Thursday, September 28, 2006
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
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
Wednesday, September 13, 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
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
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
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
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
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