Oddbins California tasting 28/02/2001 (RJB)

• Redwood Trail Chardonnay 1997 (Coastal Vintners) Slightly vegetal - change that to very vegetal. Tofeed awfulness.
• Chardonnay Damaris Reserve 1997 (Landmark) Vegetal edge. Not going to last. Slight spritz. Buttery finish. All over the place. A messy
• Viognier 1998 (Bonterra) Toffeed palate with some texture. Not too bad. Rather short and alcoholic.
• Mariquita 1996 (Mariquita Rutherford) Gewurz. nose - but not fresh. Medium sweet muddle. Mercaptans.
• Merlot 1996 (Sterling Vineyards) Unforthcoming fruit. Green capsicum nose. Soft palate. Short.
• Pinot Noir Lot 12 1998 (Ramsay) OKish fruit. Touch rough and simple. There are only so many words one can use ...
• Redwood Trail 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon (Coastal Vintners) Very green pepper, quite nicely balanced.
• Alluvium 1995 (Beringer) A Bordeaux blend. Well made gummy tobacco, berry nose. Lovely balance.
• Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 (Andrew Wills) Slightly vegetal, easy.
• Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 (Laurel Glen) Tannic austere harshness. Green.
• Lot 25 Old Vine Red (Marietta ) Rose petal mushiness. I've disliked this style before, and I still do.
• Story Vineyard Zinfandel (Edmunds St John) Goodish deep Zinfandel.
• Orion 1997 (Sean Thackrey) Mint - but nice tannins. Good balance. plus (had this again shortly after - a bottle that had been open 24 hrs - and it was worth an extra star)
• Muscat 1999 (Bonterra) From a half. Simple.

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Domaine Weinbach at a Justerini and Brooks tasting 22/02/2001 (TNB)

• Riesling Schlossberg 1999 (Weinbach) Quite lean, and quite tight now. Finely delineated fruit is apparent with time. Very good, dry riesling.
• Riesling St Catherine 1999 (Weinbach) More forward and fatter than the Schlossberg, an interesting contrast in styles. I rather like the Schlossberg style, but this is at least as good, in its way.
• Riesling Schlossberg St Catherine L'Inedit 1999 (Weinbach) This could not sensibly be vinified dry, and so an off-dry, very rich, VT-style wine has been made. Very rich and complex.
• Tokay Pinot Gris Altenbourg, Cuvee Laurence 1999 (Weinbach) Fantastically rich, fat, off-dry wine. At least
• Gewurztraminer Cuvee Laurence 1999 (Weinbach) Pure lychee and a lovely unctious texture.
• Gewurztraminer Altenbourg Cuvee Laurence 1999 (Weinbach) Slightly more restrained (or so it seems now) than the previous wine, and with fantastic complexity. Lovely again.
• Riesling SGN Cuvee d'Or 1991 (Weinbach) Absolutely stunning - fantastic evolved riesling nose, tremendous rich fairly sweet palate in absolutely exquisite balance. A joy to drink.

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Antinori tasting given by Berkmann Wine Cellars 21/02/2001 (RJB)

• Tormaresca Bianco di Puglia 1999 (Antinori) 100% Chardonnay. Creamy, peachy wine with some depth. Hottish finish. Some acidity. plus
• Chardonnay Castello Della Sala 1999 (Antinori) Nutty nose, slight spritz. Dilute with an overly oaky finish. just
• Cervaro Castello Della Sala 1998 (Antinori) 80% Chardonnay, 20% Grechetto. New toasty oak. Quite good limey acidity. Nicely made wine - touch of creaminess. Needs a few years.
• Villa Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva 1997 (Antlnori) Closed initially, but opened out with time with some cherry fruit. Tannic structure and lightly bitter. Good Chianti - reliable as ever.
• Peppoli Chianti Classico 1998 (Antinori) 90% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot. Lighter wine than the above. Dry astringent finish. 'New style Chianti', not so keen.
• Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Rlserva 1996 (Antinori) Gummy oak - thin with an odd astringence.
• Guado al Tasso 1997 Tenuta Belvedere Bolgheri (Antinori) 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Syrah. Blackcurrant stem nose. Sandy astringent tannins. Juicy, good balance.
• Barbera d'Asti Fiulot 1999 (Prunotto) Fresh wine. Simple and pleasant. Good acidity.
• Barolo Classico 1996 (Prunotto) Big tannins - roses and tar (not original I know, but apt). Needs time, but has it the fruit? Difficult to judge. more?

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15/02/2001 (TNB)

• Chateauneuf du Pape 1990 (Mont-Redon) This has baked, warm cherry fruit suggesting a hot vintage. It's beginning to look a bit ragged at the edges - for drinking soon.
• Chateaux Filhot 1986 Rich, with lots of botrytis. Power rather than elegance perhaps. Good though.
• Crozes Hermitage Thalabert 1990 (Jaboulet) Big, gamey, fruity wine, drinking splendidly. Quite open now, there doesn't seem much point in keeping it longer, but it won't fall apart.
• Riesling Schlossberg 1990 (Weinbach) Spicy, pretty dry, savoury mature fruit, good length. Very fine. Drinking very well but might even improve.

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14/02/2001 (RJB)

• Blanc de Blanc 1996 (Sieview) Better than last time. Good acidity touch coarse.
• Champagne Brut Mis en Cave 1995 (Charles Heidsieck) Lovely again - classy nose. I was perhaps a touch over generous last time, but Easily
• Champagne Cuvee Limite 1990 (Mumm) soft toffeed nose and palate. Not to my taste.
• Brancourt Sauvignon Blanc 1998 (Montana) Tightish subdued nose. Tight and with acidity odd plasticy finish.
• Champagne Gold Label 1990 (Lanson) From magnum. Strawberry raspberry nose. Oddly green on the palate.
• Tre Uva Ultima 1999 Soft sensuous nose - warm flavours. Easy wine. Good food stuff. just
• Reserve Merlot 1998 (Carmen) Tastes more like Cabernet Franc. Weedy and earthy. Quite good in its way.
• Edwards & Chaffey Cabernet 1998 (Seaview) plummy mushy softness. Green tannic finish
• Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 (Katnook Estate) Same old vegetal self. Easily
• Bin 389 1997 (Penfolds) Minty fruity Penfold's style. Quite a lot of oak. Needs a few years.
• Pyrus 1997 (Lindemans) touch of menthol. Sandy tannins on finish. Juicy. Lacks fruit for its structure.
• Command Shiraz 1996 (Elderton) Strangely hesitant on the nose. Hints of chocolate coming through. Good structure with excellent balance. Oak showing through at present.
• Bin 707 1997 (Penfolds) Very classy oak on the nose - toasty and smooth. Lovely blackcurrant fruit. Touch of (balanced) VA. Full. Needs time. just
• la Palombiere 1998 Pic St Loup (Domaine du Soleil) thin
• La Palombiere 1998 Montpeyroux Coteaux du Languedoc (Domaine du Soleil)
• Shiraz 1998 (Thomas Mitchell) Thin and just drinkable.
• Magil Tawny (Penfolds) From a half. Lovely nutty. And oranges rather like Madeira - too sweet.

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A tasting of the wines of Chateau Margaux with Corinne Mentzelopoulos 05/02/2001 (RJB)

• Pavillon Blanc 1999 (Chateau Margaux) 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Lovely ethereal peachy nose with beautifully balanced oak. Excellent piercing acidity at the finish. Dry, tight and long. High alcohol, but it doesn't show.
• Pavillon Blanc 1990 (Chateau Margaux) Quite grassy nose - a touch salty. Sea mussels. Gummy oak showing through. Dry, and with a touch resiny finish.
• Pavillon Rouge 1988 (Chateau Margaux) Lovely warmly fragrant wine. Showing much younger than expected. Still some tannin at the finish. A touch of weediness. At peak.
• Pavillon Rouge 1998 (Chateau Margaux) Lovely sweetness of fruit. Good soft but firm structure. Classic young claret plus
• Chateau Margaux 1996 A wine that just oozes class and breeding, and quite uplifts the spirits. Closed nose but with toasty oak showing through. Tight on the palate with glimpses of varied aromas - fruit one moment, violets the next - breaking through. A fence of acidity at the finish (not unlike putting your tongue on the terminals of a battery.) Fine multidimensional stuff that should open out gloriously.
• Chateau Margaux 1986 Tannins (apparently roughly the same level as the 1996) and a gummy oakiness breaking out at the finish. Rather a tough old bird (relatively speaking) at present.
• Chateau Margaux 1953 From a magnum. Sample slightly cloudy. Tastes, lightly, of cider at the finish. Going downhill. But the mid palate aromas and flavours are fine indeed.

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A "compare with Parker" tasting at Oddbins Fine Wine 04/02/2001 (TNB)

The idea of this tasting was to compare our blind notes with those of Robert Parker and other authorities. See the Newsletter for a discussion of how Parker's and the Wine Spectator's views compare with ours.

• Chevalier Montrachet 1997 (Chateau de Puligny) Unforthcoming honeyed chardonnay nose at first - but it opens up a lot. Rich, textured palate. Nice balance. Long. Very good, particularly for a negociant-produced wine in a modest vintage. At least (59.99)
• Damaris Reserve Chardonnay 1997 (Landmark) One bottle had a woody or unclean nose and slight spritz. The other bottle clean with a lot of rather tropical sweet, ripe fruit and adequate acidity that seemed a little disconnected from the fruit. (19.99)
• Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune (Jayer-Gilles) 1998 Vanilla and ripe melon fruit dances happily on the nose. Attractive palate. Clever winemaking has integrated quite a lot of oak while not making the wine at all oppressive. Not for keeping. (15.99)
• Soave Classico 1997 (Inama) Grapey nose with a hint of mothballs. Palate rather thin after the chardonnays but the mothballs blow away and coming back to this (knowing what it is) there is an elegant honeysuckle palate. (7.99)
• Sauvignon blanc 2000 (Dashwood) My first 2000 wine, I think. This has a very brash, gooseberry nose. I find it rather too obvious and one-dimensional. (6.99)
• Chateau Monbousquet 1997 Big, soft, berryish, cabernet nose. This is very much in-your-face, and quite a good drink, but a bit flashy to my mind. (29.99)
• Ducru Beaucaillou 1997 Lots of cassis fruit, quite a lot of wood apparent. As it settles in the glass, quite classy, capsicum fruit with a good finish. More to my taste than the last wine. (39.99)
• Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 (Katnook Estate) Gets up your nose rather like horseradish! That wears off a bit, and the palate is pure blackberry cordial. Very odd - more like a child's drink than wine in some ways. Not my sort of thing at all. Scrapes (11.99)
• Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz-Merlot 1996 (Elderton) Minty blackberry nose, rich lifted fruity palate, but reasonably dry. Very herby as it goes through. Quite tannic. Would perhaps rate more if you like mint. (17.99)
• Beaucastel 1998 Toffeed creme-brule nose. Lovely ripe cherry fruit (more Grenache than usual this year, I think). Nice rich yet balanced and long palate. Very much my sort of thing - indeed I bought a few bottles. (23.99)

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Wine group Christmas dinner 01/02/2001 (TNB)

• Champagne 1992 (Jacquart) Good balance, nice champagne - perhaps clear that it's from an average vintage but a good effort from this reliable low-profile, champagne house. Probably even worth
• Champagne 1989 (Billecart-Salmon) Very fine and rich with a creamy, textured mousse. Probably for drinking rather than keeping now.
• Chablis Montee de Tonnerre 1990 (Duplessis) Steely, dry, mineraly, concentrated and very long. A very fine, subtle wine.
• Tokay Reserve 1989 (Rolly-Gassmann) Grapey, oily with a (to me) riesling-like spice, slightly off-dry, nice length. I suspect the sweetness will come rather nicely into balance in a few years like the 83 below.
• Tokay Reserve 1983 (Rolly-Gassmann) Fine, smoky bacon fat and grapefruit. Good length. Fine balance. A perfectly mature wine drinking rather well.
• Clos St Denis 1987 (Dujac) Gamey, very rich, all the virtues of 87 (that lovely acidity) but real Grand Cru complexity and concentration. Really lovely.
• La Mission Haut Brion 1983 Dark fruits, austere and smoky. Still very tannic. Lots of class. plus.
• La Mission Haut Brion 1974 Surprisingly fresh. Irony, dry and savoury with a decent if slightly "difficult" finish. Splendid wine from a modest vintage. (Rather better than another bottle of thiswine I drank recently.)
• Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese one-star 1989 (Kerpen) Top stuff, rich yet quite backward, some spice. This suggests Kerpen is a top producer.
• Quarts de Chaume 1989 (Baumard) Slightly quiet on the nose, nice integrated botrytis. Drinking very pleasantly now, I don't know whether this is necessarily a long-term wine. For me a good
• Grahams 1980 Plummy, dense fruit. Attractive acidity. Good concentrated port from this undervalued vintage.
• Grahams 1970 Interesting to compare with the previous wine: at first this seemed perhaps only slightly more concentrated than the excellent 80, but after a while extra fresh ripeness in the fruit became apparent to me compared to a slightly "cooked plum" character of the other wine. This didn't have any of the aniseed character I noted as very marked in another bottle (from the same case, in fact) of this wine. Quite inexplicable.

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