27 Feb 2016, Landmark Hotel
These Decanter tastings are always great fun, but it's generally hard to make any proper notes. With around 80 tasting stands it's well over a hundred tasting samples in a few hours so the notes are generally brief and, towards the end of the day, utterly incoherent! As a result, what follows is some brief notes on things which really stood out.
Highlight of the day
The absolute highlight of the day was the discovery of the wonderful wines and ports from Quinta da Romaneira. How had I not come across these before? The estate is owned by Christian Seely, of Quinta do Noval and other AXA Millesimes fame, so it's not exactly been flying under the radar.
The Touriga Nacional 2012 was superb: both floral and meaty notes coming over the underlying fruit. The foreign interloper (Syrah, 2012) was also excellent - a really great expression of the classic syrah characteristics. Also well worth watching out for is the Quinta da Romaneira LBV Unfiltered Port. At a retail price of around £12 it's marvellous value. Christian Seely was behind the stand pouring the wines and said that he takes LBV port as seriously as possible. These are single-quinta, unfiltered, trodden in lagares.
Rioja
I particularly enjoyed the following Riojas:
Valserrano Blanco Gran Reserva Rioja 2009 (Interesting oxidative character)
Ramon Bilbao, Gran Reserva Rioja 2008 (Good, modern style)
CVNE, Imperial Reserva Rioja 2009 (Great modern style)
CVNE, Imperial, Real de Asua, Rioja 2010 (Modern style, very good)
Vina Pomal, Alto de la Caseta Rioja 2010
Vina Muriel, Gran Reserva Rioja 2004 (Very, very good - probably my favourite Rioja of the day. Pretty old school, great concentration, great lenth, lots of tobacco)
Muriel (note, not "Vina" Muriel) Gran Reserva Rioja 2008 (Old schoold, austere, very good)
Muga Prado Enea, Gran Reserva Rioja 2006 (the old classic - a real crowd pleaser)
Bohedal Hebabe Graciano, Rioja Alta 2010 (Very good, but quite hard work without food)
Marques de Riscal, Baron de Chirel, Rioja 2010 (Very interesting, savoury, tomato notes)
Altos de Rioja, Altos R Pigeage Graciano Rioja 2012 (Austere, savoury, meaty, very tannic, but the tannins are well hidden)
Lar de Paula Reserva Rioja 2009 (Classic, meaty and red fruit nose)
Bierzo
Castro Ventosa, Valtuille, Cepas Centenarias, Mencia, Bierzo 2012
Soto del Vicario, Men de Mencia, Bierzo 2007
Sherry
Tragically, there was only one sherry producer there. Fortunately it was a good one - Valdespino. We tried the whole range and it was all good.
The Fino Inocente was a single vineyard fino with 10-years under the flor. I don't think I've ever had a single-quinta sherry before.
The Tio Diego Amontillado (also delicious) was another single-quinta sherry.
The Viejo CP Palo Cortado was a 20-year aged sherry (after a couple of years under flor).
The Cardenal Palo Cortado VORS basically takes the previous sherry and ages it for another 20 years in solera. This was a really superb sherry.
Random collection of other notables
At the Pesquera stand, I enjoyed all the wines. In particular, the Dehesa la Granja 2009 (Castilla y Leon I believe) was really powerful. The El Vinculo and Condado de Haza were also great.
The Agusti Torello Mata Cavas were great. I really enjoyed the "Kripta" 2008 cava (which comes in a crazy-looking Amphora bottle). The Brut Gran Reserva 2010 was also very rich. These cavas have the base wine aged in barrel and lots of lees contact. This is where the creaminess comes from - no MALO.
The Kopke stand was very interesting. Of particular note was the 30-year old White port. This was really good - very high acid, extremely crisp and refreshing.
Showing posts with label Brief Notes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brief Notes. Show all posts
Sunday, 6 March 2016
Tuesday, 18 March 2014
Decanter Spain and Portugal Tasting
Spain and Portugal
Landmark Hotel
22 Feb 2014
This was one of the most enjoyable Decanter tastings I've been to for quite a while. Often these tastings are far too crowded from lunchtime onwards. Difficult to get to the wines, impossible to get to the spitoon. However, this felt much more appropriately busy. Perhaps the general wine drinking public in the UK is less excited by Spain and Portugal than the usual Decanter fare. The wines were excellent too. Some expected, many unexpectedly great.
Far, far too many wines to be able to make serious tasting notes of them. Most of my notes are quite incoherent. However, some wines really stood out. Great wines I'd never come across before (in no particular order):
Tenoira Gayoso, Mencia en Barrica 2009
No UK agent
Very high acid, but in balance. Very serious nose.
Grupo Dominio de Tares, Cepas Viejas, Bierzo 2009
Meaty notes on top of red fruit. Silky on initial attack, grippy tannins on end. Great finish.
Jose Pariente Verdejo 2013, Rueda
Bright and fresh. Nose a bit like a Sauvignon Blanc, but with softer acid.
Numanthia, Termanthia 2009
120 y.o. ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines.
This was excellent. Serious power, great length. Spicy nose with floral notes. Great balance and complexity... each sip something new comes through. Expensive though - £120 a bottle.
Recaredo
Some really interesting and complex Cavas here. I'd never had such interesting Cava before. The 2003 Reserva Particular and the 2001 Turo d'en Mota de Recaredo were both superb.
Viniberia Almacenista Selection Sherries
This stand was next to Equipo Navazos so had some stiff competition. Some really great stuff here though. The "Cayetano del Pino", Palo Cortado Viejisimo was sublime. Must look out for more sherries from these guys.
Bodegas Tobia, Rioja
These guys were very hardcore. I'd never come across them before but they were very good. High graciano content in many of their wines. Really liked their "Seleccion" and the "Alma Tobia". The 100% Graciano wine was seriously savoury and powerful but with less of the meaty note I would usually expect.
Jose Maria da Fonseca
The moscatels were excellent.
Aged tawny ports
The (very old) aged white tawny ports were a revelation. They had all the usually nutty complexity of a very old aged tawny, but with more acidity. This was really refreshing.
The Colheita ports going back to 1941(!) was an unexpected treat. It was a little surprising that there was no real extra increase in complexity from 1966 to 1941 (but obviously there was a very significant increase in price!). The 1966 was probably my favourite but realistically all of them were great.
Wines I'd had before but was happy to have again:
Bodegas Faustino
The "Faustino I" never fails to surprise me in how good it is. The 1994 was particularly good.
Torres
The "Mas la Plana", "Perpetual", and "Grans Muralles" were all excellent. The Grans Muralles was my favourite of the three.
Barrel-fermented Chardonnay, Chivite, Coleccion 125
Excellent as always. An old favourite.
Roda, Rioja
Both the "Roda Reserva" and "Roda I" were excellent. The reserva was more red fruit in character, the Roda I was more black fruit.
Equipo Navazos
Some really interesting stuff here. For example, one of their wines ("La Bota 45, Fino (Amontillado), Montilla") was a 20-year aged fino (and thus bone dry), made from Pedro Ximenez grapes. None of which makes sense, but the wine was excellent.
My favourite was the "La Bota 47, Palo Cortado Viejisimo". Like a nut cluster-bomb going off in your mouth.
So, in summary, lots of great stuff. There were other great wines I tried too but they had even more indecipherable notes than the ones above!
Landmark Hotel
22 Feb 2014
This was one of the most enjoyable Decanter tastings I've been to for quite a while. Often these tastings are far too crowded from lunchtime onwards. Difficult to get to the wines, impossible to get to the spitoon. However, this felt much more appropriately busy. Perhaps the general wine drinking public in the UK is less excited by Spain and Portugal than the usual Decanter fare. The wines were excellent too. Some expected, many unexpectedly great.
Far, far too many wines to be able to make serious tasting notes of them. Most of my notes are quite incoherent. However, some wines really stood out. Great wines I'd never come across before (in no particular order):
Tenoira Gayoso, Mencia en Barrica 2009
No UK agent
Very high acid, but in balance. Very serious nose.
Grupo Dominio de Tares, Cepas Viejas, Bierzo 2009
Meaty notes on top of red fruit. Silky on initial attack, grippy tannins on end. Great finish.
Jose Pariente Verdejo 2013, Rueda
Bright and fresh. Nose a bit like a Sauvignon Blanc, but with softer acid.
Numanthia, Termanthia 2009
120 y.o. ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines.
This was excellent. Serious power, great length. Spicy nose with floral notes. Great balance and complexity... each sip something new comes through. Expensive though - £120 a bottle.
Recaredo
Some really interesting and complex Cavas here. I'd never had such interesting Cava before. The 2003 Reserva Particular and the 2001 Turo d'en Mota de Recaredo were both superb.
Viniberia Almacenista Selection Sherries
This stand was next to Equipo Navazos so had some stiff competition. Some really great stuff here though. The "Cayetano del Pino", Palo Cortado Viejisimo was sublime. Must look out for more sherries from these guys.
Bodegas Tobia, Rioja
These guys were very hardcore. I'd never come across them before but they were very good. High graciano content in many of their wines. Really liked their "Seleccion" and the "Alma Tobia". The 100% Graciano wine was seriously savoury and powerful but with less of the meaty note I would usually expect.
Jose Maria da Fonseca
The moscatels were excellent.
Aged tawny ports
The (very old) aged white tawny ports were a revelation. They had all the usually nutty complexity of a very old aged tawny, but with more acidity. This was really refreshing.
The Colheita ports going back to 1941(!) was an unexpected treat. It was a little surprising that there was no real extra increase in complexity from 1966 to 1941 (but obviously there was a very significant increase in price!). The 1966 was probably my favourite but realistically all of them were great.
Wines I'd had before but was happy to have again:
Bodegas Faustino
The "Faustino I" never fails to surprise me in how good it is. The 1994 was particularly good.
Torres
The "Mas la Plana", "Perpetual", and "Grans Muralles" were all excellent. The Grans Muralles was my favourite of the three.
Barrel-fermented Chardonnay, Chivite, Coleccion 125
Excellent as always. An old favourite.
Roda, Rioja
Both the "Roda Reserva" and "Roda I" were excellent. The reserva was more red fruit in character, the Roda I was more black fruit.
Equipo Navazos
Some really interesting stuff here. For example, one of their wines ("La Bota 45, Fino (Amontillado), Montilla") was a 20-year aged fino (and thus bone dry), made from Pedro Ximenez grapes. None of which makes sense, but the wine was excellent.
My favourite was the "La Bota 47, Palo Cortado Viejisimo". Like a nut cluster-bomb going off in your mouth.
So, in summary, lots of great stuff. There were other great wines I tried too but they had even more indecipherable notes than the ones above!
Sunday, 9 June 2013
Champagne Gaston Collard
This was a tiny producer (1.75 ha) which was located on the same street as our gite. We popped in whilst walking past to see whether we could get a tasting. At the time we went in they were busy bottling some wines so the producer asked if we could come back later that afternoon. Later, whilst we were walking back to our gite the producer saw us and ran down the road after us to offer us a tasting. Unusual dedication! (particularly given the rather lacklustre attitude of some other producers on the same road e.g. Fromentin-Laclepart, who just couldn't be bothered to offer a tasting when we came to visit!). This producer was the only one we visited that day which made noticeable use of MALO. Really interesting to see the difference it makes after a day of so much wine without it.
Unlike almost all the other producers whose English was pretty rudimentary (although, clearly, much better than my French!) excellent English was spoken here. The producer has recently taken over from his father. From his comments it appears that he has different ideas about how the wines should be made... so these tasting notes might end up being out of date pretty soon (many of these wines were from vintages where his father was still in charge).
Since this place is so tiny it has no real marketing and totally relies on word of mouth. It was really good and some of it was ridiculously good value. So, I can strongly recommend this place.
1. Brut
90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay. 10g of sugar/litre.
Lots of apple on the nose. Soft mouthfeel. Soft mousse. Some bready notes. This is perhaps a little simple, but very effective. This has length without the taste changing - no sourness on the finish, it just stays good until the end. At 13.50 EUR it's just ridiculously good value.
2. Rose
90% White wine, 10% red wine. 10g of sugar/litre.
Very pale salmon colour. Crisp acid, explosive mousse. A simple, but good, rose.
3. Grand Cru, Prestige Cuvee
Only made from old-vine grapes. 6g of sugar/litre. I'm a bit vague as to whether this was a vintage or not. I've got 2008 written down, but maybe that was year it was blended..?
Really fruity - cooked apple most noticeable. Honey, nuts. Like a wine that happens to be sparkling rather than a usual sparkling wine. Very powerful. This was very recently disgorged (not actually released yet) so the liqueur is a little noticeable - perhaps a little more viscous than it normally would be. Should be fully integrated soon. Excellent stuff.
4. Bouzy Rouge
We tried two wines here. One was made in the years when his father was in charge, but was one where he had convinced his father not to filter the wine. The other was a more recent vintage where he was fully in control.
The wines were mainly of academic interest... much in the same way that reds from Alsace are. Very good still pinot noir for the region, but even so it's not really my cup of tea.
Unlike almost all the other producers whose English was pretty rudimentary (although, clearly, much better than my French!) excellent English was spoken here. The producer has recently taken over from his father. From his comments it appears that he has different ideas about how the wines should be made... so these tasting notes might end up being out of date pretty soon (many of these wines were from vintages where his father was still in charge).
Since this place is so tiny it has no real marketing and totally relies on word of mouth. It was really good and some of it was ridiculously good value. So, I can strongly recommend this place.
1. Brut
90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay. 10g of sugar/litre.
Lots of apple on the nose. Soft mouthfeel. Soft mousse. Some bready notes. This is perhaps a little simple, but very effective. This has length without the taste changing - no sourness on the finish, it just stays good until the end. At 13.50 EUR it's just ridiculously good value.
2. Rose
90% White wine, 10% red wine. 10g of sugar/litre.
Very pale salmon colour. Crisp acid, explosive mousse. A simple, but good, rose.
3. Grand Cru, Prestige Cuvee
Only made from old-vine grapes. 6g of sugar/litre. I'm a bit vague as to whether this was a vintage or not. I've got 2008 written down, but maybe that was year it was blended..?
Really fruity - cooked apple most noticeable. Honey, nuts. Like a wine that happens to be sparkling rather than a usual sparkling wine. Very powerful. This was very recently disgorged (not actually released yet) so the liqueur is a little noticeable - perhaps a little more viscous than it normally would be. Should be fully integrated soon. Excellent stuff.
4. Bouzy Rouge
We tried two wines here. One was made in the years when his father was in charge, but was one where he had convinced his father not to filter the wine. The other was a more recent vintage where he was fully in control.
The wines were mainly of academic interest... much in the same way that reds from Alsace are. Very good still pinot noir for the region, but even so it's not really my cup of tea.
Champagne Camille Saves
This was the only producer with whom we had booked a tasting for a specific time... unusually go-with-the-flow for my wine tasting holidays! You really don't need to book at most places in Bouzy - at least for this time of year. Having said that, the tasting here was excellent and very generous. Also, the wines were excellent. So glad we went here.
1. Carte Blanche 1er Cru
75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay. 9g of sugar / litre. Made from a blend of 2008 and 2009 wines.
Definite pinot noir style nose. Good mouthfilling stuff. Crisp, appley acid dominates. Honeyed notes on the finish. Quite long, with a sour yet pleasant finish.
2. Carte d'Or
Again a 75-25 blend. Made from a blend of 2008 and 2007 wines.
Quite an intense nose. Cooked apple, honey. Lots of yeast autolysis notes. Crisp apple acid. Quite refined but powerful too. Really serious stuff.
3. Brut Cuvee Prestige
Didn't note down the cepage. Mixture of 2006, 2007 wines.
This sample feels like it's been open too long. Very good though despite this. Intense palate, more so than previous one. Great length. However, in the end there's not quite enough to justify paying more for this than for the previous wine.
4. Cuvee Extra Brut
Blend of 2007 and 2008 wines. This is not quite zero dosage (4g of sugar/litre). However, it has the usual problem I find with all zero dosage wines... just lacks the body that comes with a small amount of dosage - feels like a waste of a wine. This was the only one I didn't like from this producer.
5. 2007 Vintage
80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay. 7g of sugar / litre.
Very fine bubbles. Refined nose. Rich biscuity notes. Towards the English taste. Lots of yeast autolysis notes. Very good.
6. Cuvee Anais Jolicoeur 2008
90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay.
Very fine bubbles. Very elegant, but still with plenty of oomph. Base wine aged in barrique - some new, some old. Really pleasant wine.
7. Rose
60% Chardonnay, 28% Pinot Noir, 12% Bouzy Rouge
Very crisp acidity... presumably from the high Chardonnay content. Delicate red fruit. Some tannin noticeable. Well balanced - I liked this quite a lot.
1. Carte Blanche 1er Cru
75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay. 9g of sugar / litre. Made from a blend of 2008 and 2009 wines.
Definite pinot noir style nose. Good mouthfilling stuff. Crisp, appley acid dominates. Honeyed notes on the finish. Quite long, with a sour yet pleasant finish.
2. Carte d'Or
Again a 75-25 blend. Made from a blend of 2008 and 2007 wines.
Quite an intense nose. Cooked apple, honey. Lots of yeast autolysis notes. Crisp apple acid. Quite refined but powerful too. Really serious stuff.
3. Brut Cuvee Prestige
Didn't note down the cepage. Mixture of 2006, 2007 wines.
This sample feels like it's been open too long. Very good though despite this. Intense palate, more so than previous one. Great length. However, in the end there's not quite enough to justify paying more for this than for the previous wine.
4. Cuvee Extra Brut
Blend of 2007 and 2008 wines. This is not quite zero dosage (4g of sugar/litre). However, it has the usual problem I find with all zero dosage wines... just lacks the body that comes with a small amount of dosage - feels like a waste of a wine. This was the only one I didn't like from this producer.
5. 2007 Vintage
80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay. 7g of sugar / litre.
Very fine bubbles. Refined nose. Rich biscuity notes. Towards the English taste. Lots of yeast autolysis notes. Very good.
6. Cuvee Anais Jolicoeur 2008
90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay.
Very fine bubbles. Very elegant, but still with plenty of oomph. Base wine aged in barrique - some new, some old. Really pleasant wine.
7. Rose
60% Chardonnay, 28% Pinot Noir, 12% Bouzy Rouge
Very crisp acidity... presumably from the high Chardonnay content. Delicate red fruit. Some tannin noticeable. Well balanced - I liked this quite a lot.
Champagne Barnaut
A very brief tasting in the Barnaut shop whilst en route to Camille Saves. A little underwhelming - nothing wrong, but felt that many other wines we tasted were better at the same or lower prices.
1. Grande Reserve Brut
2/3 Pinot Noir, 1/3 Chardonnay. 6g of sugar/litre
Have seen some people online complaining about tired samples from bottles which had clearly been open too long. No such problems here - this was a freshly opened bottle. Crisp acid, lots of lemon. An aperitif-style wine. Well balanced and elegant. Very pleasant, but the Jean-Baptiste Martin was better at the same price.
2. Cuvee Edmond Vintage 2007
40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier.
Much deeper colour than the previous wine. This tastes too young - finish way too sour. Needs time.
1. Grande Reserve Brut
2/3 Pinot Noir, 1/3 Chardonnay. 6g of sugar/litre
Have seen some people online complaining about tired samples from bottles which had clearly been open too long. No such problems here - this was a freshly opened bottle. Crisp acid, lots of lemon. An aperitif-style wine. Well balanced and elegant. Very pleasant, but the Jean-Baptiste Martin was better at the same price.
2. Cuvee Edmond Vintage 2007
40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier.
Much deeper colour than the previous wine. This tastes too young - finish way too sour. Needs time.
Tuesday, 4 June 2013
Champagne Jean-Baptiste Martin
This was a huge find... the type of place where you half feel like not telling anyone about it. Whilst carrying some wine back to the gite from the Jean Vesselle tasting we took a random detour and just popped into the first Champagne house which caught our eye. So glad we did!
This place did not feel set up for tourists at all. We ended up buying 18 bottles... but they only had 6 bottles in stock and had to send someone off to collect extra from their cellars in Verzenay (I think). And then the card machine hadn't been used in so long it wasn't charged, and they had to dig out the instruction manual to try to get it working. Very charming, and makes you wonder how the economics of the situation work out.
1. Cuvee Lucie Martin
80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay
Medium gold colour. Very good biscuity, bready nose. Very elegant. Crisp, fine mousse. Manages to be both delicate and powerful. The finest we've tasted so far. I bought quite a few of these.
2. Rose
90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay
Interesting nose. Slight jammy notes on the finish. This is more towards the end of the rose spectrum where you would probably mistake it for a white if tasted blind. Nice, and I bought some, but the Cuvee Lucie Martin is by far my favourite.
This place did not feel set up for tourists at all. We ended up buying 18 bottles... but they only had 6 bottles in stock and had to send someone off to collect extra from their cellars in Verzenay (I think). And then the card machine hadn't been used in so long it wasn't charged, and they had to dig out the instruction manual to try to get it working. Very charming, and makes you wonder how the economics of the situation work out.
1. Cuvee Lucie Martin
80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay
Medium gold colour. Very good biscuity, bready nose. Very elegant. Crisp, fine mousse. Manages to be both delicate and powerful. The finest we've tasted so far. I bought quite a few of these.
2. Rose
90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay
Interesting nose. Slight jammy notes on the finish. This is more towards the end of the rose spectrum where you would probably mistake it for a white if tasted blind. Nice, and I bought some, but the Cuvee Lucie Martin is by far my favourite.
Champagne Jean Vesselle
An odd one this. The estate was much more set up for tasting than most we visited and seemed much busier too. However, the wines were pretty underwhelming. Not sure why this one appears more popular with tourists. It just goes to show the poor relationship between popularity/price and quality with grower Champagnes.
1. Cuvee Prestige
70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay. 9g of sugar/litre
Good but nothing special. Light, quite elegant. The main problem is tasting it after the Maurice Vesselle extravaganza just before.
Now that my palate is reacclimatising this wine has grown on me. However, it just feels a little underwhelming - at the price there are many better wines we tasted... all available within a few hundred metres!
2. Cuvee Brut Reserve
80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay
Funny nose (I really didn't like it). However, on the palate I prefer this to the previous one. It feels "rougher" than the previous wine... However, the previous wine felt like it was trying, and failing, to be something it wasn't. This was feels honest.
3. Brut Oeil de Perdrix
100% Pinot Noir
This name means "Eye of the partridge", similarly to the Tuscan Vin Santo. This wine had a very light pink colour, floral notes and unusual texture. Good acid and length. Feels like more of a food wine.
1. Cuvee Prestige
70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay. 9g of sugar/litre
Good but nothing special. Light, quite elegant. The main problem is tasting it after the Maurice Vesselle extravaganza just before.
Now that my palate is reacclimatising this wine has grown on me. However, it just feels a little underwhelming - at the price there are many better wines we tasted... all available within a few hundred metres!
2. Cuvee Brut Reserve
80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay
Funny nose (I really didn't like it). However, on the palate I prefer this to the previous one. It feels "rougher" than the previous wine... However, the previous wine felt like it was trying, and failing, to be something it wasn't. This was feels honest.
3. Brut Oeil de Perdrix
100% Pinot Noir
This name means "Eye of the partridge", similarly to the Tuscan Vin Santo. This wine had a very light pink colour, floral notes and unusual texture. Good acid and length. Feels like more of a food wine.
Monday, 3 June 2013
Champagne Maurice Vesselle
This was the first place where we just rocked up and asked for a tasting. So glad we did - the choice of this place was quite arbitrary, yet it turned out to be a great success. Generous tasting and great wines. The person giving our tasting spoke a little English, but was happy to conduct a tasting aided by plenty of gesticulation.
1. Cuvee Reserve Brut
80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay
A blend made in 2007 from the following vintages: 2004, 2006, 2007.
Very good. Made towards the English style (gout anglais I think they call it). Rich, powerful, honeyed. Grilled peaches. Good length... perhaps the finish might be a little too sweet if you drank a lot of it, but in the tasting this is excellent. Later note: we had a bottle of this as a pre-prandial drink that evening, this was not true at all. This is very good. At 17.50 EUR it's also a bargain!
2. 2004 Vintage
50-50 Pinot Noir, Chardonnay blend.
Acidity much more noticeable than the previous wine. More lifted and floral and refined. This sample is a little tired - the bottle feels as though it's been open too long. Dried apricots on the palate. Sour apple finish.
Cost: 23.50 EUR.
3. 2000 Vintage
85% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay.
Rich nose. Honey, nuts, stewed apple on the nose. Crisp acid on the palate. Well balanced, sour note on the finish is much less prominent. I wonder how much of this was vintage variation and how much is simply the extra age..? This is good for drinking now, but will improve with age. This is really very good.
Also 23.50 EUR.
4. 1998 Vintage
80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay.
This sample has apparently been open for 5 days.
Intense "English style". Rich, mouthfilling. Nuts, almost mushroomy character on the nose and palate. Really long-lived on the palate.
More expensive at 55 EUR.
5. 1988 Vintage
Didn't get the cepage for this one.
Acidity still quite noticeable, more so than the previous wine... even though it's 10 years older. Amazing nose. Very serious contemplation wine. Really intense. Good to know that the vintages will age so well.
Cost: 100 EUR.
6. 2008 Vintage Rose
100% Pinot Noir, Maceration style.
Good soft, red fruit aromas. However, on the palate it feels like it would come across like a white Champagne if tasted blind. A little on the softer side than the whites.
1. Cuvee Reserve Brut
80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay
A blend made in 2007 from the following vintages: 2004, 2006, 2007.
Very good. Made towards the English style (gout anglais I think they call it). Rich, powerful, honeyed. Grilled peaches. Good length... perhaps the finish might be a little too sweet if you drank a lot of it, but in the tasting this is excellent. Later note: we had a bottle of this as a pre-prandial drink that evening, this was not true at all. This is very good. At 17.50 EUR it's also a bargain!
2. 2004 Vintage
50-50 Pinot Noir, Chardonnay blend.
Acidity much more noticeable than the previous wine. More lifted and floral and refined. This sample is a little tired - the bottle feels as though it's been open too long. Dried apricots on the palate. Sour apple finish.
Cost: 23.50 EUR.
3. 2000 Vintage
85% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay.
Rich nose. Honey, nuts, stewed apple on the nose. Crisp acid on the palate. Well balanced, sour note on the finish is much less prominent. I wonder how much of this was vintage variation and how much is simply the extra age..? This is good for drinking now, but will improve with age. This is really very good.
Also 23.50 EUR.
4. 1998 Vintage
80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay.
This sample has apparently been open for 5 days.
Intense "English style". Rich, mouthfilling. Nuts, almost mushroomy character on the nose and palate. Really long-lived on the palate.
More expensive at 55 EUR.
5. 1988 Vintage
Didn't get the cepage for this one.
Acidity still quite noticeable, more so than the previous wine... even though it's 10 years older. Amazing nose. Very serious contemplation wine. Really intense. Good to know that the vintages will age so well.
Cost: 100 EUR.
6. 2008 Vintage Rose
100% Pinot Noir, Maceration style.
Good soft, red fruit aromas. However, on the palate it feels like it would come across like a white Champagne if tasted blind. A little on the softer side than the whites.
Champagne Herbert Beaufort
This was attached to the Gite where we stayed. First tasting of the day at 9:30am!
1. Cuvee du Melomane, Blanc de Blanc
Delicate, bready, lemon, grapefruit. Very acidic. Good length.
2. Carte d'Or Grand Cru
90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay
Very noticeable acid. More intense and fuller bodied than previous. Lemon, some strawberry notes on finish. Good length.
3. 2008 Vintage
50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay. Approx 10% of their production goes into this. There was no vintage in 2007, previous one was 2006.
Lifted, somewhat floral nose. Yeast autolysis. Very elegant. Some complexity, although green apple is the main aroma.
4. Rose "Cuvee Yllen"
100% Pinot Noir. Macerated, not blended, rose.
Very noticeable strawberry on the nose and palate. Not one of the roses which would taste like a white Champagne if tasted blind. Good acid, good structure. Long, with pleasant finish. This was my favourite from this producer.
1. Cuvee du Melomane, Blanc de Blanc
Delicate, bready, lemon, grapefruit. Very acidic. Good length.
2. Carte d'Or Grand Cru
90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay
Very noticeable acid. More intense and fuller bodied than previous. Lemon, some strawberry notes on finish. Good length.
3. 2008 Vintage
50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay. Approx 10% of their production goes into this. There was no vintage in 2007, previous one was 2006.
Lifted, somewhat floral nose. Yeast autolysis. Very elegant. Some complexity, although green apple is the main aroma.
4. Rose "Cuvee Yllen"
100% Pinot Noir. Macerated, not blended, rose.
Very noticeable strawberry on the nose and palate. Not one of the roses which would taste like a white Champagne if tasted blind. Good acid, good structure. Long, with pleasant finish. This was my favourite from this producer.
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
3 post-WSET wines
These three wines were tasted (amongst many others!) with Ed and Jordi at a recent post-WSET session.
2000 Grande Cuvee, Domaine de l'Hortus
Domaine de l'Hortus is one of the foremost producers in the Pic St Loup region. This used to be part of the Languedoc region but is now its own appellation.
This was quite pale colour, but full of ripe and rich flavours. Very noticeable herbal nature, which makes sense given that this is total garrigue region. Something meaty too. An aromatic shiraz & grenache blend. This is awesome - it's great now and, despite the pale colour, still has time ahead of it.
2003 Devon Crest, Meinert, Devon Valley, South Africa
This was recommended to me when the wine I ordered in VB London Bridge was not available. It was excellent. I've had this wine from a different, younger vintage before and it was good, but not so amazing that I made a note of it. This time, however, the wine is at peak age so was really striking. So much so that I bought a bottle to this occasion.
Pale colour, lightish body, dusty tannin. This is sour and juicy and refreshing on the palate, but also has plenty of interesting development character. Lots of tobacco and cedar and cigar. Meaty and leathery. An oxidative and slightly austere character. Definitely not one to keep - at its peak now. This was very good.
2010 Sainsbury's Cotes du Rhone
This is made by Chapoutier.
Intense and full bodied. High tannins, high acid. This was seriously intense - almost like an amarone. I definitely didn't guess what we were drinking. For less than £10 a bottle this is a serious bargain.
2000 Grande Cuvee, Domaine de l'Hortus
Domaine de l'Hortus is one of the foremost producers in the Pic St Loup region. This used to be part of the Languedoc region but is now its own appellation.
This was quite pale colour, but full of ripe and rich flavours. Very noticeable herbal nature, which makes sense given that this is total garrigue region. Something meaty too. An aromatic shiraz & grenache blend. This is awesome - it's great now and, despite the pale colour, still has time ahead of it.
2003 Devon Crest, Meinert, Devon Valley, South Africa
This was recommended to me when the wine I ordered in VB London Bridge was not available. It was excellent. I've had this wine from a different, younger vintage before and it was good, but not so amazing that I made a note of it. This time, however, the wine is at peak age so was really striking. So much so that I bought a bottle to this occasion.
Pale colour, lightish body, dusty tannin. This is sour and juicy and refreshing on the palate, but also has plenty of interesting development character. Lots of tobacco and cedar and cigar. Meaty and leathery. An oxidative and slightly austere character. Definitely not one to keep - at its peak now. This was very good.
2010 Sainsbury's Cotes du Rhone
This is made by Chapoutier.
Intense and full bodied. High tannins, high acid. This was seriously intense - almost like an amarone. I definitely didn't guess what we were drinking. For less than £10 a bottle this is a serious bargain.
Friday, 4 June 2010
Domaine Laureau Savennieres "Cuvee des Genets" 1999
Cooked apple, smells very ripe. Apricot and honeysuckle on the nose. However, the wine is bone dry with a slight waxy feeling. An interesting combination. Very acidic, but feels mellow on the palate. Lots of complexity. The palate has younger and fresher fruit than the nose. A complex, stoney finish. Very good.
Saturday, 29 May 2010
Henri Bourgeois Etienne Henri 2003
Medium gold (deep colour for a Sauvignon Blanc). Noticeable oak and stony minerality on the nose. Opens up significantly in the glass with more floral and honeysuckle aromas (not sure whether this was because it was too cold to start with or whether it simply needed time to breathe). Smooth mouthfeel, intense green fruit on the palate - ripe green apples in particular, but also plenty of limes. As it opened up the minerality became more prevalent on the palate and there were more stone fruits (apricots) coming through in the flavour profile.
Great complexity and very long - several minutes after tasting it I kept getting an ethereal flashback-taste of the wine. Well balanced and complex, the way this one opens up in the glass makes me confident that it will improve in the bottle. It's excellent now though so no need to wait if you are impatient!
Great complexity and very long - several minutes after tasting it I kept getting an ethereal flashback-taste of the wine. Well balanced and complex, the way this one opens up in the glass makes me confident that it will improve in the bottle. It's excellent now though so no need to wait if you are impatient!
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Reschke Vitulus 2004
Reschke Vitulus 2004
Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
Deep purple. Leafy, minty Cabernet Sauvignon. Vanilla, cinnamon black fruit. Med-high acid with silky ripe tannin. Tobacco and Juicy black fruit on the palate. Still very fresh and young. Good length. Very good.
Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
Deep purple. Leafy, minty Cabernet Sauvignon. Vanilla, cinnamon black fruit. Med-high acid with silky ripe tannin. Tobacco and Juicy black fruit on the palate. Still very fresh and young. Good length. Very good.
Monday, 13 April 2009
Wines tasted whilst planning Tuscan holiday
Wine Society's Vin d'Alsace 2005 (Hugel)
Clear, pale lemon with a wide watery rim. Quite intense with floral notes (rose?), citrus, green apple and grape. Some smoky mineral notes too. On the palate, this is medium to full bodied with lots of acid. Quite intense citrus, peach and some nutty flavours. Quite long. This is well balanced and developing well. A good wine, ready to drink now
Cote du Puy, Jean Foillard, Morgon 2007
A real surprise this one. Knowing my general dislike of Beaujolais, Adam went to the Sampler and challenged them to find him a good one. I tasted this one blind and, to my astonishment, it was actually pretty decent!
Quite pale ruby with relatively restrained nose. Smoky, woody notes are the most dominant aromas. The fruit character is mainly black cherries. Low tannins, high acid. More red fruit on the palate. Raspberry jam? Light body, medium length. Quite refreshing. This was good to very good. Lacks the tannin to go with food but as an aperitif it's very pleasant. What a surprise!
Villa Cafaggio, Chianti Classico 2006
We'd cooked an awesome pork-shoulder ragu (recipe in next post) from the Tuscan section of the superb Vino Italiano Book so it seemed appropriate to have this with a Tuscan wine. The colour was deep red - a real contrast to the Morgan we'd just had. Pretty intense nose with smoky, tar, dried black fruit. Some oak and some floral notes. Lots of complexity on the nose - every time we tasted it there were new aromas coming to the fore. Quite high tannin and acid, in balance with one another. Intense flavours on the palate. Tart black fruit, cedar, wood.
Developing nicely. Well balanced all the way to the finish with good length. Very good. Can drink this now but will improve over time as the wine softens and balances, but very good with food now.
Les Hauts de Pontet-Canet 2000
Quite deep ruby colour, surprising lack of brown on the rim. Nose is dominated by wood and cigar box. Some red fruit underneath, quite plummy. On the palate, too much wood also. There's a reasonable amount of good stuff in there but it's dominated by the wood. This probably will not get better with time. Probably was better in the past when the fruit would have been more dominant. A bit of a disappointment considering this is a 2000.
Chateau Fayau 1999
This is from Cadillac. Just done a bit of google and it turns out that Cadillac the wine region is related to Cadillac the car. Who knew? Apparently Detroit city was founded by Sir Lamothe-Cadillac. The region is very close to Sauternes and makes sweet wines in the same style. Lower quality, but significantly lower cost too.
The colour was moderately deep amber. The nose is quite surprising. As well as the expected notes of toffee, apricot jam there was a definite acetone aroma. People mentioned nail polish remover. However, the good stuff was intense enough that this was not a show-stopper. Some definite marzipan, frangelico and quince jelly notes.
On the palate, the nutty notes continued with marzipan and almonds being the most prominent. Pronounced fruity notes (apricot jam). very long with orange flavour on the finish. High alcohol
This was a good wine - very good considering the cost. It's managed to age 10 years nicely. I'd be worried about keeping it any longer in case the acetone got out of hand. As sweet wines go it's far from being amazing, but appropriate quality for the late stage of the evening.
Clear, pale lemon with a wide watery rim. Quite intense with floral notes (rose?), citrus, green apple and grape. Some smoky mineral notes too. On the palate, this is medium to full bodied with lots of acid. Quite intense citrus, peach and some nutty flavours. Quite long. This is well balanced and developing well. A good wine, ready to drink now
Cote du Puy, Jean Foillard, Morgon 2007
A real surprise this one. Knowing my general dislike of Beaujolais, Adam went to the Sampler and challenged them to find him a good one. I tasted this one blind and, to my astonishment, it was actually pretty decent!
Quite pale ruby with relatively restrained nose. Smoky, woody notes are the most dominant aromas. The fruit character is mainly black cherries. Low tannins, high acid. More red fruit on the palate. Raspberry jam? Light body, medium length. Quite refreshing. This was good to very good. Lacks the tannin to go with food but as an aperitif it's very pleasant. What a surprise!
Villa Cafaggio, Chianti Classico 2006
We'd cooked an awesome pork-shoulder ragu (recipe in next post) from the Tuscan section of the superb Vino Italiano Book so it seemed appropriate to have this with a Tuscan wine. The colour was deep red - a real contrast to the Morgan we'd just had. Pretty intense nose with smoky, tar, dried black fruit. Some oak and some floral notes. Lots of complexity on the nose - every time we tasted it there were new aromas coming to the fore. Quite high tannin and acid, in balance with one another. Intense flavours on the palate. Tart black fruit, cedar, wood.
Developing nicely. Well balanced all the way to the finish with good length. Very good. Can drink this now but will improve over time as the wine softens and balances, but very good with food now.
Les Hauts de Pontet-Canet 2000
Quite deep ruby colour, surprising lack of brown on the rim. Nose is dominated by wood and cigar box. Some red fruit underneath, quite plummy. On the palate, too much wood also. There's a reasonable amount of good stuff in there but it's dominated by the wood. This probably will not get better with time. Probably was better in the past when the fruit would have been more dominant. A bit of a disappointment considering this is a 2000.
Chateau Fayau 1999
This is from Cadillac. Just done a bit of google and it turns out that Cadillac the wine region is related to Cadillac the car. Who knew? Apparently Detroit city was founded by Sir Lamothe-Cadillac. The region is very close to Sauternes and makes sweet wines in the same style. Lower quality, but significantly lower cost too.
The colour was moderately deep amber. The nose is quite surprising. As well as the expected notes of toffee, apricot jam there was a definite acetone aroma. People mentioned nail polish remover. However, the good stuff was intense enough that this was not a show-stopper. Some definite marzipan, frangelico and quince jelly notes.
On the palate, the nutty notes continued with marzipan and almonds being the most prominent. Pronounced fruity notes (apricot jam). very long with orange flavour on the finish. High alcohol
This was a good wine - very good considering the cost. It's managed to age 10 years nicely. I'd be worried about keeping it any longer in case the acetone got out of hand. As sweet wines go it's far from being amazing, but appropriate quality for the late stage of the evening.
Sunday, 12 April 2009
Wolf Blass 'Heritage Release' Cabernet Sauvignon 2001
Wolf Blass
Heritage Release
South Australia
Cabernet Sauvignon 2001
14.0% abv
Showing some age, this has some garnet notes on the rim and is less intense on the core than when I first tasted this particular wine (probably three years ago). The nose, whilst still showing strong blackcurrant notes has savoury spices (cloves, cinnamon) mixed in with earthy and leathery notes. Clearly showing some development. The wine is medium bodied, which is a surprise considering the alcohol, the intensity of aromas and the year (very good for South Australi). This is probably because the tannins are only medium, whereas when this was first tasted they were quite pronounced. The palate is very fruity, far more so than the nose and there is plenty of acid. The flavour profile is quite complex on the palate and this wine is long, with a pleasant finish.
This is a good wine. However, I'm glad I drank it now. The tannins have fallen quite significantly over the last three years and, even though there is plenty of acid and fruit left, there would not be enough tannin in the wine for it to age much further. The tannins were at a pleasant level now and, in fact, I think this wine was probably at its peak now.
Heritage Release
South Australia
Cabernet Sauvignon 2001
14.0% abv
Showing some age, this has some garnet notes on the rim and is less intense on the core than when I first tasted this particular wine (probably three years ago). The nose, whilst still showing strong blackcurrant notes has savoury spices (cloves, cinnamon) mixed in with earthy and leathery notes. Clearly showing some development. The wine is medium bodied, which is a surprise considering the alcohol, the intensity of aromas and the year (very good for South Australi). This is probably because the tannins are only medium, whereas when this was first tasted they were quite pronounced. The palate is very fruity, far more so than the nose and there is plenty of acid. The flavour profile is quite complex on the palate and this wine is long, with a pleasant finish.
This is a good wine. However, I'm glad I drank it now. The tannins have fallen quite significantly over the last three years and, even though there is plenty of acid and fruit left, there would not be enough tannin in the wine for it to age much further. The tannins were at a pleasant level now and, in fact, I think this wine was probably at its peak now.
Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium 2000
Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium
2000 Oberemmeler Rosenberg Riesling
Hochgewachs
9.0% abv
Bright, clear and medium intensity gold. The nose is intense and quite complex. Toffee apple, apricot and honeysuckle as well as stewed apple. Showing some interesting development as well. This wine has some residual sugar, but is very acidic, even after nine years so it remains crisp and refreshing. The palate has a more intense fruit character than the nose. Apples, apricots and some tart green fruit - maybe grapefruit. The sweetness is more like honey than toffee on the palate. This wine obviously would have been fine with a little more age since the palate is still very fruity. The length is fantastic - 1 minute plus. Well balanced until close to the very end. Only criticism would be the finish can be a little cloying (after about 30s or so).
A very good wine, particularly since 2000 was not a great year for Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Rieslings. Would be interested to see what the 2005 was like. Well balanced with complex flavour profile. Developing nicely, but would still last for quite a few years more. Considering that this was from Majestic for a little over a fiver (bought a few years ago) this is cracking value for money. In fact, would be good value at more than twice the price. Long live the unpopularity of German wines!
2000 Oberemmeler Rosenberg Riesling
Hochgewachs
9.0% abv
Bright, clear and medium intensity gold. The nose is intense and quite complex. Toffee apple, apricot and honeysuckle as well as stewed apple. Showing some interesting development as well. This wine has some residual sugar, but is very acidic, even after nine years so it remains crisp and refreshing. The palate has a more intense fruit character than the nose. Apples, apricots and some tart green fruit - maybe grapefruit. The sweetness is more like honey than toffee on the palate. This wine obviously would have been fine with a little more age since the palate is still very fruity. The length is fantastic - 1 minute plus. Well balanced until close to the very end. Only criticism would be the finish can be a little cloying (after about 30s or so).
A very good wine, particularly since 2000 was not a great year for Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Rieslings. Would be interested to see what the 2005 was like. Well balanced with complex flavour profile. Developing nicely, but would still last for quite a few years more. Considering that this was from Majestic for a little over a fiver (bought a few years ago) this is cracking value for money. In fact, would be good value at more than twice the price. Long live the unpopularity of German wines!
Friday, 20 March 2009
Chateau Maucaillou 1998
First had this wine in a beginners wine tasting class I was doing for Bacchus in Oxford about five years ago. This was being shown as the example of a Bordeaux left-bank wine. I thought at the time that it would benefit from a bit of age so went and bought a couple of bottles and completely forgot about it! Until now.
Five years on, it's still surprisingly young-tasting and looking. Red and opaque, although the rim is fairly watery. The colour on the rim is still more towards red than brown. The tannins are still very prominent and perhaps now a little out of balance to have on its own. However, with the stew I ate this with it all came together really well. Very woody on the nose with blackcurrant and tobacco. Medium bodied and smoky on the finish. Medium length. After about an hour and a half it opened up into something pretty amazing and I was reminded of what prompted me to buy it in the first place.
So all in all, not a bad little experiment. Plus it had the benefit of nostalgia from my early wine-tasting days. It is hard to pick up a decent wine from Bordeaux at any kind of reasonable price but this was not too expensive. Of course, it's all gone now.
Five years on, it's still surprisingly young-tasting and looking. Red and opaque, although the rim is fairly watery. The colour on the rim is still more towards red than brown. The tannins are still very prominent and perhaps now a little out of balance to have on its own. However, with the stew I ate this with it all came together really well. Very woody on the nose with blackcurrant and tobacco. Medium bodied and smoky on the finish. Medium length. After about an hour and a half it opened up into something pretty amazing and I was reminded of what prompted me to buy it in the first place.
So all in all, not a bad little experiment. Plus it had the benefit of nostalgia from my early wine-tasting days. It is hard to pick up a decent wine from Bordeaux at any kind of reasonable price but this was not too expensive. Of course, it's all gone now.
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Penfold's Grange 2001
Had this at a dinner recently. It was the first time I've ever had Grange so can't comment on how it compares to other vintages. However, what I can say is that this is a strong contender for best red wine I've ever drunk. Whilst it was definitely too young, it was showing excellently. We had double-decanted it a few hours before going to the restaurant which probably helped. A bruiser of a wine - I've never come across a wine with such intensity of flavour. The finish was legendarily long and remained balanced until the end. We ate Cote de Boeuf with this which helped to mollify the tannins. Some serious complexity as well - every time I tasted it I got different tasting notes coming through. Could keep going but would run out of superlatives!
Sunday, 1 March 2009
Saint Cosme Saint-Joseph 2002
Saint Cosme Saint-Joseph 2002
Had this last night as part of a dinner party where we got through about 2 bottles per person; as a result of which I've spent most of today feeling as though I'm suffering the wrath of God - ugh! The wine which was the highlight of the night was the Saint Cosme 2002 Saint-Joseph. This was a Christmas present from my parents, purchased from Haslemere Cellar. A quick google fails to find any of the same year for sale online but there is plenty of more recent years. The wine had lots of black fruit, spice and pepper, with a little bit of leathery notes starting to come through. Worked perfectly with a great steak, but to be honest I'd happily have drunk this by itself.
Friday, 27 February 2009
Marco de Bartoli Pietranera 2007
A Sicilian wine. The varietal is Zibibbo which is apparently related to muscat.
Tasted at Bedales.
Very pale, clear and somewhat green. Can definitely smell the muscat notes. Muscat is famous for making wines which smell like the grape... unlike pretty much all other wines. Have never had a muscat grape - really must try this.
A medium bodied wine, surprisingly crisp and acidic for such a southerly climate. Dry, long and with strong mineral notes. Too astringent for my liking. To me, one of the reasons for tasting wine in a systematic way (appearance, nose, palate and only then conclusions) is that it enables you to make a reasonably objective assessment of the wine without letting personal preferences getting in the way. This is a case in point. I didn't particularly like it and probably wouldn't order it again but could see that it was a well made wine which lots of people will love.
Tasted at Bedales.
Very pale, clear and somewhat green. Can definitely smell the muscat notes. Muscat is famous for making wines which smell like the grape... unlike pretty much all other wines. Have never had a muscat grape - really must try this.
A medium bodied wine, surprisingly crisp and acidic for such a southerly climate. Dry, long and with strong mineral notes. Too astringent for my liking. To me, one of the reasons for tasting wine in a systematic way (appearance, nose, palate and only then conclusions) is that it enables you to make a reasonably objective assessment of the wine without letting personal preferences getting in the way. This is a case in point. I didn't particularly like it and probably wouldn't order it again but could see that it was a well made wine which lots of people will love.
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