5.6.40
Fine Wine Diary The Bailey brothers have now tasted 12082 wines in 28 years 6 months and 14 days
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Diary index

Wine group at Z.M.'s 27/03/2006 (TNB)

At JM's 24/03/2006 (TNB)

A small dinner at home 22/03/2006 (TNB)

18/03/2006 (RJB)

Wine group at AD's 13/03/2006 (TNB)

A Saturday night with LJM 11/03/2006 (RJB)

Gang of Six 09/03/2006 (RJB)

04/03/2006 (RJB)

Recent White Burgundies 03/03/2006 (TNB)

The Diary - March 2006

Wine group at Z.M.'s 27/03/2006 (TNB)

Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 28/04/2006   Return to top

At JM's 24/03/2006 (TNB)

Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 09/04/2006   Return to top

A small dinner at home 22/03/2006 (TNB)

RY, DL and JA came to a small midweek dinner. Notes are from memory - I was feeling too lazy to write anything down.
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 23/03/2006   Return to top

18/03/2006 (RJB)

  • Chablis Premier Cru Vaillons 2003 (William Fevre) A bit disappointing - too easy to drink. That may sound odd, but I want my Chablis with some green acidity and this wine is too soft and lacking structure. Having said that, it's not bad. I suppose a grudging ***
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 19/03/2006   Return to top

Wine group at AD's 13/03/2006 (TNB)

Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 09/04/2006   Return to top

A Saturday night with LJM 11/03/2006 (RJB)

  • Vouvray Demi-Sec 1983 Reserve Methode Champenoise (Foreau) Almost a maderised feel to it with honeyed apples and a slight woodiness on the nose. Good stuff. ***
  • Puligny-Montrachet La Garenne 1996 (Etienne Sauzet) Opened with trepidation given Toby's recent article ablout 1996 white Burgundy. This one, however, was fine. Elegant, light to medium bodied and with good use of oak. Good texture to the wine. Possibly needs more time in bottle to be at its absolute best. ****
  • Chablis 1993 (Vocoret) I don't know whether to score this wine or not. When first opened there was an immediate whiff of corkiness. However, returning to the wine later in the evening no corkiness was present, but it did seem a bit flabby and with an oxidised edge. I am now drinking the rest of the bottle as I type. Again, when I first took the cork out (a different cork to keep it stoppered up over night) a corky edge lurked within the wine. But it disappeared! As had the oxidised edge! The wine I am drinking now is a delight of steely mature chardonnay. Wine left overnight like this usually leaves me cold (see the note for Pichon '92 below). But this wine seems to be living in reverse (if I left it another few days I'd probably end up with a bunch of grapes). Quite a lot of crystals are present in the wine (they actually made a noise on the bottom of the glass when I poured the last glass from the bottle). Scored as it is now drinking: top ***
  • Grand Echezeaux 1987 (Domaine Gros Frere et Soeur) Beginning to tire - fruit oxidising. Drinkable, but not for too much longer. ***
  • Chateau Haut-Bages Liberal 1986 A joy. Not a wine that needs too much thinking about, but delivers what is expected of a decent twenty-year-old Pauillac. Elegance and grace, and with the clarety minerality of age. At peak, I think, but no rush to drink up. ****
  • Chateau Sociando-Mallet 1986 I have quite a lot of this wine, and I have been a bit concerned of more recent times whether I needed to rush to drink it up. On this bottle's showing, I need not have too many worries about that. Not quite up to the standard of the previous wine (it somehow lacks the breeding), but good nonetheless with fruit and maturity working well together. No rush to drink up. **** just
  • Chateau Longueville au Baron de Pichon-Longueville 1992 A bottle opened the night before which LJM brought round on the off chance. Alas, not really fair to judge this wine in such condition. So I won't score. Not Rated
  • Sauternes Australian Botrytis Semillon 1987 (De Bottoli Wines) From a half. Dark tarry, amber colour. Lovely black treacle nose. *** plus
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 12/03/2006   Return to top

Gang of Six 09/03/2006 (RJB)

Theme of Alsace white "Preferably on the VT+ side of richness" and "Spanish reds from anywhere (but obviously from Spain)". Oh, and a fizz to start with.
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 28/03/2006   Return to top

04/03/2006 (RJB)

Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 06/03/2006   Return to top

Recent White Burgundies 03/03/2006 (TNB)

Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 03/03/2006   Return to top