30/03/1996 (RJB)

• Clos Floridene 1990, Whites Graves Better than the last one of these I had (going downhill and slightly maderised), but it has lost quite a lot of its earlier upfront floral bouquet. Toffeed, with a slight nuttiness. Nicish wine, but time to drink up I'd guess. 87

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Gang of five tasting: one white, one red 28/03/1996 (RJB)

• Domaine de Chevalier 1983, (white) Odd. I thought it a Rioja or an Oz Semillon. High resiny acidity, and not much else - very youthful. We wondered where it was going; given its reputation hopefully it will improve. At present rather 1-D. Certainly not pleasant at the moment. 84?
• Corton Charlemagne 1978, Chanson Typical old white Burgundy. I quite like them like this, but its not to everyone's taste. Nutty and a bit woody. 86
• Chateau Fuisse Vielle Vignes 1989 Superb. Good concentration of fruit with good acidity and a lovely mouthful of lees characters. Big wine. Clearly the star white wine of the tasting. 92
• La Tour Martillac 1983 Purely by chance another 83 white Bordeaux. Most guessed this as Chenin! (dried out demi-sec Vouvray). Stalky nose with some apples and lanolin. Lacking acidity. 82
• Wieninger Chardonnay Grand Select 1993 Trocken, Austria Initial bouquet led me to Australia (well, only two letters out). However, palate had good acidity and structure, with lees characters opening out in the glass. Pretty classy stuff that needs a couple of years. 90
• Cornas 1987, Verset Silky Northern Rhone nose - drinking well, but time ahead. 88
• Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 1988 SLV Most thought this to be Bordeaux. Pretty good structure, but a touch too vegetal for my taste. 87
• Penfolds St Henri Cabernet/Shiraz 1982 Dark berry fruit - liquorice. Perhaps a bit obvious over all, but holding up well. 87
• Vosne Romanee 1985, Jean Grivot Initially some gamey fruit, but then rather weedy and metallic. Probably not showing at its best against the style of the other wines, but even so . . . 82
• Alto, Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1986 OK but rather simple and lacking concentration. 85

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24/03/1996 (RJB)

• Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay 1995 Reasonable Oz Chardonnay with enough acidity to keep it from being blousy. Good balance at present, but don't keep it too long. 84
• Wynns Coonawarra Estate Coonawarra Shiraz 1993 Good spiciness and juiciness, with better structure and better integrated oak than many in this style. Not showing nearly as well as last time. 86
• Fortant de France 1994 Grenache Blanc, Gastronomie Clean pineapple flavours. 81
• Saintsbury Carneros Pinot Noir 1986 Gamey and farmyardy to start with, but with time a lovely fragrant fruit developed -- reminiscent of an aged Claret. Seemed to get younger the longer it was in the glass. Would be very difficult to spot this as not being French. Initial impressions suggest that it may be on the way down, but the way it opened up ... 88
• Penley Estate Coonawarra 1989 (fizz) Mousse a bit coarse perhaps, but otherwise a good example of aged fizz. Excellent acidity with good mineral and baked apple overtones. 87

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Jimmy Hogg, Rhone wines at SWS 19/03/1996 (TNB)

• Font Du Loup Ch-neuf 89 Light and Burgundian, but alcoholic -- not my kind of Chateauneuf 83
• Ch Fonsalette 90 Reserve Mushrooms and toast on nose, red cherries and nuts in the mouth: delicious. 92.
• Crozes-hermitage Meysoniers 93 (Chapoutier) Floral and raspberries, a bit watery. 82.
• St Joseph "Grand Pompee" 88 (Jaboulet) Respectable, round, pleasant 84.
• Cornas 86 (Jaboulet) Tannic, piles of structure, slightly burnt. 83.
• Cote-Rotie "Jumelles" 86 (Jaboulet) Medium colour, rather autere. 83.
• Hermitage La Chapelle 86 (Jaboulet) Larger, with rich smokey fruit. Reasonably long. 87.

Conclusion: 86 a pretty indifferent vintage in the Northern Rhone!

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"Pick of the Tastings and New Wines", Noel Young Wines 19/03/1996 (RJB)

Many of these wines are quite young and/or had only just arrived in the shop. I have a feeling that many weren't showing as well as they will.

• Brundlmayer Gruner Veltliner 'Ried Lamm' 1994, Austria (9.79) Youthful dry mead nose with pepperiness. Goodish length, goodish ripeness. 87
• Verget "Le Verger des Fruits Defendus" Viognier 1993, VDP Cot. d'Ardeche (11.99) Light toffeed banana with creamy oak. A touch short and a touch hot. 86
• Joseph Swan (Trenton Cellars) Angelo's Old Vine White 1993, Californis (10.29) Apparently no one knows the grape variety (not even the winery!), but probably a mutated Italian. Buttery spicey muscat-riesling-semillon nose that disappeared after a while. Flabby nothingness after a while in glass. As Noel said, "If it were me, I wouldn't buy it . . . and I just have!" 78
• Bonny Doon Le Sophiste 1994 (18.99) The bottle with the top hat on -- useful for Monopoly. 76.5% Rousanne, 23.5% Marsanne. Closed but lots going on. Apricot, custard powder and mineral scents with excellent length and good acid. Classy, but no one was sure about how it will age. 91
• Bonny Doon Ca' del Solo, Charbono 'La Farfalla' 1994 (9.39) The label has a girl trying to catch a piece of farfalle pasta with a butterfly net -- probably the most interesting thing about the wine. Spicey cherry nose, slight spritz, chocolatey and easy. Short. 82
• Montgras Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 1994, Chile (4.99) Slight greeness, but otherwise a minty, juicy wine with well integrated American oak. Well made at this price level. 84
• Josef Pockl Pinot Noir 1993, Austria (13.99) Toffeed coffee nose - rather stewed feel to it. Peppery burny end. 84
• Jade Mountain La Provencale 1994, California (13.49) A Syrah and Mouvedre blend. Cherry cough mixture nose with herbal overtones -- pleasant and it opened out more in the glass. Light soft tannins with fine acidity. Not for the long term but delicious now. 88+
• Magpie Estate 'The Malcolm' Shiraz 1994, Australia (15.99) Air freighted over for the tasting from Noel's jointly owned winery. Probably about 16% alcohol (it had to be 'watered down' from the original 18%). Very difficult to judge the quality, but an amazingly deep colour (lacking vibrancy?). Chocolate and big hot flavours. It will be interesting to see how this wine develops (will it cope with the high alcohol? -- probably). Needs to open out. 88-93
• Fritz Wieninger, Chardonnay Sweet Select 1994, Austria (10.49 per half). From a winemaker who sounds more like a speciality Belgian dish. Smells of soft ripe melon-fruit Chardonnay with gentle botrytis. Spatlese feel to the sweetness. Fresh with just sufficient acidity. Maybe an aperitif wine. Delicious. 89+

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17/03/1996 (RJB)

• Chateau La Tonelle 1975, Bordeaux Superieur Berry Bros bottling. Lovely fresh Merlot (plums and violets) nose initially, with good colour for its age. Medium body with typical '75 tannins, but seemingly with enough fruit. However, with time in glass (and a bit of warmth) perhaps drying out a bit? 87

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in Riccall 16/03/1996 (RJB)

• H. Blin & Co Brut Tradition NV, Champagne Goodish medium bodied fizz. Highish acidity with Pinot showing through in the colour, but Chardonnay on the palate. 87
• Forster Ungeheuer Riesling Spatlese 1988, Wegeler-Deinhard Textbook, maturing Riesling nose with excellent balance. Drinking well -- delicious. 90
• Clos Hauserer Riesling 1988, Zind-Humbrecht Seemed to lack class compared with the German (or suffered being drunk after it) -- not as well defined. Slight spritz. Needs more time. 88
• Bricout NV, Champagne With roughly three years bottle-age since purchase. Bottle age not showing. Elegant, light bodied Champagne. 86
• Tokay Pinot Gris Vielles Vignes 1994, A. Mann Odd wine. Nose mostly closed with youthful mustiness, but a fair whack of apricot and peaches. Palate a bit disappointing after the bouquet -- watery. Undecided. 87?
• Saint Joseph 1990, Philippe Faury Toughish, but with goodish structure and fruit. Needs five years or more. 86
• Chateau La Nerthe 1990, Chateauneuf-du-Pape A good mouthful with a lovely sweet and fragrant length to it. I remember being impressed with this a couple of years back, but wondered how it would last. Well so far so good. 90

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14/03/1996 (TNB)

• Chasse Spleen 85 From half. Good colour, smokey, slightly rustic Xmas cakey fruit. Slightly ungenerous for an 85 -- are they going through a slightly tougher phase? Good wine. 87.

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Bordeaux for CUWS, Thos Peatling, tutored by Charles Eaton 12/03/1996 (RJB)

• Chateau Bellegarde 1992, Margaux (8.49) Peatling bottled. Gummy oak nose, light with astringent end, stalky. Second wine of Siran. 82
• Chateau Roc-Taillade 1990, Medoc (6.85) Peatling bottled. Good juicy nose and palate, mintiness and reductive quality. Good value for easy drinking over the next couple of years. 86
• Chateau Faget 1990, Saint Estephe (7.55) Dull leathery sweetness. Badly made or in bad condition. 81
• Chateau Lafargue 1990, Pessac Leognan (8.49) Stoney with a bit of tannin -- lacks fruit. 83
• Chateau La Faviere 1989, Bordeaux Superior (5.99) Short and thin. Reasonably well made for what it is. 82
• Chateau Laplagnotte Bellevue 1989, Saint Emilion (10.19) Again rather thin, better length than the last one, but not by much. 84
• Chateau Cantemerle 1988, Haut Medoc (17.99) Proper claret at last. Good fruit balance with a touch of reduction. Soft and lacking acidity. Ready to drink. 87
• Chateau Lafaurie Peyraguey 1989, Sauternes (29.05) Lanolin nose not showing huge amounts of botrytis. Lacks length and oomph. Perhaps it's a bit closed, but I'm not sure I could find much structure. Could do with more acidity. 88

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A mini "Port" tasting, 12/03/1996 (RJB)

Four "Ports", all in full size bottle, all Taylor's. The following on all the labels -- "Single grape variety microvinification, Quinta de Terra Feita (Pinhao Valley), Harvest of 1992."

• Tinta Cao Rose petals, with excellent length and pepperiness. Slightly citric, stunningly good. 95
• Tinta Roriz Softer and smokier, lighter and not so much structure. 90
• Touriga Francesa Soft, currants and pencil shavings. 89
• Blend of seven in equal proportions As well as the varieties already mentioned this also included: Tinta Amarela, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional and Touriga Nacional (clonal selection). The pepperiness of the Tinta Cao certainly seems to come through, but this blend seems a touch soft initially to cope with that. The blend is more compact. 90

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10/03/1996 (TNB)

• Niederhausen Hermannshohle Riesling Auslese 94 (Donhoff) From a trendy Nahe producer. Slightly closed on the nose, with excellent peachy fruit with cherry/blackcurrent undertones, braced by a lot of steely and sherberty acidity. Probably be great in due course. 91+ (J&B 17.50)

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10/03/1996 (RJB)

• Riesling Turckheim 1990, Zind-Humbrecht Good mineral, steely Riesling nose with some mature characters. Palate, however, lacks concentration. 87

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- a blind tasting dinner 09/03/1996 (RJB)

• Pol Roger White Foil NV This had been in the cellar for about five years. Not as much bottle age character as I was expecting, although probably at its best. Lacking a bit of complexity. 86
• Chateau Grillet 1979 A bit of eggy sulphur. Smells and tastes like a mix of Rousanne, Marsanne, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc (no one guessed Viognier). Bird's custard powder. Probably past it, but was 'it' ever any good? 80
• Graacher Domprost Riesling Auslese 1983, Max Ferd Richter Good sharp petrolly nose. Lacking acidity on the palate perhaps. 87
• Buchanan Pinot Noir 1989, Tasmania No one guessed this to be Pinot. Sweet smokey oak nose with light cherry fruit. 86
• Joseph Phelps Backus Cabernet Sauvignon 1985 Minty Oz style wine but then some Californian structure appeared. Good wine probably at its peak. 90
• Clos de Vougeot 1966, Calvet Smooth rose petal and plum nose, not showing anywhere near its age and drinking pretty well. I wonder how much Pinot is involved! 88
• Lindemans Griffith botrytis Semillon 1987 From a half. Full marmalade nose and palate, with excellent balance. An impressive Oz sticky with no rush to drink up. This may have been done a disservice served with the following wine. 89
• Mussbacher Esselhaut Rieslaner Trockenbeerenauslese 1992, Muller-Catoir From a half. Stunning. Light colour and a not (at present anyhow) hugely extrovert nose, but the explosion of flavour on the palate is incredible. Long, long flavours with excellent acidity. Citrus fruits and peaches. It had no problem coping with a chocolate mousse. 97

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08/03/1996 (RJB)

• Hermitage La Sizeranne 1982, Chapoutier Some mature Syrah flavours floating into range ocassionally, but also some drying acidity from age. It's trying to be a good wine, but is fighting against the odds. 82

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St Julien tasting, Oddbins Fine Wine 07/03/1996 (RJB)

• Talbot 1978 (29.99) Good, quite deep mature colour; a sharpness to the nose covering sweetness. Tastes like burnt rubber, with an odd acidity at the end (beginning to dry out?). At the end of the tasting the bouquet had improved remarkably - silky tertiary aromas leaping out of the glass. May be better than this but from first impressions: 80.
• Leoville-Poyferre 1982 (32.99) Vibrant blood red colour with a dumbish nose (gummy violets creeping out with time). Soft tannins with a slightly bitter edge. Needs time to open up. 88+
• Ducru-Beaucaillou 1983 (32.99) Earthy mineral nose. Liquorice, hollow with a green tannins flavour at the end. 86
• Leoville-las-Cases 1985 (43.99) Good colour, not really showing age. Good juicy fruit with new oak and tannin showing through at the end. Needs time to be at its best. 91
• Leoville-Barton 1986 (29.99) Fruit seemingly more mature than the Las-Cases, but the whole wine more integrated. Dusty tannins at the end, but everything in balance. Good structure. Should be really good with time. 92
• Gruaud-Larose 1986 (29.99) Juicier than the Barton with a slight greeness to nose. A bit restricted on the palate, but plenty of structure and clearly a star wine. Not showing quite as well as I remember from previous tastings. At an odd phase? Even so: 93
• Talbot 1988 (16.99) Disappointing. Toasty but a bit stalky, weedy and grassy. Lacking after the above. 85
• Beychevelle 1989 (25.99) Toasty nose with good fruit quality. Good balance. 89
• Gloria 1989 (36.99 magnum) Not as concentrated as some of the other wines, but an excellent balance and with leathery tannins. Well made.88
• Langoa-Barton 1990 (9.99 half) colour lighter than expected. A touch minty. 88
• d'Yquem 1988 (70ish per half) Well, the wine might have been through St Julien at some time! Not as extrovert as I was expecting nor not so obviously botrytised, but..., Youthfully restrained, with so much going on -- lanolin, peaches, apricots, cabbage (just making sure you were still awake). Lovely length and complexity. Portions were rather small (it's the sort of wine that would keep showing different facets -- perhaps there is a fair amount of botrytis after all, it just doesn't scream at you) so it is difficult to judge just how good it is. At least 95+

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06/03/1996 (TNB)

• Niersteiner Pettenthal Riesling Kabinett 93 (Gunderloch) Haven't drunk many kabinetts for a while -- one forgets how appetising the combination of fruit with steely dry austerity (in a good one) can be. This gives the impression to me of being closed -- needs a few years, slight whif of SO2 on opening, but it soon dissipates. Very enjoyable. 88.

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03/03/1996 (RJB)

• Domaine de L'Hortus 1992 Cuvee Classique, Languedoc Perhaps a bit light, but an interesting Rhone-style nose, with good balance and a few years ageing potential. Well made wine (and at 3.99 from Wine Rack pretty good value). Might get better - difficult to judge. 86?
• Chateau Tahbilk Cabernet Sauvignon 1987 OK but lacking stuffing compared with the 85. Rather 1-D. 85

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Cellar warming dinner 02/03/1996 (TNB)

• Chassagne-Montrachet Champgains 92 (Neillon) Fine, nicely structured, complex, but not overwhelmingly exciting. 90.
• Chardonnay, unfilterered 92 (Newton) Initially more striking than the above. The nose dominated by vanilla. Creamy texture in the mouth. 89.
• Gigondas, Dom. Raspail 85 At peak, rustic, with red cherry grenache flavours. Drinking very well 89.
• Chateauneuf, Dom. Pegau 85 Big, but not mosterous, possibly still a bit closed, nice fruit. 91+
• Basket Press Shiraz, Rockfords 85 Herby, almost blackcurrent nose. Very sweet fruit, new world fruit. Has aged rather well though. 87.
• Cockburns 55 Elegant style, nice complex chocolate and blackberry flavours. Dominated a little by citric acidity of age. 89.

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A tasting of the wines of Isole e Olena tutored by Paolo Demarchi and David Gleave MW, Noel Young Wines 01/03/1996 (RJB)

• 1993 Chardonnay, Collezione de Marchi (Isole e Olena) (11.79) I seem to remember having had an earlier vintage of this wine that was all planks and sawdust. This was much better (complete barrel fermatation has probably helped). One of the best Italian whites that I've had - buttery with good acid, soft vanilla gumminess and length. 88
• 1993 Chianti Classico (Isole e Olena) (8.99) A very small amount of syrah goes into this wine. Close youthful bitter raspberry overtones. Needs some time to judge whether fruit is all there or not. 86
• 1991 Chianti Classico (Isole e Olena) (8.99) Closed with a sharpness to the nose. A bit thin and short with typical astrigent end. 85
• 1993 Cepparello (Isole e Olena) (19.49) Cepparello is 100% Sangiovese (so can't be called Chianti!). Minty and good structure with well balanced bitter acid end. Needs 10 years. 90
• 1991 Cepparello (Isole e Olena) (16.99) Metallic and closed, slight mustiness and rather simple. 86
• 1989 Capparello (Isole e Olena) (21.99) Initially dumb on the nose. Sweet fruit with astringency. 85
• 1991 Cabernet Sauvignon (Isole e Olena) (18.99) Not Bordeaux, but also not New world. Touch minty with new oak dominance. 86
• 1991 Syrah L'eremo (Isole e Olena) Not obviously Syrah, but clearly Italian. Austere with a slightly vegetal edge. 86
• 1990 Vin Santo (Isole e Olena) (18.39 per half) Only a slight oxidation on this, giving a fresh buttered toast and nuts nose. Good length and with medium body. Just how sweet this wine is only comes through at the end. I like a bit more balancing acidity in sweet wines. 88

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