Wine group at E.O'N's 20/03/2004 (TNB)

• Veuve Cliquot 1996 Fine, balanced, decent length. Nothing particularly special. Good
• Moet et Chandon 1996 Grassy, a touch sweet on the palate - seems a bit coarse, possibly as a consequence of the sweetness.
• Coin Cache Coteaux de l'Ardeche blanc 2000 (Mas de La Dame) Probably quite good but corked.
• Cotes de Provence blanc 2002 (Chateau Rasque) Stylish and mouthfilling.
• Palette blanc 2001 (Chateau Simone) Herby, stylish, lovely. Such a sense ot terroir - individual! No great acidity (as often for this part of France) but I think it will evolve well.
• Rioja Gran Reserva 1994 (Marques de Riscal) Very new wave - big, a touch jammy. Not bad in its way but I am sorry to see this great old estate producing this sort of wine.
• Coin Cache rouge 1999 (Mas de La Dame) Toffee nose and sweet truit. Not keen.
• Cotes de Provence Piece Noble 1999 (Chateau Rasque) Higher toned - raspberries. Enjoyable wine.
• Palette rouge 1993 (Chateau Simone) Sadly, very corked.
• Bandol 1993 (Chateau Vannieres) Somewhat anonymous and losing it a bit. Just makes
• Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 1994 (Penfolds) Very deep colour - monolithic - pretty dry and concentrated. This is a bit more classic than I have usually found Australian Cabernets, even ones with this pedigree. Might rate an extra star if it continues to develop well.
• Dow 1970 Quite spirity and mature. Very ripe. Excellent flavours too on study, but much more forward than the last bottle I had.
• Marsala Travecchio 1920 (Florio) Burnt Xmas pudding - a little less piercing than a good old Madeira but still rather lovely.
• Vieux Marc de Provence (Chateau Roubine) Pure, fine and pure - nice fruity finish.

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Roda (An Oddbins wine event) 20/03/2004 (TNB)

• Roda II 1999 (Roda) Pure mulberry nose with floral notes. Rich, long, silky-textured fruit. Nice acidity. High-toned. Modern-style - quite drinkable now. Top
• Roda I 1999 (Roda) Slightly more muted on the nose. Spicier palate - new oak a bit more evident - tannins prominent on the finish. Concentrated palate. Some room for improvement too.
• Roda II 2000 (Roda) A bit drier and more savoury than the 99. Less appetizing perhaps - a more serious wine but I think I like the 99 as much. Pretty sexy though. A low
• Roda I 2000 (Roda) Silky again - ripe fruit, hedonistic but dry. Needs time. A good
• Roda Cirsion 2001 (Roda) Deep mulberry fruit. Fragrant. Amazing glycerol-textured palate - achieved at a cost of a slight softness. Coats the glass - a solid curtain rather than just legs. A bit contrived perhaps and a bit much. Others will give this star ratings but for me just

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Misc recent drinking 06/03/2004 (TNB)

• Gewurztraminer 2002 (Villeira) This is not at all bad - good varietal flavours with a distinct spicyness. On the other hand, perhaps it does hint just a touch at oilyness, partly a consequence of fairly low acidity.
• Soavo Foscarino 1998 (Inama) This suddenly seems quite mature - or is it an odd bottle? A touch of (over-) ripe pineapple and a hint of older wine oxidative character. I am a bit unsure about this.
• Erbaluce di Caluso La Rustia 2002 (Orsolani) Rich but rather featureless fruit - I can't get the hang of this sort of Italian white even now.
• Pauillac 1992 (Soc de Chateau Latour) Fine mature Claret nose - all cedar and cigar-box. Refined fruit just showing its age a bit. Remarkably good. (Latours third wine I think.) Top
• Haut Bailly 1996 Blackcurrant nose - some raspberry as it opens up but all restrained. On the palate, high-toned and mineral and savoury with a long finish. Quite structured, but drinkable because the tannins are pretty ripe. Forward but I think this will benefit from a good few years yet.
• Chablis 1er Cru Vacoupin 1999 (Perchaud) I don't know this producer. This wine seems quite forward, mouthfilling, decently balanced but not for the long haul.
• Champagne Brut Grande Reserve NV (Gosset) I'm not sure how old this is, having bought some at auction but judging by the evolved fruit and compressed cork it has had a few years in cellar. Quite a big wine with yeasty nose and a pinot farmyard character in the mouth. Not the most elegant fizz but very good - particularly with food.
• Leoville Barton 1991 Good colour and cedary, fruitcake claret nose. Currants on the palate - it gives the impression of more Merlot and is perhaps a touch less fine than the 91 Langoa drunk recently. Still a nice mature wine with generous, sweet fruit.
• Le Pergole Torte 1983 (Montevertine) D.L. kindly invited me round to open one of my botles that I had left unopened on a previous visit. What a lovely old lady (the wine that is, not D.L.). I was prepared to find this over the hill, but it was quite lovely, graceful, light but fresh mature wine. Barrique-aged Sangiovese I believe and a credit to the estate. If the Slow Food Italian Wine Guide is to be believed (and it usually is, up to a point, proided one recognises their preference for new-wave wines) then Montevertine let the quality of this slip a bit in the nineties - certainly one does not hear so much about it. This though was lovely - scarapes
• Petit Faurie de Soutard 1985 Dull, fading and a touch oxidised - rather worse than one I noted, hoping it was "just a poor bottle" a while ago!
• St Joseph, Clos de l'Arbalestrier 1991 (Dr. E. Florentin) Not quite as weighty as the 88 that I have had recently but this has lovely high-toned raspberry fruit after a gamey nose and there is an intense minerality on the palate that makes very attractive drinking.
• Champagne 1985 (A. Gratien) On opening it seems a little flat on the palate, but it opens out with a bit of breathing to a nicely nutty, quite evolved fizz of high quality. Not sure I want to go further than a top
• Valtellina Superiore Sassella Riserva 1976 (Negri) Completely shot.
• Valtellina Superiore Sassella 1970 (Rainoldi) Light but healthy colour with a gentle, fading frgrance. Drinkable but not much more with some oxidation apparent once it is open a while. Not quite worth a star.
• Sandeman 1980 Quite high-toned cherry fruit on the nose. Good rounded, chocolatey, fruity, quite sweet palate. Very good port (like so many of the 80s) if a little bit straightforward. Possibly another year or two will improve it further but on the other hand there is a touch of spirityness too.

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