New Year's Eve 31/12/2010 (TNB)
- Champagne 1999 (C. Cazals)
Lovely lemony Le Mesnil nose with that stony touch that suggests a touch of oxidation. I was a little unsure about this wine last time I tried it but it is singing now. Lovely.
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 01/01/2011 Return to top
Wine Group Xmas dinner. 29/12/2010 (TNB)
New Year's Resolution: Get caught up on my tasting notes. So these are fresh from last night and I will clear the backlog soon.- Champagne Comtesse Marie de France 1988 (Bara)
Quite evolved with that slow-flowing river nose. Fresh though - very pleasant.
- Meursault Perrieres 2002 (Drouhin)
A bit flat. Decent complexity but a touch dull. The Pox, perhaps?
- Meursault Poruzots 2000 (Mikulski)
Much fresher. Good but no huge depth. Top
- Meursault Perrieres 1993 (Potinet-Ampeau)
Dry, mineral, nice fruit. A bit more advanced than some bottles of this (apparently) - if this is sub-standard, I would like to try a good one! Still bare
- Domaine de Chevalier blanc 2006
Quite sauvignon blanc - complex dry and taught. Interesting to try a young example - I can't recall having done so for ages. Fairly light in weight currently but intense and it will doubtless age very well. A good
- Rayas blanc 1994
Rather maderised. Others love it, with its old straw character and so on. I think this is a dodgy bottle though.
- Nerello Cappucio 09 (Calabretta)
Lovely pure wine from the slopes of Etna. Very sexy and characterful - completely drinbkable. Top
- Charmes Chambertin 2001 (Maume)
Perfumed, balanced, very attractive. Beautifully understated, perfect Charmes.
- Vosne Romanee 1er cru Malconsorts 1996 (Lamarche)
It has the very high acidity of the vintage. Gummy (rather a lot of oak for my taste), quite concentrated. Good but needs time. Bovril meaty nose. Needs some time, I feel.
- Chambolle Musigny 1er cru Amoreuses 1989 (Jadot)
Crushed red fruits, very pure, delicious. No great length however. Lovely drinking. Bare
- Montrose 1988
Stony, mineral, lovely. Surely this is one of the great Bordeaux terroirs. Top
- Lynch Bages 1985
Rather green capsicum nose - odd for the vintage and not how I remember the wine. Soft palate.
- Branaire Ducru 1982
Deep and balanced. Rather lovely, almost Burgundian. Nowhere near the rigour of the Montrose though.
- Nairac 1997
Very dark, golden color. Quite sweet. Almost resinous. I'm not very keen on this.
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 30/12/2010 Return to top
At Home 28/12/2010 (TNB)
- Auxey-Duresses Les Hautes 2007 (J-M Vincent)
Very lees-influenced nose - yeasty, reminiscent of Champagne. The fruit quite taught with notable acidity. There is a new oak influence that I have slightly mixed feelings about, but the fruit is intense and so stands it well.
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 28/12/2010 Return to top
Xmas 25/12/2010 (TNB)
- Palo Cortado El Cardenal (Valdespino)
One of those serious, dark old wines - this is more harmonious that I remember, but still very complex with that old wood feeling. Lovely. Top
- Colheita 1995 (Niepoort)
Like all the various vintages, this has a ravishing brown-gold colour and a lovely chocolate character. Gorgeous.
- Leoville Barton 1986
Quite firm, dark fruit - and it still has a youthful colour considering its age. Cedar and cigar box - classic mature Claret.
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 25/12/2010 Return to top
At home 23/12/2010 (TNB)
- Champagne, Vieilles Vignes de Cramant 2002 (Larmandier-Bernier)
This is maturing beautifully, with pure mineral fruit and some more evolved characters. Lovely to drink now. Top
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 23/12/2010 Return to top
In London 21/12/2010 (TNB)
- Domaine de Chevalier blanc 1996
Rather past it - something very like a case of Burgundy Pox, I'm afraid. From a half.
- Pinot Grigio 2008 (Franz Haas)
Pleasant fruit, but it has a rather unintegrated, aggressive acidity. From a half. Bare
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 21/12/2010 Return to top
In London 20/12/2010 (TNB)
- Chinon blanc Part des Anges 2007 (Dom La Noblaie)
Chenin: ripe apples and something slightly tropical, with the broad, relatively low acid palate one might expect from rather further south. Good concentration and length. This tastes a bit like some products of the fashionable "natural wines" movement. Rather good.
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 20/12/2010 Return to top
An interesting St Joseph 17/12/2010 (TNB)
- St Joseph blanc 2008 (Dard & Ribo)
A bit odd on opening, but a gorgeous broad, intense wine emerges, with a ripe almost tropical undertone and some minerality. Great concentration and length. Very individual and extremely enjoyable. Easy - might it even improve?
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 17/12/2010 Return to top
At Les Terroirs in London 17/12/2010 (TNB)
- Palo Cortado Regente (Sanchez Romate)
Nice fruit (not that old I guess). Great character. Top
- Barbera 2004 (AA Trinchero)
A modern job - barriques and so on. Great fruit, dense with none of the grape's tendency to thinness. Not totally my sort of thing, but .
- Clampins d'Abord 2009
Fragrant, very pure, quite light-bodied. The fruit quite cough-sweet southern, the structure more northern. Hard to assess in a way. Interesting - I'd like to try it again. perhaps
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 17/12/2010 Return to top