshy, grainy tannins.
Very Good, maybe Very Good Indeed with time.
(3-4/3/06)
2003
AC Collioure, Cornet et Cie, Cave de
l'Abbé Rous,
13% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A blend of 40% grenache noir, 10% carignan, 30% mourvèdre
and 20% syrah; the grapes were harvested between the 2nd and 4th
September 2003. After destemming and crushing, the grapes
were macerated for 21 days. Around 20% of the grenache noir
underwent carbonic maceration, before alcoholic fermentation, followed
by malolactic fermentation, before bottling in July 2004.
This has a refined, plummy, Rhôney nose with violets and
chocolate. Very smooth and rich on the attack with loads of
ripe fruit. It then broadens out in the mouth and freshens
up; and avoids any jamminess whatsoever. Indeed, it goes a
bit too far the other way for a Collioure in that it's a bit hollow and
a bit flat (especially curious for 2003), though it still offers decent
easy drinking. Good.
(1/3/06)
2002
Refosco dal Pedunculo Rosso, Lison
Pramaggiore, Cantine da Villa Frattina
Good fruit. Fair structure. Nice finish. Very Good+
(26/2/06 at Solo Restaurant, Goosnargh)
2001
Rubrato dei Feudi Di San Gregorio,
Rubrato Aglianico, IGT Irpinia , 13%
A minerally, quite slight nose. Fairly simple on the palate with some
sour (in a nice way) red fruit. Very soft, but quite puckering tannins
that fill the mouth on the finish. Good/Very Good.
(25/2/06 at San Carlo Restaurant, Manchester)
N.V.
Mulsum, Mas Gallo Romain des Tourelles, Elaboré et
mis en bouteille au Mas Gallo Romain des
Tourelles, Produit en Gaule, 12%, 375ml
Made in a reconstruction of a
Gallo-Roman
winery. The bottle describes it as a "boisson
aromatisé à base de vin, aromates et
épices. Miel 5%.", this is a recreation of a Roman style of
wine, as described by Columella and Pliny the Elder and mentioned by
Plautus and Cicero (e.g. Cicero, De Oratore
2.282
)
Herby grapes and apples mingle on the nose with sweet black fruit. Open
and very smooth on the palate: fruity and very attractive. Quite
grenachey. This would make a lovely aperitif, especially if lightly
chilled. Quite tannic on the finish - quite puckering, but the tannins
fade very quickly at the end. Really good length indeed. Very Good/Very
Good Indeed.
(25/2/06)
2001
Pinot Noir Vieilles Vignes, Domain
Nudant, AC Bourgogne, 12.5%
An even, maturing raspberry-burgundy colour. Bright red
fruits on the nose with an earthy mushroomy background and a hint of
black truffles. Light and fresh on the attack, this has
decent fruit on the palate, but is just a bit dominated by a slightly
raw acidity, which recedes with time. This is a basic AC
Bourgogne pinot noir that's not pretending to be anything more
serious. Much improved with food, especially some Trotter
Hill Tasty Lancashire from Butlers. Good/Very Good.
(23/2/06)
2004
Sauvignon Vin de Pays d'Oc,
Signatures du Sud, 12.5% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A very pale straw with a hint of green. A
very, very light nose with just a hint of gooseberry; also a very
curious suggestion of balsamic-pickled onions, which perhaps suggests a
touch of acetobacter infection and perhaps a heavy hand with the
sulphur. Very light on the palate initially, but it does open
out a bit after a while. It's very much a sauvignon that's
not going to frighten people who don't like sauvignon blanc, as it's
not especially strong on sauvignon blanc characteristics.
There's a bit of a lack of clarity to the flavours. It's
quite minerally, especially on the finish, when it's quite pebbly and
has a fair amount of acidity too. This was actually much
improved by the half empty bottle being kept 24 hours. Very
Good.
(21/2/06)
NV
Berry's Wm Pickering Port, A tawny port
of the highest quality, bottled in 2005. Produced and bottled
by Quinta do Noval, 20% (Berry
Brothers & Rudd)
There is some evident mechanical failure of this cork, which is badly
mishapen. The wine looks ok, with a deepish teak colour with
bright red highlights. But it's evidently suffering, from
oxidation at least, on the nose, where it's very nutty and spirity;
persistently so and very much lacking fruit. This is
obviously spoiled, with virtually no fruit on the palate, just loads
and loads of harsh spiritiness. Very flat. Off.
(19/2/06)
2004
Chardonnay Vin de Pays d'Oc,
Signatures du Sud, 13.5% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A pale straw gold appearance. This has an attractive,
citrussy, floral nose, with scents of lemon grass, and a hint of
butteriness behind. Fresh and open on the attack, this wine
is very clean with very clear, precise fruit. Quite lightly
flavoured, but with decent balance and structure. It's really
quite rich and minerally on the finish. Very Good Indeed.
(17/2/06)
2004
Syrah Vin de Pays d'Oc, Signatures du
Sud, 12.5% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
Quite a vibrant, youthful dark purple. There is lovely ripe
fruit on the nose with scents of violets and rosemary. On the
palate it's good, ripe and very fruity. Nice and clean
tasting. Really quite simple, yet also very delicious and
fantastically gluggable. Very Good Indeed.
(15/2/06)
2001
Château Moulin de
Cantelaube, élevé en futs de chêne,
Vignobles J. Dupuy, AC Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, 13% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
This is a blend of 85% merlot and 15% cabernet franc from 30 year old
vines from a small (7.5 hectare) property in Saint Emilion.
A fairly mature ruby, nice, even colour. The nose has green,
weedy (in an nice way!) hedgerows and licorice, together with loads of
tobacco. Light and fresh on the attack, with good plummy red
fruits. Very elegant and restrained. Good soft
tannins round out a very attractive wine. Very Good Indeed.
(12/2/06)
2003
Sancerre, Nicolas Verdier,
12.5% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A very pale lemon gold. Very rich nose - quite buttery and
creamy, but also with a slight asparagus note. Open and round
on the attack, this has ripe flavours in the mouth with a creamy body
and just some acidity coming towards and on the finish. Seems
to lack focus a bit. Fine but dull. Good.
(12/2/06)
2003
La Caplana, Barbera
d'Asti DOC, La Caplana Guido Natalino sas &
C., Bosio
A leathery, cherry-fruit nose. Light and open on the
attack. Very good fruit. Nice character.
Soft tannins on the finish. Very good length. Very
Good Indeed.
(11/2/06 at Chicory,
Lytham)
2004
Terre de Fumée Sauvignon
Blanc, Terroir de Silex, AC Côteaux du Giennois, Henri
Bourgeois, 12.5% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A very pale straw. Fairly full, attractive sauvignon blanc
nose, heavily laden with fresh green pea and a bit of gooseberry
fruit. The wine is open on the attack, with good fruit
flavours. It has a lovely refreshing crispness balanced by
ripe fruit. Very clean indeed with a very good
finish. Exceptional length. Very Good Indeed.
(10/2/06)
2001
Château de l'Estagnol, AC
Côtes du Rhône, 13% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A syrah-grenache blend, of which a total of 16,000 bottles were made,
from vineyards in the commune of Suze-la-Rousse.
A good colour - a deepish garnet - with some maturity starting to
show. The nose is fragrant and very perfumed: indeed, it
seems rather confected and lacks fruit. Very light and simple
on the palate. Simple and easy. No particular
interest and no distinguishing features. A bog standard
Côtes du Rhône. OK/Good.
(8/2/06)
2003
Château de Lacarelle, AC
Beaujolais-Villages, 13% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
A light, clear burgundy colour. There are strawberries,
raspberries, orange and bubblegum on the nose, though it's a touch
high-toned. Light and fruity on the attack. It then
broadens out a bit on the palate with some interesting depth.
Light, round and very open, fruity flavours: this seems to be all that
Beaujolais should be. Though it seems a touch confected and a
bit hot on the finish. This benefited enormously from being
left open overnight, especially the wine's finish in the
mouth. There is also some considerable, flaky sediment: the
wine needs decanting off the sediment and to help even out the
finish. Very Good (+).
(6/2/06)
2003
Brouilly, Domaine Demiane, Jacques
Dépargneux, 12.5% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
Light, bright, youthful raspberry-ruby colour. Very perfumed
red fruits on the nose - stewed raspberries and strawberries, together
with a bit of lavender and a blast of soap powder. Light,
fresh and very fruity attack. Attractive and very open, with
a hint of Trebor fruit salads especially on the finish. A bit
simple, but very pleasant and attractive. Very Good (+?)
(2/2/06)
1998
Rioja Alavesa Reserva, Bodegas
Fernando Remírez de Ganuza, 14% £45
90% tempranillo; 10% graciano; aged in barrique for 24 months.
A fairly bretty nose with raspberry fruit and a touch of spirit. Big,
fruity attack. Very open and much more Pesquera/Ribera-like than Rioja.
Some spicy oak appears towards the finish. Good length. After a while,
some quite sandy tannins make an appearance. Surprisingly little
development in the glass even as we got to the end of the bottle. Very
Good Indeed.
(1/2/06 at The
Freemasons' Arms, Wiswell)
1994
Le Cigare Volant, Bonny Doon,
13.5%
41.5% grenache; 33.2% mourvèdre, 24.7% syrah, 0.6% cinsault
£30
Very fresh nose, with lots of fruit: red fruits and grapefruit. After a
little while, the nose is more figgy, pruney. This is completely
different to my last bottle of 1994 Cigare Volant (also here at the
Freemasons Arms). Ray says it's like tawny port on the nose, and he's
spot on. It's sweet, spirity and figgy. And that all pretty much
follows through onto the palate. This is like Beaucastel made by Serge
Hochar!
About an hour and a half later, and it's coming together a bit better:
there's more plummy fruit on the nose, though there's now a powerful
whiff of struck matches and a bit of smoky bacon. In the mouth it feels
cleaner and fruitier now, though it's still a bit pruney on the finish,
when it's a bit hot too. Not the most impressive of bottles of this,
but still enjoyable in a weird way. Good/Very Good.
(1/2/06 at The
Freemasons' Arms, Wiswell)
2001
Les Tourelles
de Sipian, AC
Médoc, Château Rousseau de Sipian,
12.5% (french-regional-wines.co.uk)
An even, youngish ruby. Quite a fresh, vibrant nose with dark
plummy fruits and hedgerows in the rain; just a hint of chocolate
too. Light and fresh on the palate. Very well
balanced. Quite an austere style with good
elegance. Interesting vanilla-cinammon spice flavours
after. Very good length. After 24 hours in the
decanter, the nose is showing more fruit and tobacco, though there's
been little development on the palate. Could probably do with
two or three years. Very Good+
(30/1/06)
1999
Laubenheimer Vogelsang Riesling
Auslese, Michael Schäfer , Nahe, 8% AP 7 763 076 9
00 (Majestic)
A pale lemon gold. Very light nose indeed - just a hint of
wet slate and light, floral honey. Notably sweet on the
attack with a creamy richness underpinning it. Very even:
doesn't really develop much in the mouth. Very pleasant, but
also very simple. Good.
(23/1/06)
2000
Fratagranda,
IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti, Pravis, 13.5%
A Bordeaux blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot, from
the Fratagranda vineyard, aged in small botti. 6672
bottles produced in 2000.
Claretty hedgerows on the nose with a background of blackcurrant and
mint: initially a touch weedy, but it developed well after opening.
Again, initially it was a bit tight, but after a while it opened up
nicely. Good, nicely integrated flavours and a great lunchtime wine,
with just a little bit more to it than the average 'luncheon claret'.
Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(22/1/06 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
1993
Brauneberger Juffer Riesling
Kabinett, P. Licht-Bergweiler Erben, 7.5%, AP 2 577 264 8 94 (Bibendum)
(Opened for cooking a veal tail blanquette.) Pale to mid
gold. Extremely minerally nose. Round and mature on
the palate. Quite buttery, creamy rich. Good
acidity, but it's firmly in balance. Very Good +
(21/1/06)
2002
Tautavel Vieilles Vignes, Domaine
Gardies, Côtes du Roussillon
A dark, relatively youthful ruby. Very leathery
nose with lots of prunes and some mushrooms. The attack is
vibrant and fruity. There are fresh, fruity flavours in the
mouth, yet there is also a real depth and concentration. It
manages to maintain a nice lightness throughout too. There is
a hint of spirity vieille prune towards the finish. Good
structure, but with gentle tannins. Very Good/Very Good
Indeed.
(18/1/06 at Roussillon Restaurant, London)
2004
Godello Guitián, D.O.
Valdeorras, Bodegas La Tapada from Galicia.
It had an interesting smoky nose (that I don't think was entirely due
to the wood-fired oven and charcoal grill going full tilt in the open
kitchen at the rear of the restaurant!), and seemed to have the
roundness that a touch of oxidation brings. Very fresh and fruity on
the palate, with a good depth of flavour and loads of character. A very
pleasant wine. Very Good Indeed.
(18/1/06 at Moro,
London)
2000
Breg, IGT Venezia Giulia, Josko
Gravner, 13.5%
A light, bright, very clear brassy orange. Lightly caramel orangey nose
with currants and light manzanilla hints. Full and round on the palate.
A bit weird, as we expected: it must be a challenge for restaurants who
choose to list Gravner's wines, as the return rate must be high! Quite
round, yet also very dry on the finish. Nice balance and works very
well with the food. Very Good Indeed.
(17/1/06 at Locanda
Locatelli, London)
2001
Passito di Sagrantino di Montefalco
DOCG, Antonelli, an Umbrian red passito dessert wine.
Very young, dark purple. A slight nose, with some plummy black fruit.
Very tannic on the palate with young black fruit. Didn't like it at
all. It was, however, made drinkable in combination with a an amaretto
mousse, coated in chocolate and served with super-concentrated espresso
sorbet.
(17/1/06 at Locanda
Locatelli, London)
2003
Grüner Veltliner Eiswein,
Schloss Gobelsburg, Kamptal
A very pure essence of GV fruit on the nose. Searingly pure and
super-concentrated on the palate. Remarkable stuff. Excellent.
(16/1/06 at The Ledbury,
London)
2003
Recioto della Valpolicella, Pergole
Vece, Le Salette
Corvina 60%, Rondinella 20%, Croatina, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese e
Oseleta 20%; aged 20 months in barriques.
I didn't take a proper note on this, but just enjoyed it. It was a
good, though perhaps a little young, recioto that worked well with a
chocolate soufflé
(16/1/06 at The Ledbury,
London)
2004
Aglianico d'Irpinia IGT,
Terredora, Campania, Italy
A very deep, chocolatey, blackberry nose. Rich and ripe fruit on the
palate. Possibly a bit overripe. This was the better match with the
lamb. Very Good
(16/1/06 at The Ledbury,
London)
2002
Vin de Pays des Collines
Rhodaniennes, La Rosine, M&S Ogier
A young blackberry-mulberry nose. Very young flavours with lots of
bright berry fruit. Youngish, simple flavours. Very satisfying wine.
Good/Very Good.
(16/1/06 at The Ledbury,
London)
2002
Grüner Veltliner Smaragd
Axpoint, Franz Hirtzberger, Wachau, Austria
Floral, melony tropical fruit with a hint of white pepper on the nose.
Very open and round on the palate with nice depth. Lots of flavours
that are quite difficult to pin down. Very rich, open fruit attack and
middle, with good spicing on the finish. Very Good Indeed.
(16/1/06 at The Ledbury,
London)
NV
Ruinart Blanc de Blancs
A remarkably rich, toasty nose. Surprisingly full on the palate, yet
very delicate and elegant. Confirms my faith in the general reliability
of Ruinart and the odd éclat of brilliance. My companion
wanted to know where to buy this. Very Good Indeed.
(16/1/06 at The Ledbury,
London)
1982
Château Lascombes, Grand Cru Classé, AC Margaux,
13.2%, Bottle no. 15,107
A mature ruby - fully mature but no bricking. Sweet, really rather
high-toned nose: all quite secondary and a touch medicinal. With
aeration - and even more so with time - the nose became much more
rounded and started to show more fruit. On the palate, it's clean and
very open: very delicate and noble feeling. This is fully mature and
needs drinking now. Quite evolved, and initially it seemed to be
starting to tire a bit, but by the time we were getting down to the
(considerable) sediment, it seemed to be stirring itself slightly and
coming to. This could well have benefited from being decanted an hour
or two in advance. Though there's no great life ahead of it, I think.
Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(14/1/06 at The
Freemasons' Arms, Wiswell)
1999
Jerusalem
Section Pinot Noir, Adelaide Hills, Chain of Ponds, 14.5%
(Bibendum)
An even, light burgundy red, looking fairly mature. Earthy
high tones on the nose with some strawberry fruit behind.
Sweet strawberry/raspberry fruit on the attack. Decent
structure. A bit hot and spirity on the finish.
Very Good+
(11/1/06)
2002
Durius
Tempranilla, Hacienda Durius,
Alto Douro, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y Leon
An even, bright, youngish ruby. Quite an austere
nose - surprisingly so - with lots of green hedgerow alongside bright
plummy fruit. Good clean attack. Very good balance
with nice elegant character. Perhaps a bit spirity towards
the finish, but overall very vibrant and lively. Very Good.
(4/1/06)
1998
Amarone della
Valpolicella DOC Classico, Tedeschi, 15% (Majestic)
An even garnet: clear and bright, and starting to mature.
Sweet cherry and chocolate nose with a nice perfume. Very
open and expansive on the attack, with big, ripe, sweet fruit
flavours. This wine has a velvety textured richness, and
enough structure to stop it being over the top. Soft tannins
with some acidity on the finish. But all in all, it seems a
bit of an average Amarone. Very Good +?
(1/1/06)
1996
Cuvée Exception Brut, AC Blanquette de Limoux, Antech,
11.5% (DeVigne Wines)
A really grotty looking cork: black, dirty and a bit crumbly where it's
been in contact with the wine. But it's done its
job. The wine has a deep gold colour, with a good, fine
bubble stream. Deep and biscuity on the nose, with lots of
pear and peach. Rich and very creamy indeed.
Powerful, very oily flavours. A touch reductive. It
almost has a hint of concentrated Krug. Very Good Indeed +
(1/1/06)
2002
Passo Doble,
Malbec-Corvina, La
Arboleda, Doppia Fermentazione, Masi Tupungato, 13.5% (Everywine)
Big, black-fruits nose with green hedgerow notes. Very open
on the palate with soft grainy tannins evident from the
start. Quite green flavours. Very good
length. Very Good.
(31/12/05)
1945
Rivesaltes "Vieil Homme", Pierre Janny,
16%, 50cl, Bottle No 472 (Chateauonline)
A rather cloudy mid tan, fading to a deep yellow, with a slight pinkish
tinge. Sweet, nutty, oxidised nose with a fair dose of
volatile acidity and general rancio notes, together with lots of
agrumes. Light, remarkably fresh attack. Good
weight. Tastes much better than the nose. Good
weight, really quite lively. Light chocolatey, sultanas and
roast nut flavours with lovely balance. Extraordinary
length. Very, very clean tasting throughout with no
spirit. Not quite as extraordinary as you might think or
hope, but it is really excellent and certainly not showing its 60 years
of age. Excellent.
This 50cl bottle lasted me a few days, and it was still going strong
five days later. This is one that's going to keep a while
yet, and certainly needs decanting if you're drinking now.
(28/12/05)
2002
Passo Doble, Malbec-Corvina, La Arboleda, Doppia Fermentazione, Masi
Tupungato, 13.5% (Everywine)
A bright, clear, even ruby - quite light-bodied looking. Ripe
hedgerow fruits on the nose, with chocolate and a lovely floral
perfume. Light and quite fresh on the attack. Good
depth of fruit with tobacco and a concentrated chocolate prune
flavour. Soft tannins on the finish. Very much
drinking now. Very Good+
(28/12/05)
1994
Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spätlese
Trocken, Karthäuserhof, (magnum) 10.5%, AP 3 561 303
8 95 (French
& Logan)
Minerally, gassy nose. Very dry with lots of
acidity. Very good, but just not really very
satisfying. Very Good +.
(26/12/05)
NV
Show Reserve Muscat, De Bortoli (Frank Stainton)
A slightly oxidised, lightly maderised rich, raisiny muscat
nose. Rich, sweet, raisiny palate, but very well
balanced. A steal at the price (under a tenner for a full
bottle). Very Good Indeed.
(26/12/05)
1999
Vin de Constance, Klein Constantia, 14.5% (The Wine Society)
A very deep, orangey gold. Very deep nose, totally dominated
by botrytis - but very attractive indeed. Sweet and
richly-textured; quite silky. Beautiful balancing
acidity. Very concentrated pure flavours. Excellent.
(26/12/05)
1990
Krug, Champagne (Byrne's)
A deepish straw. Rich, creamy, beurre noisette nose with a
hint of honey. Lovely, fine persistent bubble stream. Lovely,
rich and balanced on the palate with a fabulous freshness, which builds
into a real lemony note. Very crisp and fresh and clean on
the finish. Very rich and lively. Outstanding.
(26/12/05)
2003
Penny's Hill Mclaren Vale Specialized Shiraz Cabernet Merlot
Ripe plums, black fruit and leather on the nose. A
full-on, direct attack. The shiraz is dominant on the
palate. I'd guess this was probably something like 40%
shiraz, 40% merlot and 20 cabernet sauvignon. Good balance,
though the the varieties don't seem completely integrated.
Soft, leathery tannins become evident towards the finish.
Very Good.
(25/12/05 at Kwizzeen, Blackpool)
NV
Champagne Bollinger
Evidently a recent bottling to judge from the cork and the
taste. Full flavoured. Rather green and
young. Very Good.
(25/12/05 at Kwizzeen, Blackpool)
2003
Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese
Halbtrocken, Kurt Hain, 13% AP 2 596 432 10 04 (French & Logan)
A pale gold with green tinges. Very rich nose - very
minerally. Full and complex on the palate.
Completely atypical for Mosel riesling and completely outside the
normal frame of reference. Perhaps there's a certain
muddiness to it? Very unusual. Very Good +
(23/12/05)
2004
Kremser Pfaffenberg Grüner Veltliner, Dinstlgut Loiben,
Kremstal, Austria, 12.5% Stelvin closure (Majestic)
An extremely pale straw. Very rich nose, quite buttery, with
some woody spice. Medium bodied, very round and
fragrant. Quite lively, with loads and loads of white pepper
spice. Very Good+
(18/12/05)
2002
Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese Feinherb, Weingut
Kees-Kieren, 10% AP 2 583 092 12 03 (French & Logan)
A light, lemon gold. Very perfumed, minerally nose.
Nice attack, with exceptionally good balance. Has a
Spätlese weight that makes you think it's going to be a touch
sweet, but it's only very marginally just off-dry, and there's plenty
of good acidity to give it a zip on the palate. Very Good
(Indeed).
(16/12/05)
2001
Château Siaurac, AC Lalande de Pomerol, 13.5%
(Majestic)
An even garnet with just a touch of youthful purple at the
rim. Very attractive nose: cedary, smoky, chocolatey with a
delightful black fruit core. Good attack: fairly fresh, with
light fruity notes. Very attractive, round and
open. Lovely depth and character with amazing
elegance. Light tannic structure, becoming grainy on the
finish. Huge length. Excellent.
(12/12/05)
2004
Grauburgunder Spätlese Trocken, Etage Tradition, Weingut
Heitlinger, 13.5% AP 605 03 05 (French & Logan)
Bright, clear mid-straw. Fragrant, fairly light pinot gris
nose: tropical fruit with gentle cinnamon spicing. Rather
straightforward on the attack. Fresh, very clean pinot gris
flavours build on the plate to a really spicy mouthful. Very
Good+
(11/12/05)
2003
Villa Heitlinger Blanc Trocken, Weingut Heitlinger, Baden Kraichgau,
AP 605 15 04 (French
& Logan)
A blend of rivaner, riesling and pinot gris (grauburgunder).
Mid straw. Beautiful nose: fragrant with pinot gris richness
and a touch of riesling minerality. Light and fresh on the
attack, but fills out well. Good body on the palate, with a
nice, rich weight from the pinot gris, balanced by lovely acidity and
elegance, presumably from the riesling. Very Good Indeed+
(9/12/05)
1999
Riesling Spätlese Trocken New Style Master Etage, Weingut
Albert Heitlinger, Baden Kraichgau, 13% AP 605 10
00 (French
& Logan)
This comes in a trendy long-necked bottle without a capsule.
It is a fairly deep gold colour. Very nice nose with
interesting depths - very peachy indeed with a touch of wet
pebbles. Very rich on the palate: some acidity is immediately
obvious, but it fades a bit and gives way to a rather flabby peach
fruit with quite a sweet feel. Really just a bit odd, and a
bit too simple on the palate. Good.
(6/12/05)
2002
Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett, Weingut Kurt Hain,
8% AP 2 596 432 8 03 (French
& Logan)
Pale lemon gold. Minerally nose: quite slatey with a touch of
honey and a touch of petrol. Delicate attack.
There's a nice bit of fruit, which quickly gives way to much more
minerally, stony flavours. It has a nice balanced off-dryness
throughout, counterpointed by a balancing acidity. Very long
and very bright and vibrant after. Very Good Indeed.
(29/11/05)
1999
Rasteau vin doux naturel, Domaine la Soumade
A fairly slight nose. Very young with lots of fruit. A bit unbalanced.
Good. Didn't really work that well with the soufflé - it was
just a bit too fresh and fruity.
(27/11/05 at The Ledbury,
London)
2003
Grüner Veltliner Eiswein, Schloss Gobelsburg, Kamptal
Served blind, this was immediately recognisable as a
grüner veltliner eiswein and even if he'd not told me, I'd
have guessed at Gobelsburg, as it was very reminiscent of previous
Gobelsburg GV eisweine, although it was clear it wasn't the 1995 that
had firmly ingrained itself onto my memory when tasted at Gordon
Ramsay. A very pure essence of GV fruit on the nose. Searingly pure on
the palate - not so much concentrated as condensed; and almost
painfully so. It is sweet, but that is so
coincidental to the pure, utter concentration of GV fruit. Remarkable
stuff. Excellent.
(27/11/05 at The Ledbury,
London)
2002
Vin de Pays des Collines
Rhodaniennes, La Rosine, M&S Ogier
This has a sweet black fruit nose and very vibrant fruit on the palate.
Very young, very simple, very light tannins. Good.
On its own a rather unexceptional, very simple wine, but it worked
exceedingly well with the venison dish and all its sweet flavours.
(27/11/05 at The Ledbury,
London)
2001
Muscat de Rio Patras, Parparoussis,
Patras Peloponnese. This had a lovely fragrant - if
straightforward - muscat nose. Quite delicate on the attack; and then
fills out to a lovely sweetness. Exceptional balance for a sweet
muscat. I would suspect this was lightly fortified (though apparently
it's not.) Very Good Indeed.
Thanasis Parparoussis' vineyards for the muscat de Rio Patras sit on a
mostly stony soil 450 meters above the sea in a north facing valley.
Roughly half the vines are ungrafted. The grapes are handpicked and
then left to dry for a few weeks, before being fermented in stainless
steel.
(27/11/05 at The Ledbury,
London)
2002
Bourgogne Blanc, Clos du
Château, Château de Puligny Montrachet.
Served blind to go with a Loin of cod with rosemary butter
and a cèpe, fennel and garlic emulsion.
The wine had quite a rich nose; buttery with a hint of oak. Clearly
chardonnay, but I wonder if there's something else in it too, as
there's a touch too much freshness for a straight chardonnay, although
it could be a basic burgundy or chablis. Crisp, yet creamy on the
palate with very good length. Good/Very Good.
(27/11/05 at The Ledbury,
London)
2004
Kerner Praepositus, Abbazia di
Novacella, Alto Adige was served to accompany the rabbit. The
Kerner had a fascinating nose of biscuity, lavender bubble bath with
vaguely sauvignon blanc like hints behind. Very full and seeming a
touch sweet on the attack. It becomes more focussed on the palate as
it's held in the mouth. A very interesting wine - full and rich yet
with a lovely freshness. Very Good Indeed+
(27/11/05 at The Ledbury,
London)
2004
Riesling Donatus, Kurt Angerer,
Kamptal, Austria
Very minerally nose - almost to the exclusion of any real riesling
character! Good attack, very clean and fresh, though with a nice weight
on the palate, when the riesling starts to show through. Good length
and with a very nice aftertaste. A bit simple maybe, though a good
match for the tuna. Very Good.
(27/11/05 at The Ledbury,
London)
NV
Larmandier-Bernier, Blanc de Blancs,
Terrre de Vertus Premier Cru Champagne
Creamy, autolytic nose. Really good, fine bubbles that persist very
well. Remarkably full-flavoured for a blanc de blancs. Mouthfilling and
long. Very nice balance. Very Good Indeed.
(27/11/05 at The Ledbury,
London)
2002
Riesling Grand Cru Saering,
Schlumberger
A dull nose, but lovely on the palate. A nice, concentrated, very
minerally, very wet-pebbles riesling that worked very well with the
spice-crusted scallop. Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(26/11/05 at Rasoi Vineet Bhatia
Restaurant, London)
2002
Sancerre Vieilles Vignes, Jean-Max
Roger
A crisp nose but with real depth and richness. It's crisp and clean on
the palate too, though again with some depth. Notable length. Very Good
+.
(26/11/05 at Rasoi Vineet Bhatia
Restaurant, London)
2003
Pinot Noir, Cornish Point, Central
Otago, New Zealand
Very forward, fruity nose with a touch of spice. Rich and fresh on the
palate with very ripe fruit and a touch of sweetness. Really very
simple, but with a warm spicy feel on the finish. Good.
(26/11/05 at Rasoi Vineet Bhatia
Restaurant, London)
1999
Cabernet Sauvignon, Franus, Napa
Valley, 13.6% (on the US label); 14% (on the UK label) (Edencroft Fine Wines)
A deep ruby colour with just the merest hint of youth at the rim. Very
powerful ribena cum crème de cassis nose with hints of
leather and green leaves. Good, attractive attack with lots of sweet
ripe fruit. But any fears of overripeness or jamminess are quickly
dispelled. This has a really good balance with a nice lightness and
freshness. Ripe sweet fruit returns on the finish with traces of some
light tannins. Decent length with a real tobacco aftertaste. Delicious
and very drinkable. Very Good Indeed +
(21/11/05)
2004
Weissburgunder Trocken Etage du Chef,
Baden Kraichgau, Weingut Heitlinger, 12.5% (French & Logan)
A glass closure! It took me a few moments to work out how to open this:
you can't unscrew it and there's no obvious 'lift here' indication. But
it opens just like taking a cork out of a bottle once you've pushed it
back in. The glass stopper has a small rubber seal - it's very easy to
reseal the bottle and you get a very good seal, once the bottle is
re-stoppered.
Mid straw appearance. A fresh, creamily herbaceous nose. Quite rich and
full flavoured. But there are also some quite harsh, unfocussed
flavours, and a raw acidic streak underpins the finish. Very long, but
not an excessively pleasant flavour. Poor/Ok.
Interestingly after 24 hours, this was much, much improved and, while
still quite simple, was very drinkable.
The bottle doesn't have an AP Number.
(19/11/05)
2002
Molino Real Mountain Wine, Compania
de Vinos Telmo Rodriguez, DO Malaga, 13%, 500ml (The Wine Society)
The back label tells me this is a very old vine moscatel, of which 9200
bottles were produced in 2002.
A mid lemon-gold with an almost clear core. Very powerful muscat nose
(which was evident on simply drawing the cork), but when you get your
nose in, there are lots of creamy honey and lavender crème
caramel scents. Very mouthfilling on the attack. A very concentrated
wine. Then some sweetness hits you ... lots of sweetness, but it's not
cloying. Smooth, rich, and quite elegant with some really quite unusual
flavours that are reminiscent of a grapefruit crème
brulée with the burnt caramel notes appearing just towards
the finish and then receding, leaving a very clean, rich, sweet finish
with extraordinary length, maintaining its power and concentration for
ages.
This isn't a sweet muscat in the mould of other sweet muscats or
fortified muscats, but has a style and character all of its own.
Remarkable stuff actually, and really very interesting, but above all,
hugely enjoyable. Excellent.
It's worth noting that it didn't hold very well once opened, and the
next day it had declined significantly.
(18/11/05)
2001
Tinta Barocca, Die Krans, Wine of
Origin Calitzdorp, 13.8% (Woffenden
Wines)
Sealed with a plastic cork.
An even, maturing ruby, but with a bright purple rim. Fragrant, almost
scented, red fruits on the nose with eraser-topped pencils. Light fresh
and fragrant on the palate. Yet it seems to lack varietal character ...
and really any character at all. A very commercial, almost industrial
wine. OK
(16/11/05)
2002
Ribolla Gialla, Le
Vigne
di Zamó, DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli, 13%
Very interesting nose - quite earthy, with lots of truffly, mushroomy
aromas. Very attractive on the palate. Nice, round
and open, yet with good character and an interesting fruity dryness (or
maybe a dry fruitiness?). Really good finish and very
creditable length. Very Good Indeed.
(13/11/05 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2002
Master Etage Blanc, Weingut
Heitlinger, Baden Kraichgau Trocken, 12.5% (French & Logan)
AP 605 05 04. A blend of pinot gris and pinot blanc, aged in barrique.
Mid-straw. The nose is very even and very undistinguished with hints of
stone fruit, grapes and a touch of oak. Nice, rich, rounded attack.
Good, fairly interesting flavours. Maybe a bit dull on its own, but a
good general food wine. This was much improved after being open a day
and a half, when it revealed a fuller, more pinot gris nose and it had
very nice, restrained, but evident fruit on the palate, with a very
attractive roundness and fragrance and freshness. Great length, with
the lovely freshness persisting. Very Good Indeed.
(10/11/05)
1995
Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett,
SA Prüm, 7.5% (Byrne's)
AP 2 576 510 4 96
Lots of dust on top of the cork for some reason. A mature, clear
lemon-gold. Wet slate and lightish petrol scents on the nose - very
minerally, though there's also a touch of honeysuckle fragrance. Good
attack. The immediate impression is that it's totally integrated.
Lovely balance. Very open and expressive with really good length. A
really good, mature riesling Kabinett. A Riedel Mosel glass freshens it
slightly and brings out some zingy sherbert. Very Good Indeed+
(9/11/05)
NV
Manzanilla La Gitana, Bodegas Hidalgo,
15% (Sainsbury)
Bottled September 2005. A very pale lime yellow. Very dry, minerally,
flinty nose with just a touch of iodine. Nice and fresh - very crisp
and savoury with a real seaside air tang. Fragrant, delicate and
restrained. The fresher bottle makes a real difference.
(6/11/05)
2001
Frascati
Cannelino, Conte Zandotti, DOC Frascati, 11+3% abv (not sure
what that's supposed to
mean!), 500ml
A late harvest Frascati. Mid coppery gold. Orangey raisined nose, but
now showing distinct oxidised notes (which isn't surprising given how
long it's been open). Initially light and fragrant on the palate, with
some body and weight following close behind. A fairly gentle sweetness.
Obviously doesn't do to keep it open too long. Very Good/Very Good
Indeed.
(2/11/05, though opened 29/10/05, with around a third left in
the bottle)
After
lunch at Le Mont
Restaurant in Manchester's
Urbis, we were offered some port, left over from a recent Symingtons
bash. Unfortunately the 1924 Graham's was now just an empty bottle. But
a fascinating, hand-made bottle that must have been several decades old
when the port was originally bottled. We had to settle for these, both
of which had been open for just under a week:
1970 Graham's
A mature garnet colour. The nose is chocolatey, very fruity and quite
figgy. Sweet and fruity on the palate. Impeccable balance. Really
lovely. Excellent.
1977 Smith Woodhouse
A very dry nose, with lots of tobacco and bitter chocolate - and a
touch of spirit at the end. Quite gentle on the palate. Quite dry with
cherry and griotte flavours. Very nice port, but outshone by the 70
Graham's. Very Good Indeed.
(26/10/05 at Le Mont, Urbis, Manchester)
2000
R.H. Phillips
EXP Estate Bottled
Syrah, Dunnigan Hills, California, 13.5%
No proper note on this one. Was a decent drinkable
Californian syrah. Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(26/10/05 at Le Mont, Urbis, Manchester)
2002
Château Haut Cruzeau, AC
Bordeaux Supérieur (red)
A very floral nose. Soft an open with a gentle
spicing. Good fruit. Elegant and clean.
Very Good Indeed.
(25/10/05 at Le Chapon Fin, Bordeaux)
2004
Château Brondelle, AC Graves (white)
A rather closed nose, with some floral notes just about
detectable. A fruity, open style. Very Good Indeed.
(25/10/05 at Le Chapon Fin, Bordeaux)
2003
Château Villa Bel-Air
Blanc, AC Graves (white)
A delicate, lightly scented nose. Very crisp and
clean. Very Good Indeed.
Lovely match with a great oyster sandwich sort of disk (longuets
toastés aux huitres et farce crépinette:
a layer of thin toast, topped with a veal farce, then a layer of
oysters, and then topped with another layer of thin toast, served with
a very concentrated veal stock and lie de vin sauce.
(25/10/05 at Le Chapon Fin, Bordeaux)
2002
Château de Chantegrive
Cuvée Caroline, AC Graves (white)
A fairly dull nose and a little uninteresting. Nice
palate. Fresh, with good body and a good depth of
flavour. Nice finish, with notable length. Very
Good/Very Good Indeed.
Went particularly well with a crispy ravioli of confit duck, though
less so with the accompanying chicken bouillon flavoured with rosemary
and ceps.
(25/10/05 at Le Chapon Fin, Bordeaux)
2002
Réserve du
Château, Château Clos de la Tour, AC Bordeaux
Supérieur, Vignobles Dourth, 14%
Very undistinguished. Very straightforward, modern,
Rolland-style wine. Fairly tannic. Very
short. A whopping 14% alcohol. Good.
(23/10/05 at La Tupina, Bordeaux)
NV
Vinihana Le Bousas, Vin de Table
(from Gascony)
A bit dull and a touch oversweet. Ok as an aperitif maybe.
(23/10/05 at La Tupina, Bordeaux)
2001
Coume del Mas Quintessence, AC Banyuls
A vin doux naturel from Roussillon made from grenache noir
grapes. Served cold. More or less what you'd expect
of a grenache VDN. Ripe, dried fruit with some coffee and
bitter cocoa. Didn't really stand up to a
millefeuille au chocolat d'origine Saint Dominique,
fréchinettes rôties au sirop d'érable.
(22/10/05 at Le Jardin d'Ausone, Bordeaux)
2004
Domaine des Granges de Mirabel,
Viognier de l'Ardèche, Vin de Pays des
Côteaux de l'Ardèche, M. Chapoutier
A very pale, almost clear yellow. Very rich,
extract of viognier on the nose - maybe a bit overdone? Very
heavy nose. Redeems itself a bit on the palate. But
overall just a bit blowsy. Very Good.
Worked very well with a dégustation de trois
millésimes de Comtés affinés par
Bernard Antony (the 2001, 2002 and 2003 vintages).
(22/10/05 at Le Jardin d'Ausone, Bordeaux)
2003
Château
Canon
Pécresse, AC Canon-Fronsac
A young, deep ruby colour. Fresh, fruity nose with
warm red fruit and a hint of talc. Warm and ripe on the
palate, yet quite restrained. Pretty significant tannins
appear towards the finish. Very Good. But Very Good
Indeed with the food, which it really needed (Cochon du Cantal
en côte épaisse, rôtie, cèpes
poêlés aux échalotes confites:
a plain roast 2 rib t-bone pork chop, served off the bone, the loin
sliced, the tenderloin and the intercostal meat whole.
Beautifully cooked, served with some fabulous fried ceps and parsley,
though it could have done with just a bit more of the pan reduction
sauce.)
(22/10/05 at Le Jardin d'Ausone, Bordeaux)
2001
"De La Salle", Château de
la Salle, AC Premières Côtes de Blaye
This is a 100% sauvignon blanc, vinified in new barriques and
then matured on its lees for eleven months. Made in small
quantities (6-7,000 bottles a year). (Château de la
Salle also make a more traditional Château de la Salle blanc
that is an unoaked blend of 70% sauvignon blanc and 30% semillon.)
A deep, toasty sauvignon blanc - imagine fresh peas kept in fresh
oak. A remarkably big wine for the Côtes de
Blaye. Big, round, expansive palate and in quite a new world
style. On the palate, one might quite easily mistake this for
a semillon, or even a chardonnay. Could this be a step too
far for Bordeaux sauvignon blanc? Though, I rather like it
and find it a very satisfying wine. Very Good Indeed.
(22/10/05 at Le Jardin d'Ausone, Bordeaux)
1998
Château
Tour Faugas, AC Cadillac
A deepish gold. Very fragrant nose with hints of
violets and lavender behind a slightly oxidised honey citrus.
Makes a nice, light well-balanced aperitif. Very Good Indeed.
(22/10/05 at Le Jardin d'Ausone, Bordeaux)
2003
Weisser Riesling Noble Late Harvest,
Paul Cluver, 14% (Woffenden Wines)
A deep, brassy gold. Marmalade, candied oranges and lemons, and cane
sugar syrup on the nose. Sweet and mouthfilling on the attack. Very
intense, very powerful, but with great purity. There is decent
balancing acidity too. Very clean and fresh on the finish. Very Good
Indeed.
(18/10/05)
NV
Moscatel Oro, Vindo de Licor, De
Muller, Reus, Spain, 15% (375ml) (Frank Stainton)
A brassy orange appearance. The nose is notably dumb - all there is is
some sugar sweetness and a hint of caramel. It has a real liquorous
weight on the palate. Very full and quite white port-like. But it lacks
any muscat character and as such is not like other bottles I've had of
this. Good acidity and not at all cloying. Very Good.
(14/10/05)
1999
Ronco dei Roseti Rosso, Le Vigne di
Zamó, DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli, 13%
A blend of merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and
schioppettino.
A good, very deep, maturing garnet colour. Spicy, very meaty-gamey
nose, very slightly reminiscent of Beaucastel. After a while the
meatiness recedes somewhat (but doesn't go entirely), leaving some
talcum powder notes. Very smooth and rich. Very interesting fruit
flavours - really deep and contemplation-worthy. A really spicy feel,
especially on the finish, when some fine-grained tannins appear.
Cracking wine. If this is what Vigne di Zamo's wines that don't get tre
bicchieri are like, the ones that do must be astounding. Not cheap
(£46 in a relatively low markup restaurant), but worth every
penny. Excellent.
(9/10/05 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
1997
Réserve, Mas de Bicary, AC
Gaillac, 12.8% (DeVigne
Wines)
An even garnet with a hint of youth at the rim. It has a nice nose -
something rather different: green hedgerows and hedgerow fruit with
soft licorice overtones, a hint of cloves and some fresh sawdust. Nice
attack. Ripe fruit, but very restrained and elegant. Fills out well
into a pretty full mouthfeel with lots of cherry fruit and nutty
flavours. After a while, it has really quite an orangey feel to it.
Very wide on the finish, with gentle soft tannins. An unusual wine and
very attractive once in a while, but it wouldn't be an everyday wine
for me. Very Good Indeed.
(5/10/05)
1996
Eitelsbacher
Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Kabinett Trocken,
Karthäuserhof (French & Logan)
AP Nr. 3 561 303 17 97
Used primarily for cooking, but a quick glass revealed it to be Very
Good Indeed.
(3/10/05)
2000
Recioto della Valpolicella Classico
DOC, Lorenzo Begali, 13.5%
A very dark, inky-black royal purple - incredibly glass
coating. Gorgeous nose. Concentrated black fruit -
sweet but not at all jammy, with a touch of cinammon. Equally
gorgeous attack - very pure and precise, sweet fruit
flavours. Loads of character with layers of
flavours. Lovely soft tannic structure. Superb
balance, and not at all oversweet or sticky. A very fine wine
indeed. Beautiful finish with citrussy dried blackberry
flavours. Very long indeed. Exceptionally
good. Excellent.
(1/10/05 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
1995
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
DOC, Lorenzo Begali, 15%
A very, very dark mulberry colour, fading to ruby at the
centre. Very fruity nose indeed on the first impression, but
there's real depth and complexity on closer inspection: bitter
cherries, orange peel, sweet tobacco and Green & Black's cherry
chocolate. This is a glorious nose, and I could sniff it
forever. Very clean, quite pure fruit on the
attack. soft grainy tannins appear quite quickly.
It has a remarkably light feel overall, despite the concentrated fruit.
Amarone-bitter finish. Much improved when drunk with food.
Very Good Indeed.
(1/10/05 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2003
Pinot Grigio, Az. Agr. Branko, DOC
Collio, Italy, 14%
A pale lemon gold. A rather musty nose with creamy, warm
lemon, warm spices, especially some white pepper and a touch vanilla
oak. Quite light on the attack, but fills nicely.
Fuller and richer than many Italian pinot grigios, yet it remains
gentle and refined. There's a nice gentle spiciness, and it's
round and very clean throughout. Exceptional
length. Very Good Indeed.
(1/10/05 at the Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2001
Castelmaure Grande Cuvée,
AC Corbières,14% (The Wine Society)
A deep, even, very dark mulberry colour. Quite a fresh, deep ripe black
fruit with a real hedgerow aroma and some mint and tar. Good, even,
ripe fruit attack. Powerful flavours with some real depth, complexity
and loads of character. Very soft tannins on the finish. Very Good
Indeed.
(28/9/05)
2003
Fleurie, Domaine de la Madone,
Jean-Marc Despres, Georges Duboeuf, 13% (375ml)
A very concentrated gamay nose with sweet strawberry fruit and a touch
of bubblegum. Soft and fresh tasting. Light,
perhaps served a touch too warm. Light and nicely fragrant on
the palate with very good balance. Notable length.
Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(24/9/05 at Anthony's Restaurant, Leeds)
2000
Chardonnay, Edna Valley Vineyards,
Edna Valley, California (375ml)
A big beurre noisette nose. Very smooth and full with a good
weight but not at all overbearing. Possibly a touch oxidised, with
dryness showing towards the finish. Exceptionally good length. Very
Good/Very Good Indeed.
(23/9/05 at Pool Court, Leeds)
2000
Ridge Lytton Springs (375ml)
Initially the nose showed tobacco and smoke (and no, the
dining room is no smoking :)) but then some really
intense blackberry and blackcurrant fruit reveals itself. Very
powerful, intense sweet fruit, with crème de mûre
flavours, yet without any feel of a descent into jamminess. Really
wide, expansive flavours and very smooth. Very Good Indeed.
(23/9/05 at Pool Court, Leeds)
2003
Jurançon Ballet d'Octobre,
Domaine Cauhapé - Henri Ramonteau, 13.5%
(Chateauonline)
An even mid gold colour. Absolutely beautiful, utterly
winning nose - very elegant, with honey, lime marmalade, pear drops and
honeydew melon. Light and fairly fresh tasting on the attack,
but overall the palate doesn't live up to the promise of the nose: it
doesn't have the elegance and focus that the nose has. There is a touch
of restrained sweetness on the attack, which builds and builds, so that
there's are quite a fragrant crème
brûlée caramel flavour on the finish.
Very even flavours throughout, though without any great
depth. Nice length. Probably a bit too
young. Very Good.
(22/9/05)
The same bottle, a few days later. This has really
improved with being open. Honey, almonds and lime marmalade
on the nose. Very good attack: lightly sweet at first, with a
nice depth of fruit and very good balance, but then there's a certain
hollowness. But it comes together again with nice
weight. On the finish a citric acidity balances the gentle
sweetness very well. Very Good Indeed.
(25/9/05)
1996
Bandol Cuvée
Spéciale La Tourtine, Domaine Tempier, 13.5% (Lay
& Wheeler broking)
The labels on the box (and the box itself) indicated that this wine had
been stored by (and so originally purchased from) The Wine Society, so
no problems with provenance. In the glass, the wine's
appearance is of a very even, maturing ruby with the very, very tiniest
hint of youth at the rim. The nose is meaty and savoury with
damson fruit, new leather shoes and rosemary. Good attack -
very round and balanced with good fruit and loads of spicy
character. Soft, gently drying tannins on the finish with a
nice acidic balance after. Excellent length. Very
Good Indeed.
(21/9/05)
1999
Juliénas, Domaine du Clos
du Fief, Michel Tete, 12% (Lay & Wheeler)
This was the remaining half magnum left over from
the previous night's tasting and dinner. An even
cherry red with a hint of youth. Nicely perfumed stewed
strawberries and cherry kernels on the nose, with a hint of volatile
acidity that wasn't there yesterday, and also some orange
peel. Light and fresh on the palate with very good
balance. Soft, fine-grained tannins appear towards the finish
and after. Decent length. A few high toned notes on
the palate too: this is a wine that's starting to fall apart
now. This was confirmed when I tried the last couple of
glasses' worth the next day: it was past it. If you've got
some - even in magnum - drink up soon.
(18/9/05)
1999
Moscato d'Asti, Araldica,
5% (The
Wine Society)
It was a very tight cork in this bottle. The colour is a pale
straw with a markedly deeper core. Interesting, very delicate
muscat nose with lovely musky rosewater. Obviously, this is
now quite old for a moscato d'asti, and it's not surprising that it's
lost its pétillance, and there's now just a light, almost
acidic prickle on the tongue on the attack. Nice grapey
flavours. More than a hint of sweetness, but very
clean. Very Good Indeed.
(16/9/05)
2002
Lolol Viognier, Casa Silva, Colchagua
Valley, Chile, 13.5% (Frank
Stainton)
Mid straw appearance. A very curious nose indeed: sherbetty
toilet block with walnuts and marzipan. Very broad on the
attack - very full and powerful. There's a certain ripeness,
but also a pretty dominant acidity. Lacks complexity and any
depth other than a brutality of flavour. A touch
hard. Very long after. I have to say, this isn't to
my taste at all. Good.
(14/9/05)
2003
Akarua Pinot Noir, Bannockburn, South
Island, New Zealand
Soft cherry nose with some savoury meaty back
notes. Very fresh, yet very nicely integrated. Very
Good +
(13/9/05 at Providores, London)
2000
Tokaji Cuvée Llona,
István Szepsy
Gentle heather honey and marmalade botyrtised nose with a
light caramel. Very fresh attack. Very racy, fresh
acidity. Initially it's very fresh, but then you get layers
of complex fruit. This is a stunning wine and almost
obscenely complex. Excellent.
(12/9/05 at the Capital Hotel, London)
2003
Scheurebe Spätlese Trocken,
Franken, Hans Wirsching, 14.5%
Creamy yet very dry. Very direct attack.
Physiologically very ripe, yet with a searing acidity. All in
all nicely balanced though. An interesting wine.
Very Good Indeed.
(12/9/05 at the Capital Hotel, London)
2003
Pinot Gris Lerchenberg, Marc
Kreydenweiss
Very light pinot gris nose. Much fuller on the
palate. Very full and rounded. Very elegant for a
pinot gris. Very Good Indeed.
(12/9/05 at the Capital Hotel, London)
2003
Gewurztraminer,
Paul Cluver, Elgin, South
Africa, 13% (Woffenden
Wines)
An even straw colour. A rather harsh seeming nose that seems
a bit sandy and coarse with a touch of air-freshener: it seems very
lacking in varietal characteristics, which is one thing gewurz usually
has in abundance. Light to the point of watery on the attack,
but then builds a little to give some flavour. But again,
it's very, very light on gewurztraminer characteristics - but then it's
also very light on any characteristics whatsoever. Some
rather tough, almost tannic acidity on the middle, then it reverts on
the finish to a fairly characterless liquid. Some figgy notes
on the finish. Drops away suddenly on the finish, but it's
actually quite long after. It is really gewurztraminer?
There was a distinct improvement after 24 hours, but still not worth
the effort of opening. OK.
(6/9/03)
2001
Riesling Le Kottabe, Josmeyer, Alsace,
12% (Auction purchase: Straker Chadwick)
This was from a 12 bottle lot in a sealed original case: all the other
bottles appear perfect, but this one was actually stuck to the bottom
of the case by the wine that had leaked out of the cork at some point:
the bottle was ullaged to about 1cm below the capsule. Mid
straw to deep straw. Ripe, quite sweet, minerally riesling
nose, but with a layer of oxidation. Very oxidised on the
palate. Spoiled. Not rated.
(5/9/05)
1999
Jerusalem Section Pinot Noir, Chain
of Ponds, Adelaide Hills (Bibendum)
An even, relatively mature-looking burgundy. Warm nose with
ripe red fruits and a touch of cloves. Light and fairly
elegant on the attack. But quickly fills into a powerful
spicy pinot noir, though there is still some restraint. For
me, this lacks elegance and, despite the ripe fruit, there's a raw
green note, especially on the middle and fading towards the
finish. Good/Very Good.
(29/8/05)
2003
Riesling Brut Sekt, Weingut Kurt Hain,
Flaschengärung; handgerüttelt, 12.5% (French & Logan)
A lightish, mid, green-tinged straw. Fresh nose with creamy
green fruit and minerals. Quite a gentle attack with a nice
moussey feel. Develops quickly in the mouth, revealing quite
strong flavours. Creamy and round with some light peach
flavours. For the most part clean, but there's a little
hardness on the middle. Good clean finish. Very
good length. Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(29/8/05)
NV
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut, Champagne
(about 8 months in my possession)
Big foamy mousse. Pale to mid straw. Clean, ripe
green fruit on the nose - even a hint of gooseberry. Good,
clean attack with a nice depth of flavour. Feels a touch
green: would have benefited from further keeping (in general most of
the basic non-vintage champagnes from the big houses benefit from at
least 18 months maturing after purchase: I'd pulled the wrong bottle
off the shelf!) Good.
(26/8/05)
2001
Castelmaure Grande Cuvée,
AC Corbières, 14% (The Wine Society)
Full, dark, plummy red. Very unimpressive green nose
initially, with just a bit of bottle stink. With a little
time, the nose is very leathery, tobacco-laden with red
fruit. Ripe and round on the attack. There's a real
backbone of character and soft grainy tannins. Full and
round, with lots of ripe fruit, lots of spice and a good tannic
structure. Very good length. Top notch
stuff. Very Good Indeed.
(24/8/05)
2003
Weisser Riesling Noble Late Harvest,
Wine of Origin Elgin (South Africa), Paul Cluver, 14%,
375ml (Woffenden
Wines)
A rich, slightly heavy looking gold with orange hints. Lots
of botrytis on the nose with peaches, pears and apples. Very
attractive. Excellent attack: fresh and elegant.
Builds and fills on the palate. A very full wine, but with
lots of fresh acidity and elegance. Very Good Indeed.
(23/8/05)
NV
Champagne Brut, L. Jaunay,
12% (Majestic)
A very pale straw with almost a hint of pink. Round open
green fruits on the nose. Round and full-flavoured on the
palate, with white pepper on the finish. A touch rough and
ready, with really quite a rustic feel. If I'd been served
this blind, I don't think I'd have guessed it was champagne, or even
French. OK.
(22/8/05)
2001
Prestige Trockenbeerenauslese Grand
Année, Lenz Moser, Neusiedlersee, Austria, 11%,
375ml (Auction purchase:
Straker Chadwick)
St PNr E796003
A fairly pale mid lemon gold. Heavily botrytised nose with
loads of honey, masses of beeswax and even a hint of maple syrup (but
without the caramelly scent of maple syrup). Honeydew melon
and a hint of cheesiness (like a sweet, nutty cheddar).
Really quite fresh on the attack and throughout. Quite a
syrupy texture, but without being cloyingly sweet - it's just the
texture. Clean, elegant flavours, with a citrussy freshness
throughout that balances the sweetness, showing itself as some nice
acidity towards the finish. There's a touch of spiciness on
the finish and after. Absolutely enormous length with lively,
lingering, clean flavours. Excellent.
(21/8/05)
1989
Oberemmeler
Karlsberg Riesling
Auslese Goldcap, Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, 8.5%, AP 3 561
077-103-90 (The
Wine Society)
Mid gold, fading to clear at the edge. Smoky, honeyed
nose. Very concentrated and slightly oxidised on the
palate. Very intense flavours, but I think this is suffering
from a bit of oxidation. Very Good+
(19/8/05)
1999
Mas de Bicary
AC Gaillac,
12.5% (DeVigne
Wines)
A mature, very light garnet: looking really very thin and
watery. Initially, thin and weedy on the nose, with some red
fruit. But with aeration, it's beefed up quite a bit,
revealing soft, minty, red fruit and leather, together with some floral
scents. Good, round attack. Light bodied, yet
characterful with a nice balance of fruit, acid and soft, almost creamy
tannins. Nice spice notes on the finish. Very
Good/Very Good Indeed.
(17/8/05)
2001
Umore Nero
Pinot Nero, DOC Oltrepò Pavese, Castello di Luzzano,
12.5% (Frank
Stainton)
An even burgundy/ruby colour with no evident youth. Sweet,
slightly high-toned cherry and raspberry nose - quite floral and
scented. Light and clean on the attack. Lots of
forward, sweet, ripe fruit with a nice elegance. Fragrant
with soft tannins on the finish and a bit of acidity after.
Good length. Very enjoyable wine. Very Good Indeed.
(15/8/05)
2004
Echeverria
Unwooded Chardonnay, Molina, Chile, 12.5%
Crisp lemony, rather undistinguished nose. Clean and
round. Good flavour. Slightly artificial on the
finish. OK.
(13/8/05)
1999
Maximin
Grünhauser Abtsberg Riesling Auslese , C. von Schubert'schen
Schloßkellerei,
7.5%, AP 3 536 014-7-00 (Auction
purchase: Straker Chadwick)
Very pale straw. Beautiful nose - very delicate and
fragrant, with a combination of fresh peach and tinned peach with some
applies and a blast of sherbet. Very peculiar on the palate:
a light sweetness with a strong artificial peach flavour.
Very light on acidity. Good length. But this is
very weird and I'm not sure what to make of it. I can't say I
particularly like it, but it's so weirdly peachy that I'm prepared to
accept there might be something wrong with this bottle.
(10/8/05)
1999
Abadia Retuerta
Selección Especial, Sardon del Duero, Vino de la Tierra de
Castilla y León, 13% (Chateauonline)
A blend of tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon and merlot. An
even dark ruby with the merest hint of youth right at the
rim. Lovely nose - perfumed blackberries with a plummy
background and some green minty notes. Some chocolate and
some spirit too. Good, rich, full attack. Powerful
flavours on the palate: rich and a touch sweet with chocolatey
richness. Soft, grainy tannins. Excellent
length. Very Good Indeed+/Excellent.
(8/8/05)
1989
Oberemmeler
Karlsberg Riesling Auslese Goldcap, Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt,
8.5%, AP 3 561
077-103-90 (The
Wine Society)
Opened as I noticed a slight seepage, which seems to have been a common
problem with all these.
Mid gold, with a touch of green at the edges. Very minerally
nose - very full, with a touch of petrol and some oxidation.
Very complex on the palate: waves of dryness, acidity, sweetness and
fruit. Lots of minerals evident on the palate, as is a touch
of oxidation. Would have been great without the oxidation
from the leaky cork. Very Good.
(7/8/05)
2004
Valpolicella
Classico, Allegrini
The basic Valpolicella from Allegrini. This bottle had very
little to recommend it. A bit weedy, very, very young flavours with
noticeable acidity. Fair.
(7/8/05 at Solo Restaurant, Goosnargh)
2000 Eclisse Bianco,
DOC Colli Orientiali del Friuli, La Roncaia A blend of 95% sauvignon blanc and 5% picolit, produced from low yielding vines in La Roncaia's Angorie vineyards in Ramandolo, in the Colli Orientali del Friuli DOC area. Apparently the picolit grapes are slightly later harvested once they've started to dry off a bit. Round, open nose with some buttery melons. A fairly international style. Quite round and full, with buttery fresh fruit - it would have been difficult to guess it was sauvignon blanc if served blind, though after a while and with food some more sauvignon characteristics came out. 5 years old and not showing it at all. Very Good Indeed. (6/8/05 at Italian Orchard Restaurant, Broughton) |
1999
Cabernet Sauvignon Antiquas Reservas,
Cousiño-Macul, Valle del Maipo, Chile, 12.5% (Edencroft Fine Wines)
An even garnet with just a touch of youth still evident.
Corked.
(3/8/05)
2004
Red Muscadel, Rooiberg Winery, Wine
of Origin Robertson (South Africa), 16.5% (Woffenden Wines)
Stelvin closure. A mid salmon colour. Fabulous,
winning nose, heavily laden with floral muscat fruit and Fry's Turkish
Delight without the roses. Smooth and luscious on the attack
with a marked spicy edge. But too much hard acidity on the
middle, and from then on it feels rather unbalanced. The
sweetness returns after the finish, with a rather odd, plasticky
confected note. Lingering long after. OK/Good.
(2/8/05)
2002
Piesporter Goldtröpfchen
Riesling Kabinett, Weingut Kurt Hain, 8%, AP 2 596 432 8 03 (French & Logan)
A pale-to-mid straw with a greenish tinge. Delicate nose
(though this bottle's a bit too cold), with crisp, clean green
apples. Bright and very fresh on the attack, with clean dry
fruit. Pure, and possibly a touch simple (but again, it's
worth noting this is being served a bit too cold). Good ripe
fruit. Lovely acid though it's not totally
integrated. Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(1/8/05)
2001
Recioto della Valpolicella La Roggia,
Speri, 13.5%, 500ml (Byrne's)
An even young ruby: very, very glass coating. This bottle had
been opened three days previously (just uncorked, none poured, then the
cork replaced) Warm, soft red fruits on the nose with cloves,
ground coffee and a hint of chocolate. Round and full on the
attack with some sweetness immediately apparent. Rich and
mouthfilling with a luscious creamy richness. Chocolate and
some fresh acidity, especially on the finish when some alcohol is
evident. Very Good Indeed.
(30/7/05)
1999
Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spätlese
Trocken, Karthäuserhof, 12%, AP 3 561
303-14-01 (French
& Logan)
Note the 2001 AP number: presumably a long ferment? Very,
very pale straw - almost clear. A bright vivid nose: some
stone fruit; lots and lots of minerals, a bit of green pepper and lime
and some sweet pea fragrance. Crisp and clean on the
attack. Good wide palate, with lovely fruit and powerful
acidity giving a real zingy, almost sherbet fountain
freshness. Quite deep and long on the finish. This
seems a particularly successful trocken to me. Very Good
Indeed/Excellent.
(24/7/05)
2005
Pinot Grigio 11.05, Beelgara Estate,
New South Wales, South-East Australia, 11%, Stelvin closure
According to the back label, this is an early harvest pinot gris,
harvested "while the grapes were still crunchy".
A very even, very pale straw. Very crisp on the nose with
some green fruit - initially you could be fooled into thinking this was
a sauvignon blanc, or at least had sauvignon blanc in the
blend. But then there's a buttery richness with the merest
hint of mango and banana on the nose. Very crisp and clean on
the attack. Really quite austere, with lots of fresh
acidity. Then it fills out with richer, fuller
flavours. The acid reappears on the finish. Very
clean, crisp and balanced throughout. Interesting.
Very Good.
(23/7/05 at Tapenada Restaurant, Forton)
2003
Weisser Riesling Noble Late Harvest,
Wine of Origin Elgin (South Africa), Paul Cluver, 14.5%,
375ml (Woffenden
Wines)
Paler than the 2001, but still a caramel colour with orangey-brassy
hues. A much nicer nose than the 2001: more open and more
floral with bright, elegant fruit scents redolent of honey and overripe
nectarines. This makes the 2001 seem a bit oxidised, and
duller and more even - even a touch fortified in comparison when tasted
side by side. This (the 2003) is sweet, fragrant and very
elegant on the attack. Clean and refreshing with very nice
balance. The acidity is very integrated here. A
fuller, rounder mouthfeel than the 2001. Stunningly better
than the 2001. Very Good Indeed+
(18/7/05)
2001
Weisser Riesling Noble Late Harvest,
Wine of Origin Elgin (South Africa), Paul Cluver, 14.5%,
375ml (Woffenden
Wines)
A mid-caramel colour with a coppery rim. Powerful raisined,
botrytis nose with barley sugar and candied grapefruit peel.
Really rather sweet on the attack. Very
concentrated. A very fresh, acidic melony streak that doesn't
so much balance out the wine, as sit to out side pointing out the
sweetness. Quite warm on the finish. Very even
throughout and a touch uni-dimensional. A bit simple maybe;
but rescued by the racy acidity which completely refreshes the mouth on
the finish and long after. Exceptional length. Very
Good
(17/7/05)
2001
Tigiolo, IGT Rosso Veronese, Lorenzo
Begali, 14%
The 6 hectare Begali estate, just northwest of Verona, dates
from the end of the Second World War, but it was the next generation,
Lorenzo and Adriana that concentrated on wine-making, selling their
first bottle of Begali wine in 1986. Lorenzo and Adriana are now joined
in the winemaking by their children, Giordano and Tiliana: the name of
this wine, Tigiolo comes from their first names: Tiliana,
Giordano and Lorenzo.
A blend of 40% Corvina, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20%
Rondinella and 10% Merlot. The grapes undergo the same
Passito process as when making Amarone and Recioto: the grapes are
layed on mats and allowed partially to dry out, so that they are on the
way to becoming raisins: this concentrates the the grapes' sugars and
flavours. The wine is aged for about 15 months in large oak
barrels (tonneaux). The Begalis had been trying to make this
for some time, but had had a lot of problems getting the Cabernet
Sauvignon to dry properly: unlike the native Italian grapes, it had a
tendency to rot quickly. They are now drying indoors in
temperature and humidity controlled rooms and seem to have got it
working now: this is the second vintage, and around 30,000 bottles were
made.
The wine was decanted and left for about 15 minutes. A dark
ruby colour, at first the nose was very deep and intense, but with time
it really opened up, with lots of elegant perfume and spice
notes. The improvement on the palate was similar over time:
very Amarone like initially, it blossomed, showing off its own
character with time. Very elegant wine, that carries its 14%
alcohol. Really lovely lingering flavours, that really needed
food to bring out the best. Excellent.
(16/7/05 at Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
1997
Tokay Pinot Gris Sonnenglanz, Alsace
Grand Cru, Domaine Bott-Geyl, (Majestic)
Mid gold. Rich creamy nose, though it's a bit flat
overall. Really very sweet on the attack with loads and loads
of sweet honeydew melon and lychee flavours. Very rich
indeed, and I'm about to check that it really is pinot gris, when some
pinot gris spice appears towards the finish. I'm not sure
that grand cru vineyards really help pinot gris ahcieve the greater
heights that other varieties acheive in Alsace grands crus: this
example certainly seems a bit flat and fat. But then Majestic
don't seem that good at sourcing Alsace either. Very Good.
(15/7/05)
1999
Domaine d'Aupilhac Le Carignan, Vin
de Pays du Mont Baudile, 13.5% (The Wine Society)
A bright, youthful mauve at the rim, deepening to an even deep ruby at
the centre. Tarry nose with lots of dark chocolate, sweet
black fruit and scented violets. Round and expansive on the
attack. Loads of sweet ripe fruit with a cinammon and pepper
spice. Soft, velvety tannins appear towards the
finish. Lots of ripe, round, concentrated fruit throughout,
on the finish and long after. Excellent.
(13/7/05)
1996
Eitelsbacher
Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Kabinett Trocken,
Karthäuserhof, 9%, AP 3 561 303-17-97 (French & Logan)
A very pale greenish straw. Zesty, citrus-fragrant nose with
lots of minerality: but a bit short and curt. Crisp and very
clean on the palate. Superb balance: good ripe fruit, fresh
acidity and bone dry. Decent length. Probably the
best Kabinett Trocken I've had. Very Good Indeed/Excellent.
(9/7/05)
2002
Pinot Gris, Mount Langi Ghiran,
Grampians, Australia, 13% (Frank Stainton)
Corked.
(9/7/05)
2003
Gewurztraminer, Paul Cluver, Elgin,
South Africa, 13% (Woffenden
Wines)
Very, very pale straw.
Corked.
(9/7/05)
2002
Piesporter Goldtröpfchen
Riesling Kabinett, Weingut Kurt Hain, 8%, AP 2 596 432 8 03 (French & Logan)
A very pale straw at the centre, deepening to a lemony mid straw at the
edge. Very creamy nose with more than a touch of soapiness:
but really quote a light nose overall. A touch sherbetty on
the attack. Good ripe fruit with very nice
balance. Lots of acidity, giving a very dry
impression towards and on the finish and after. This bottle
seems simpler than previous bottles, and I wonder if it might not have
now closed down for a year or two? Good/Very Good.
(6/7/05)
1982
Madiran, Domain Pichard, Vigneau
Auguste, no alcohol content shown (The Wine Society)
A mid, very even garnet which doesn't really look like it's 23 years
old. Quite a light nose with plenty of sweet cassis and
masses of tobacco with a hint of port. With aeration, some
minty, greener notes appear. Soft, sweet fruit on the
attack. Very elegant and rich on the palate, yet really quite
light. There is some power towards the finish, when there's a
really chocolatey feel. Enormous length. Very Good
Indeed.
(5/7/05)
2003
Chablis
L'Églantière, Jean Durup Père et Fils,
12.5% (Booths)
Mid straw. Sweet, buttery nose with a touch green beans and
cabbage. Round and full on the attack. Rich
flavours with quite a lot of spicy wood. Very unexceptional
and quite industrial. Good.
(3/7/05)
1967
Château Montasset, AC
Bordeaux Supérieur, A. Bleyne propriétaire
(Auction purchase: Straker Chadwick)
A bright, clear mid garnet with some slight bricking at the
rim. Sweet blackcurrant fruit with some orange zest and some high-toned
volatile acidity notes on the nose. With aeration some more sweet high
tones are released, but also lots of old soft leather. Light and a
touch sweet on the attack. Plenty of fruit still in this, though quite
sweet fruit. Very clean, even with a touch of freshness. I don't think
this was ever a great wine, and it's still not. But it's a really
lovely elegant wine, that's a nice surprise on a Monday night.
Completely mature. The tannins are all completely integrated and well
softened, just leaving a touch of dryness on the finish. Sweet clean
fruit on the palate, with quite plummy flavours. Lovely.
Bottle size and alcohol content not shown, of course. Though it's a
very light bottle with a very shallow punt. It feels quite low in
alcohol - around 11-12% maybe?
(6/6/05)
NV
John Harvey
& Sons Palo Cortado,
20.5% (The Wine
Society)
A brassy even light teak. Powerful nose, immediately evident
as soon as the bottle is opened. First impression of the nose
is of salt with lots of umami flavour-layours: almonds, chestnuts with
a touch of tinned sardines. A big wine on the
palate. Intense and pure with sweet fruit, yet a very dry
feel. Quite a light feel, with a certain freshness, but lacks
complexity. Very Good+.
(4/6/05)
1995
Clos Vougeot
Grand Cru, Domaine
René Engel, 13%
A good, very even totally mature colour. Earthy animalistic
nose that's really quite subdued and closed. Around seven
hours later, it's opened up a lot, with plenty of sweet, nutty fruit,
with lots of mushroom and forest floor scents, together with a strong
whiff of mouldy lemon (that dry, spore-rich sweet citrus
smell). Light, elegant, sweet fruit on the attack with
excellent balance. Full and round on the palate with sweet
fruit and a light fresh acidity. Soft, grainy tannins give
good structure, and the tannins build on the finish. Quite
drying on the finish and after. Enormous length.
Very Good Indeed.
(28/5/05
at The
Freemasons' Arms, Wiswell)
2000
Riesling
Wineck-Schlossberg,
Meyer-Fonné, AC Alsace Grand Cru, 13% (Auction
purchase: Straker Chadwick)
Deepish straw. Ripe, minerally nose with honey and sufficient
mango-ey tropical fruit that it would be easy to wander off to pinot
blanc or even pinot gris if tasting blind. There's just
enough wet paving slabs there on the nose to comfort me that this
hasn't got the wrong label. Holy cow! This is one
humdinger of a ripe wine. Very concentrated and very
powerful. Initially there's more than a touch of sweetness,
but there's also lots of a curiously soft acid, which becomes more
apparent the longer the wine is in the mouth, and on the finish at the
tip of the tongue. Enormous length. Really quite a
strange wine, even for an off-dry Alsace riesling. Shows a
bit more riesling character in a Riedel riesling glass. Very
Good Indeed.
(25/5/05)
2000
Pinot Gris
Hinterberg de Katzenthal, Meyer-Fonné, AC Alsace,
13% (Auction purchase: Straker Chadwick)
A mid-, slightly oxidised looking brassy gold. Fairly soft,
quite elegant pinot gris nose, laden with tropical fruit with hints of
coriander and cumin. Clean, fresh attack. Really
spicy immediately after. Then a full richness with quite a
bit of sweetness and fat. But well-balanced and not at all
overdone. Powerful stuff, all the same. Very Good
Indeed.
(23/5/05)
1998
Tokay Pinot
Gris Dorfburg, Meyer-Fonné, AC Alsace, 13.5%
(Auction purchase: Straker Chadwick)
A rather posh cork with the vintage and wine name on it. Mid
gold colour. Very rich, rather blowsy nose. Very
heavy, perfumed, musky, tropical fruit nose with some green banana
skins. Very rich and very full on the attack. Big
ripe fruit - huge flavours. Very powerful and very ripe fruit
with a real touch of sweetness. Manages to clean itself up a
bit on the finish, but does really rather lack finesse. A
very big wine for robust food. Very Good Indeed.
(21/5/05)
2003
Sylvaner,
Domaine Ostertag
A lightly fragrant nose. My first guess would be
Alsace pinot gris. It's not gewurztraminer, far too light for
that. Definitely feels Alsatian, with that sort of body and
weight. Very full and fragrant and a touch spicy on the
palate. Yes, I'll stick with my first guess. Well,
yes, now I know it's Sylvaner/Pinot Blanc, I can see it, though it's a
heavyweight version. Very Good Indeed.
(18/5/05 at Tom
Aikens)
2002
Gewurztraminer
Fleur, Schlumberger
Lightly perfumed gewurztraminer nose. Round and rich gewurz
palate; quite full with fair residual sugar. Very Good.
(18/5/05 at Tom
Aikens)
2002
Walter Hansel,
Russian River Chardonnay.
My initial impression on the nose was a Chardonnay – toasty
oak and in a new world style. Very full on the palate, and it
seems to have more to it than a straight chardonnay, so I guessed at an
American Chardonnay-Semillon blend. Very rich and a bit
overpowering, both on its own and with the food.
(18/5/05 at Tom
Aikens)
1998
Cabernet
Sauvignon Reserve, Sequoia Grove, Rutherford, Napa Valley.
This had presumably been opened earlier in the day, as there was just a
large glassful in the bottom of a decanter. Presumably a
trade sample they'd been given, as it's not a wine that is on their
list. It had a very deep, tobacco-dominated nose, with
blackcurrant sweet fruit. A huge nose. Sweet fruit
on the attack, but with an interesting minerality. There are
lots of tannins present in the wine – well integrated, though
they do seem to separate out towards the finish and start to
dominate. An interesting wine. Very powerful
initially, then really rather elegant, and then finishing with the big
tannins.
(18/5/05 at Tom
Aikens)
2003
Passito di
Pantelleria Ben Ryé, Donnafugata
A deep gold. Elegant, raisined muscat floral nose.
Immediately sweet on the attack, then some fresh acidity cuts
in. Very elegant indeed with excellent balance and a clean
finish.
(18/5/05 at Tom
Aikens)
2002
Saumur Blanc,
Domaine du Val Brun.
A creamy nose. Fresh, clean and vibrant. Very Good
Indeed.
(17/5/05 at 1880
Restaurant, The Bentley Hotel)
2002
Semillon-Sauvignon, Cullen, Margaret River, Western Australia.
A fragrant lightly oaked nose. Reminiscent of a decent
standard Graves on the palate; not earth shattering, but Very Good.
(17/5/05 at 1880
Restaurant, The Bentley Hotel)
1996
Riesling
Spätlese, v. Kesselstatt.
A lovely, honeyed mineral nose. Very fresh on the palate,
with some sweetness but above all well-balanced. Sherbetty
notes on the finish.
(17/5/05 at 1880
Restaurant, The Bentley Hotel)
2001
Cloudy Bay Te
Koko Sauvignon Blanc
A mellow sauvignon blanc nose, that develops more smoky, toasty notes
as it warms up. Rich on the attack, and I have to say it's taken the
oak well. Not a wine I'd ever have chosen, but it works
extremely well with the scallop dish that arrived a few moments later.
(17/5/05 at 1880
Restaurant, The Bentley Hotel)
1994
La Rioja Alta
904
A gorgeous nose of sweet vanillin fruit with a touch of volatile
acidity. Sweet, spicy, gentle red fruits on the
palate. Completely integrated fruit, ripeness and acidity;
just waiting for the last of the spicy tannins to integrate finally.
(17/5/05 at 1880
Restaurant, The Bentley Hotel)
NV?
Aleatico di
Puglia, Candido, Salice Salentino (fortified?)
negroamaro An elegant, slightly floral nose. Very
fresh and light textured with a nice sweetness, but also lovely
balance. If served this blind, I'd have guessed it was a
black muscat.
(17/5/05 at 1880
Restaurant, The Bentley Hotel)
1998
Quinta do Noval
Late Bottled Vintage Port
Having bought the 1997 Noval LBV in quantity, I sought out the 1998 to
see how it compared. Very dark appearance, and positively murky.
Greenish spirity fruit on the nose. Ripe, tannic. Decent fruit, but
very spirity. Not a patch on the 1997, even at the same stage in its
development. Good. 84/100
(17/5/05)
A few selected Pinotages with Peter May of the Pinotage Club.
2003 Pinotage La Cave, Wellington, South Africa
Powerful, spicy, slightly astringent nose. Lightish, fairly elegant. A touch astringent and very tannic on the finish. 80/100[current vintage] Ashbourne Single Vineyard Pinotage, Anthony Hamilton Russell
Gorgeous spicy cloves nose. Light and fresh flavoured with a background of nice spice. Very Good. 86/1002001 Jacobsdal Pinotage
A very green nose. Green and astringent on the palate; and especially so after. 79/100
2003
Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett, Dr Loosen
(£11.99 RRP)
Fresh and creamy nose. Good fruit. Quite 2003 in its ripeness.
Sherbetty feeling/flavours. 5/10
(17/5/05)
2004
Riesling QbA, (£9.75 RRP)
Quite a limey nose. Fresh and zingy. Fairly simple. 4/10
(17/5/05)
2002
Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett, JJ Prüm (£13.95
RRP)
Much more minerally, but also a touch sulphurous. Pure and quite zingy
on the palate. Good depth. 6/10
(17/5/05)
2002
Kiedrich Grafenberg Riesling Spätlese, Weingut Robert Weil
Not especially giving on the nose. Lovely palate. Quite
sweet, but very nicely balanced. 6/10
(17/5/05)
1996
Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr
Riesling Spätlese, Willi Haag, 8.5%, AP 2 577 049 4
97 The Wine
Society)
Pulled this one as I noticed that the cork was slightly sticking out,
but on closer inspection, I think it had been like that since bottling
as the extruded bit is flattened across the top of the
bottle. Very lemony gold colour. A lovely rich nose
with lots of petrol and honeysuckle notes. Rich and creamy on
the attack. Very nice weight and balance on the
palate. Distinctly off-dry, but also very pure with nice
minerally ripe fruit. Very Good Indeed.
(14/5/05)
2000
La Segreta Rosso, Planeta, IGT Sicilia,
14% (Everywine)
A clear, fairly mature garnet. Interesting scented damson
nose. Light, rounded and completely mature on the
attack. Very soft on the palate. Beginning to tire
and the fruit has certainly receded. Drink up. Very
Good.
(12/5/05)
1999
Ruster Ausbruch Essenz, Weingut
Feiler-Artinger, Burgenland, Austria, 9%, (Byrne's)
A chardonnay-pinot blanc blend.
Just pouring this, it's a luscious heavy brassy gold that pouts at you
lasciviously. Oooo...
Utterly gorgeous nose heavily redolent of botyrtis with honey and
orange zest with intense concentrated fresh peaches.
Luscious and creamy on the attack and already lip-lickingly thoroughly
gorgeous. Very sweet, of course, and just a bit sticky on the lips (you
know - like kissing someone when she's just applied her
lipstick).
But on the palate, the sweetness actually seems to subside a little and
it's really elegant and poised with a totally lovely balance: a very
delicate, yet clear acidity balancing the ripe sweet fruit. Truly
outstandingly gorgeous and really quite a sensous, hedonistic
experience.
Also a truly worthy partner for my Riedel Sommelier sauternes glass,
which really did seem to show it off at its best, slightly reducing the
sweetness.
(9/5/05)
1995
Mas de Bicary, AC Gaillac,
12.5% (DeVigne
Wines)
A bright, clear mature garnet colour. Very soft, gentle nose
with hedgerows, hedgerow fruits and tar. Light and quite
fresh on the palate. Quite a simple wine, but lots of fairly
rustic character. Quite lean flavours: no hint of Parker
here! Really good balance. Very good on the finish
and after. Excellent length. No tannins to speak
of. Very Good.
(9/5/05)
2000
Crozes Hermitage, Cave des Clairmonts,
12.5% (Waitrose)
A mid burgundy colour - still fairly youthful. Gorgeous,
sweet, spicy nose, full of black fruits. Attractive
attack. Sweet, elegant fruit. Very nicely
balanced. Soft grainy tannins on the finish. A good
basic Crozes. Very Good.
(8/5/05)
1994
Mas de Bicary, AC Gaillac,
12.5% (DeVigne
Wines)
A very dirty cork that crumbled. There's a strong stink
coming from the bottle, that does not bode well, as even at a distance
I think I can detect corkiness. The stink blows off very
quickly to leave a delicate undertone of TCA. Corked.
(8/5/05)
2002
Branko Rosso, IGT Venezia Giulia,
Azienda Branko
A bright, clear ruby that's quite youthful in
appearance. Big plummy nose, yet light and fragrant at the
same time. Very open on the palate: clean and approachable
with good fruit that deepens and becomes more complex. Layers
of flavours that become more interesting as it's held in the
mouth. But this is far from the most interesting wines that
they've come up with at the Italian Orchard for us to try.
Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(7/5/05 at Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
1994
Mas de Bicary, AC Gaillac,
12.5% (DeVigne
Wines)
A mature, murky dark ruby. Very weedy nose that quickly
reveals itself to be rank with TCA. Corked.
(6/5/05)
2003
Crane White Colombar, Goedverwacht,
Wine of Origin Robertson, South Africa, 12% (Woffenden Wines)
Pale straw. Very light, very fresh, fragrant nose with some
tropical fruit and bananas. Light and clean on the attack
with a bit of a watery feel. The flavours come in and build
into very dry and just off-crisp fruit flavours. Rather
simple. One for by the pool waiting for the braai. Very Good.
(4/5/05)
2000
Pinot Gris, Estate bottled, Bodega
Jacques y François Lurton, Mendoza, Argentina,
12.5% (The Wine
Society)
Mid yellow gold. Powerful, spicy pinot gris nose - tropical
fruits in abundance and some toastiness. Quite rich on the
attack, though not overfull. Good mouthfilling ripe pinot
gris fruit, but not at all overdone. Quite elegant and very
dry. Very Good Indeed.
(2/5/05)
1999
Cape Vintage Landskroon, Paarl Wine
of Origin, South Africa, Lot A151, 18.5% (Woffenden Wines)
A young, rather murky violet-tinged ruby. Very sweet black
fruits on the nose with more than a little scent, giving way to some
warm spirit. Sweet, chocolatey, candied damson fruit on the
nose. Fairly simple and straightforward on the palate, with
no great depths and rather grainy soft tannins on the finish.
Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(1/5/05)
1993
Brauneberger Juffer Riesling
Kabinett, P. Licht-Bergweiler Erben, 7.5%, AP 2 577 264 8 94 (Bibendum)
A pale lemon gold with green tinges. Minerals and cream on
the nose, though not especially petrolly. Fully mature on the
palate with an interesting smoky flavour. Very crisp and very
clean, precise flavours. A nice balance of fruit (if not
especially fresh fruit) and a clean acid. Very Good Indeed.
(29/4/05)
2003
Weisser Riesling Noble Late Harvest,
Estate Wine of Origin Elgin (South Africa) Paul Cluver, 14% (Woffenden Wines)
A deep brassy gold. The nose is almost completely dominated
by botrytis honey and peach extract. Immediately elegant and
quite floral on the palate. full and rich, but with a lovely
elegant perfumed acidity. No great huge depth or complexity,
but utterly enormous length. A good one for the Riedel
Sauternes glass, where it's amazingly cleaner and more
elegant. Very Good Indeed.
(27/4/05)
1994
Viña Mara Gran Reserva,
DOC Rioja, Bodegas Berberana, "Selected by Tesco", 12.5%,
(Tesco)
Bright, clear, notably mature ruby. Warm, ripe black fruit in
abundance on the nose with stewed plums, a touch of vanilla and just a
bit more than a touch of volatile acidity. Quite lgiht on the
attack. Sweet fruit, gentle tannins, some background fruit,
but overall seems a bit dried out. Good/Very Good.
(25/4/05)
1992
Ürziger Würzgarten
Riesling Spätlese, Mönchhof Robert Eymael,
AP 2 602 029 -19 93 (Morrison's)
A pale lemon gold. Glorious ripe, mature riesling nose with
minerals, petrol, some lime zest and creamy sweet golden delicious
apples. Pure and clean on the attack, but develops quickly in
the mouth, deepening and broadening out. A layer of
sweetness; a layer of slate; a weighty almost buttery fruit
layer. Rather an odd mercaptan flavoured richness on the
finish with a certain salami meatiness: unusual and presumably a fault,
but not at all distracting. Extraordinary length.
Very Good Indeed.
(24/4/05)
1989
Orion, Napa Valley Syrah, Sean
Thackrey, 14.3%
Still needing time to open up in the glass - it really came into full
song only about an hour after decanting. A very intense deep
nose with lots of back fruit and some meatiness and leatheriness that
blow off leaving quite a pure fruit nose. Open and elegant on
the attack. Round and fully mature with great
purity. Soft suede-like tannins towards the finish.
This is a very impressive wine, probably completely à point
now. Excellent length. What's quite interesting is
that it's both a very impressive, fairly big wine, yet also eminently
drinkable. Excellent.
(23/4/05 at The
Freemasons' Arms, Wiswell)
2002
Erdener Treppchen Riesling
Spätlese **, Kees-Kieren, 8%, AP 2 583 092 21 03 (French & Logan)
A very very pale lemon gold. Glorious nose that's fresh and
rich at the same time, with lots of green apples and peaches backed up
by a touch of wet slate and the merest hints of mineral-petrol
notes. Very fresh and zingy on the attack with a bit of
sherbet. The sugar then kicks in and it's got a lovely and
balanced, just-sweet body. Then some acidity kicks in towards
the finish, but then it's sweet and elegant again afterwards.
Very attractive, but only really on quite a superficial
level. It seems quite simple, lacking depth and complexity.
Trying it in a variety of glasses: the best nose is in the ISO tasting
glass, though it's feeling quite sweet. Much more citrus
notes in the Riedel Riesling glass. Much, much more elegant
and refined a nose in the Riedel Sauternes glass. Tastes the
least sweet in the Riesling glass, the most sweet in the ISO.
The best rounded wine comes in the Sauternes glass.
(22/4/05)
NV
(but it will be 2003)
Piesporter Treppchen Riesling Traubensaft, Kurt Hain, 0%
(it's just grape juice!), (French
& Logan)
A brassy mid gold. Mucatty baked apple nose. Very
refreshing, but also quite rich feeling. Like a cross between
apple and grape juice. Very refreshing on the finish with
nice acidity. Lovely length. Very Good Indeed.
(21/4/05)
2000
Côtto Grande Escolha, Vinho
Tinto, DOC Douro, 12.5% (Byrne's)
A very dark mulberry red with hints of youth at the rim. Very
big, sweet blackcurrants nose with raw red meat and a toasty
note. Quite light on the attack. Immediate fruit,
but remaining very elegant. Fairly light-bodied, but very
full, elegant ripe fruit which turns chocolatey on the
finish. Marked grippy tannins appear on the finish - seems a
bit odd that there was no trace of them earlier and that they don't add
much structure or body. An interesting wine. Very
Good Indeed.
(20/4/05)
NV
Moët & Chandon
Champagne Brut Impérial, 12%.
From a bottle I've kept in stock for 7-8 years, expressly for the
purpose of letting it age as Moët can often be a bit green on
release.
Mid straw in colour with a very gentle bubble stream of tiny
bubbles. Quite a creamy nose with stone fruit and a hint of
white chocolate. Nice moussey feel. Crisp on the
attack and quite fresh, but it's lost all the greenness.
Feels very integrated. Lovely finish with depth and
complexity and notable length. Very Good. After a
day, it was much improved again. Very Good Indeed.
(19/4/05)
1999
Hermitage Blanc, rives nobles, Cave
de Tain l'Hermitage
A mid to deep gold colour. The nose initially (well
for the first hour or so) is rather closed: after decanting and once
it's recovered from being too cold, the nose is lightly spiced with
honey roast quince. On the palate it was at first again
rather closed and unforgiving, with a rather hollow note towards the
finish. Decanting, further aeration and taking the chill off
it revealed a complex, long wine with great depths. Yet there
is still a nagging feeling that it should be better than
this. Very Good.
(16/4/05 at L'Enclume
restaurant, Cartmel)
1999
Jerusalem Section Pinot Noir,
Adelaide Hills, Chain of Ponds, 14.5% (Bibendum)
A bright mature raspberry red with a hint of youth at the
edge. A powerful, ripe pinot noir nose with lots of soft red
fruit with some floral notes and a hint of bubble
gum. Fresh and clean on the attack.
Develops really nice fruit in the mouth. Citrussy feel on the
finish. But a bit hollow and cold on the finish.
Very Good.
(15/4/05)
1997
Poderuccio, IGT Toscana, Castello di
Camigliano, 12.5%, (The
Wine Society)
A mature, rather characterless-looking burgundy colour.
Really lovely, soft, warm nose with crushed blackberries and sour
cherries. Excellent attack: soft, light and mature.
Very elegant indeed.. Warm fruit on the palate, with soft
tannins towards the finish. Very fine finish with excellent
length. Excellent.
(13/4/05)
1999
Chardonnay, IGT Sicilia, Planeta,
14% (Everywine)
A very deep, rather oxidised looking gold colour - looking a bit like a
Mosel trockenbeerenauslese. Not a lot on the nose - nutty
butter with some stone fruits. Rich and round on the palate,
with lots of depth. Doesn't feel at all oxidised in the
mouth. Lovely ripe fruit that really opens up towards the
finish when it develops a lovely rounded elegance, though it's in a
world and a style of its own. Very interesting to see how
it's aged. Very Good Indeed.
(11/4/05)
1992
Ürziger Würzgarten
Riesling Spätlese, Mönchhof, Robert Eymael,
8%, AP Nr: 2 602 029 019 93 (Morrison's)
The cork crumbled to dust when I tried to remove it and the remaining
wine was decanted through muslin. A mid to deep
gold. Some gasoline on the nose, but the main impression is
of oxidation. Badly oxidised.
(4/4/05)
1999
Erte e China, IGT Rosso di Toscana,
Paolo Masi, 13% (Sunday Times Wine Club)
A mature, even ruby colour. Rather indeterminate nose - some
sweet cherry, but also some hot alcohol. Good light
attack. Very clean. Open up with limited fruit on
the palate. Feels a touch dried out. Plenty of soft
tannins and some alcoholic spirit. Good.
(3/4/05)
2002
Schioppetino, Le Vigne di
Zamò, DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli, 13%
Spicy nose that doesn't really impress overly. But that impression is
completely reversed once the wine is in the mouth. Wow! Really unusual
and remarkably complex for a 100% schioppetino, a variety previously
used only in blends to beef them up. Great depth of flavour and lots of
character. Very Good Indeed.
(2/4/05 at Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
2000
Chianti Classico Brolio, Barone
Ricasoli, 13.5% (Sainsbury?)
A good basic Chianti. Nothing particularly stunning but very
acceptable. Very Good.
(1/4/03)
2001
Corbières Grande
Cuvée Castelmaure, AC Corbières, Castelmaure,
(The Wine Society)
Taken as BYO to Luna Restaurant, so not a proper note. Good,
full bodied, very attractive, nice character. Very Good Indeed +.
(29/3/05)
2003
Riesling, Fût 702,
Château de Schengen, Thill Frères, AC Moselle
Luxembourgoise, 13%, Bottle # 534, (The Wine Society)
Pale lime green. Very fragrant apple and elderflower nose
with some pink grapefruit. Excellent attack. Nice
mid-weight. Good fruit. Beautiful balance: fresh
and crisp but with a creamy weight. Lovely finish.
Utterly massive length. Excellent.
(28/3/05)
1986
Chateau de Rayne-Vigneau, 1er
Grand Cru, AC Sauternes, 14% (Byrne's)
A slightly raised cork, but the mushroom shape at the top suggests it's
been this way for a long time. A limpid rich gold, brassy at the edges.
Intense honeyed botrytis nose with perfumed honeysuckle notes. Rich and
at the same time quite fresh and racy on the attack. Quite heavy and
full on the palate, with a rich creaminess, but also a strong streak of
acidity throughout. Turns relatively spicy on the finish with peppery
tropical fruit. Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(27/3/05)
2000
Refosco dal Pedunculo, IGT delle
Venezie, Cantine da Villa Frattina, 12.5%
Slightly youthful plummy red. A very interesting nose -
chocolate-coated prunes and orange zest - quite Christmassy.
Good soft, fruity attack, which fills and broadens out. Woody
licorice root flavours on the finish. A bit simple perhaps,
but rescued by excellent, unusual flavours. Very Good Indeed.
(25/3/05 at Solo Restaurant, Goosnargh)
1983
Riesling Vendanges Tardives
Cuvée Frédéric Émile,
Trimbach, 375ml, 12.5% (Byrne's)
A heavy deep gold appearance. Perfumed, creamy pears with
wafts of kerosene on the nose. The immediate impression on
the attack is of surprising dryness, with dried apples and pears
flavours, with an elegant creamy backbone. Very very far from
sweet. Immense elegance and beautifully balanced.
But I have to admit that as a Vendanges Tardives (late harvest), I was
expecting something rather sweeter than this. On the other
hand, the structure and elegance of this is completely
winning. Seems a little older than I might have expected and
there is a touch of oxidation. Still Very Good Indeed.
(23/3/05)
1996
Nyetimber Classic
Cuvée Brut, 12% (Majestic)
Mid straw with a slightly pinkish tinge. Deep biscuity,
citrussy, slightly cheesy nose - a very powerful nose. Round
and fruity, but also very crisp and clean. Lovely
complexity. Like a cross between Krug and Bolly.
Very Good Indeed.
(23/3/05)
1996
Eitelsbacher
Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Kabinett Trocken, 9%, AP
3 561 303 17 97 (French
& Logan)
A very bright pale gold. Peaches and cream on the nose and
more minerals than you can shake a geologist's stick at.
Light and very limey on the attack. Then a certain muddy
richness on the palate, with a really oily feeling to it.
Good finish. Very Good.
(21/3/05)
2003
Ürziger Würzgarten
Riesling Kabinett, Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben, 8%, AP 2 602
041 004 04 (French
& Logan)
A pale to mid straw. Bit of a dull, un-focussed nose
initially, but eventually a very fragrant note comes through - sort of
sherbetty deodorant. Quite sweet and a touch sugary and
watery on the attack. Really rather unfocussed. Has
a real spätlese feel to it - but undoubtedly a lesser
spätlese. Rather hollow on the middle, but comes
back again on the finish with immense length. Improved by
drinking with food, and also improved by a Riedel Chardonnay glass
(much fuller, fruitier flavours in the Riedel Chardonnay than the
Riesling).
(20/3/05)
1989
Nederberg, Cabernet Sauvignon,
Private Bin R161, Auction Selection, Paarl, South Africa 12%
abv
An interesting nose, with a touch of cassis, and quite cedary with a
lot of truffley mushrooms. Very soft on the attack. Lovely, elegant
restrained fruit. A moderately old feel to it, with elegant softened
tannins. Really well integrated. A mature elegant lady. Lovely earthy
finish with magnificent length that goes on forever.
After time a touch of soapiness appears on the nose and a hint of
violets. Also with time, it is slightly more drying on the palate.
I took just over a half of the bottle away with me, and having fed some
to Wilson Logan in exchange for all the rieslings he gave me to try,
finished the bottle at about 9.30 that night. No further development
(despite having been on the long drive home) and it wasn't showing any
signs of fading.
Excellent wine.
(18/3/05 at the Champany Inn,
Linlithgow)
1970
Warre's Vintage Port
The last few glasses from a bottle decanted about three days
previously. A tarry chocolate nose with deep dark
plums. Quite dry on the attack with concentrated Christmas
cake fruit. Opens out well and sweetens in the
mouth. Very clean and chocolately on the finish, where
there's a touch of spirit, but not at all detracting. Very
Good Indeed.
(15/3/05 at Establishment Restaurant, Manchester)
2001
Pinot Noir by Farr, Geelong, Grown
and made by Gary Farr at Bannockburn, Victoria, Australia, Lot 001,
14%
Tar and paracetamol on the nose with some very concentrated raspberry
notes. Very elegant attack. Needs plenty of time to
open up. Very round and elegant with a fine tannic
backbone. Lovely fruit structure too, with excellent
balance. Excellent.
(15/3/05 at Establishment Restaurant, Manchester)
2000 Mas Cristine, AC
Rivesaltes
The sommelier told me to try it first and he'd come back after I'd
tasted it to explain it.
A fantastic coppery colour like a very very very very very pale tawny:
imagine a 10 yr tawny diluted 50:50 with white wine. Interesting nose -
and it's obviously not a muscat - with dried fruit and nuts, mocha and
a hint of vanilla. I guess this is a lightly fortified grenache, like a
Banyuls, but in a much much lighter style. On the palate, it's round
and soft, with more dried fruits and a marked cognac flavour: but only
the flavour - there's no trace of spirit.
Apparently it is grenache, but it's grenache blanc, that is fortified
and then left outside in large glass jars at the Mas for three seasons
(winter, spring, summer) to develop some rancio notes. I didn't quite
get the rancio notes, but I really liked this wine.
(11/3/05 at Lindsay House, London)
2003
Villa Vieja Sangiovese, La Agricola,
Mendoza, Argentina
Lots of ripe cherry and raspberry fruit on the nose. Very fresh and
fruity. Remarkably light. Reminiscent of chianti, but only reminiscent:
this is rather lighter and fruitier. And rather simpler than the better
Italian examples. A nice wine for lunch though. Very Good Indeed.
(11/3/05 at Lindsay
House, London)
2003
Chablis, Domaine Perchaud
A mid gold and very ripe on the nose, though some nice aromatics too.
Very full on the palate and marked by low acidity. Has an oaky weight
to it, but without any oaky flavours. A very atypical chablis. Very
curious. Went well with a ravioli of pig's head though.
(11/3/05 at Lindsay
House, London)
2003
Albariño, DO Rias Baixas,
Pazo de Señorans
A good, round, herbaceous nose. Full and round on the palate - quite
green, but a very nice green-ness. Very Good Indeed.
(11/3/05 at Lindsay
House, London)
2000
Blanquette de Limoux Grande
Réserve, Antech, 12% (DeVigne Wines)
Mid gold. Rich, citrussy creamy nose. Quite full
and rich on the palate. Excellent balance.
Full-flavoured with nice round fruit. Very Good Indeed.
(9/3/05)
2003
Piesporter Goldtröpfchen
Riesling Spätlese halbtrocken, Kurt Hain, 13% (!!),
AP 2 596 432 10 04 (French
& Logan)
Mid gold. Gorgeous rich, very ripe Riesling nose redolent of
perfumed honeyed nectarines. Very full on the attack with
lots of ripe fruit. Very intense flavours with a slightly
coarse dryness. Just enough acid to keep it
balanced. Very full, with a lovely weight totally unlike a
normal Mosel Riesling. Enormous length. A very
impressive wine, though very atypical. Excellent.
(7/3/05)
1998
Eitelsbacher
Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Kabinett, Karthäuserhof,
8.5%, AP 3 561 303-19-99 (French
& Logan)
Very bright crystal pale gold. Very very minerally nose with
a touch of peach jam. Round and very fresh on the palate, but
with the same mineral power, backed up by a touch of sherbet
freshness. Quite full, with a certain ripeness, but very
precisely balanced by some lovely crisp acid. Excellent.
(6/3/05)
2003
Beaujolais-Villages, Combe aux
Jacques, Louis Jadot, 12.5% (Tesco)
A bright light raspberry red colour. Excellent nose - really
attractive. Very soft red fruits with lots of strawberries
and the merest hint of bubble gum. Light and fresh, with
lovely soft fruit, but also a very attractive structure.
Interesting depths, or rather layers. Soft sandy tannins on
the finish. Very Good Indeed.
(2/3/05)
1999
Zinfandel Planchon Vineyard, Franus,
Contra Costa County, Napa, California, 15% (Edencroft)
Attractive bright maturing ruby. Green nose with light
TCA. Corked.
(2/3/05)
2002
Tocai Friulano, Vino Bianco degli
Ulivi, DOCG Collio, Aldo Polenci, 14%
From a small (6 hectare) estate. The grapes are harvested as
late as October and the wine is aged in large tonneaux. An
unusual grassy, smoky nose. Very, very full and rich on the attack, and
that continues throughout. Indeed there doesn't really seem to be any
real development in the mouth: it's just big, full and rich. There is
oak very clearly present, but it's a very integrated oak, built into
the depths of the wine, not an additional flavour. It's quite a weighty
wine with 14% alcohol, no doubt owing something to the grapes being
late harvested around October. Somewhat reminiscent of a late harvest
Condrieu. I can't quite make up my mind about this wine: it's lovely
drinking, but just seems a little simple with no depth. Very Good/Very
Good Indeed.
(26/2/05 at the Italian Orchard, Broughton)
1991
Eitelsbacher
Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spätlese Trocken,
Karthäuserhof from a magnum. 10% AP No: 3 561
303-13-92 (French
& Logan)
Quite an interesting colour, that seems to change as it catches the
light differently, but I'll settle on calling it a pale straw. A really
good, old Riesling nose: lots of minerally petrol and wet slate -
entirely mineral driven now, with no fruit noticeable on the nose. Dry
and quite intense on the attack. Very minerally. Fairly rich-flavoured,
but bone dry. Really quite intense. Very zingy acidity on the finish
and after. Enormous length. Very Good Indeed.
(23/2/2005)
1999
Chain of Ponds Amadeus Cabernet
Sauvignon, Adelaide Hills 13.5% (Bibendum)
An excellent looking, bright maturing dark-plum skins colour. Very very
elegant, fragrant Italianate nose that seems quite sweet. Very fresh
and light on the attack. Nice elegant fruit that's quite delicate on
the palate. A hugely elegant wine with excellent balance. Soft tannins
on the finish. Perhaps not overly expressive of cabernet sauvignon -
certainly I don't think it would be immediately recognisable as an
Australian cabernet. Very Good Indeed.
(21/2/2005)
2000
Chain of Ponds Ledge Shiraz, Adelaide
Hills 13.5% (Bibendum)
A bright even garnet colour. There's a slightly green edge to the nose,
but it opens up nicely into really nice, elegant, slightly scented
plummy fruit with coffee notes. Very good on the attack: immediately
impressive. It has a restrained elegance from the fruit and a spicy
backbone with black pepper on the finish. Really well balanced and
integrated. Excellent.
(19/2/2005)
1989
Marc Bredif Vouvray Moelleux Nectar
12.8% (Byrne's)
A dinky little 375ml bottle with a noticeably deep punt. Sealed with
wax. Trying to find bottle size and alcohol content on the label is a
bit like looking at one of those magic eye things.
Bloody hell! - it's fizzy! I wasn't expecting that. A deep straw
colour. The nose is rather weird, though includes notes of honeyed
botrytis and apricots: a very intense, super-concentrated and very
dry-smelling nose. But a rather odd nose. On the palate it's very full
and has a demi-sec weight to it. A gentle pétillance on the
palate. Quite intensely flavoured. A bit like a touch oxidised moscato
d'Asti but made from chenin not muscat. Very strange wine, and not one
I'd buy again. OK.
(18/2/2005)
NV
Crémant du Jura Brut,
Frédéric Lorner (DeVigne Wines)
A deepish straw. Very full on the palate. The
initial impression is reminiscent of a sparkling Normandy
cider. Deep stone-fruit nose with a hint of
raisining/oxidation. Full and very far from aggressively brut
on the attack. Deep and richly flavoured. Good,
solid character, but perhaps not terribly interesting. An
unusual wine. Very Good Indeed.
(18/2/05)
1993
Brauneberger Juffer Riesling
Kabinett, P. Licht-Bergweiler Erben, 7.5%, AP 2 577 264 8 94 (Bibendum)
A watery mid gold in appearance. This has a really gorgeous
aged riesling nose with smoky petrol notes and some elegant slightly
raisined fruit. Very good on the attack: clean, ripe and
full. Excellent balance. Elegant yet very
rich. ripe fruit, yet really quite dry. Excellent
length. A magnificent wine. Excellent.
(15/2/05)
2001
Castelmaure Grande Cuvée,
AC Corbières (The
Wine Society)
A very dark mauvey purple. Lovely young plummy ripe fruit on
the nose with sweet chocolate and tobacco notes. Sweet and
ripe on the attack - quite portlike
actually. Very intense fruit with lots of
character, a vanilla note, and a bitter note, not unlike pinotage. A
very impressive wine. Very Good Indeed +.
(13/2/05)
2003
Piesporter Goldtröpfchen
Riesling Auslese, Kurt Hain, 8.5%, AP 2 596 432 15
04, (French
& Logan)
A pale gold. Wow! Totally gorgeous nose: honey
roast apple with cream and very fragrant honeysuckle, but also a mighty
mineral streak. Round, rich and full on the attack.
Really quite sweet, but with luscious ripe riesling fruit and
character. Overall, the wine has a real zingy character and
is perhaps just a little out of balance: there's a sugary element, a
fruity element and a limey element. But it's not yet properly
integrated. Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
(9/2/05)
1999
Eitelsbacher
Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spätlese Trocken,
Karthäuserhof, 12% AP No: 3 561 303-14-01 (yes, 01!)
(French &
Logan)
A very, very pale straw with the merest hint of green. Quite
a solid feel to the nose - lots of fragrance with lime zest and Right
Guard and lots of wet stone mineral notes. Immediately full
and quite dry on the attack. But by no means aggressively
dry. Good weight to it, but also a rather odd rubbery-watery
feel. There's a real tingle of acid on the tip of the
tongue. Overall, however, this is very even and a bit
flat. As is often the case, the fermentation to trocken has
taken much of the character out of it: sometimes character can return
with age, but who knows what will become of this? At the
moment, it lacks flavour, although it's still reasonably
pleasant. A curious hybrid of a wine. Good/Very
Good.
(9/2/05)
2001
Grüner Veltliner Drei
Kreuzen-Kadolz trocken, Graf Hardegg, Weinviertel, Austria,
13%, (Noel Young)
(opened for cooking and tasted unchilled)
A filthy, mouldy cork. Very rich nose - buttery with lots of
spice and with some deep, very, very concentrated tropical fruit,
including a hint of pineapple. Lush and rich on the attack,
with lots of tropical fruits on the palate. A bit too warm
for proper judgement, but still very rich and with lovely
spice. The richness dominates throughout, though it
undoubtedly still warrants its trocken
designation. Very Good.
(6/2/05)
2002
Pinot Noir, Cottesbrook Wine Co. Ltd,
South Island, New Zealand, 13% (Byrne's)
From vineyards in Canterbury and Marlborough, the wine undergoes
malolactic fermentation in French oak for six months. The
bottle was closed with a Stelvin closure, which had an inner cap that
made a satisfying cork-style pop on opening.
A very clear and a very, very light appearance: a pale raspberry
colour. Very very light on the nose: quite crisp with light
cherries and the merest hint of toasty oak. This is a fairly
typical light, crisp, slightly zingy New Zealand pinot noir: nicely
together and well integrated. Crisp, fresh red
fruit. Excellent length. Very Good Indeed.
(24/1/05)
2001
Niergal, IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti
Rosso 13%
100% Lagrein. Matured in a mixture of French and American oak. 6720
bottles produced in 2001.
Sweet vanillin and red fruit on the nose, seeming very rounded and
integrated and promising something a little different. Really quite
unusual (unless you're used to lagrein, I guess!). Soft and rounded
with quite forward elegant fruit with some lovely bitter chocolate
notes. Very nice easy drinking. Very Good Indeed (perhaps merits a
little higher a score, given its geek-friendly status as a less common
variety!)
(23/01/05 at Italian
Orchard Restaurant, Broughton)
1997
Pesquera Tinto Crianza, Bodegas
Alejandro Fernandez, Ribera del Duero, Spain, 13%
(Chateauonline)
A rather murky maturing garnet in appearance. The nose is
deeply uninspiring: very light cherry notes with lots of
greenness. Very lean on the palate with no development in the
mouth. Very even, soft tannins with some freshness on the
finish. Fair.
(21/1/05)
1997
Gran Reserva, Viña Albali,
DO Valdepeñas, Spain (Sainsbury)
100% tempranillo, aged for 24 months in American oak.
An attractive, bright, clear ruby colour. The nose is round
and integrated, lightly oaky and plummy. Light and fruity on
the attack. Very clean and rounded. Soft and gentle
sweet fruit on the palate, with very very gentle tannins on the
finish. Fresh, clean flavours throughout. Very
Good/Very Good Indeed. But it hardly seems a gran reserva.
(19/1/05)
NV
Crémant d'Alsace
Cuvée Julien, Dopff au Moulin, Alsace, 12% (The Wine Society)
Pale straw colour. Good mousse. Quite a gentle,
fine bubble stream. Rather herbaceous on the nose, with some
white bread doughiness. Good mousse feeling in the
mouth. Crisp and remarkably fresh (this bottle was purchased
in December 2000), very clean, with an almost green apple
freshness. Quite deep, with decent complexity. An
unfortunately green, raw note on the finish. Last of my
bottles of this, and it wouldn't have done to hold onto it any
longer. Very Good.
(14/1/05)
1998
Dow Late Bottle Vintage Port,
L4345, Bottled 2004, 20% (Sainsbury)
Very very dark plumskins colour, almost black, but also very young
looking. Very viscous and glass coating. The nose
is quite gorgeous - with chocolate, black cherries, plums and new
leather, but also a rather charming fresh note too.
Immediately attractive on the palate: medium to light on the attack,
with lots of fruit and a nice freshness. Deepens hugely in
the mouth. Really deep and full, with velvety
treacle-textured bitter chocolate flavours and plummy fruit.
An amazing wine for the discounted £4.99 price at
Sainsbury's. Very Good Indeed+
(12/1/05)
1994
Eitelsbacher
Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spätlese Trocken,
Karthäuserhof 10.5% abv AP 3 561 303-8-95. Magnum. (French & Logan)
Pale straw colour. Very minerally on the nose, with crab
apples, petrol and gas. Wow! This is so much better
than the first magnum of this I opened on Boxing Day. Light
and crisp on the attack; then it fills nicely with a very interesting
soft structure on the palate. Crisp and remarkably fresh,
with a lovely balance. Nice weight of fruit in the mouth,
followed by wet slate flavours on the finish. Very Good
Indeed.
(3/1/05)
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Last updated: 29 May 2011