Champagne tasting at Oddbins 19/12/2000 (RJB)

• Brut Chardonnay Vintage Reserve Blanc de Blancs 1996 (Seaview) The only non-Champagne of the evening. Gentle pineapple nose that loses fizz and any finesse with time in the glass. I still don't see why people get excited by this wine.
• Champagne Brut Reserve Mis en Cave 1995 - degorgement 1er Semestre 1999 (Charles Heidsieck) Creamy slightly toasty, stoney nose. Lovely palate-filling medium weight fizz with good balanced acidity. Just how many dates does a bottle of non-vintage wine need?
• Champagne 1995 (F. Bonnet) Melon and a touch of pineapple on the nose. Coarsish fizz, with an aggresively acidic finish at the moment. A touch ragged.
• Champagne 1993 (Roederer) Light yeasty nose. Finishes short with a touch of sweetness. Lightly easy.
• Champagne Blanc de Blancs Cepage Noble Cuvee Gastronome Brut 1er Cru 1992 (Pierre Gimonnet) Simple sharp nose, simple short palate, extraordinary number of words on the label. Easy and dull.
• Champagne 1991 (H. Blin) Thin and short. Touch of oxidation. Out of balance. Dying.
• Champagne Cordon Rouge Cuvee Limitee 1990 (Mumm) Soft yeasty doughy. Simple, too much sweetness. Where's the complexity? Mumm should know better (or is that an old advertising campaign?).
• Champagne 1989 (F. Bonnet) Soft and dying in flavour. Mellow nothingness. OK, but ...
• Champagne Cordon Rouge 1988 (Mumm) Slightly sulphury greenish nose. Showing youngish. Good fizz (as far as bubbles are concerned), but unconvinced as far as quality.
• Champagne Brut Rose NV (F. Bonett) Some stawberry on the nose. Weak dull stuff. Coarse acidity.
• Champagne Rich Reserve 1991 (Veuve Clïquot) Good and balanced with age. Lovely. Easily

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Wine group hosted by ZM 19/12/2000 (TNB)

• Champagne Fleur de l'Europe 1990 (Fleury) Bone dry (zero dosage, apparently). Ripe, but (pleasantly) austere for the vintage. Fine and long. probably just worth
• Forster Pechstein Spatlese 1998 (Werle) Lovely apricot fruit. Off-dry, but with a sweetness that will bring the wine into good balance in time. Rich and quite long. Will be excellent.
• Forster Pechstein Spatlese 1964 (Werle) The same wine as the above but thirty six years old. Perfectly fresh, fine and long, nobody guessed this was close to this sort of age. One of those delicious old wines that's in perfect balance and a pleasure to drink, but it's hard to put its appeal into words.
• Wachenheimer Gerumpel Spatlese 1971 (Burklin-Wolf) Brown sugar nose. Honeyed and reasonably long, but showing its years rather.
• Rioja Gran Reserva 890, 1970 (La Rioja Alta) Sweet fruit, gamey perhaps. Nice, high acidity. Pleasantly metallic. A good old wine. Scrapes
• Rioja Gran Reserva 1964 (Faustino) Ripe and round. A bit plain. Perhaps just aged to the point of one-dimensionality. A low
• Rioja Reserva Special 1964 (Paternina) Sweet fruit, dry finish. Dries a shade in the glass.
• Rioja Reserva Special 1959 (Paternina) Lots of blackcurrant fruit in excellent condition. Good length. Tannis become more evident in glass. A good
• Rioja Gran Reserva 1959 (Franco Espanolas) This is in decent condition but rather lacks depth and complexity. At best
• Rioja Castillo Ygay 1959 (Murrieta) Rather lovely, balanced old fruit, slightly rubbery and also slightly volatile. A bit of a mixture, perhaps on balance scrapes
• Urziger Wurzgarten Auslese 1976, gold capsule (Moenchof) Apply fruit. Very, very creamy, all through to a long finish. Now almost appetizer dryness. Excellent.
• Wehlener Sonnenuhr Aulsese 1976, long gold capsule (J-J. Prum) Sweeter and richer than the previous wine, with a lovely texture. Very luscious and utterly captivating to drink.
• Port 1967 (Martinez) Chocolate, touch of aniseed, raspberry fruit. Slightly spirity, fairly high-toned. A good port (this has the reputation of being one of the very best from this fairly average vintage).
• Port 1960 (Martinez) Fresh red fruit fruit, richer than the 67, with chocolate overtones. Good balance. A rather good port from this low-profile (at least in the UK) house.

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15/12/2000 (TNB)

• Rivesaltes 1992 (Mas Christine) Vin Doux Naturel at 16%. Very attractive apricot and brown sugar flavours. Simple perhaps, but a good drink.
• Champagne 1990 (Billecart-Salmon) This wine has now reached a rich, almost decadent maturity while retaining the elegance of its youth. I wish I had more of this, but it does suggest the 1990's are fast-maturing wines. From a half.
• Riesling Kitterle 1986 (Schlumberger) Mature riesling with a rather fine mineral palate and long lemony finish. At peak. This vineyard produces good, structured wines that age very well.
• Chardonnay 1991 (Petaluma) Golden colour and a palate that seemed to oscillate between not unpleasant honeyed vegetality and seeming just a bit past it. On the whole, I'll go with the former. This is too evolved at this age to be really classy.
• Mas de Daumas Gassac 1990 Good, youngish colour. Nose fruity - South of France with hints of Bordeaux. Good balance on the palate and finish too, but overall is it just a bit simple? Just about worth
• Chasse-Spleen 1985 Soft, slightly vanillan fruit, attractively ripe in the mouth (very typical of the vintage). A bit of cedaryness in the finish. About at peak. From a half. A top
• Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Spatlese 1989 (F. Haag) Lovely, racy, lime and sherbert riesling just becoming interestingly spicy. I have a case or so of this, and I should probably try not to drink the last one for twenty years! Watch this space for occasional updates. I feel it's worth
• Chassagne Montrachet Champgains 1994 (Neillon) Neillon seems to have chosen, probably wisely, to make something quite fat and relatively forward in this vintage - almost New World in style. Drinking very well, but not for keeping long.
• Chateaux Pradeaux 1985 I've had a few bottles of this recently - this one rather good with that savoury southern French fruit character that I think of as Provencal herbs. For drinking fairly soon. A good

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12/12/2000 (RJB)

• Mount Edelstone Keyneton Shiraz 1991 (Henschke) Big, muscular wine fairly closed up on the nose and chunky on the palate. Some glimpses of what it will become given more time - lovely tertiary aromas peeking through.
• Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 1991 (Thelema) Slightly weedy capsicum nose to start with, some more exciting fragrance emerging with time.
• Chardonnay 1990 (Mountadam) The fruit is disappearing, just leaving the alcohol and oak behind. Fading.
• Chardonnay 1992 (Voss) The fruit has disappeared to leave a cocktail of oak and alcohol (with a touch of oxidation thrown in - delightful!).
• Champagne (Ruinart) Decent fizz, but feels too 'mineral salt' in the mouth (a bit like over-salted potatoes). Medium weight. just
• Pouilly Fuisse 1997 (Louis Josse) Standard, slightly coarse cheapish Burgundy without the body to please.
• Macon-Villages 1999 (Henry Fessy) Simple, straightforward young Macon. Easy to drink.
• Saumur Champigny, Clos Morains 1999 (Tessier) Light, earthy Cabernet Franc. Weedily hollow. Just
• Prieur de Meyney 1985, St Estephe Second wine of Chateau Meyney. Holding up reasonably well, but on the way down with rather too much weediness, and with fruit disappearing.
• Scheurebe Spatlese Halbtrocken 1994 Neusiedlersee (Kracher) Disappointing. Although not a wine designed for ageing, I thought it would show better than this. No sign of fruit present except for occasional glimpses of grapefruit. Overriding feeling of alcohol.

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Reds from Justerini and Brooks 10/12/2000 (TNB)

Some rather hurried notes from a walk-around tasting.

• Bergerac 1999 (Chateau Tour des Gendres Rouge) A bit boiled-sweet, modern picnic wine in style. A bare (5.45)
• Rosso di Montepulciano 1998 (Daviddi) Cherry fruit, pruney. Pretty nice. Italy produces some good drinkable stuff at this sort of price level. Scrapes (8.50)
• Pata Negra Gran Reserva 1991 (Cosecheros Abastecedores) Curious old-wood aged wine, an anomoly in the modern world. Rustic flavours, light color, fresh but mellow fruit. I quite like it in a way. A good (6.45)
• Shiraz 1998 (Leconfield) Very Coonawarra - ripe red fruits, lifted and slightly leafy. Scrapes (11.95)
• Vacqueyras Cuvee Saint Roch 1997 (Domaine le Clos des Cazaux) Concentrated, provencal herbs character, long. Such a lot of good stuff emerges from the Southern Rhone at good prices. This is very much the sort of thing I like in this price range. (7.50)
• Cote Rotie 1994 (R. Rostaing) Slightly stinky (probably not a real probem), subdued and showing no great weight. Perhaps this needs more attention on my part, but for now at most (21.00)
• Coastal Zinfandel 1996 (Beaulieu Vineyards) Intense blackberry-liquor nose. Lots of fruit. This is very plasantly gluggable. A good (6.50)
• Bourgogne rouge 1996 (Coste-Caumartin) The real thing, as it should be, at a decent price. A good (8.90)
• St Aubin 1997 (H. Prudhon) Complex red fruits. Good drinking from this reliable oproducer. (9.90)
• Aloxe Corton 1996 (F. Follin) This seemed to be fairly basic Burgundy, but perhaps it would benefit from another look. For now (17.00)
• Chateau Robin 1995 Ripe but grippy basic Bordeaux from Cotes de Castillon. Scrapes possibly. (9.90)
• Chateau Charlemagne 1995 Quite evolved, ripe, pleasant drinking from this Fronsac property. (18.00)

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Maximin Grunhaus at the Ubiquitous Chip 07/12/2000 (TNB)

A estate without doubt in my mind.

• Riesling Sekt Brut NV (Maximin Grunhaus) Floral, balanced, but perhaps a little simple and a modest finish. A good
• Riesling Bruderberg 1999 (Maximin Grunhaus) Apple nose, apple and apricot fruit. Not top-vineyard stuff, but good.
• Riesling Bruderberg 1986 (Maximin Grunhaus) Kerosene mature nose, sherberty notes. Apple fruit. Less fine than the top wines but good. How very well it has aged too. A good
• Riesling Herrenberg Kabinett 1999 (Maximin Grunhaus) Sherberty, concentrated fruit. Everything in place, good acidity.
• Riesling Herrenberg Kabinett 1988 (Maximin Grunhaus) Youthful, restrained fruit, seems quite dry, good finish. Drinking well but perhaps not quite at peak.
• Riesling Abtsberg Spatlese 1999 (Maximin Grunhaus) Mineral complexity, lovely body, great acidity. This is such a marvellous vineyard. This will be tremendous.
• Riesling Abtsberg Spatlese 1994 (Maximin Grunhaus) Hints of maturity, lots of ripe fruit, nicely structured. Perhaps even
• Riesling Abtsberg QBA 1998 (Maximin Grunhaus) Tight, bags of fruit. Refreshing and grapey. Easily makes what I think of as Kabinett quality.
• Riesling Abtsberg Kabinett 1996 (Maximin Grunhaus) First-class young riesling: taut, concentrated, long.
• Riesling Herrenberg Spatlese 1990 (Maximin Grunhaus) Quite closed - possibly just middle-aged and so not showing too much. I am guessing that there is something hiding here, completely blind and it would likely be one star less.
• Riesling Abtsberg Auslese No 165, 1999 (Maximin Grunhaus) Weighty, pineapple, tropical fruit: rich, very long. Young riesling can be hard to judge, but I think this will be really splendid in ten or fifteen years.

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Saint-Chinian Wines 05/12/2000 (RJB)

Short notes from a tasting held in Cambridge by the Alliance Francais of the wines of the Languedoc cru, Saint-Chinian

• Cuvee Matthieu Jean Batiste rouge 1996 (Domaine Saint Cels) Soft wine for drinking now.
• Cuvee Elegance rouge 1996 (Domaine Saint Cels) Sweet fruit that disappears quickly.
• Chateau Grand Burgas 1999 (Domaine Saint Cels) Smoky, juicy nose. Showy, but not a keeper. A touch dilute.
• Blanc 1999 (Domaine du Sacre Coeur) Made from the Ugni Blanc. High acidity - coarse and unforthcoming.
• Une et Mille Nuits 1997 (Domaine Canet Valette) Leathery, soft and dying.
• Le Vin Maghani 1997 (Domaine Canet Valette) Nice sweetness and with rusticity. Good for drinking now.
• Une Nuit de Bouisset 1999 (Borie la Vitarele) Stalky nose and palate.
• Coteaux de Languedoc 1998 (Borie la Vitarele) Good fruit and with a juicy finish. Medium weight.
• La Combe 1998 (Borie la Vitarele) 70% Cabernet Sauvignon in this. Fairly standard juicy wine which lacks structure.
• La Combe 1997 (Borie la Vitarele) Much more obviously Cabernet than the 1998. Leafy and earthy.
• Rouge 1997 (Mas Champert) Soft fragrant nose. Age beginning to tell. Beginning to dry out.
• Clos de la Simonette 1998 (Mas Champert) The star of this tasting - a sudden jump to really serious wine. Excellent depth, good fruit, and structure for aging. No carbonic maceration, and no filtering (I don't think it is any coincidence then that this is top wine).
• Causse du Bousquet 1998 (Mas Champert) Good colour, nose a bit youthfully closed, but the structure is there. Needs time.
• Rouge 1998 (Domaine du Gabelas) Absolute blackcurrant nose and palate (can't remember any wine so obviously smelling of blackcurrants since a Washington State Sauvignon Blanc I had a while back).
• Cuvee Terre Rouge 1999 (Domaine du Gabelas) Rather stalky sulphurous nose. Harsh and green on the palate.
• Cuvee JulietteRouge 1999 (Domaine du Gabelas) Similar wine to the above, but with oak which has helped the fruit to be more evident.
• Menel Rouge 1998 (Domaine Pech Menel) Juicy and woody. Drying.
• Sortheilo Rouge 1999 (Les Vignerons de Saint-Chinian) Up front juicy wine.
• Renaud de Valon Rouge 1998 (Les Vignerons de Saint-Chinian) Grapes are harvested by hand. Fragrant cherry and berry fruits. Goodish wine.
• Renaud de Valon Rouge 1995 (Les Vignerons de Saint-Chinian) This has aged well. More fruit than the 1998. A good effort.
• Berloup Terroir Rouge 1998 (Les Coteaux du Rieu Berlou) sooty juicy nose, easy drinking with some depth.
• Chateau des Albieres Rouge 1998 (Les Coteaux du Rieu Berlou) Like a lot of these wines, a mixture of traditional winemaking and maceration carbonic. Like many of these wines - easy undemanding drinking,
• Berloup Collection Rouge 1998 (Les Coteaux du Rieu Berlou) Slight green tannins on the palate, but otherwise a reasonably well made wine.
• Rouge 1999 (Chateau Castigno) Good balance of tannin and fruit.
• Cuvee Les Sabinas Rouge 1998 (Chateau Castigno) More Syrah coming through on this wine, needs a few years to be at absolute peak.
• Cuvee Les Sabinas Rouge 1999 (Chateau Castigno) Better fruit showing through than with the 1998. For earlier drinking.
• Fut de Chene Rouge 1998 (Chateau Castigno) Structure better on this wine - nice use of oak. Needs a few years. plus
• Blanc 1998 (Chateau Castigno) A blend of Rousanne and Grenache Blanc with a touch of Viognier and Clairette. Rather lovely liquorice nose, good depth on palate. Promising wine.
• Blanc 1999 (Chateau Milhau-Lacugue) 50/50 Grenache Blanc and Chenin Blanc. A rough standard white.
• Fut de Chene Blanc 1999 (Chateau Milhau-Lacugue) The same wine as above but with oak. The oak certainly helps - well balanced. plus
• Rose 1999 (Chateau Milhau-Lacugue) Grenache, cinsault and Syrah. Reasonable wine with a toffeed rose petal finish.
• Cuvee des Chevaliers 1998 (Chateau Milhau-Lacugue) Another easy fruity wine.
• Reserve du Commendeur 1998 (Chateau Milhau-Lacugue) Dilute and with an astringency to the finish.
• Les Truffieres 1996 (Chateau Milhau-Lacugue) Tarry liquorice nose with a lovely fragrance emerging. Lots of gummy oak showing. plus
• Les Truffieres 1994 (Chateau Milhau-Lacugue) Fruit disappearing, dying.
• Cuvee Selection Rouge 1995 (Chateau Creissan) Thin, dilute wine.

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01/12/2000 (TNB)

• Cabernet Sauvignon 1986 (Moss Wood) Huge nose of hydrogen sulphide, far too much to blow off. Colour looked fine and the fruit seemed alive, so probably a dodgy bottle. Nice to know the Ozzies can produce such a badly flawed wine - it gives me hope.
• Deutz Marlborough Cuvee Coarse mousse and fat chardonnay flavours - not bad perhaps by New World fizz standards (I'm not a fan).
• St. Joseph Clos de L'Arbalestrier 1988 (Florentin) Gamey, animal nose and blackberry and cassis fresh fruit. Silky, old-vine texture, fruit perfectly fresh. Drinking very well. This must be the most interesting esate in this appelation. A very good
• Champagne NV (Roederer) Lovely yeasty, bready nose. Medium weight, nicely balanced rich palate. This had been in cellar a year.
• Gevrey Chambertin En Pallud 1996 (Maume) Red fruits, with a lot of depth and undergrowth notes. Very tannic, good acidity, an old-fashioned wine that needs a good few years.
• Chardonnay 1990 (Mountadam) My last bottle of this: it's aged quite quickly (for Puligny, say, but perhaps not for a Macon), and the last bottles have been a bit variable. Cabbagey, fat, but not ungraceful - this one is rather enjoyable. (could almost be more if you like this sort of old chardonnay).
• Rioja Labastida de Alba Reserva 1980 (Remelluri) A bottle kept more out of nostalgia than real expectation. I remember bottles of this being quite pleasant, but this one had a nasty burnt-rubber, oxidised palate. Possibly a bad bottle, but more likely just past its booze-by date.
• Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Cuvee 1985 (Caymus) Pleasantly herbaceous, sweet fruit, beginning to be a bit vegetal in an interesting way. For drinking now. A good
• Domaine De L'Hortus 1991 Blackberry and cassis fruit with Provencal herbs. For drinking in the next couple of years, but this has aged very well. Agreeable drinking. A good
• Gewurztraminer 1989 (Zind-Humbrecht) Presumably the estate's most basic Gewurztraminer, this is very charming, fruity with a peppery edge. Not getting better, but in very good condition. .

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