SuperBOWL 2003 

 

SuperBOWL 2002 was a unique event - and 2003 was bigger and for the most part better.  

Nothing to do with bowling or some obscure American sport, this was a meeting of British On-line Wine Lovers, and it was super.

On 10th October 2003 around 75 of those wine lovers, readers of and contributors to the wine-pages.com forum, attended a day of tastings, seminars and a grand dinner at the City Inn in Glasgow.  The event was organised by Tom Cannavan of wine-pages.com, to whom huge thanks is due.  

There were two off-line meetings and tastings over dinner the previous night, one of first growths at Braidwoods, the other with slightly less grand wines (but it seems certainly no worse and perhaps better) at the Ubiquitous Chip.  You can read my notes from the off-line at the Chip by following this link.

The programme for the day was:

14:00 - 17:30 walk-round tasting - fine, rare and unusual wines
14:40 - 15:30 seminar 1: Griotte Chambertin
15:40 - 16:30 seminar 2: Graham Beck Sparkling Wines
16:40 - 17:30 seminar 3: Bordeaux 1997
19:30 - Dinner

The wines were supplied by those attending and by a number of sponsors: see the report on wine-pages.com for further information.  Overall impressions were of slightly fewer real wow! wines this year, though that might just be a much higher general standard.  Unlike 2002, all the dinner wines were supplied by those attending.

Walk round tasting

These are not in the order tasted, though I did start with the first one. It's worth pointing out at the beginning that, combined with the seminars, this was a huge collection of wine (and there were at least 23 that I did not taste - a 1955 Spanna for one, unfortunately, which seemed to disappear out of the bottle as soon as it was opened! ). Inevitably some wines suffer either by comparison or just by the sheer bulk of competition. Others suffer from the speed of tasting, my being distracted by something else, or the lack of repeat pourings to reassess at leisure. Others suffer from not being drunk with food. Caveats over, here we go ...

Sparkling

Just the one fizz this year, but nice to see Champagne Boulard represented again.

Raymond Boulard Champagne "Petraea" Solera
This is a new wine from Francis Boulard, the "brand" Petraea being registered first in July 2003.  This particular wine is a blend of wines from 1997, 1998 and 1999.  Francis has provided the following notes on the wine: "Made in barrels, in solera way based on the maturity levels of several wines from several harvests, ranging in tiers from the oldest to the most recently harvested. It consists of drawing off one-quarter to one-third of the oldest wine for bottling. The wine that was drawn off is replaced with wine from the next oldest tier, which is replaced with a younger wine from the next level, and so on up through the levels of the solera"
The wine is fermented (alcoholic and malolactic fermentations) and matured in barrels of three years old - *and 10 % of new barrels, since 2000*, for the new harvest.

Superb nose: toasty and fragrant. Lovely mousse. Clean, crisp, elegant. Rich and full flavoured, especially on the finish. I could drink lots of this. Excellent.

Whites

Ernest Burn, Grand Cru Goldert, Clos Saint Imer, La Chapelle, Riesling 2000
This and the next two wines from Ernest Burn - an Alsace producer new to me - were noticeable on the table for their very unusual clear glass bottles (unusual because the glass was clear) and the golden liquid that was clearly visible within all of them. The name is a bit of a mouthful and probably merits explanation (courtesy of Google): "Goldert" is the grand cru vineyard in Gueberschwihr; "Clos Saint Imer" is a particularly sunny walled spot (a Burn monopole) within the Goldert vineyard. There is a small chapel in the Clos St Imer, and the Domaine Burn use the "La Chapelle" name to signify their top cuvées.

This top cuvée Riesling rather failed to impress me. I did come to it late in the day, and perhaps it had started to fade a little (or maybe I had).
Palish straw. Dull nose. Some steely minerality, but a touch damp on the nose. Lots of acid - what fruit there is on the palate only makes a fleeting appearance. Not good.

Ernest Brun, Grand Cru Golder, Clos Saint Imer, La Chapelle, Pinot Gris 2000
Lovely smoky nose. Weight on the palate. Quite sweet, but also has a good acidity. Good.

Ernest Brun, Grand Cru Golder, Clos Saint Imer, La Chapelle, Gewurtraminer 2000
An elegant gewurz nose - tropical fruit and some gentle rose petals. Excellent, if curiously sherbetty gewurz palate. A big wine, but not overdone. Excellent.

1998 Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives Collection Joseph Mann, Wunsch & Mann, Wettolsheim
Quite a light gewurztraminer nose. Full, quite rich. A touch simple for a VT. Nice gentle sweetness though. Good but not great.

1997 Riesling Cuvée Cinquantenaire, Albert Mann en magnum
Literally head and shoulders above all the other wines ...
Bright lemony gold. Excellent Riesling nose: apples and citrus with just a touch of petroleum wax. Very full attack, creamy and rich. Clearly made with grapes of VT ripeness. Big and stunning with a lot of power. Very ripe fruit. Remarkable elegance and finesse for all its power. Excellent length. Excellent.

1990 Riesling Pflaenzerreben, Rolly Gassmann
Mid straw. Elegant minerals and petrol nose with a hint of smokiness. Ripe fruit on palate. Good structure. Superb classic Alsace Riesling. Very Good Indeed.

2000 Pacherenc du Vic Bilh Sec, Cuvée Frédéric Laplace, Pierre Laplace Sarl
Mid gold. Elegant, light fragrant citrus nose. Big oaky palate. Lots of structure. Very Good Indeed.

1999 Picpoul de Pinet Les Flaconnes
Very undistinguished nose. Still some freshness on palate, but combined with body in a rather disconnected way. OK.

2000 Soave Pieropan La Rocca
Medium lemon gold. Light fruity crisp nose. Unusual palate. Strong flavours. Odd. Don't like it.

1981 Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva White Rioja
Touch corky on the nose. Vanilla cream nose. Light. Fairly elegant. Not overly impressive. I suspect this would show much better on its own or amid a rather smaller selection that this walkround. Good.

2001 Petaluma Viognier
Very good nose - light and elegant with a hint of marzipan. Good clean fruit. Ripe, full and round. Possibly a bit simple. Good to Very Good.

1999 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay
Very pale with an unusual greenish tinge. Good buttery nose, but a bit reticent and needs coaxing out. Superb classic chardonnay. Exceptional balance. Very good length. Very Good Indeed/Excellent.

2001 Le Soula vin de pays des Côteaux des Fenouillèdes, Gerard Gauby 13%
Toasty oaky nose with some cheesy butter. Very interesting round, quite green, minerally flavours with good acidity. Spiciness on the finish. Excellent balance. Very Good Indeed.

Reds

2000 Black Chicken Zinfandel, Robert Biale
Seems a bit odd, almost overripe. Same on palate. Don't really like it.

2000 Orion Shiraz, Sean Thackeray
Dark and inky. Lovely nose: quite fragrant with lots of soft red fruit. Very attractive on the palate: a little spice and lots of fruit. Real interest and loads of character. Very Good.

1995 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon
Darkish purple. Unimpressive nose - I can't seem to get anything out of it. Decent fruit with some softening tannins. Good.

1992 Ridge Monte Bello 80% Cabernet Sauvignon; 20% Merlot
Mature colour. Very good nose - lots of interest, with some farmyard and lots of brambly fruit. Superb mouthfeel. Excellent fruit on the palate. Very good structure and quite multi-dimensional. Excellent.

2001 Delicato Shiraz (California)
Served blind as the mystery wine.  Youngish with plenty of weight. Open nose - very soft red fruit with a hint of marzipan. good clean mouthfeel. Lots of fruit. Good structure. Nice body. Has a weight and sweetness to it, which makes me think of South America.

1982 Barolo Vigna Gattinera, Fontanafredda
Medium tawny colour. Interesting old nebbiolo nose. Light attack. Elegant fruit still holding out. Plenty of tannins. A touch muddy on the finish. Good/Very Good, but still a touch disappointing.

1999 Torbreck Descendant (Australia)
Inky. Very warm, slightly clovey cab sauv nose. Big ripe parkerised fruit. Massive. Very obvious. Very impressive. But obvious. Very Good.

1998 Le Cèdre Cahors, Verhaeghe et fils
Dark and young. Fascinating nose. Powerful attack. Ripe, rich fruit. Huge, but perhaps a bit overextracted, which on reflection makes it Good rather than Very Good.

1999 Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz
Very interesting nose - slightly confected, but lovely. Good fruit. Very young but very impressive. Very Good.

1994 St Hallet Old Block Shiraz
Excellent even colour. Fair nose. Simple. OK.

1993 Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz
Dark, but clearly not young. Fabulous ripe new world shiraz nose. Very ripe. Very impressive. Very Good Indeed.

1986 Henschke 'Cyril Henschke' Cabernet Sauvignon
Good mature colour. Elegant, mature cabernet sauvignon nose - very clearly old new world CS. Possibly some slight oxidation? Fascinating on the palate. Huge depths of flavour. Mature, clean flavours with excellent fruit, tannins on middle and finish. Huge length. Very Excellent!

1987 Cabernet Sauvignon, Vriesenhof (South Africa)
Oil of Ulay face cream nose. Light. Dried out.

1982 Shiraz, Zandvliet (South Africa)
20 Year tawny appearance. Sweaty saddles on the nose. Interesting. Still well alive. Layers of interest. Good.

1996 Chateau Musar
Good colour. Quite light. Leathery Musar nose without the expected VA. Excellent fruit. Very attractive. Very Good.

1991 Chateau Musar
Acetone VA nose. Rich sweet attack. Very Good, but I prefer the 1996.

1995 Esk Valley The Terraces Hawkes Bay
Merlot-Malbec-Cabernet Franc.
Good even colour. Very attractive nose. Decent fruit initially but a bit unbalanced. Seems very young. Good.

1999 St Joseph Les Pierres, Pierre Gaillard
Dark and inky. Excellent nose - almost Burgundian. Lovely clear fruit - bright clean flavours. Real power on the finish. Very Good.

1986 St Joseph Réserve Personelle, Jaboulet
Nice mature colour. Soft, earthy nose with elegant fruit. Elegant fruit on the palate too, with lovely soft tannins for structure. Totally mature and ready. Excellent.

1995 Domaine Font de Michelle Chateauneuf du Pape
Lovely warm spicy nose. Excellent attack. Impressive. Lots of power and quite gamey on the palate. Nice structure with good tannins and a spot of acidity. Couple of years needed. Very Good Indeed.

1994 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape
Vegetal farmyardy nose. Nice fruit. Seems to lack depth. Good.

1995 Cornas Domaine de Saint Pierre, Jaboulet
Reticent nose. Tounch confected at end of nose. Decent fruit. Lots of tannin, but they're a bit too coarse still. Not especially approachable at the moment.

Sweet and Fortified Wines

1999 D'Arenberg Vintage Fortified Shiraz
Very dark and very young. Very reticent nose - warm unspicy shiraz. Lots of soft fruit. Very interesting. Spirit comes right at the very end. Good/Very Good.

1993 Tokaji Aszu 5 puttonyos, Disznoko
Quite a light nose with more honey than marmelade. Full on sweet sweet sweet Tokaji. Good(ish)

2002 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese***, Kees-Kieren Half bottle. 8% AP 2 583 092 24 03
Gorgeous nose - light slightly honey appley beeswax. Superb attack. Very clean. Notably sweet, but hugely elegant. Very good balance. Excellent length. Excellent.

1992 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Auslese, Kurt Hain 9.5% AP 2 596 432 10 95
Pale yellow green. Rather subdued nose, losing its apples and gaining minerals, but very much still in a transitional phase. Good. Light - remarkably light for an Auslese. High acid. Complex honey hiding behind. Very Good.

1990 Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese, Mönchhof Robert Eymael AP 2 602 629 014 91
Rich lemon gold. Excellent nose - minerals dominate with petrol and still some apples there. Good attack with nice acid. Ripe, honeyed sweetness develops on the palate with cox apples. Excellent finish with very good length. Excellent.

1976 Nedeberg Edelkeur Chenin Blanc apparently. Half bottle.
Brown with a bright yellow rim. Fabulous nose - intense citrus, caramel and leather with a very slight flor touch. Amazing attack. Citrussy sweetness. Amazing life. Huge depths of flavour. Great length. Excellent.

Dow 1980
Very dark. Gorgeous nose - very black - intense black fruit with licorice and leather. Quite splendid fruit. Still rather young. Very Good Indeed.

2001 Casal del Ronco Picolit, Colli Orientali del Friuli
Medium straw. Odd almondy boiled sweet nose. Really odd on palate, with boiled sweets again, but also banana and custard ?!?!?!! A little weird. Good.

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Seminar tastings

Graham Beck, Sparkling Wines

The seminar was entitled A World of Sparkling Wine and presented by Jacques Conradie of Graham Beck Wines of South Africa. I think I'd have preferred to have left out the non-Beck wines, as for me, they seemed to lose the focus of the seminar rather than add any really meaningful comparison.

I enjoyed this tasting. Simon Goldberg had declared previously that he would make it his mission to find me South African wines that I would like, and although he didn't like these Cap Classique (i.e méthode champenoise) wines, I did. So failed and succeeded there, Simon!

Credit is due to Peckham's for supplying the wines for this seminar at very short notice.

Graham Beck Brut NV £8
50:50 Pinot Noir:Chardonnay The base wine for this came 70% from the 2000 vintage and 30% from reserve wines. Kept on the lees in bottle for two years prior to disgorgement. Could probably do with another 3-4 years in bottle.
Deepish straw. Fruity nose. Light and moussy. Initially seems a bit watery, but develops a very full flavour on the palate with lots of soft spicy notes. Good.

this was tasted against

Domaine Chandon, Green Point £13
Distinctly golden. Biscuity nose. Clean light attack. But does not develop on the palate, remaining merely light and crisp. OK.

Graham Beck Blanc de Blanc 1998 £11
This was 50% fermented in French oak and has spent 4.5 years on its lees in bottle before being disgorged.
Lemony straw. Elegant nose. Very crisp and clean. Elegant, nice citrussy fruit. Very Good.

this was tasted against

Laurent Perrier NV Champagne £20
Fruity nose. Quite round (much more so than the Beck Blanc de Blancs). Good fruit and length. Very Good.

and finally a bit of a novelty, produced in limited quantities (just 1000 cases), and tasted without a comparator - because of course there could be no comparator from elsewhere in the world!:

Graham Beck Sparkling Pinotage NV £11
20 g/l residual sugar, but not noticeable.
Deep bright raspberry red. Fascinating nose with soft red fruits. Very ripe flavours. Tannins and red fruit on palate. Quite impressive. Probably not something one would want to drink very much of, but it was very refreshing, especially in the context of the huge range of particularly reds available at SuperBOWL.

 

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Bordeaux 1997

This was a very interesting tasting of this somewhat topical vintage. The tasting was blind, apart from the last wine. Given the stature of the wines, serving them blind was really the only way to avoid prejudice ("oo, it's Cheval Blanc, it must be really good" - when it fact it's corked). Not that anyone there would have been prejudiced like that, and the unanimous cries of corked proved we did all spot that.
The wines were served in pairs, hence the comparisons between them.

Bordeaux is not something I am greatly into. I generally find the QPR unjustifiable, and tend only to be tempted by antique vintages! I don't think this seminar re-set my prejudices and it would be good to try this again in 10 years, though there were some very good wines and one excellent wine.

Many thanks to Neal Martin for presenting this, and of course to the generous sponsors, Berry Brothers & Rudd (BBR) & Farr Vintners for supplying the wines.

1. Cos d'Estournel 1997, St Estephe
Still quite a youthful appearance. Open earthy hedgerow nose with concentrated fruit behind. Soft. Good fruit. Decent structure. Tannins are slow to show themselves but they appear on the finish, with a touch of spice. Interesting structure. Slightly raw flavour on finish and after, and a bit short. Good (just)
60% Cabernet; 40% Merlot £48 @ BBR

2. Pichon-Lalande 1997, Pauillac
Appears a touch more mature, with an even ruby colour. Soft fruity nose, which seems quite merlot-ish to me. Much more approachable and open than the Cos d'Estournel. Fair structure. Seems a touch simple. OK.
55% Cab; 35% Merlot, with a bit of cab franc & petit verdot thrown in too. £260 ib @ Farr.

3. Ducru-Beaucaillou 1997, St Julien
Attractive, open nose, but a bit subdued. Very good fruit initially. Possibly could do with more structure. Tannins fill out with green pepper on finish, and tannins very noticeable after. Excellent length. Bit simple, maybe. Good.
£250 ib @ Farr.

4. Léoville Las-Cases 1997, St Julien
Much darker than the Ducru. Again a subdued nose, but much less obvious than the Ducru. Hint of burnt coffee on the nose. Extremely attractive initially - nice fruit and tannins. Very good structure - concentrated with good acidity. Excellent.
£60 @ BBR

5. Cheval Blanc 1997, St Emilion
[the bottle that wasn't corked] Initially fruit on the nose, but then more hedgerow elements with the very intense berry fruit behind. Very approachable. Elegant, though rather light - lacks something on the middle. Quite soft tannins. Good.
70% Merlot 30% Cab Franc £110 @ BBR

6. Haut-Brion 1997, Pessac-Léognan
Interesting nose: fruit and fresh leather and cedar. Good structure. Chewy flavours from hefty tannins. Very Good.
£690 ib @ Farr.

7. Doisy Védrines 1997, Barsac
Mid to deepish gold, quite viscous. Excellent citrussy nose - marmelade and honey. Lovely, immediately attractive. Honey-botrytis fruit on palate too. Some acidity, but a bit more might be nice. Quite complex, even though it's possibly still a bit young. Very good indeed.
£140 ib @ Farr

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Dinner Wines

Dinner, still at the City Inn, was as follows:

The food was really rather good (certainly better than I expected for a party of 60) and a great credit to the City Inn.  Here's the link to the City Inn, Glasgow, which I heartily recommend.

Of necessity some of these are rather brief! More or less in the order drunk.

Graham Beck Brut NV Cap Classique
OK. Full flavoured. Seems simpler and more acid than in the sparkling wine seminar earlier in the day. Rich on finish with very good length. Good.

1975 Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Spätlese. P. Licht-Bergweiler
Old Riesling nose with a nice waxiness and minerals but not overly petrolly. Still quite fresh. Quite splendid. Very good indeed.

1998 Fox Creek McLaren Vale I.S.M. Shiraz-Cabernet Franc 14.5%
Dark purple. Excellent nose - clearly shiraz & cab franc. Good attack. Nice soft fruit, lots of structure. Lots of spice on finish with nice tannins. Very Good.

1998 Ch. La Louvière Graves Blanc, AC Pessac-Leognan. Vignobles Lurton 12.5%
Very light nose. Quite big on palate. Acid and spice.

1996 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon 13%
Super bright dark colour. Very good nose - soft, herby cabernet. Very good attack. Excellent fruit on palate. But seems to fall apart a little on the finish, becoming a little disjointed - tannins, spice and fruit seem to separate out and go along their own paths. Good.

1993 Pignan Réserve, Chateauneuf du Pape blanc J Peynaud
Excellent nose. Minor hint of oxidation. But lovely rich almondy nose. Excellent fruit on the palate. Clean,round,full. Good.

1997 Napier Red Medallion (South Africa)
Lovely warm black fruits and hedgerow nose. Good fruit on palate. Spicy finish with huge tannins. Good.

1961 Ch. Phelan Segur, St Estephe
Quite brickish and starting to brown. Cedary nose with tobacco and just a bit of fruit. Seems to be a touch spirity and volatile? Quite secondary, but still some fruit. Very good, but fading.

2002 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese. Kurt Hain
Fantastic nose. Oily minerals - smells much older than it is. Very minerally. Fantastic attack - clean fresh fruit, then a huge burst of residual sugar. A pretty immense mouthful. Then it actually seems to finish dry! Curiously seems to embody Riesling at its various stages of development in combination. Slightly curious, but Very Good Indeed.

1986 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape
Amazing nose: Beaucastel farmyard, but softened and rounded. Meaty/gamey on the palate. Truly Excellent. Sue Lawley can give me an unending bottle for my desert island.

2002 Erdener Treppchen Kabinett*. Kies-Keeren
Fab nose: full on, very fresh riesling. Rich Riesling, massive fruit, and a touch of acid, but perhaps a little rustic & lacking elegance. But immensely attractive. Very good.

2000 Gilga Shiraz, Stellenbosch 14%
Young purple. Good fruit. Appears older than it is. Immense spice on finish with good tannins. Very good.

2000 Livelli Pezzo Morgano Salice Salentino Rosso 14%
Reticent nose - very soft red fruit and cherries. Upfront fruit on the palate. Soft & ripe flavours. Some tannins on the finish. But it doesn't appeal to me for some reason. OK (just)

1996 Ch. Montrose, St Estephe
An even, slightly young colour. Earthy, mushroomy nose. Very lovely palate. But fades very quickly in the mouth. I know this is verging on the heretical, but I find this a bit average.

1982 Cousino Macul Reserva
Excellent bright red colour. Very good soft, leathery nose. Very good attack. Soft and inviting. Good structure and balance. Very intresting to try a Chilean of this age. Very Good Indeed.

Blue Nun 2002
Pale straw. Rather slight nose with hint of sweetness - I actually can find the Riesling it's made from on the nose. Light, off dry. Clean. Inoffensive. Nowhere near as bad as you might think. But you can get so much better for just £1 more!

Niepoort LBV 1996 bottled 2000
Clean, youngish ruby. OK nose with spirit. Some fruit, but for me it's totally dominated by some quite harsh spirit. Poor.

"Pinta" Fortified Pinotage Tinta Barocca Domein Doornkraal (South Africa)
Looks old. Port-ish nose, presummably from the tinta barocca, but very clearly also not port (hello pinotage). Quite portlike on the palate too. But also quite different, with a sort of burnt caramel sweetness. Rather a lot of sediment in the glass makes it difficult to come to a firm opinion.

1959 Vouvray Moëlleux, Bouillon-Dorleans
Pale tan. Bizarre nose with tobacco and slight honey. Very lively, with some acid still hanging in. Lots of fruit. Remarkable. Not great, but quite remarkable for its age. Very Good.

1983 Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese. P Licht-Bergweiler
Big malic nose. Clean attack. Good fruit. Seems a touch light for an auslese, though it seems to me that Licht-Bergweiler tend to a lighter, fresher style. Very Good.

Warre 1983
Very floral nose with walnuts. Good fruit on attack - very intense flavours. Spirit builds lightly but without dominating. Good.

2001 Piesporter Falkenberg Riesling Eiswein, Kurt Hain AP 2 596 432 19 02
Essence of Riesling nose. Intense riesling fruit on the palate, giving the tongue a real workout. Sweet, but more intense ripe yummy flavours than sugar sweet. Goes on for ever. Excellent.

Lustau Pedro Ximenez Murillo Specially bottled on the occasion of Lustau's centenary year (1996) 17%
Deep teak with the viscosity (and some of the colour) of engine oil. Remarkably fragrant nose: dried grapefruit peel and intense raisins. Lush. Very rich, very sweet, very big. Good complexity too though. Quite obvious on the attack, but lots of fruitcake and elderflower syrup flavours. Huge length. Very sticky (the bottle needed washing after a few pours).

1999 Abadia Retuerta Seleccion Especial, Sardon del Duero
Excellent nose - very serious - intense beefy nose. Gentle attack. Build and builds. Lots of big fruit in a moderately parkerised style. Good oak on finish. Very Good.

AC Rivesaltes NV Grenache Noir Vin Doux Naturel, Les Vignerons d'Opoul 17.5%
This was mine, from the Laithwaite stable, and I know that I've had the bottle, the last of six I think for just over 10 years.
Light, bright very young tawny port colour. Excellent vaguely portlike nose, but without the complexity of good port. Rich, sweet attack. Fills to huge fruit. Lots of tannin on finish. Spirit and spice mix on the finish, with the spice coming out on top. Very Good Indeed.
I had a spot of this left in the bottle which I tried the next day - it was fading very fast.

1998 Tim Adams Botrytis Semillon, Clare Valley 11%
Coppery gold. Pure botrytis nose with sultana juice. Sweet attack. Intense sultana fruit. Clean and elegant. Very Good.

1988 Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos, Hungarovin 13.5% 50cl
Mid tan. Poor caramelly nose. Sweet. Totally lacking acidity. Harsh note on finish. Poor.

2002 Paxo de Señorans Albariño, Rias Baixas 12%
Very good nose. Rich creamy grapefruit. Full flavoured. Slightly hard, but that might just be that it's at quite a warm temperature. OK.

1998Pinotage Old Bush Vines, Warwick Estate Wines, Stellenbosch 13.5%
Remarkably young looking. Herbaceous, vegetal nose with more than a little volatile acidity. Open broad fruit on the palate with an acid streak. Bitter finish.

Croft 1985
Good. (It was late, and it was good and enjoyable.)

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Last updated: 19 October 2006 12:22