Oddbins Fine Wine Extravaganza 30/06/2005 (TNB)

• Champagne 1er Cru Fleuron 1999 (P. Gimmonet) Fine - elegantly balanced and good length. Refined blanc de blancs. Could do with a year or so in bottle perhaps but lovely. Top
• Soave Classico Le Rive 2002 (Suavia) Intense but a bit oaked up at the expense of the clarity that I look for in top Soave. Clearly a good estate and I'd be interested to try their unoaked top wines. A good (Others will like it more.)
• Gruner Veltliner 2003 (Hiedler) A bit unexciting - decent but didn't do a lot for me.
• Meursault Les Narvaux 2003 (Michelot) Fair acidity - a touch hollow later on the palate. Pleasant. Bare
• Tiers Chardonnay 2001 (Petaluma) Stylish complex nose - hints of Ozzy vegetality. Only moderately persistent on the finish. Quite fine but outrageously overpriced.
• Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese 2003 (Dr Loosen) Quite rich and sweet - the vintage perhaps. Good quality.
• Chateau Lucie 2000 Soft, forward quite chocolatey St Emilion. Pleasant drinking. Being a bit mean:
• Bierzo, Tilenus Mencia 2001 Excellent fruit - some structure. Serious wine worth another look.

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At (and before) dinner at Martin Wishart with LJM, AME and DC 29/06/2005 (TNB)

• Champagne blanc-de-blancs 1976 (Diebolt-Valois) A really good bottle of one of these recently disgorged wines (that canbe a little variable). Tjis one with lovely autolytic flavours and honey over lovely fresh fruit. Quite nicely rounded, but no hint of flab.
• Vouvray Le Haut Lieu Sec 1998 (Huet) Quite austere and even a touch awkward right now but with lots of character. Perhaps it will be more easy-going in a year or two, but good now with the right food.
• Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Etelois 2000 (B. Maume) Quite forward for Maume - the vintage perhaps although the attractive ripe fruit is not at the expense of enough backbone for development for a few tears. Really very nice drinking Burgundy.
• Jurancon Moelleux 2000 (Clos Guirouilh) (I think I have remembered the vintage correctly.) Nice, well-made dessert wine.

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Gang of Six Chardonnay and Zinfandel tasting 27/06/2005 (RJB)

A welcome 'win' for a white Burgundy, and a good Swiss chardonnay. As for the Zinfandels, It confirmed my view that I don't want flashy vibrant stuff - I want something with more complexity along the Ridge lines.

• Champagne Cuvee Distinction (Duvaux) Good if not dramatic fizz.
• Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Chenevottes 2000 (Joseph Drouhin) Nice acidity – honeyed with minor age. Lovely texture.
• Bien Nacido Chardonnay 1999 (Arcadian) Butter and hazelnuts, but the age is showing possibly a bit more than is ideal.
• Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Les Clavoillons 2000 (Gerard Chavy) Soft and dilute. All over the place.
• Chardonnay 1997 (Giaconda) Soft, oldish, touch of sweetness. Possibly a bit corked.
• Chardonnay 2001 (Matanzas Creek) Soft and buttery and a touch of banana. Slight spritz. Big, but balanced.
• Chardonnay 2003 (Gantenbein) fragrant ‘modern’ nose – for early drinking. Clean and fresh.
• Monte Rosso Zinfandel 2001 (Rosenblum Cellars) Big, vibrant and zingy, but a bit short. Became toffeed in the glass.
• Tom Feeney Ranch Zinfandel 2003 (Carlisle) Vibrant and in a dry style – needs a bit more time possibly.
• Nervo Zinfandel 2001 (Ridge) More complexity than the others, and to my mind a better style of wine for it – smooth rather than vibrant. A touch of volatility. just
• Pagani Ranch Reserve Zinfandel 1999 (St Francis) Vegetal and astringent – all over the place. I think this wine had a synthetic cork. Poor.
• Moore Earthquake Vineyard Zinfandel (Turley Cellars) 2001 Leafy and some tannin. Simple and falls apart.
• Home Ranch Zinfandel 1999 (Seghesio) Sweet, but a bit lacking in acidity. Some grip.
• Monte Rosso Zinfandel 2000 (Rocking Horse) Corked.
• Pagani Ranch Reserve Zinfandel 2000 (St Francis) Opened after the disappointment of the 1999. Also seemed poor, but this was at the end of the evening so I won’t score, but there was debate about synthetic corks …
• Chateau Rieussec 1983 From a half. Not the best example of this. Showing too much age and sweetness on this showing.

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Wine group at M.D.'s 27/06/2005 (TNB)

• Oeil-de-Perdix Chevaliers du Valais 1996 Yeasty, quite fragrant. Slightly toffeed fruit. Quite decent length. Some might say tired but I find this rather good. Not often one has a Swiss wine!
• Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese 1995 (Selbach-Ostler) Tight, sherberty, riesling nose. The fruit quite forward but the excellent length suggests a good future. and rising
• Chassagne Montrachet Champgain 1993 (Niellon) Quite intense. Oily hazelnuts. Good length. Top
• Chassagne Montrachet Caillerets 1993 (Amiot Guy et fils) Over-charred wood. Gutsy palate - slight harshness on the finish. This does all moderate with time and there is good fruit. I'm not so keen on this. Bare
• Batard Montrachet 1993 (Fontaine-Gagnard) Rather oxidised.
• Nuits St George Boudots 2000 (Mugneret) Unforthcoming nose. Forward pinot fruit - quite ripe - high-toned cranberry-edged fruit. Very nice.
• Chambolle Musigny Sentiers 2000 (Groffier) A little richer and riper. Darker and deeper. Good length. Another top
• Cote Rotie 1985 (Delas) Dry raspberry fruit. Dry palate - not insubstantial. Stylish terroir wine. A bit short but good.
• Cote Rotie 1988 (Champet) Slightly sweeter, mineral, riper, palate. Complete wine - very good indeed.
• Cote Rotie 1990 (Jamet) Soft fruit - slight spritz. Gets much better - white pepper nose. Silky fruit. A bit less characterful. Less sauvage than last two - almost soft. Some oak influence.
• Cote Rotie 1989 (Jamet) Perhaps just the great vintage but drier and more terroir-driven. Very, very good. Possibly could do with another year or two.
• Cot du Layon Cuvee Alexandre Tete de Cave 1990 (Dom du Sauveroy) Lots of botrytis. Nice balance. Lovely. plus
• Offley Boa Vista 1983 Baked fruits - refined, Bags of ripe fruit, sweet yet firmly structured - balanced, long. Excellent Port from a house that I don't usually pay much attention to.

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At Petit Paris with LJM, AME, DC and DL 22/06/2005 (TNB)

• Champagne 1999 (A. Clouet) Slightly corked.
• Savenierres 2000 (Chateau de Varennes) Deep orange colour - apricot fruit - pleasant but odd. An attempt at ol-fashioned winemaking that doesn't quite come off?
• Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Gruenchers 1999 (Fourrier) Dry quite closed still. High-toned fruit. Needs time. A low and climbing
• Vosne Malconsorts 1996 (Lamarche) Deeply meaty, round - some tannins. Rather good.
• Cote Rotie Les Roziers 1990 (de Vallouit) Very pure raspberry fruit - savoury - good length. Scrapes
• Coteaux de l'Aubance 1959 (Daviau) Quite engaging in its way - almost dry, appley. Fragrant and attractive .

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Fields, Morris and Verdin Portfolio tasting 07/06/2005 (TNB)

• Champagne Carte Blanche 1er Cru NV (Andre Jacquart) Quite fresh and nicely autolytic. Good balance. Very drinkable.
• Champagne Cuvee Speciale Grand Cru NV (Andre Jacquart) Finer, more intense and more elegant. Pretty classy. Scrapes
• Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de blancs 1999 (Andre Jacquart) Richer and a bit more structured than the previous wine. Quite serious. Needs a few years.
• Pouilly Fume Les Coques 2004 (Coulbois) Pure, balanced, nice food wine. Easy
• Sancerre Cuvee GC 2003 (J-M Roger) Bone dry, pleasant, a little light beside the Pouilly.
• Sancerre Cuvee CM 2003 (J-M Roger) Softer and fruitier on the palate than the GC - two patches of vines that are quite close together. They are quite different but I wonder if one could or should blend them.
• Chablis 1er cru Fourchaume 2002 (Domaine du Colombier) Clean, dry, but with underlying richness and some minerality. Good.
• Chablis Grand cru Bougros 2002 (Domaine du Colombier) A decent step up to real grand cru quality. Good length. Top
• Chablis 1er cru Vaucoupin 2003 (Picq) A bit soft and unfocussed beside the Colombier wines but I find it hard to say whether it is producer-style or the dreaded hot vintage syndrome striking again. A good
• Chablis Montmain 1er Cru 2002 (D. Race) Straightforward clean, dry, decent Chablis. Top
• Chablis Montmain 1er Cru Vieilles Vignes 2002 (D. Race) Confusion marketing I feel. This wine sells for a tiny bit more and has quite a lot of added richness. I'd pay the extra every time.
• Saint Veran La Grande Bussiere 1998 (O. Merlin) Extravagantly rich and mouthfilling, oak-influenced. I need to have a proper drink of this sometime to decide whether it carries it off. It quite possibly does, in which case
• Puligny Montrachet 2002 (Carillon) Full and rich - tending towards a fatness which while clearly in balance I sometimes find too much in Carillon's wines. Scrapes
• Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Perrieres 2002 (Carillon) Understated, dry (none of that fatness the village wine has) lots of Puligny character. Good balance and excellent length.
• Puligny Montrachet 2002 1er Cru Combettes(Carillon) Rounder and more easy-going than the Perrieres. Still good balance and a fine wine, but this can happily be drunk now although surely it will improve a touch.
• Meursault Les Tillets 2002 (Javillier) Nicely made Meursault, nice balance, although perhaps with an air of being what it is: a very good village wine and without 1er cru distinction. Bare
• Meursault Clos du Cromin 2002 (Javillier) Charcterful, gutsy Meursuault with a bit of bitterness on the finish that I'm not sure I like so much. Perhaps this will depart with a year or two in bottle. For now, judgement reserved.
• Meursault Les Clous 2002 (Javillier) A bit richer and broader with good length. Very nice. just about.
• Meursault Cuvee Tets de Murger 2002 (Javillier) A special selection, I think and notably more expensive. Quite serious, concentrated fruit and good structure and so you get what you pay for. and improving.
• Fixin 2002 (Meo-Camuzet) A bit clarety - fruit tending toward cassis and some wood influence, I think. Pleasant enough.
• Monferrato Bianco Alteserre 2000 (Bava) Quite large and broad, a food wine I think, and it will take a few years aging quite well. A Cortese and Chardonnay blend. At least a top
• Barbera d'Asti Libera 2001 (Bava) Pleasant forward fruit with a twist of bitterness. Not bad at all. Top
• Giulio Cocchi Alta Langa 2000 (Bava) Method Champenois from Chardonnay and Pinot - idiosynchratic wine with a touch of pink and some high-toned red wine aromas. I'd like to try some more. At least a top
• Briccoserra 2001 (Cigliuti) Nebbiolo Barbera blend quite heavily oaked. Quite good of its sort.
• Barbaresco Serraboella 2000 (Cigliuti) Fragrant, elegant fruit - lots of underlying tannins. Fairly modern-styled. Needs a few years and on the way up but perhaps not beyond a good
• Nebbiolo d'Alba Valmaggiore 1999 (Sandrone) Rounded, suave fruit, some tannins but would be fine with food. Top
• Barolo La Vigne 2000 (Sandrone) Silky, Burgundian but structured. Very fine but I sometimes feel Sandrone's wines are a bit of a trick - almost too polished. Bare
• Barolo Cannubi Boschis 2000 (Sandrone) A touch larger and richer I think. Like the La Vigne, modern-style but without excessive oak influence.
• Tocai Friulano Fiore di Campo 2004 (Lis Neris) Nicely poised, splendid balance, clean and pure. Sophisticated wine.
• Pinot Grigio Gris 2003 (Lis Neris) Nicely done, although to my taste it might be better without the barriques.
• Sauvignon blanc 2004 (Lis Neris) Pure, very restrained varietal statement (a plus point). Nice. Top
• Sauvignon blanc 2003 (Lis Neris) Richer - 2003 was very warm here too I think. Similar quality. Top
• Lis Venezia Giulia Bianco 2002 (Lis Neris) An exotic blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc and Pinot Grigio I think - rather nicely constructed. A wine that I would like to sit down and try properly - I suspect it would repay scrutiny and so let's say
• Tal Luc Vino Passito Bianco 2002 (Lis Neris) Lovely texture, lovely fruit, nice acidity and length. Very fine. Top plus
• Tokaji 5 putts 1999 (Oremus) I don't taste a lot of young Tokaji - this though seems very promising.
• Tokaji 5 putts 1999 (Oremus) As above but added richness. Top
• Port 1996 (Quinta de la Rosa) Raspberry and chocolate fruit - a lesser vintage that you could almost drink now. Pretty good.
• Port 2003 (Quinta de la Rosa) Aniseed, baked fruit, very dense. I hardly ever drink young port but I am sure this will be very good.
• Calvario 2001 (Finca Allende) Intense, sweet blackberry nose and concentrated palate. Very much new-wave Rioja. Good, yes (very good in its way) - interesting, less so at least to me. (but I don't really covet it).
• Aurus 1997 (Finca Allende) Higher toned and with very evident tannins, but very much in the same style. Seriously pricey - same as a bottle of Rioja Alta's famous 890. Give me the latter any day. Top (others will like this more)
• Alion 1999 (Bodegas Alion) Curious - it seems to have old-fashioned touches of volatility but generally a modern style. Pretty good. Bare
• Geyserville 2001 (Ridge) Reliable Ridge - pretty good. Bare
• Monte Bello 1998 (Ridge) Classic - quite Bordeaux on the nose but with an extra ripeness even more evident on the palate. Still, quite classically styled and very fine.

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05/06/2005 (TNB)

At Nahm Restaurant at the Halkin Hotel in London (very good food by the way) with a Thai meal.

• Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese 2000 (J-J Prum) Touch of residual CO2, luscious ripe fruit already showing some maturity - so quite forward. Very lovely. plus

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A look at some 1996 white Burgundies, and a few reds 05/06/2005 (TNB)

• Chassagne Montrachet 1996 (Niellon) Pleasant but slightly flat-textured. Bare
• ChassagneMontrachet 1er cru Baudines 1996 (Morey) Touch of sulphur evident. Good, gutsy, big. Top
• Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru Morgeot 1996 (Ramonet) Dark colour. V flat and odd.
• Puligny Montrachet 1996 (Sauzet) Sound, Clear, high-toned - quite Pulignyish. Actually rather intense and long. Good
• Puligny Montrachet 1er cru Champ Canet 1996 (Carillon) Yuk! Unpleasant nose of a really odd and undescribable sort. Blows off to a large extent, but still
• Meursault 1er cru Charmes 1996 (Morey-Blanc) Slightly sulphury - clean palate tight, quite long. A bit thin at first - certainly less than the other Meursaults Good
• Meursault 1er cru Perrieres 1996 (Jadot) Dry austere long. More intense. Opens up dramatically - peaches, minerals. Very nice. Bare
• Meursault 1er cru Charmes 1996 (Jobard) Intense Very long. Just what one might hope for. Top
• Nuits St Geoorge 1er cru Perrieres 1996 (Chauvenet) Gamy, rustic, mentholy, liquorice, high-toned. Earthy. Others liked this a bit more but I'd say just pretty good.
• Nuits St Geoorge 1er cru Les Saint-Georges 1995 (Chicotot) A bit fizzy - wears off. High-toned, cherry fruit. Very attractive.
• Clos Vougeot 1996 (Chateau de La Tour) Intense, dry, balanced, earthy, structured. Very nice indeed.

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Dessert wines at Oddbins Fine Wine 02/06/2005 (TNB)

• Laurent Perrier Ultra Brut NV Bone-dry, nutty nose, slightly gluey palate. Pretty fine but I have reservations about the gluey component. Could do with a year or two. (Might make another star in time.)
• Nivole Moscato d'Asti 2004 (Chiarlo) Slightly sweeter style (dessert rather than aperetif) - but reasonable acid balance. Nice grapey fruit.
• Chateau Suduiraut 1996 Apricot jam - quite a lot of botrytis - modest acidity. Decent rather than excellent length. Perfectly nice but a bit simple for a top wine - unless it is in a quiet phase. A bare
• Recioto di Soave 2002 (Suavia) Very honey and orange peel - pretty sweet - modest acidity - and so a little cloying. Might come in to better balance in time but I'm not sure. May be just a bit overdone. Not quite my style, but
• Chateau Yquem 1996 Lots of apricot, coconut, banana, and exotic fruit. Big and rich yet so complex. Lovely and will be great.
• Bonnezeaux 2001 (Chateau de Fesles) Limey - seems lightweight at first but that's probably just following Yquem. Good intensity and length. Lovely complexity too.
• Noble One 2002 (de Bertoli) Apples, cinnamon and bananas (someone said). Disjointed acidity. A gentle but in fact quite persistent finish. A touch towards cloying but very good of its type. Others will like this more.

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Wines in (not 'made in') Cornwall 02/06/2005 (RJB)

All wines drunk at Crantock Bay Hotel overlooking the bay during an enjoyable family holiday. An intersting wine list - just the sort of things after those long days surfing the Atlantic rollers. (OK, body-boarding on my four-year-olds Mickey Mouse body board.)

• Carrascal 2002 (Weinert) Good, warm, Bordeaux-blend red from Argentina for drinking fairly young.
• Shiraz 2000 (Stony Brook) Simple rather unbalanced shiraz with some vibrancy.
• Zinfandel 2000 (Ironstone) Fresh, fruity stuff with a good balancing acidity. No great complexity.
• Salice Salentino 2001 (Vallone) Good food wine – hearty and with some tannin.
• Vacqeyras 2001 (Jaboulet-Aine) Light syrah fragrance and good balance. Medium weight for short term drinking.
• Cotes-du-Rhone ‘Nature’ 2001 (Domaine Perrin) I probably always have higher expectations of a wine with the name ‘Perrin’ on it than I should do. Maybe I should always taste them blind. This wine lacks dimension and doesn’t really excite.

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