31/01/1998 (RJB)

• Domaine de Montauberon, Marsanne 1996, Cotes de Thongue Clean fresh wine with that Marsanne 'custard powder' feel to it.
• Domaine du Soleil Syrah Malbec 1996, Pays d'Oc I'm unsure about this. Initially an odd nose, but with warmth the wine filled out. I don't think that I'd ever guess that this had Syrah in it.
• Balbi Malbec 1997, Mendoza Soft and easy.
• Norton Sangiovese 1995, Argentina (4.99 Oddbins) Um, I think I'll stick to Chianti.
• Norton Merlot 1995, Argentina (4.99 Oddbins) Astringent and charmless.
• Norton Cabernet Sauvignon 1996, Argentina (4.99 Oddbins) The most successful of the three Norton wines. Warmth and cedariness.
• Kendermann Riesling Dry 1996, Pfalz (3.99 Oddbins) Lemony and floral, dry, crisp and fresh. But not very varietal.
• Priorato 1994, Masii Barril (10.99 Noel Young Wines) Excellent big Garnacha based wine that hides its alcohol well (the label was torn, but it looked worryingly like 16% alcohol). Leather, berries and spice with a backbone of soft, slightly sandy tannins. Very much like a big strapping Rhone wine. just

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Wine group dinner 31/01/1998 (TNB)

• R de Ruinart 1982 Drinking well - nicely maturing fizz. (First of two magnums was slightly woody - maybe slightly corked.) For the good one:
• Pernand Vergeleses, Ile de Vergeleses 1988 (Rollin) Young seeming, and made in an old-fashioned demanding style. Quite good. At least a good
• Winninger Uhlen 1993 Spatlese, Freiherr von Heddesdorf I wasn't really attending, but seemed a promising young riesling. At least
• Chateau Cissac 1970 Very young looking, but having got over that, it was a bit of an empty shell. Kept alive by acidity mainly. Possibly still worth
• Cadet Piola 1985 Not very 85: quite austere and structured. Decent, but one could ask for more fruit. I worry that it is drying out. From a magnum.
• Suduirat 1983 Big fruity nose. In the mouth, refined, elegant, but surprisingly dry and not so persistent. Almost an aperitif wine.
• Sandeman 1980 Elegant, lightweight, mature port. Pleasant rather than exceptional.
• Sandeman 1963 Surprisingly similar to the 80! (Hope there wasn't a decanter mix-up!) I should try this again soe time.
• Champagne Grand Cuve (Krug) Quite a lot of bottle age, (not actually known how much), fine, mature flavours hinting at maderisation. Excellent lively but refined mousse.

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29/01/1998 (TNB)

• Domaine de L'Hortus 1991 (Languedoc) I remember this a few years ago as quite jammy, almost boiled sweets. Now coming round to drinking well. Balanced, with flavours of warm climate herbs. A good

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28/01/1998 (TNB)

• Barbera 1996 (A. Oberto) Not as exciting as the 95 Gaida Barbera from this producer tasted recently. Pretty basic, but correct.
• Dolecetta 1996 (A. Oberto) Correct enough, but lacking excitement.
• 1920 Shiraz 1993 (Baileys) Big, structured, Ozzy shiraz. Probably too ripe and not fine enough to age very interestingly.
• Bollinger Brut Appley, autolytic, weighty, probably needs a bit more time in bottle although I wouldn't criticise it for being released too early. Good stuff.
• Mercurey Crois Jacquelet 1990 (Faively) I must have liked this when I bought a few bottles a couple of years ago. It's now quite smoky (very charred barrels?), austere, and while there is still fruit it is a bit charmless. I'm not convinced this is going anywhere. For now,
• Cote Rotie 1989 (B. Burgaud) Very weighty and structured, needs a few more years in bottle - at the moment it seems a bit closed. Very good, but it doesn't seem terribly typical (no violets and bacon fat) at least at the moment.
• Le Grotte, Vermentino di Sardegno 1996 (Mauritania) A Sardinian white seemed at least a novelty from the wine list, but a taste revealed all: we had fooled ourselves into buying an Italian white wine! The sort of thing that causes enthusiastic salesmen (who seem to feel compelled to put one or two whites at the beginning of a tasting of proper Italian reds) to start talking about how Italians don't like their whites to be too assertive, in case they compete with the taste of the food. This one would be hard pushed to compete with the mineral water. Clean, correct and featureless.

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28/01/1998 (RJB)

Eight Spanish wines, the first seven from Noel Young Wines, the last from Oddbin Fine Wines

• Albor 1996,Campo Viejo, Rioja (white) (3.99) Clean, fresh bananas - could be any grape variety from anywhere in the world when wine is made in this modern way.
• Basa 1996, Rueda (4.39) Citrus fruits and melons (say the bells of St Clement's). Modern style, but at least it has some character and varietal overtones.
• Baso 1996, Navarra (4.39) A goodish Garnacha based wine, but is this really the same as the 'Alma' that Parker raves about?
• Remelluri 1996, Rioja (10.99) Good (perhaps very good) wine, with well integrated new oak and charming Tempranillo strawberry flavours. Should age well, but I would like to try it again before committing myself to just how good it is. plus?
• Onix 1996, Priorat (6.99) The second time I've had this wine, and it still bears little resemblance to Parker's tasting note for it. This has subdued fruit and feels a bit heavy, plodding and lacking.
• Abadia Retuerta Primicia 1996, Sardon de Duero (6.49) 60% Tempranillo, 20% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Delightful soft, easy, juicy wine. For drinking now (although it could do with a few months to open out a touch more).
• Abadia Retuerta Rivola 1996, Sardon de Duero (7.99) 60% Tempranillo and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. Unlike the above (I think), this has some new oak. Good smoky, cherry and cassis - soft but with structure.
• Oloroso Viejo Dulce Solera 1842, Valdespino (8.49) Complex nose of nuts, treacle and lemons - similar (almost too much, in fact) on the palate, with a fine acidity.

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25/01/1998 (RJB)

• Sainsbury's Riesling Spatlese 1985, Moselland (4.99) This isn't showing much maturity and has the apple wood nose that I sometimes get with Mosel wines.
• Rafael 1995 Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Tommasi An interesting light bodied ripasso wine. Good value food wine.
• Abadia Retuerta Rivola 1996, Sardon del Duero A nose of freshly lit barbecue, blackcurrant and cherry is followed by a sensuosly silky smooth palate with well integrated oak and gentle tannins - and, unlike the wine, I'm not being sardonic. The wine is 60% Tempranillo and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and, whilst drinking well now, probably has sufficient structure for ageing for five years or so. Excellent value (7.99 Noel Young Wines).

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22/01/1998 (TNB)

• Giada Barbera d'Alba 1995 (A. Oberto) Good concentrated fruit, but a rather flashy use of oak. It's more or less integrated, and it's a good wine. One wonders if there is an element of chasing Parker points here. Still, (Oddbins Fine Wine - about 13 pounds.)

Five E. Lustau sherries, tasted in passing at OFW:

• Amontillado Bod Vieja Weighty, dry, good.
• Oloroso del Torel Slightly clumsy, but plenty of body, etc.
• Very rare Oloroso Notably more complex and interesting.
• Moscatel las Cruces Very brown sugar. Like an Ozzy liqueur muscat, but not so cloying. Rather nice.
• PX Murillo Spicey treacle. Rather lovely.

All at 20 pounds, except the slightly less interesting interesting Oloroso at about 13.

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Chardonnay and Zinfandel, Gang of Six 22/01/1998 (RJB)

Not a good evening for Burgundy! All wines tasted blind.

• Puligny Montrachet La Garenne 1994, Sauzet Gummy oak and a light pineapple nose - rather simple.
• Mas de Daumas Gassac 1994 Closed nose, but some structure underneath and a floral Viognier type nose.
• Greenock Creek Chardonnay 1993, Barossa Valley Past it (or a bad bottle), so no score.
• Calera Mt Harlan Chardonnay 1992 Probably reasonable. A rather odd nose initially, but some structure underneath.
• Meursault Poruzot 1990, Jobard A nose of bacon crisps and short on the palate. Very disappointing. I know Jobard's wines can be very closed, but I think this is just poor wine. Perhaps, given the odd nose, it was a duff bottle.
• Au Bon Climat 1992 Chardonnay Sanford and Benedict To my mind clearly the best of the Chardonnays on show. Closed, but with good, taut acidity. I probably marked it a bit higher than perhaps it really merits, but the above wines all seemed a bit flabby in one way or another and it was a relief to have one that wasn't.
• Santino Grand Pere Zinfandel 1989, Shenandoah Peppery wine with an alcoholic finish.
• De Loach Papera Ranch Zinfandel 1996 Rather light, easy and commercial - although I was in the minority of not really liking this wine.
• Topolas Zinfandel Rossi Ranch 1992 Nice maturing flavours, but some stalkiness.
• Rocking Horse Lamborn Vineyards Zinfandel 1995 I thought this lightly spritzy. Good fresh fruity nose.
• Tria Zinfandel 1995 Light cherry flavours and rather short.
• Ridge Fiddletown Zinfandel 1976 Pleasant maturing wine which is beginning to dry out.
• Ridge Geyserville 1987 Apparently a vintage for Ridge that is raved about. This bottle, however, had an overriding vegetal and rubbery nose.

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21/01/1998 (RJB)

• WW Semillon 1996, McLaren Vale Standard Oz white with lemony acidity.
• Cosme Palacio y Hermanos Cosecha 1995 White Rioja An old fashioned wine with a light nuttiness and a lightly bitter finish.
• Fino Inocente, A. R. Valdespino From a half. A fino with oak aging - this doesn't work for me, it blunts the fresh charm that a fino should have. Disappointing.
• Les Plans Cotes du Rhone 1996 Thin and cheap, but clean and fresh.
• Barbera d'Alba Piani 1996, Pelissero The more successful of the two Pelissero wines. Deep colour and a stalky nose, but signs that it might come round in a couple of years. plus
• Dolcetto d'Alba Augenta 1996, Pelissero Astringent and lacking charm. Feels like it is taking the top layer of your tongue off as you drink it. I can't see this ever being pleasurable. or less!
• Carignan 1997 Aventura, Vina Morande, Chile Sweet oaky nose, but drier and nicely balanced on the palate with a gentle tannic finish.
• Ramos Pinto 10 years Quinta da Ervamoira From a half. Good tawny in the oxidative, lightly nutty style.

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18/01/1998 (RJB)

• Syrah 1988, Luigi Bosca, Mendoza This has lost the zingy fruit it had a couple of years back, and initially I thought it was fading quite seriously. However, with a bit of warmth it opened out to reveal its gently maturing fruit. It just goes to show how important getting the right temperature is.
• Meursault 1988, Jean Germain This has lost some of its austerity and is beginning to show its age. It will be interesting to see whether it pulls round, or is now in a slow decline.

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18/01/1998 (TNB)

• St Aubin 1er Cru Perrieres 1990 (Prudhon) Very pleasantly toffeed nose (not a character I always like), evolved chardonnay fruit. Good, but probably not going anywhere now. (Confirmed by the way it collapsed into a dull vegetal wine overnight.)
• Redoma 1991 (Niepoort) Structured, gutsy wine, very drinkable and yet still needs time. It has a bitter streak late on the palate, which I'm a bit unsure about.

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14/01/1998 (RJB)

• Chateau Tahbilk 1996 Marsanne, Victoria Good acidity and with a powdery texture - a well made wine that might age rather nicely.
• Richmond Grove Verdehlo 1996, Cowra Vineyard, New South Wales Clean, but dull.
• Manzanilla Bodegas Sanchez Ronate Hnos From a half. Good sherry with a light almond nuttiness and a salty tang. Good value at 3.35.
• Rafael Valpolicella Classico Superiore 1995, Tomassi A ripasso wine made on the lees of an amarone. Rather lovely delicate rose petal flavours and a balancing bitter finish. Again, good value. plus
• Periquita 1995, Jose Maria da Fonseca, Portugal I haven't had Periquita for a while, but it's still its old gutsy self. This has a fair dose of tannin at the moment, but also a soft, berry fruit and light creamy oak centre. It's never going to win an award for elegance, but it certainly makes you want to get the Le Creuset casserole out.
• Errazuriz Syrah Reserva 1996, Don Maximiano Estate Deep inky colour, and a big smoky, fairly closed up nose. Plenty of depth on the palate and a pleasingly dry finish (a change from the many sweetish New World blockbusters available). An odd styled Syrah, but one that might become very good. It will be interesting to see what it's like in a couple of years.
• Mick Morris Liquer Muscat, Rutherglen From a half. A fascinating nose of oranges and raisins, but very sweet on the palate - a sweetness only part balanced by the alcohol. A glass every year or so will do me.

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11/01/1998 (RJB)

• Magpie Estate Shiraz Mourvedre Pressings 1992, Barossa Valley Coming round rather nicely, and with more structure than I remember from its youth. Berry fruit and a layered velvet texture - needs more time.

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Dinner at EMcC's, with DL, ZM 10/01/1998 (TNB)

• Piesporter Goldtropfchen Spatlese 1989 (Reuscher-Haardt) Quite evolved keroseney nose for its age, good concentration and an almost Auslese type sweetness.
• Borgogne Aligote 1989 (Rouget) Half chardonnay and bags of oak. A bit custard-powdery. Characterfull, but a bit wearing.
• Corton Charlemagne 1985 (Rollin) Very tight, minerally and acidic. Emerges after some time in the glass, and is clearly very fine. Needs time. The sort of wine one could easily pass over in a tasting, but it is damn good! At least
• Rioja 1978, white (Castillo Ygay) Dry sherry nose, nutty, mouthfilling, lovely to drink. Something spared from "Modern Winemaking", thank God!
• Garrafeira 1967 (Marquis de Soveral) Healthy colour, a bit "woody" on the nose and on the palate. Improves a bit with some time open, but not wonderful. (Apparently, there are better bottles.)
• Chateauneuf Reserve 1989 (Pegau) Amazingly concentrated, structured, old-fashioned, Grenache-cherry flavoured wine. Impressive, maybe needs time but perhaps it will never be refined.
• Leoville Barton 1967 From a half: pleasant lightweight cedary claret, finishes a bit quickly, and seemed to die in the glass. Drink up!
• Bernkasteler Johanissbrunnchen BA Eiswein 1975 (Licht-Bergweiler) Lovely caramely mid-palate (often a thing I find with Eisweins). Slightly dumb on the nose, but delicious with excellent acidity.
• Dow 1960 Dry and Dowish, but oddly tainted, probably owing to bad cork.
• Niepoort 1963 Sadly faded and tawnyish - not at all impressive.

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07/01/1998 (RJB)

• Campo Viejo Rioja Riserva 1993 Hints at being fairly good, but the fruit seems rather flat.

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04/01/1998 (RJB)

• Champagne Michel Loriot Brut The first drink of 1998 (actually some Armagnac 18 hours earlier, but that doesn't really count). Good medium-weight fizz. Apples and honey.
• Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel Contra Costa County 1995 Spicey, but also lightly toffeed (not something I really like in a wine).
• Muscat de Rivesaltes 1996, Chapoutier From a half. Good Muscat with a candied orange nose and some lees flavours.
• Ridge 1995 Lytton Springs Ridge really do make good wine, although this isn't up to the standard of the Geyserville. It should age well. perhaps more
• Bailey's Classic Style Shiraz 1986 Part of the joy of wine tasting are the surprises that it throws up. A couple of years back I had this and it was deeply disappointing and I've been wondering what to do with my remaining bottle since. Well, I wish I had left it longer because it is beginning to drink beautifully. Rather like a gutsy, meaty Rhone in style with a violet fragrance emerging. Before tasting this I simply wouldn't have believed this wine could be this good. If anyone has some of this, then I would suggest keeping it for a few more years yet.
• Jekel Vineyards 1994 Sanctuary Cabernet Sauvignon , Monterey County Reasonably good, slightly vegetal wine.

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