Consolation Gris de Gris Rosé 2008

The Consolation vineyard lies in the hills just South of the village of Collioure in South-West France. It is terraced, and ridiculously steep. While the majority of vines (and there aren't many) are Grenache Gris, there are a few oddities thrown in, including one vine of San Sebastian - a varietal I had never heard of before.

We picked it about lunchtime, our second vineyard of the day. My head pounded with dehydration and I worked slowly. The French pickers laughed at me and smoked rollies. They made fun of my pace and my idea of a holiday. I left a fair few rotten bunches on the schistes terraces to rot in the sun. I fell behind a lot.

The vineyard went quickly. It's tiny, and there were a lot of us.

Andy - who owns the vineyard - and I sorted the fruit by hand, bunch by bunch, trying to rid ourselves of pervasive rot. We destemmed them and left them in tank for a night, lightly crushed, making rosé the old fashioned way, drawing a touch of colour from the light pink of their skins.

In the end, there wasn't very much. Had we used a barrel, there wouldn't have been enough to fill it. So it rested in tank, without malolactic fermentation, until Andy liked it enough to put it in bottle. And now there's a wee amount in Scotland and I drink it with as much regularity as I can afford.

So once again I'm writing up a wine that I've helped make, once again casting objectivity and integrity aside. I took more part in this wine than any of the others I helped make. As such, it's rather close to my heart. When it first arrived I was curious, excited and filled with trepidation. Now I've tried it three or four times I think I can attempt a description that leaves some of that behind, and respects the wine for what it is.

The tint is salmon pink - reminiscent of Provençal rosé with a touch of copper at the core.

Strawberries and peaches on the nose with a prickle of mineral freshness. Then some melon and more exotic fruit comes through later.

Most people will drink this very cold. When done so, there's a crisp freshness and tightness that come through as incredibly refreshing and quenching. But they're missing so much. With just a little bit of time at room temperature the fruit and mouthfeel reveal strawberries, peaches and watermelon with just enough citrus zest around the edges to keep everything in line. Waxy-textured with fine-grain minerality just underneath, stretching to a finish that lingers with the memory of fresh strawberry pips.

I don't really get rosés. I enjoy them crisp and fresh on a summer day, but I don't often find writing notes on them of any value. Nepotism aside, I think this is a brilliant wine - textured and rounded with lovely fruit and not a hint of confection.

***** (unabashed affection, I don't care that it seems nepotistic and biased)

Tasted always at Shorehead, most recently 15/07/09

Note: as far as I know, only two cases of this wine exist in the UK at the moment. And I've drunk the better part of one of them. If you see it anywhere, buy it. Even if just to prove me wrong.

Roederer Brüt Premier & Cos d'Estournel 1996

Pre-gaming is an interesting concept. It's drinks at home before a night out - an attempt to get a bit of a buzz on before the having to shell out on overpriced, rubbish booze. It is especially essential before balls, as the booze is that much more rubbish and that much more overpriced. At least, that's what I think pre-gaming is. All this is told to me by younger people, in the prime of their partying age, with hundreds of hangovers in their future.

So I decided to go to a ball with some of these young folks - and they decided to pre-game. Standard fayre for pre-gaming is Smirnoff and a 2 litre bottle of coke. Jack Daniel's often plays a significant role as well.

I'll be honest, neither of those really pique my interest. Fortunately, the folks coming over for pre-gaming also included a mate in the trade, and so our apero (French for pre-gaming) consisted of Roederer Brüt Premier and St Estephe's super-second pagoda-clad Cos d'Estournel - 1996 no less.

The Roederer was less of a revelation than a happy reminder of just how good their non-vintage offering is. I don't really care for their new, streamlined packaging and branding, but that's not really my thing in any case. I marvel at Champagne marketing and the impatience they have for their image. It seems a label must be changed every few years or so, especially if a close competitor has had a makeover themselves. So yeah, I think the new Roederer labels are pretty ugly. Fortunately the wine still tastes ace. Quite rich and toasty with classic apple and perhaps a touch of pear? The bubbles are soft and a little lively. Refreshing and classy.

****

St Estephe - particularly Cos - produces the most exotic wines of the left bank, in my humble opinion at least. Always heady on the nose with crazy spicy fruit on the palate. Cos '96 is no exception. I always feel that the winemakers in Coonawarra are trying to make St Estephe-style wines. They don't often succeed.

The nose is fairly explosive - dark tar and nutmeg surrounding piercing, dark confit fruit. The edges find hints of cedar and leather and a touch of savoury smoked meats.

That piercing dark confit fruit punches big on the palate, but it's never jammy. It's rich, forming the centre from which all the secondaries blossom. Exotic woodspice, nutmeg and cinnamon, a hint of tar with a finish of saddle leather all follow on from that fantastic, heady, exotic fruit. This is not a cerebral wine. There is no lingering, ephemeral dovetail finish. This is an emotive, decadent beast which, were it not for its superb structure and phenolics, I would probably mistake for a new-world blockbuster. I like it.

****

Tasted 26/6/2009 at Shorehead

Chateau Phélan Ségur 2000

A recent jaunt down to London allowed a wee peak at my parents' wine stash. As usual, I shook my head at their indifferent whites and smiled at their groovy selection of Bordeaux. My mom and I cooked up a nice dinner - lamb noisette with baby roast tatties, some spinach and a bowl of pomordorini (tiny tiny tiny tomatoes).

Deep tar and cedar on the nose with a touch of cough syrup and damsons. Quite heady and fun to nose.

The palate is a bit simpler than the nose, but it has a nice hedonism to it. The tar on the nose forms the backbone and the finish - and with such dark, decadent fruit rides on the top of it. This is a big wine, fairly two-dimensional, but there's a lot in those two dimensions. This wine will soften, but probably not deepen, with age. So you could cellar for another 10 years easily. But it's fairly yummy now.

***

Tasted at Miller's Court, 09/07/2009

Mas Cristine Côtes du Roussillon Blanc 2008

This tasting note is morally bankrupt. I kick over the spittoon of vinous detachment and neutrality, I turn a blind eye to scruples and sneeze in the direction of journalistic integrity.

The thing is, I have an interest in this wine. Not financial, sadly, but an interest nonetheless. I helped make it. In a disused corner of a seeming silent co-op near Argeles, we crafted it with blood, sweat, tears and the tools of the trade. I named the ancient press 'the battleship' as we rolled it out and hosed it down after crushing fruit. I took samples from frothing, fermenting barrels, scratching down temperature readings and specific gravity notations. I tasted the juice pre-ferment, closing my eyes and trying to imagine what the future held. Julien and Andy made sure I didn't screw up and in the late summer heat we all dreamt of the beer to come.

So this is a wine I am predisposed to like. This is a wine that I've put on the wine list at the restaurant because I MADE IT. So there.

Slivers of platinum run along the pale gold - there's a nice shimmer and brilliance to it.

Decadent on the nose - fleshy white fruit and honeysuckle with a hint of nettles. Beautifully heady.

Very more-ish on the palate - all that fleshy white fruit is there with lovely minerality providing an exquisite, rounded texture. It hits every part of the mouth. Judicious and careful use of oak gives it good grip also making it a hedonist's delight. It's supple, and while there's a touch of heat - as it is 14% - it's well-balanced and never overbearing. Good length as well. This is tasting brilliant now and it's only been in bottle a fortnight. I imagine it will get better over the next year and taste ace for at least another 5 or 6.

***** (did I mention I helped make it?)

Tasted 30/4/2009 at Shorehead

Marsannay "Les Vaudenelles" 2005 Domaine Bruno Clair

Bruno Clair make some stunning wines; indeed their Gevrey Chambertins and Morey St Denis are prized by Burgundy fanatics and wine lovers in general. Those are pricey however, and deservedly so. This is one of their entry-level wines from their home village of Marsannay. I'm always on the look-out for good value Burgundy. It can be hard to find.

I like the idea of good value wines from houses better known for their stratospheric prices. The Mâcon-Verzé from Domaine Leflaive or the Cuilleron Syrah Vin d' Pays are good examples. When those wines come from a vintage as hyped as 2005, it piques my curiosity.

I've had a long week followed by a long weekend. I cooked some sausage casserole and mash and looked forward to popping the bottle.

The colour is dark burgundy (funny that), with a hint of violet. The rim is beginning to pale.

Touch dusty on the nose, with raspberries and forest floor. There's a bit of maturity there, which is surprising. I was expecting more youth, though I suppose it is four years old now.

The palate is gripping but not harsh. The tannins have softened. The fruit still has that crispness to it, with a backbone of slightly tart raspberries and cranberries. It's not very complex but then it isn't necessarily simple either. It's a bit old fashioned - no overripe fruit or over-extraction - and all the better for it. Tastes great with the food (which I'm rather pleased with).

****

Tasted 27/4/2009 at Shorehead

Martinez Vintage 1927

Kevin, the dude at the cheese shop, warned us off Stilton. He was bored of it. To be fair, we were bored of it. I think everyone's bored of Stilton after Christmas. But Kevin had an alternative. An exquisite goat's cheese called St Maure de Touraine. I was sceptical, but trusted him. He is, after all, the dude at the cheese shop.

Old coffee, cold coffee - the colour is discouraging.

The nose, however, is alive. Spiced blueberries, heather, underbursh and bramble.

I cannot fathom this being 82 years old. Layered, fresh and confit fruit - brambles, blueberries, blackcurrant and a touch of plum. Unbelievable with the cheese - they play off each other - fireworks. It brings the weight and the structure of the wine and tones down the heat a bit. Such a marriage of cheese and port I've never enjoyed so much. Divine.

*****

Tasted 1/1/09 at Naughton

Chateau Suduiraut 1967

There are wines whose names are spoken in hushed tones, with looks of wonder on the faces of those dorky enough to care (guilty as charged). They are on some manner of list, or perhaps several, be it 'Greatest Wines of the Twentieth Century' or 'Wines to Try Before You Die' or some such arbitrary honour roll of wines too expensive for normal wine geeks such as yours truly to be able to afford. Biondi-Santi Brunello 1955, DRC 1959, Mouton 1945, Palmer 1961, Yquem 1921... they're wines that billionaire collectors share with the upper echelon of wine writers in the name of hedonism and posterity. And validity. They need the writers there to assure them, to assuage their egos that yes, spending the annual wage of your butler on a case of wine was indeed worth it.

Well, the Naughton Dining Club managed to get a hold of one of these legendary wines. The only wine writers present were myself and Pete. No billionaire invited. Had they arrived their price of entry would have been one magnum each of the above listed wines.

The colour is luminous - vivid polished brass.

Quite closed on the nose to start with, but opens beautifully - hints of mint and dry grass, that musk of wild honey, roasted lime peel, honeysuckle, peach pits and apricots. Almost overwhelming.

Like the nose, the palate is slow to open. As it does however, all the nose promised comes through and more. The texture itself is remarkable - gripping and layered, providing structure for all the riot of flavours - roasted stone and citrus fruit, confit fennel, honey and mint. Incredibly intense and lasts forever. I don't know if it's a wine of the century, but it's fucking amazing.

Delighted we have another bottle in the cellar.

*****

Tasted 1/1/09 at Naughton

Rousseau Mazy-Chambertin 1995

You say Mazis, I say Mazy... such peculiarities in wine make it that much more engaging. And confusing.

Deeper and broodier than the '93 Faiveley - far more intense on the nose as well. Classic FM in the background gives it a touch of bombast.

Palate is savoury and rich. Is it over the hill a touch? Perhaps a bit of stewed stone fruits but still wonderful. This may have been a 5 star wine 6 or 7 years ago. Touch short on the finish. Still lovely, but a touch past it.

****

Tasted 1/1/09 at Naughton

Ducru Beaucaillou 1966 (again)

I love this wine. I always have. The fruit is berry and stone. It is still at its peak: sublime, subtle and lingering. That perfection of textures - leather, mahogany and cedar wood. Utter comfort and delight.

*****

Tasted 1/1/09 at Naughton

My other tasting note on this wine is here.

Faiveley Mazis-Chambertin 1993

Disaster struck the meal. I dropped the whole stew pot onto the kitchen floor. This was not a 30 second rule situation. This was an oh-my-god-I've-just-ruined-dinner situation. Fortunately, we had a contingency plan. A tasty one. Still stew, but roe deer instead of lamb. No harm, no foul. We opened the two Burgundies. One needed to decant for awhile.

Beautifully rustic Burgundian tint - I hold it against the candle light to see that incredible brilliance and clarity.

The nose is strawberry, heather and leather.

All of the nose comes into the palate in sort of a compote - youth and grip on the finish with that savoury, soft leather and a touch of meatiness right in the centre. Excellent with the food, a touch ephemeral and certainly at its peak. Shame it's my last bottle.

****

Tasted 1/1/09 at Naughton

Chateau Palmer 1973

Six or seven or so years ago the founders of the hibernating Naughton Dining Club outdid themselves on birthday presents. We found bottles from birth years - brilliant bottles from some of the greatest names in the wine world - Krug, Dom Perignon, Pol Roger, Chateau Palmer & Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou. Sadly, not all of us were born in brilliant years, and our knowledge of vintage gems was not as encyclopaedic as it is now. All but one of the bottles has been opened now. Memories of my '76 Dom Perignon are still fresh and fizzy in my head. The pen-ultimate bottle, the Palmer '73, was cracked open New Year's Day.

Rusty on the eyes, stewed on the nose.

The palate is aged, pleasant but no great thing. It's tired, but charming.

**

It's probably only one star to be honest, but it brought on such a tempest of chat and reminiscence - when we all started off in the trade, those first days of discovering fine wine and the blistering enthusiasm we sought to learn everything we could. To score it only one star would be criminal. A bottle of wine is no more just about how it smells and tastes than it is just fermented grape juice.

Tasted 1/1/09 at Naughton

Moët & Chandon 1959 (from magnum, disgorged '08)

New Year's came a day late in 2009. I had to work New Year's Eve, so my celebrations were put off a day. They were, however, worth the wait. A remarkable selection of fine wines, the best of friends and some spectacular food. The table crackled with banter, some shedding their hangovers of the night before, some suffering but surviving. The last of the bleary departed at the sound of a champagne cork popping.

Stunning colour - fresh, green gold. No brass. Fifty-years old and it certainly looks fresh and inviting.

Very wild & chestnut mushroom on the nose, followed by the creaminess of melted butter soaking through toast. Then there's a hint of green - apples, perhaps? The balance of freshness and maturity is remarkable.

Rich, luscious, decadent and fresh on the palate - the mousse is almost like the crema on a good espresso. Soft, gentle with fine hallmarks that would be noticeable only by there absence. Everything fits here - the structure and elegance provide a balance and completeness that forbids nitpicking the details. Exceptional, at its peak and while it may last a few more years, you probably ought to drink it now.

*****

Tasted 1/1/09 at Naughton

Warre's 1977

Nose is forest fruit, cassis, tar, bitter cherries, licorice, allspice, cinnamon and quite incredible mulled notes. Beautiful to sniff - a bit of heat but not too much.

Tasted while gorging on Christmas Stilton. Delightful and more-ish. Why fine port should lay down for a time. Balanced and a perfect compliment to the cheese. All those complexities from the nose in perfect harmony on the palate. Delightful - the ideal Christmas Port.

****

Tasted at Miller's Court 25/12/08

Chateau Pontet-Canet 1995

The edges are just beginning to crimson. Held up to the light and it's pure brilliance, deep and bloody and reflective of its character.

The nose is cedar wood and savoury with a touch of nuttiness, smokey with confit cassis compote. Potent and punchy on the front, softening as it lingers.

The palate is all the nose promises - a class Christmas claret that leaps up to the food - particularly good with the roast beef. Texture is silk and sandpaper - right at the middle of its maturity. Still some of the grip and aggression of youth but some softness creeping through. Lovely.

****

Tasted at Miller's Court 25/12/08

Barbeito Verdelho 1980

Tasting notes from the latter half of the evening tend to get shorter, more direct. Possibly due to the effect of all the wines to come before.

Smells of roast nuts & toffee, marzipan, financier cake and all manner of goodies. All of that follows through to the palate from the nose, but with salted oats and excellent gristy texture. Epic length with a lingering finish. Brilliant wine.

*****

Tasted at Shorehead 7/12/08

Warre's 1985

Reductive and tasting sadly of cough syrup. Needs a few years to wake up. Pity.

*(***?)

Tasted at Shorehead 7/12/08

Huet Vouvray Clos du Bourg Moulleux 1971 1ere Tres

Toasted honey and roasted lime with hints of winter spice backed by gripping acidity - beautifully balanced with sweet zing. The underlying minerality and flint provide great depth. This is a treat of a wine, fresh in spite of its age and truly fine. Lovely with the apple crumble.

*****

Tasted at Shorehead 7/12/08

Chateau La Lagune 1985

A touch of Victorian office about the nose - mahogany and leather with hints of cigar box.

Very soft on the palate - gentle stone fruit with supple texture. Slightly simple, but lovely nonetheless. Definitely at its peak.

****

Tasted at Shorehead 7/12/08

Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 1995 & 1996

These two wines caused a debate at the dinner table, dividing the diners. Some preferred the classic restraint of the '95, others the hedonistic opulence of the '96. Both were spectacular, reflecting their vintages, rendering the debate simply a matter of personal taste, rather than a judgement of quality.

I remained neutral.

1995

Roast meat, eucalyptus, blackcurrant and cedar - a classic claret nose with edges of licorice, spearmint, cloves and nutmeg.

The palate is not as expressive. Remarkably closed but promising - it's mostly mint coming through, with dark chocolate cherry & currant. Sinfully young, yet hard to resist.

****(*)

1996

Very spicy on the nose, much livelier - sweeter smoke with a touch more eucalyptus. Far headier.

The palate is almost monolithic - tar and glacé cherries with a touch of mint. Long and tactile, but still extraordinarily immature.

***(**)

Tasted at Shorehead 7/12/08

Domaine de la Romanée Conti La Tache 1998 (bottle no. 7198)

There's a point - for those in the wine trade - where you decide whether you're a Burgundy person or a Bordeaux person. It's hotly debated. Arguably the two most influential wine writers in the world are Bordeaux people - Michael Broadbent and Robert Parker. They just don't like Burgundy as much. The latter openly admits that he just doesn't get Burgundy.

I fall on the other side of the fence. I'm a Burgundy person. I love them and seek them out. Often I'm disappointed. Sometimes they just aren't good enough. The fickleness of Pinot Noir and the high prices the wines command sometimes combine to fall short of expectations. There are few guarantees. Claret can be a safer bet: a more defineable quantity. Because when Burgundy's good, when it exceeds expectations, it's hard to describe. It's not necessarily a linear or quantifiable pleasure. It goes more for feeling than flavour, and it's wonderful.

High expectations are dangerous in wine. The more you want something to taste good, the more likely you are to find fault, to be disappointed. Especially at the very heights of wine. There is the tendency to think that a constantly evolving agricultural product must be perfect when it's opened, regardless of what phase of maturity it has reached.

Being a Burgundy fan puts La Tache quite close to the top of my must-drink list. I'd never tried it before, and in the lead up to the dinner where we opened this bottle I tried to keep my hopes down to prevent any disappointment. What if it was corked? What if it was too young? What if it was going through an irksome 'reductive' phase (the wine equivelent of an annoying adolescent)?

The nose is explosive, gamey with a hint of smoke, forest floor and wild berries. There's a touch of stewed fruit but that clears with a bit of air. Aromatically intense, at actually bursts behind the eyes.

Sweet and hedonistic on the palate - cherries and cranberries with a touch of pipe tobacco. The finish goes on for ages, fading into the ephemeral and leaving its sensation long after the actual flavour has departed. This is a masculine style of Burgundy, with savoury game notes as well. There's something a touch reductive and enclosed though, not as much lift as I was expecting. Mouth-filling, beautiful, but something lacking?

It would be worth 5* if it weren't so bloody expensive. It also needed to be closer to perfect. Was I disappointed? Maybe a little.

****

Tasted at Shorehead 7/12/08

Corton Charlemagne 2000 Bonneau du Martray

There's something about great whites from terroir that lends itself more often to reds. I don't know what it is, but the result tends to be fantastically exotic. Jadot's Beaune Gréves Le Clos Blanc, Roy's Marsannay blanc, and this, the banner wine of the vineyard, all boast some underlying connection. It's getting to the point where I may not be able to spot blind whether a wine's from the Côte de Nuits or Côte de Beaune, but I could possibly spot whether the surrounding vineyards were Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.

Rich and toasted and touched by hints of caramel and spiced vanilla on the nose. Deep and intense. The palate is big and exotic - textured oak notes backed by zingy structured acidity. Clotted cream. cloves and cinammon provide fantastic secondaries. The fruit's tropical but tempered by pristine structure. This is mouth-filling, decadent, brilliant Burgundy. Still quite young. Drink with hand-dived scallops or perfectly seared foie gras. Or both.

****(*)

Tasted at Shorehead 7/12/08

Pieropan La Rocca Soave 2006 (from magnum)

I've never been disappointed by any of Pieropan's wines. They sit atop the whites of the Veneto, proving to the wine-swigging snobs out there that Italy's native varietals can compete without conforming to the increasingly boring international quality white paradigms. Pieropan makes Soave - not garganega (though garganega is the grape he thrives with) - and he makes it beautifully.

There's a touch of licorice and flint, backed by perfumed pineapple on the nose. The journey to the palate turns that perfume into spice, with fresh vibrant pear drop and a lovely richness that leads to a long finish. There are some cracking and far more expensive wines being drunk this evening. And while this may be one of the more simple and pleasing wines, it is in no way out-classed. Lovely.

****

Tasted at Shorehead 7/12/08

Salon 1990 (from magnum)

Salon has long been my favourite Champagne house. Long-lived and exceptionally fine, they achieve depth and poise equal to great white Burgundy. I've written about their wines before - they are a rare treat. I wish I had the means to enjoy them more often.

Brilliant platinum gold colour - youthful but classy.

Young, slightly spiced green apples on the nose. No toast or butter yet, no hint of wild mushrooms, just a touch of citrus zest and a fullness of body that pervades with a whisper of honey on the edges.

The palate seems slightly closed, young and tight. Incredibly promising though - textured and lingering with a remarkable finish that goes on and on. Erupts with food (a saffron & Prosecco risotto served pan-fried medallions of pork loin) - all the blank spots, those closed and quiet points in the mid-palate, open and a brilliant view of this wine's future pours in - rich with fresh blossom honey, candied apples and fresh baked croissants. Youthful, vigorous and promising. This will keep and improve for decades to come. Glorious.

****(*)

Tasted at Shorehead 7/12/08

Méo-Camuzet Bourgogne Rouge 2006

Méo-Camuzet make some of the finest wines in Burgundy. Their premier crus often fetch grand cru prices. I have very fond memories of their '91 Clos Vougeot, drunk when I graduated from the University of St Andrews, as the first fine Burgundy I ever had the pleasure of tasting. But previous vintages of this wine - their entry level red - have disappointed me. I found them too backwards and unyielding. Perhaps they were a little too young. I know a local merchant with few bottles of the '04 kicking about. I might have to revisit it.

Rich, translucent burgundy with youthful violet on the edges. Quite dark at the core, but still good clarity and brilliance.
Slightly sour cherries and cranberry fruit on the nose - heady and perfumed with a touch of sweetness.
The palate is a touch backward - tight tannins with all that fruit from the nose still gripping those tannins. Textured and a hint of the savoury about the mid-palate. Youthful and needing food but great structure with zingy acidity and more-ish red fruit. Lovely length. Will soften with cellaring but there's a crispness to its youth that I really like.
****
Tasted at The Seafood Restaurant St Andrews, 9/12/08

Dom Perignon 2000

Landmark vintages are a funny thing. Both 1900 and 2000 produced some remarkable Bordeaux (Chateau Margaux from the former is meant to be exquisite) and some remarkable prices to boot. At the time of the en primeur releases (and the first proper review tasting notes) there were quite a few cynical wine merchants scratching their chin stubble and wondering aloud whether it was somewhat convenient that such a landmark year produced such a landmark vintage. They still bought buckets of the stuff, obviously. And they made a packet. Until the hype surrounding 03's and 05's chipped away at those blue-chip 00's, proving that in the modern wine world a vintage is only great until the next great vintage. The prices more and more reflect exclusivity, desirability and a sense of get-it-before-anyone-else-does rather than actual quality of the wine. That's just a matter of points, apparently.

Recent economic disasters seem to be changing all this somewhat, and prices - while still outrageous - appear to be dropping daily, even for vintages hyped beyond all boundaries of common sense.

2000 sticks in my mind for a number of other reasons. It wasn't all that great throughout France, or Europe as a whole. The Rhône Valley didn't do too badly, Italy was still smiling about '97 and '99 and Burgundy was a bit of a minefield. The port houses all declared, but that's to be expected. They have the luxury of picking and choosing and 2000 was good enough to choose. I was just entering the wine trade while all these reports were coming out and it fascinated me. The ever-increasing hyperbole, prices and frenetic buying opened my eyes to the bewildering world of wine. Could a case of 12 bottles really be worth £4,000 while the wine was still in cask? Could I be offered the same 12 bottles 2 hours later for £5,000?

I'm older, wiser, grumpier and considerably more cynical now. En primeur season bores the shit out of me. My spam mailbox fills with brokers desperately trying to push case after case of 95-100 pointers at more money than I would ever, in good conscience or otherwise, pay for wine.

Champagne eluded the 2000 vintage hype, and for good reason. It wasn't a great vintage in Champagne. The wines are ok. Moët 2000 is particularly lovely, though that's more due to a radical (and long overdue) reform in winemaking and assemblage rather than the year itself. As it happens, I have no doubt that Dom Perignon 2000 will sell in vast quantities. It is the benchmark luxury champagne and - when it's great - it's one of the finest wines in the world. That perfectly round number on the label may even make it some form of collector's item. Well, even more of a collector's item than usual.

Dom Perignon 2000
Fresh green gold colour with an exciteable mousse composed of pinprick, hyperactive bubbles.
The nose is bursting with pear and white stone fruit with the barest hint of lemon citrus on the edges.
Silky palate of conference pears - not just in terms of flavour but texture as well, that graininess on the tongue. Nice finish. But it's a bit too youthful and pleasing for my taste. There's not a great deal of structure or acidity here. It's decadent, but in a light way. I'd call it elegant - but it doesn't have the structure for that. Perhaps it needs time, but I don't even get hints of a great future - just a pleasant now. I will come back to this in years to come, curious rather than eager.
***(*?)
Tasted in excellent and generous company at Naughton, 6/12/08

Chateau Gruaud Larose 1986

I'm sitting on a deck, staring out to where the Med would be, were the darkness of night not concealing its azure grandeur. There's a bit of a breeze. My body aches and stings with the injuries of vintage at the fantastic Coume del Mas. Nine days of back-breaking blood, sweat and tears and the hardest work I've ever done are over, and my understanding of where fine wine comes from has never been richer.

A few minutes ago, my host presented me with a decanted red and told me to guess. I'm usually good at blind tastings, but my host pretty much taught me most of what I know about wine and as such I suffer issues of confidence when tasting in his presence. I over-guess.

Anyway - I thought it was either Burgundian or Italian. A strange mix, I know. But that's a topic for another post. I couldn't really see the colour as it was dark. A truly blind tasting, really. Bringing it inside to the light revealed rusty edges but still a dark core. I shrugged my shoulders.

The nose was cherries and leather, with a soft rustic charm. A touch of spice. Perhaps a touch of wood, but old and no longer cedar.

The palate is gentle to start and finish, but robust and a touch wild in the middle. That should have been the giveaway really. Like with all wrong blind tastings, it became obvious once the answer was revealed. The cherries and leather from the nose come through on the palate - the fruit's a touch compote but it's ok because the mouthfeel is lovely throughout and to the last of the fantastic, lingering finish, It's not the perfect claret. It's better. It's old and lovely and honest and after everything, I couldn't want anything more.

****

Tasted in Collioure, 9/08

Chambolle-Musigny 1985 Louis Jadot

This bottle was a gift from an old friend who happens to own one of my favourite restaurants in the world. Thank you, Mr Jukes

Lovely old colour bit of rust on the edge, with fine ruby at the core. Warming. The nose is farmyardy, dusty old leather with stewed strawberries and cranberries. It smells soft.

The palate is still on form - the fruit's a bit stewed, but pure at the core. The texture is wonderful - supple, soft with velvet tannins and just the remains of grip. It goes surprisingly well with the goose egg carbonara. This is charming. Not much life left in it, but beautiful at the moment.

****
Tasted at South Street June 2008

Kingfisher Lager & Kingfisher Strong

Just kidding. I'm not really doing tasting notes of the two lagers that contributed to the bulk of my drinking in India. They provided much needed refreshment in the muggy monsoon heat, often at the end of a long and exhausting day. Beware the Kingfisher Strong - it's tasty (possibly double malted - the label didn't say, but the flavour suggested as much), rich and will knock you flat on your arse if you don't treat it with a modicum of respect.

I did, however try some Indian wine during the trip, and found it not unpleasant.

Sula Sauvignon Blanc
I was on holiday and didn't bother to check the vintage. I would assume that it was 07. The colour's quite a rich lemon gold; none of the antipodean pale straw notes that you get used to with this varietal... whatever - it was pleasant and drinkable. Sitting on a balmy evening with a glass of this with a variety of Indian dishes I don't think you could really complain. Is it great wine? No. But I'm not sure there was a point on the trip where I desperately needed a Puligny Montrachet. Or, sticking with the grape, a fine Sancerre or Pouilly Fumé. I wanted to drink the local stuff and see what it was like. It was like tasting wine made in a place that isn't quite used to making wine, but is learning. There was a touch of soupiness, a touch of flab, but some nice grassy notes and it was refreshing. Importantly, it complimented the food - some manner of mutton dhansak I believe.
I would drink it again, were I in India. In fact, I would drink it in preference to paying the outrageous prices charged for European (and Australian, South African, American, Chilean etc etc) wine in India.
I wouldn't buy it over here. It's not ready yet. I'm not saying it never will be, but they need time to hit their stride. Will it be world-beating fine wine? I doubt it. But not every wine has to be. The lower end of the wine market is filling with bland, sweet, mass-produced rubbish - there's space for something new and idiosyncratic.
One word of advice though, drink it cold. Not chilled.

Sula Cabernet Sauvignon
Not quite as developed as the Sauv Blanc. Stewed, hyperactive fruit on the nose and palate. Room temperature doesn't help it as the room is very warm (well... the room is a patio, and it's hot out). It is, however, wine and I'd say there are a few cheap Aussie cab/shiraz blends that may pale to it. Drinkable, but pass me some more of the white please...

Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2000 Domaine Denis Mortet

I have been remiss of late. Life has taken over much of my writing, tasting notes included. I've just vacated a flat and in the midst of the maelstrom I found a note I made on birthday - I treated myself.

Be warned - this isn't quite a return to regular posting. I'm off to India for three weeks and can only write so much about Kingfisher...

Lovely colour - a violet tint to the classic Burgundian hue. Still youthful, deep and brooding with a touch of lightness at the edges.

Forest floor on a sunny day - ripe red and black fruit with a perfumed, floral edge. Touches of spice, cherries and mint. Intoxicating, elegant and ephemeral.

This is classic, weighty, masculine Burgundy - elegant still, but with rustic, meaty undertones. The fruits and forest are wild, rich and textured with notes of saddle leather. The tannins are soft, but still grip. Remarkable combination of rustic and refined. Wonderful.

****
Tasted 27 May 2008 at South Street.

Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella 2003

Amarone's a big part of me being in the wine trade. In a roundabout way, it's how I got my first job selling fine wine. I'm sure some of my other spectacular personality traits helped, but my love of Amarone was the only one that's ever been mentioned. My first vintage of Allegrini's Amarone was the 1988, tasted in summer 2001. I didn't take notes, sadly, but I do remember loving it. I remember the first time I tried Quintarelli's incredible (and incredibly expensive) wines and the aftermath of that tasting. I felt guilty. I decided, foolishly, that my love of Amarone held me back as a taster. I needed to seek elegance, refinement and complexity - the rustic glories and awesome power held in the Veneto's finest red could not improve my palate or knowledge. 

It was not my first, nor will it be last, bad decision. It was, however, easily rectified. 

Amarone done well is a raucous wine, summarily dispatching so many new world pretenders boasting about their super-ripe dried grapes. It balances bitter and sweet, rustic and refined, power and the antonym of power. When it's done well. Poor Amarone is a travesty - stewed, unstructured, occasionally oxidised but mostly unfinished. You get this big hit and then... woosh, gone. The big hit isn't even fruit, or flavour, but booze. Avoid poor Amarone as you would any mucky factory produced wine.

The colour's still dense, though fading slightly at the edges it's still dark and brooding at the core. 

Bramble and pepper on the nose, followed by rich dark chocolate and cocoa powder with hints of glacé cherries.

Massive palate, matched by a tight structure. Bramble and cherries, ripe but with a pleasant savoury tang, then comes the chocolate - not only in flavour but in texture too, almost to the grain. Bittersweet, slightly meaty with beautiful but never overbearing weight. The dustiness of the tannins reminds me of cocoa powder and the term chocolate leather comes to mind in terms of mouthfeel. This is great stuff and drinking a treat at the moment. Perhaps not as classy as the '04, but a real blinder nonetheless.

****

Tasted at Luvians Bottleshop 09/04/08

Pieropan La Colombare Recioto de la Soave

Bronze at the core, though gold and a touch of silver throughout. 

Candied apricots, peaches and all manner of stone fruit on the nose. It's not all sweetness though - there's a flinty, minerality to it - hint of cereal, touch of grist and a nice spiciness all there. Almost overwhelmingly heady, with a touch of perfume too.

This is a great wine. The palate is rich, honeyed - pure stone fruits from the nose with gripping texture and a hint of botrytis. Minerality of the wet pebble variety, with clean structure throughout and a long finish that drifts into the ephemeral. 

*****

Tasted at Luvians Bottleshop, 9 April, 2008

Chateau Pontet Canet 1998

The colour is just beginning to show its age, lightening at the rim, though still deep at the core - no rust and still quite intense.

Fresh currants with cedar wood, coal dust and unsmoked tobacco on the nose - everything that classed (and classy) claret should smell like - the warmth of old wood and old leather with shelves of old books.

Palate shows how young this is - tight and restrained with some grippy oak - good structure and nicely layered fruit and secondaries - bit of a meaty, savoury note but still elegant. 

***(*)

Tasted at Luvians Bottleshop 29/3/2008

Ostertag Gewurztraminer 2003 'Vignoble d'E'

Rose petal, lychee and fresh ground black pepper with a touch of flint on the nose. 

Quite sexy on the palate - lipid, soft and silky but with a bit of a hot finish. Great with Thai food a few weeks ago, but we don't have any Thai food right now. 

***

Tasted at Naughton 23/3/2008

Leitz Rüdesheimer Berg Roseneck Spätlese 2003

The room's too dark to really judge the colour - still pale gold though.

Nose is honey and ripe pineapple with slices of lime, fresh green apple, honeysuckle and flower water.

All that comes through on the palate with more. Juicy melon, more pineapple - ripe and sweet on the mid-palate but with brilliant candied lime peel acidity on the finish that keeps it clean. The texture is fresh honeydew and this is a fine, sexy wine. More, please.

*****

Tasted at Naughton 23/03/2008

Niepoort Vintage 1970

Dirty brown with touches of rust. Not the most attractive colour of port I've ever seen.

The nose is stewed chocolate, caramel and edges of esther.

Leathery on the palate, soft - almost no fruit to speak of, but pleasant texture. A bit boozey on the finish.

Pleasant, but not great. Drink now.

**

Tasted at Naughton 23/08/2008

Bollinger La Grande Anée 1996

Rich gold in the glass - not dark yet, still with hints of green.

Hugely toasty on the nose with buttered mint and a touch of strawberry, nettles and summer hay. 

Honey buttered toast, mouth-filling and textured with a luscious mousse, still slightly rambunctious bubbles. The finish is perfumed, coming through with the strawberry, nettles and mint. Then it shuts down, bizarrely, and becomes quite simple. Bizarre. I think it may be a touch too young perhaps still? There is greatness to come. Wait a bit.

***(**)

Tasted at Naughton, 23/03/2008

Louis Jadot Pernand-Vergelesses Clos de la Croix Pierre 2003

I first tasted this from barrel in November 2004. It struck me as a bit of a gem. The vineyard is a favourite of the winemaker, Jacques Lardiére and offers great quality at great value. 2003 though, was hot - damn hot. I've ranted here before about it being a terrible waste of money, how it was far too hot for decent wines, how better wines from better vintages could be bought at better prices. There are, of course, exceptions.

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Quite dark with vague violet on the edge. 

The nose is confusing but enticing. Meaty, with floral edges and a touch of candied cherries more reminiscent of Tuscan sangiovese than Burgundy. Behind the cherries are the cranberries and raspberries and its burgundian roots appear.

Ripe, juicy, red fruits erupt on the palate. This is what a heatwave does to Burgundy - femininity and elegance evaporate and what's left is sexy, perhaps even tarty. The fruit becomes a touch stewed with air - over an hour or so. That doesn't make it bad though. It's more-ish, slightly simple, but incredibly compelling and drinkable with soft, dusty tannins ensuring that it isn't just a one night stand. It lingers longer.

***

Tasted at Luvians Bottleshop 20/3/08

Louis Jadot Côte du Nuits Villages "Le Vaucrain" 2005

What brilliant colour! Vibrant, youthful Burgundy with a touch of violet. 

The nose is both intense and tight knit at the same time. Focused. Raspberries and cranberry fruit edged by newly tanned leather, wild herb and a dash of spice.

The vibrancy of the fruit follows through all the way to the palate. It's almost juicy, but the structure keeps it in - I get the sense that the newly tanned leather of the tannins will soften brilliantly to that fantastic beaten saddle-leather texture that good old Burgundy gets. It's pleasing and more-ish now, with dark, tarry notes on the finish and surprising grip. I think five years or so and this will be truly incredible.

****(*)

Tasted 15/3/08 at Luvians Bottleshop

Crater Rim Sauvignon Blanc 2007

Very pale gold with shimmering silver edges.

Great kiwi sauvignon nose - fresh, crisp green pepper first, then gooseberry and stone fruit - intense aromatics that get the mouth watering.

All that intensity comes through - the crispness, the green peppers, the gooseberries and the fleshy white fruit, but then there's a surprise. A sweet, rounded, rich, mid-palate with fine honey notes and razor balance reminiscent of good German riesling. The finish that follows is long and lovely.

Apparently a percentage of the fruit was late harvested. If so, well done. The margin for error with something like this is daunting, and the winemaker's success has resulted in a cracking New Zealand Sauvignon that manages to stand out from the crowd - no mean feat.

*****

Tasted at South St, 10/3/2008

Lustau Añada 1989 Rich Oloroso

I first tasted this wine at the Lustau bodega in Jerez. It was a charmed holiday and this wine was one of the great surprises along the way. We liked it so much we shipped about a pallet back to Scotland. 

The nose is smoked nuts and marmalade with loads of Christmas spice and fruitcake, candied cherries and butterscotch. Basically, there's a lot going on here, and I'm happy to be a part of it. 

All that came before on the nose follows through on the palate, but moreso. It's extraordinary. Fat, sweet caramel with figs, honey coffee grounds, roasted oranges, cloves and nutmeg all rounded beautifully, with a touch of saddle leather and dusty oak drifting into the long and ephemeral finish. It all happens in check - the structure's remarkable; sweet but never gooey, as some of its PX cousins can be. Delightful.

*****

Tasted often, but most recently 23/2/2008 at Luvians Bottleshop

Louis Jadot 2006 En Primeur Tasting

Burgundy, it turns out, is a fine way to start the day. It's elegant, and provides a lift that bolsters the soul. 

This morning we tried a few selected cask samples from Louis Jadot; offerings from their 2006 vintage. 2006 turns out to have been an odd year - an intense heatwave in July led to fears of a repeat of 2003. A wet August restored balance to the vines and the dry, warm September meant that there was balance and harmony to those who trusted their vines enough not to panic. Whites tend to be sexier and more forward than the reds, and overall it tends to be more of a 'terroir' vintage than 2005. What this means, apparently, is that the more expensive, premier and grand cru vineyards show their mettle, while the lesser wines are not the incredible value and superb quality of the previous year. With 2005 in Burgundy a basic AC Vosne Romaneé from a good producer will be spectacular whereas with 06 you may be better off getting the 1er Cru Beau Monts. If you can afford it. And that's assuming you can find much 05 Burgundy still kicking about - if you can, best of luck to you.

But I digress.

We tasted a nice cross-section of wines - it was not comprehensive. All scores are in brackets - they're cask samples that travelled from Beaune to Scotland and such they're not 100% indicative of the wine to come.

Whites

Louis Jadot Savigny Les Beaune Blanc 1er Cru Les Vergelesses 2006

Soft nose and palate - creamy and supple. There's decent mouthfeel, though no minerality to speak of, while the wood seems unruly at times - especially on the finish. Bit simple. (**)

Louis Jadot Pernand Vergelesses Blanc 1er Cru Clos de la Croix de Pierre 2006

Big, spicy, exotic vanilla and pineapple nose that comes through to the palate - there's a lot going on here. Nicely layered tropical fruit and spice, but still a good underlying elegance and a touch of the ephemeral on the finish. (****)

Louis Jadot Meursault 1er Cru Les Gouttes d'Or 2006

Not showing well at all - flabby, which befalls many a Meursault, but without the compelling sexiness to resurrect it. Is it the sample or the wine? Beaten soundly by the Pernand at half the price. (**?)

Reds

Louis Jadot Chateau Des Jacques Moulin-a-Vent Clos de Rochegrés 2006

An old favourite with an excellent nose of mint, briar and violets that follows through to palate - this is earthy, rustic, well-knit and remarkably deep. Still shocked that gamay does this. The secondaries are remarkable though obscure the primaries slightly. There's little core fruit at the moment, though I assume that will come out with time. It's just too expensive for a Beaujolais though, greatest Beaujolais though it may be. (***?*) - the question mark is due to price.

Louis Jadot Cote de Nuits-Villages 'Le Vaucrain' 2006

The most obviously 'sampled' wine, with a bunch of residual CO2 kicking up a bit of effervescence on the mid-palate. However, there's beautiful purity of fruit and nice secondary notes of tobacco and forest floor - not hugely complex, but lovely nonetheless. (****)

Louis Jadot Beaune 1er Cru Les Avaux 2006

Big, juicy, premier cru Beaune with surprisingly mature integration between the tasty cranberry fruit and oak. Quite more-ish and sexy. (****)

Louis Jadot Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Barre 2006

Far darker fruit on the nose than any so far, with a touch of leather. Beautifully integrated oak with good depth and fine mouth feel. Fine structure. This is going to be a lovely wine. (****)

Louis Jadot Vosne Romaneé 2006

Good fruit and nice balance but a bit dumb. Would like to try it again after bottling (**?)

Louis Jadot Vosne Romaneé 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts 2006

Intense berry fruit on the nose - brooding and perfumed. The finest wine so far today. Integrated, complex and boasting elegant structure. Look forward to following up on this (*****)

Louis Jadot Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuees 2006

Bit dumb - four Chambolle fans in the room looking despondent. There's a hint of more, but it's muted. Must come back to this. (**?)

Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot Grand Cru 2006

Lovely colour, though the nose is a bit closed - there's a lot of oak as well. Very good length on the palate and remarkable tightness. It's closed, waiting, but not dumb. (****)

Over all the wines tasted lovely. It was not one of those earth-shattering en primeur tastings you read about, with critics scrambling to get down as many adjectives as possible, trying to out-superlative and odd-fruit each other. Instead it seems to be one where you'll have to pick carefully for greatness, if that's what you want. I enjoyed the overall elegance - they weren't showy wines, even the sexy ones. I'd like to have tried some finer whites, but I'm sure I'll get the chance. The wines that excited me weren't the most expensive - the white Pernand and the Vaucrain (£20 and £16 respectively), should they live up to these samples, will be cracking wines at good prices. The outrageous 05 prices mean that people who've been priced out of Burgundy for a year could get some excellent wines at much better prices for 06, but they should choose carefully. 

Vin de Constance 2002

If South Africa has a flagship wine, then this must be it. Its legend dates back three centuries and there are reports of bottles ageing beautifully for over 100 years or more. Once upon a time it stood proudly next to Yquem, the great Tokaji's, and Germany's finest in the pantheon of the world's great dessert wines. 

The first time I tried it I didn't like it. I didn't think it lived up to the hype that the producers, Klein Constantia, were trying to instil in the brand. I thought they were trading on past glories, that their great experiment was doomed to failure, that I would stick to France for great sweet chenin blanc. I don't remember that vintage. It may have been late nineties. 

Trying the 2002 is a very different story. 

Incredibly deep gold, with hints of brass and possibly copper at the core. Delightful brilliance - genuinely beautiful to look at as it captures the light. 

The nose is such that were I only to have smelled it, I could take some small comfort. The nose is beautiful. Spiced marmalade, flint, lemon, heather honey and a touch of marzipan edged with floral perfume and a hint of minerality.  

Honey and marmalade come alive on the palate - such brilliant purity of sweetness and fruit - oranges, lemons and a touch of peach. It isn't flabby though - there's a classic flintiness and minerality that keeps it from all going crazy. It gives structure and texture that makes me want to try this wine with some fantastic food - creamy Loire goat's cheese perhaps, or a tarte citron? The finish lasts a good couple of minutes. It's ridiculously more-ish, and surprisingly elegant, considering the intense concentration of flavours. 

It will keep for a decade or two at least, though I look forward to trying one of their centenarian bottles.

*****

Tasted 31/1/08 at Luvians Bottleshop.

Dönnhoff Riesling 2006

The hype of Germany's 2006 has sent quite a few waves through the wine world. London merchants staged hugely successful en primeur campaigns, selling top wines from top producers at top prices in large quantities. What does it all mean to the average consumer, to whom most German wines are a mystery, who don't know Bernkasteler Doktor or the significance of a gold capsule, or why a half bottle of eiswein is worth over £100 in bond? 

It means a lot. It means a lot because, hopefully, this great vintage and heightened attention will increase the profile of some of the greatest white wines on the planet. As is the norm with these things, it doesn't matter how good the top tier wines are if those at entry level drag their heals. Look at Bordeaux - millions of gallons of unsold garbage sitting in warehouses next to the some of the world's greatest wines selling out before they're bottled. 

So yesterday we opened Dönnhoff's basic Riesling 2006. Dönnhoff's pretty much the best producer in the Nahe and I expected it to be good, as it always is, regardless of vintage. 

I was, we were, blown away. This wine retails at £10.99 and it's incredible value for money. The nose alone gets you salivating. Fleshy white grape, fresh pear and a hint of lime with a fresh effervescence. It tickles. On the back is a hint of flint.

The palate is pinpoint balance between residual sugar and acidity. The fresh, fleshy (though never flabby) fruit continues from the nose - juicy white grapes, pear and a touch of citrus. That incredible acidity cleans the palate leaving you wanting more, lingering on the refreshing minerality. It's bursting with flavour, but never weighty - poised and balanced it manages both sexiness and elegance. Kind of like Scarlett Johansonn in a svelte ball gown but fuck-me pumps and sexy lingerie underneath. 

I look forward to drinking this and many other German 06s over many years to come. 

*****

Tasted at Luvians Bottleshop, 24/1/08

a visit to Coume del Mas

My thumb and forefinger are purple, stained into the grooves of my fingerprints. It's the mark of a tasting in this neck of the woods, and in this case a very good tasting. Phillippe Gard, winemaker and owner of Coume del Mas, is vaulting barrels and stacks of wine cases with a wine-thief, drawing samples, occasionally shouting something about the vintage, the cuveé, wine in general or the region in particular. I try to follow the French, to little avail, though it's all said with such quiet conviction that I feel I understand regardless. My friend Andy translates to help out and sometimes Phillippe switches to English. 

The cáve is perfect. It's January and all things are happening. Stainless steel fermentation tanks line the walls, stained barrels lie here and there and every gap is filled by stacks of crates, the recently bottled vintage preparing for shipping, empty bottles awaiting the bottling truck, rolls of labels not-yet-afixed, flat-packed crates, more packaging, more cases, more barrels - it is a small winery and nothing shows that better than the clutter I see before me. Phillippe apologises for the mess but I couldn't be happier - it's a rare sight, a genuine behind the scenes look, and the wine geek in me drinks it all in. 

All the while the wine thief does its job, and we try some wines.

--------------------------

Coume del Mas Folio 2007

This is always my favourite white of the region. Mouth-filling, waxy white fruit, a touch of clotted cream and a great mineral backbone. Very quaffable. This is barrique aged but then Phillippe takes a sample from one of the stainless steel tanks, telling us it's an experiment. It's tight, with more intense minerality and a more angular structure. I ask if it will be blended with the wine from barrique and Phillippe shrugs. He's constantly experimenting, looking for the best way to express his wines, and he hasn't made his mind up yet.

We then try a rousanne/vermentino blend that's only sold locally - easy drinking table wine, that's a real delight. Fun wine for the porch on a warm summer's day. The effervescence of young white samples excites the palate and readies us for the reds.

Coume del Mas Schistes 2007

Straight from tank, this wine sees no wood, no racking, and as little air or interference as possible. The result is remarkable, especially at this young stage. It is dark purple with vivid edges. The nose is fresh crushed violets, plum and allspice, with wild fresh herbs on the edges. The palate follows through entirely from the nose. The complexity is astounding, as is the depth and darkness - that it is all coming from the fruit (100% very old vine grenache), without any wood, seems daunting. Essence of plums and violets run over stones and pebbles - such brilliant minerality - words like purity and authenticity come to mind. This is a remarkable wine. ***(**)

From then we tried a barrage of barrel samples, compenent batches to be blended into either Quadratur, Abysses, Quintessence or some yet un-named cuvée. Late harvested syrah, old vine carignan, a blend of syrah, mouvedre and carignan. All of them were big, yet that purity of fruit, a total lack of confection, pervaded, as did that backbone minerality, the heart of the region's terroir. 

---------------------------

In a loft in the back of the winery sits a selection of barrels of various sizes. Phillippe explains this is where, when the time is right, his attempt at Banyuls Grand Cru will come from. To blend a great Banyuls Grand Cru is an art few still possess. While the law stipulates that it must simply stay in barrel for three years before achieving Grand Cru status, the reality is more complicated. Selection and blending are paramount to achieve the best results, which can be heavenly on the nose and palate. We sample some of these barrels - glorious honeyed red fruits with still gripping tannins. One particularly wonderful mouvedre from an unfeasibly small barrel nearly brings tears to my eyes. With such incredible components I have no doubt that Phillippe's first Grand Cru will be a triumph. I mention this and the shrugged response is reassuringly honest and humble. 

-----------------------------

Coume del Mas Quadratur 2001

We drank this with a lovely, simple lunch of pasta and fresh truffles at Phillippe Gard's home in the village of Banyuls. 

The nose is christmas spice - cinammon and cloves, fresh woodspice. Wonderful and different. This follows through to palate where those spices balance against rich plum and forest fruit. It's a remarkable fine wine, complex and rustic, beautiful to sip, brilliantly structured. A total sensory delight - as good excuse as needed to lay Quadratur down for a good few years. 

*****

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I left lunch with the sense of excitement one gets knowing that the best is yet to come. Phillippe Gard makes great wines, that much is true, but he's not content to stand still. That can only be a good thing, and I look forward to trying what comes next.

Stella Bella Sangiovese Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

We tasted this sample in Luvians on a slow, hungover Wednesday in January. Wines have to work hard on such days. They need to provide lift, they need to be authentic. We're bored already, we don't want anything else to bore us. 

Sadly, the Stella Bella bored us. 

It's nose was dense, brooding, quite powerful but undefined. It smelled like a big red. Blind I would have said it was Australian... and red. The blackcurrant from the cabernet overwhelms any cherry notes from the sangiovese. 

We spoke about the palate for a good 15 - 20 minutes. It was big, unctuous and again, blackcurrants overwhelmed some of the subtler notes. The sangiovese came through on the finish, with a green tannin bitter bite that stands as a hallmark for new world pinot noir and sangiovese that's been overextracted. That said, it isn't a terrible wine - it bears hallmarks of quality. But it's faults leave it exposed. There are better wines from this part of the world at this price. It's uniqueness, as a sangiovese blend from Western Oz, is undermined by it not being a good sangiovese from Western Oz. Most of our chat was apologetic, searching for plus points, rather than shouting about them. 

That's not a good sign.

**

Chambolle Musigny Les Fuees, JF Mugnier, 2000

The colour is why I love Burgundy - one of the reasons anyway. That perfect pale brilliance that deceives you. You think it's going to be wishy-washy, but the brilliance gives it away. It generates it's own light. 

The nose is more feel than flavour, fruit essence rather than defined - red fruit flower water, if such a thing exists. Perfumed and incredibly sexy.

The palate is sensuous, beautifully textured with wonderful mouthfeel, but the fruit's a touch muted. As though it is entirely ephemeral. Lovely, elegant, sexy, yet simple in the pleasure it gives, though not a simple wine. Pinpoint perfect fine Burgundy, though quite a shock to the system after barrel samples of old vine carignan, old vine grenache and several samples of fine Banyuls earlier in the day.

****

Tasted in Collioure, 11/1/2008

Quadratur, Coume del Mas, 2003

The colour displays deep purple or ruby, depending on the angle of the light. It's still dark to the core, but brilliant nonetheless and bearing more translucency than a couple of years ago. 

The nose is pure, driven, perfect old vine grenache - ripe plum and blueberry fruit wrapped in dark woodspice, forest floor and tar aromas. Well balanced on all counts and hugely inviting.

All the fruit and peripheral notes from the nose come through on the palate - it's beautiful. Ripe plums, blueberries and bramble fruit with such intensity and purity - avoiding the stewed, overcooked aspects prevalent elsewhere in the vintage. Then that dark earthiness comes through, rich, tactile and gripping. The tannins are becoming supple. This is about pleasure - it's sensuous. Mouthfeel is a tad suede and velvet, lending to its more-ishness. The structure isn't rigid but it also isn't lacking. This is great stuff - a definitive example of fine grenache and a fine wine in general. 

*****

Tasted at Luvians Bottleshop, St Andrews 7/1/2007

10 Year Old Boal Reserve, Barbeito

God I love Madeira. Really. Well, Barbeito's Madeiras certainly - I think other houses may be ruined for me as Barbeito's wines are just so bloody good. They set the bar so high that I doubt any of their wines that I've tasted would get less that 4 stars. So without further ado...

The colour is a mix of polished amber and brass. It seems to glow from within, but not in a creepy unnatural way.

The nose is incredibly nutty, with a touch of smoke and a hint of honey, maple syrup and dried fruit.

Maple syrup, pecans and almonds pervade the palate with quince jelly and a dusty saddlewood mouthfeel. There's a touch of the coast on the edges - a hint of salt. It is beautifully balanced - sweet but never cloying. Delightful.

****(*?)

Tasted at Luvians Bottleshop

End of Year Dinner @ Naughton

It's been a year of not-enough-fine-wine. In order to address this imbalance myself and some friends ate and drank some brilliant drops last night.

Taittinger Comte de Champagne 1971

Colour's a light brass with gold highlights. Still remarkably youthful with lively streamers of tiny, pinpoint perfect bubbles rising to the surface.

The nose is full of candied peaches and apricots with a spicy darkness on the edges - allspice, cloves and a touch of nutmeg.

The candied apricots really come through on the palate - it's a remarkable and lovely fruitiness. The mousse guides the structure of the palate beautifully. This definitely 'older' than when tasted last, but wiser too. A brilliant example of well-aged champagne. There's still an incredible lifting freshness at its core. Particularly suited to the exceptional recording of Gerschwin's Rhapsody in Blue playing in the background. Further air brings on a malty oatiness and fantastic texture with luxurious mouthfeel - rich, butter roasted chestnuts. The finish goes on and on.

*****

Disaster - sommelier series vintage champagne glass loses fight with a Breitling and the kitchen table, criminally taking almost a full glass of this wonderful wine with it. Tragedy.

Musigny Grand Cru, JF Mugnier, 1995

Colour is pale ruby, pure to its core and truly brilliant,

The nose is heavenly - aromatic, perfumed and pervading - heady and sensuous. Classically something that you just can't put your finger on...

The palate starts quite big and boisterous - loud even, trumpeting away with vibrant, high tensile red fruit that gives way entirely to mouthfeel and sensuous sexiness. It coats the mouth and finishes with a gentle grip. As it opens it achieves harmony and balance - the opening no longer boisterous but beautiful. There's elegance, earth and beauty all rolled into one and as they all come together it is true vinous glory.

*****

Ducru Beaucaillou 1983

Colour is SO dark for the age - deep purple with not fading on the rim.

The nose is tight - when it does open it's big but lacking definition. A faceful of black fruit and tar. 

The palate is much the same - big and brash with a tight tannic background that trips towards green. Sweet fruit and forest floor but not a lot in between. The fruit's a bit stewed. Nice, but not going to get any better from the taste of things. Outclassed this evening.

***

Taylor's 1963

Colour is tawny with a touch of rust. 

The nose is welcoming and more-ish - little fruit but lots of peripheries: mint, eucalyptus, damsons and sloes. Autumn fruit.

The palate is incredible - it lasts forever and there's much that goes on in the meantime. Luscious, silky, long and incredible. Bit hot on the end though.

****(*)

Tasted at Naughton 28/12/2007

Pio Cesare Barbaresco 2001

Colour - The perfect ruby of young-ish nebbiolo, still translucent at the core.

Nose - Heady and rustic with piercing red and black cherries surrounded in tar and rain on hot asphalt. Brooding. Brilliant.

Palate - Everything the nose promised and more. Still incredibly rustic but at the same time beautifully structured. The mouthfeel is leather and tar with woodspice and a bit of creaminess as well. Brilliant acidity and bright, clean fruit coming through more and more. Fantastic with the meal (Roast Mediterranean veg and sausage casserole) and just kept getting better as the night went on.

*****

A bit of a break and Louis Jadot Moulin-a-Vent Chateau Des Jacques 2004

There's no excuse for my long absence from tasting notes. I certainly haven't stopped drinking wine. I just haven't been writing it down. Apologies.

I recently tried a cheap Argentinian white - a Chenin- Semillon blend bottled under stelvin. It was corked. Well, it was tainted with TCA. I suppose it's not technically corked if it doesn't have a cork in it. I've been pondering that for awhile and will have a rather long rant about it in the near future.

In the meantime, I'm delighted to say that the Chateau des Jacques 2004 is tasting spectacular and should be drunk at every available opportunity. It's a perfect roast chicken wine. Soft raspberry and strawberry fruit with a nice earthy backbone. Rustic and elegant - certainly not your average Beaujolais.

Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St-Jacques 2000 Domaine Denis Mortet

There's a touch of rust on the rim but the core is deep Burgundy - fantastic actually.

The nose is heady, meaty with a touch of blood before the strawberries come through, with a hint of cherries and black forest gateaux, cocoa shavings on the finish.

My goodness I love good Burgundy. All the fine aspects of the nose come through beautifully, the strawberries turning to cherry, fleshing out into the gateaux and cocoa - the structure is perfect, and almost imperceptible its so good. Very good acidity. Tannins are incredibly supple. Wonderful - drink now and for the next 5-10 years. In large quantities.

Sometimes I really miss Luvians.

*****

Tasted 12/5/07 at Luvians Bottleshop, St Andrews

Palandri Estate Merlot 2002

The colour's saturated purple. It's not soupy, but seems like it should be. Does that make sense? It's dense basically - big extraction.

Earthy, cooked plums dominate the nose but there's a touch of cassis there as well. Very sweet and a bit cloying.

Very juicy fruit on the palate - sweet plums and blackcurrant - dense and unctuous. The tannins are there, but not aggressive: they're soft but not delicate. It's mouthfilling and almost flabby but not. I actually really like it. And I don't generally like merlot unless it's from Pomerol and, well, expensive. But this isn't bad. And it's Australian. Weird.

****

Tasted 4/5/07 at Edinburgh Wine Merchants

Beaune 1er Cru Les Gréves 2002 Nicholas Potel

Classic Burgundian colour with a hint of lavender purple in the right light.

The nose is feminine, floral to start then juicy red fruit, crushed raspberries and cranberries followed by a touch of earth.

The palate is classic Beaune - fresh, luscious red summer fruits knit with tight structure - the fruit is all mid-palate, then there's the backbone - a bit of soft wood, supple tannins and a bit of green (cherry pips?) leading into a nice, though slightly short, finish. Good, but not great - expected more from the vintage.

***(*?)

Tasted at Edinburgh Wine Merchants 4/5/07

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 1997 Conti Constanti

Colour is brilliant crimson, giving off vivid light that dances on the table beneath it. Honest.

The nose is rose water, cherries and hot tar - it's a beguiling nose - there's a hint of bloodiness about it. It's an incredible mixture of rustic and elegant.

The palate is more of the same - ephemeral herbal and floral notes dancing around a pure, almost juicy, cherry and cranberry fruit with plenty of zing. There's tight acidity there as well with a good tannic backbone that's just beginning to soften. Amazing with the pasta (which was amazing itself if I'm totally honest).

It's interesting to mark the development of this wine. The first time I tried it was summer of '03, and it was awesome but rambunctious, needing time. The second time was in '05, and the palate was beautiful but the nose confused and almost unpleasant. This last time was delightful but I couldn't help but feel it was about to go to sleep for a wee while. I'll come back to it in '09.

****(*)

Tasted at Naughton 28/4/07

Chateau Les Ormes de Pez 2003

Colour: Saturated, opaque purple, almost impenetrable.

Nose: Ripe fruit with a smoky edge. There's a hint of jam and heat.

Palate: Typical of the vintage. Incredibly ripe fruit knit well with the tannins and then the heat kicks in, burnt charcoal and toast ruins the finish. It's almost as though someone set fire to green tannins. I don't see those burnt edges toning down at all - the fruit may settle and the tannins may soften, but that burnt aspect, like green tannins, just won't go away.

**
Tasted 15/4/07 at Edinburgh Wine Merchants

Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 1996

Colour: Shows almost no sign of age. Intense brilliance through the crimson/black core.

Nose: Unlike anything I'm familiar with - INTENSE cassis and mint (blind - Mouton perhaps?) with wild fresh herbs, fresh chopped cedar - everything about it is alive, breathing.

Palate: Everything the nose promises and more - the fruit is remarkably pure and intense - cassis and blackberry in sweet harmony, backed by the mint, herbs and cedar. Such power and elegance. Behind it all is a blind spot - a darkness that needs time to open, as it matures the perfume and saddle leather and glories of age will arrive. One of the finest young wines I have ever drunk. One of the finest wines I've ever drunk.

*****(*?)
Yes, that's a potential six stars. If Broadbent can do it, so can I.

Tasted at Naughton 03/07

Pol Roger Chardonnay 1996

Colour: vibrant gold with just a hint of green and rapid, tiny bubbles.

Nose: Apples, lime and clotted cream - there's a slight hint of toast and honey.

Palate: Fresh, youthful and vivacious, crisp fruit - apples with a touch of lemon. The mousse is exceptional, filling the mouth entirely with its fruit. There's a touch of minerality and toast on the edges leading to a long finish, excellent acidity and structure. A long and fantastic life ahead of it.

****(*)

Tasted 03/07 at Naughton

Tinto da Anfora 2005

The colour is deep, a brooding, bruised purple with a touch of ruby on the rim.

The nose is brambles and forest floor with edges of roasted herbs and a hint of chocolate.

The palate is the best of the nose - this is an exceptionally well-rounded wine for the price. Rustic and mouthfilling without being overbearing. The bramble and cassis fruit are pure and juicy, without confection, held up by good acidity while backed by fantastic dark tones and well-rounded tannins. That dark edge seems to be a hallmark of well-made Portuguese reds, much like chocolate cherries mark well-made Italians.
The finish lingers - all for £7.25? Bargain.

****
Tasted several times at Bonnytoun Cottages over the last few weeks.

Overdue

No, I have not stopped drinking wine. I just keep losing my tasting notes. Fortunately (or not) I've found a few kicking about and will have some updates later today.

On a side note, I'd just like to say that almost every 2003 vintage wine from the entire Eurasian continent suffered from the heat, and any smartarse wine writer that tries to tell you different is lying. The reds taste like burnt toast (honest - Italy, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône, you name it - burnt toast), and the whites taste like someone dropped a vodka depth charge in a glass of 5 Alive (or whatever fruit juice that particular varietal or blend most resembles). There are a few exceptions (Jadot), but it's such a minefield and the wines are so expensive that I don't think it's worth it. 01s are a bargain, as are 02s (be careful with Italy on the latter) and 04s are proving pleasant. Fuck 03. Overhyped and overpriced - a perennial disappointment.

Silly Tasting Dinner

The Naughton Dining Club met last evening and drank some extraordinarily fine wines and cognacs.

Krug 1995

Colour: A deep, dark gold. Darker than expected, considering it's a new release.

Nose: The nose is dominated by pinot noir - beautiful and luscious but focussed, tightly knit. There's toast and scones on the edges with notes of sweet citrus.

Palate: Possibly the best young Krug I have ever tasted (at eleven years!). Beautifully structured - luscious and sexy but with elegance and poise. The mouthfeel is superb and the mousse is in perfect balance. The table agrees - this is a great wine. Pete C is doing grannie impressions. Very long, lingering finish. Brilliant start to the evening.

*****
It's so good now - I'm not sure what it will age like. I don't even know if I want it to age well. Because I don't want to wait to drink it.

Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 1997

Colour: Fitting of its age - still deep, but not impenetrable - slight lightening on the rim.

Nose: There's just so much one can take. The nose is remarkable, almost sensory assault - it justifies the reputation and status as a first growth. Powerful, yet elegant and boasting remarkable purity - piercing blackcurrant and blueberry wrapped in cedar wppd. cigar box, forest floor and hints of mint. The table's in rapture.

Palate: After the nose, the palate's something of a disappointment. The wood's a bit more aggressive and the secondaries overpower the fruit. But this is nit-picking. There's beautiful stuff here, the palate carresses, the fruit comes forward with air and it's lovely. Just not quite up to what the nose suggests. Perhaps it needs another five or so years?

***(*?)
The nose is five stars, the palate's three and somewhere with age they might meet.

Solengo 1999

Colour: Beautifully brilliant - deep ruby though slight lightening at the rim.

Nose: Rain on hot asphalt, tar & charcoal with dark, candied cherries.

Palate: Incredible with the bolognese. This is a food wine in spite of its super tuscan status. Rustic in the most wonderful way. Old school but not overbearing. Rich, toasty cherry fruit with some spice notes as well. Brilliant night, meal and company.

*****

Hennessy XO

Nose: Big, gooey and caramely (yes, that's what I wrote)

Palate: Big dark & sticky and quite nice with the chocolate - burnt butter & butterscotch, though slightly hot and untempered on the finish.

***

Hennessy Paradis

Nose: Soft roasted caramel and butterscotch with cloves and allspice.

Palate: Elegance with sexiness. Brilliant with choc and far superior to the XO. Poise, balance and beauty. The heat is soothing. Christmas spice and fruitcake. Gloriously supple. I love this. Lingering, gentle finish.

*****

Richard Hennessy

Nose: Candy spiced cloves with cinnamon - perfumed and elegant with a hint of citrus

Palate: Massive but totally in control. Far bigger and brasher than the Paradis. The component parts, large though they are, are in perfect harmony. Very fruity on the mid-palate. Extraordinary complexity. This is remarkable, but very, very expensive. Hence it loses a star.

****

We drank an excellent oloroso as well, but my notes for that are almost illegible. Then Kirsty D made gin & tonics, distracting us from raiding the cellar in a state unsuitable to appreciate any more fine wine.

shiny and new

Enjoy the new design. The wine hasn't changed.

Anselmi Capitel Croce 2001

Colour: Deep, tarnished gold - nice brilliance to it.

Nose: Heady & honeyed with a bit of minerality in the background.

Palate: Really quite rich, great honey and roast melon flavours, pushing almost towards sweetness. The minerality from the nose forms a backbone, giving it good structure. Perhaps the odd bortytis note. Excellent with both the mussels and roast chicken - mouth filling and with a long finish. Aged well, though I miss the freshness that it has in its youth.

****

Tasted at Manuel House 27/9/2006

Chablis William Fevre 2005

Colour: very pale yellow with edges of green and gold.

Nose: citrus zest and fantastic flinty, chalky, minerality that suggests a hint of smoke.

Palate: everything the nose promises but more - the fruit is tightly knit, moreish but not sweet, held in line by fantastic minerality that leads to a long and complex finish. This is intelligent drinking wine. And if you know what I mean by that, then you'll like it too. To think of the rubbish Aussie/Kiwi/Southern French/Anywhere-In-The-World chardonnay that you could pay more for that would be samey, oaky, vanilla bollocks. I like this wine. I will drink more of it. But not tonight.

***** (Remember on the third note of this blog I said that star ratings are relative to the wine - this is no Montrachet, nor do I claim it is, but for a basic Chablis this is a gem, and worth five stars)

Tasted 13/9/2006 at Manuel House

Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill Vertical

These wines were tasted at an event hosted by the Earl & Countess of Elgin, Broomhall, Fife, on behalf of Pol Roger UK

Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 1996
Colour - pale gold with glimmering yellow edges.
Nose - heady, with fresh apple, hints of apricot and mango touched by a bit of toast and caramel.
Palate - luscious, fresh fruit, well structured - restrained and refined on the edges. There's a touch of the exotic and superb underlying richness. The mousse is vigorous but elegant.This will be incredible with time, but is delicious now.
****(*)

Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 1995
Colour - greener on the edges than the '96 - and disgorged only 4 1/2 months before it.
Nose - subdued. Notes of brie and grape skins with a hint of spice, but not open.
Palate - sleeping. The fruit and secondaries are dumb at the moment, making the mousse a bit overpowering. Needs 2 years to wake up.
**(**?)

Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 1993
Colour - far deeper gold, maturity here is evident.
Nose - rich, mature notes - the fruit is candied and there are wild mushrooms on toast as well.
Palate - very nice depth and richness, the nose follows through, but ageing quickly. The finish comes to a bit of a halt. Drink soon and with food.
***

Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 1990
Colour - Slightly lighter than the '93, with excellent brilliance and lively bubbles.
Nose - still very fresh, with apples and a bit of citrus. On the edges the age presents itself; toasty, mushroomy notes.
Palate - late adolescence, a bit drowsy - still fresh and vibrant enough for oysters, but with a pleasant richness that would suit foie gras. It's lovely, but not yet at its potential. Lay down for another 2 or 3 years.
***(**)

Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 1988 (from Jeroboam)
Colour - deceptively youthful, bright polished gold.
Nose - honey-fried mushrooms with fresh fritter batter & candied fruits.
Palate - exceptional. Lovely pastel fruit - gleeful and moreish with exceptional richness, though I don't think the depth of the nose has been released yet. Very sexy and moreish though. Would have happily drunk it all night.
****(*) - It would be 5 stars flat out, but I really think it's going to get better.

Tasted 5/9/2006 at Broomhall

Salon Vertical

At the beginning of May, myself and fellow Naughton Dining Club founder Pete Crawford travelled to the Great North Eastern Hotel by Liverpool Street to taste my favourite Champagne, Salon Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil. Corney and Barrow hosted the tasting; a dinner with a selection of vintages to match the different courses. Overall, I was unimpressed. Not with the wines, but with the course selection and the behaviour of some of our hosts. With tickets priced at £200 per head, I feel I'm allowed to nitpick on the finer details. Salon make superb, beautiful wines that only get better when matched with the right food. As such they deserve food that highlights the best of the wine. It is not the place for a chef to throw down a gauntlet to the wine, or worse, ignore it entirely.

The two reps at the table seemed intent on corralling opinion, making what were blatantly bad choices seem inspired and relentlessly going for the hard sell, not just on Salon, but on C & B's entire list. This felt inappropriate. I didn't pay £200 for you to sell me something, I paid £200 for the wine to sell itself.

The highlights of the evening were the exceptional canapés, served with Delamotte (Salon's sister house) Blanc de Blancs NV and the chat from winemaker Didier Depond - a lovely man clearly enthusiastic about his job and product. He's rightfully proud of the wines he crafts.

Delamotte Blanc de Blancs NV
One of the stars of the evening. Clean & fresh and very moreish - ideal to start the evening. Luscious citrus fruits curbed by joyous effervescence. Lively, but not overly so. An incredibly fun and drinkable drop.
****

Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 1997
Nose is a bit metallic, then toasty. The fruit is subdued, more texture on the edges. The palate is all about mouth-feel, and the texture is lovely, supple & subtle. Not a great deal of depth but lovely nonetheless. The scallops bring the citrus out a bit more.
***

Salon 1996
The nose is pure mineral brilliance with lemon on the edges. Floral notes follow. Eventually toast but not brioche as of yet. The palate is large - larger and more forward than expected. The tart zing on the finish is typical young Salon - I think that may be to do with the recent disgorging. Amazingly, with air, it becomes younger, more vibrant acidity, the toast retreating to a more lees-y flavour - incredible complexity and length with great texture and minerality. Fantastic now, but far greater with age.
***(**)

Salon 1988
This was served with fillet steak and an incredibly rich jus with caramelised onions, a gross disservice to the wine. It held its own, barely, but shouldn't have had to - how much better would this have been with a fine seafood course or even game bird? I won't know. Throughout the meal people marvelled at how the wine stood up to the meat. This irked me. It shouldn't have to stand up to it, it should compliment it and be complimented by it.

The nose has an edge of toasted caramel but again flinty, minerally, still youthful and very, very sexy. The palate is voluptuous and every bit as sexy as I remember - the bang comes at the finish, or the beginning of the finish - the forward palate is still a bit subdued. Mouth-filling and luscious and like the palate, very, very sexy. The texture and secondaries are well knit and there's great nuttiness. Great memories as well, from the first time I tried it.
****(*)

Salon 1976 from magnum
And now to the greatest crime of the evening. This fantastic wine, one very dear to me as it's my birth year and tied with Dom Perignon 1966 as the greatest champage I've ever tried, was served with dessert. A fresh mango based dessert that had no place next to a 30 year-old champagne. It's simple chemistry - the sugar in the dessert overcomes whatever sugar remains in the wine and strips it down to its acidity. You're not tasting the wine as it's meant to be drunk. As such, what was the greatest wine of the night was treated as a curiosity - with people questioning its age-worthiness and quality. These notes were written tasting around the dessert.

Nose of lovely wild mushrooms laced with honey & butterscotch - there's a dark cocoa powder kind of nose coming through as well. The palate seems to be sleeping. Will come back after dessert.
Coming back to it... incredibly dry - fruits dried apricots, peaches, roast lemons and lime come out with air. Incredible fruit considering the age. Layered and textured with the opulence of great white burgundy but with the tightness, structure and minerality of great Alsace Riesling. This wine, like myself hopefully, will age for many, many years to come. Possibly more youthful than the 96. Quite amazing. Does not go with the dessert, which annihilates any richness.
*****

Quite a few people walked away wondering what the fuss was about. With so much emphasis placed on how ageworthy Salon was, to pair the two oldest vintages so poorly defies belief. Would they have paired Le Montrachet with sticky toffee pudding? No. Well, after that, I'm not so sure. They all seemed so caught up in selling the wines they forgot about the wine itself.

a little glimpse at heaven

I have been dipping my toes back into the wine trade recently. Tastings with Isabel Estate from New Zealand and Finca Allende from Spain, courtesy of Fields, Morris & Verdin, have been interesting, both for the wines and the surroundings. I will get around to posting my tasting notes eventually, but first I wanted to share a little pic I took surrepticiously while rooting around the Berry Brothers cellar after the Allende tasting.

First of all, the cellars were incredible. Every nook and cranny held ancient, crusted bottles that would never appear on their list - they existed simply to be drunk eventually by directors with visiting VIPs. Neck tags, not labels, described their contents and I remembered why wine fascinates me so much, why I've bankrupted myself several times over in the fervent desire to taste the sublime, and sometimes the disappointing. So what, in this web of catacombs, could pound my heart like a gong? Well, it was a selection of ancient Tokaji Essence, dating from the start of the 20th century. I didn't really have time to check all the vintages and feared I would get in trouble for taking a shot, but they were a sight to behold. It was sad to see them caged up. I'd be more than happy to take part in their liberation.