24/03/1997 (RJB)

• Taittinger 1990 Brut Millesime Strong bread-dough nose from the bottle on opening. Fairly deep golden colour. Full-flavoured: Pineapple (almost New World in this respect), mineral and lanolin. Medium dry to dry, with suggestions of light botyrtis (anyone know whether this is in fact the case?). Lovely wine, but not a long term keeper. A ripe Champagne with lowish acidity. 91

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23/03/1997 (RJB)

• Caymus Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1993 Not quite as impressive as the first time I had this, but still enjoyable. Good structure, but the oak is rather obvious at the moment. Very good Cabernet for the price (9.99 Oddbins) and may well improve with time. 89
• Domaines de Triennes 1994, Les Aureliers, Vin de Pays du Var 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Syrah. Well made (as one might expect from a Domaine Dujac winemaker), with aspects of both grapes showing (although 'pencil shavings' Cabernet predominates over leathery Syrah). I'm not sure I particularly like this mix of grapes. 85
• Santa Catalina 1995 Tempranillo Grenache, La Mancha 2.99 from Tesco, and bought for cooking, but I was pleasantly surprised that, although slightly hot, it exhibits goodish clean varietal characteristics - particularly the Grenache. Worth a gulp before pouring into the casserole. 80

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Austria, - 21/03/1997 (TNB)

• Austrian wines from various producers

Lots of bone dry, slightly anonymous whites made from second class grape varieties. (Gruner Veltliner, however, is quite an interesting second clas grape, compared, say, to Muller Thurgau.) I don't know if this is the modern style in Austria, or maybe it is the proximity of Italy. Curiously, not a single bottle of German wine did I see in a shop or restauarnt - I dont know if this is a related phenomenon.

Some high points included an 86 (I think) Chardonnay from Kracher that had kept rather well (and a 92 Scheurebe trocken that was pleasant) and an 86 Auslese Gruner Veltliner halbsuss from Mantlerhof of excellent concentration, even if in the end it is quite a simple wine.

The reds were generally best avoided, but a Pinot Noir-with- a-dash-of-merlot from Brundlemeyer was quite pleasant (if a bit jammy).

The sweeties were the best things. Tasted a few of the Kracher 94's. The Grand Cuvee is very striking, the Nouvelle vague has good vanillan flavours, but lacks real depth. The Zwischen den Seen Scheurebe is definitely a bit weaker. Over all, perhaps this is not a great vintage. Also tried a "Vin de Paille" Zwiegelt Rose 95 from Tschida: grapes dried on straw mats, concentrated and everything, but very simple again - perhaps because of the grape variety.

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90 Claret at OFW Glasgow 18/03/1997 (TNB)

• Greysac 1990 Very pure blackcurrent. Lovely ripe fruit, but with decent structure. 85. (12.99)
• Lanessan 1990 Slightly less concentrated than Greysac. More evolved. Perhaps (and only perhaps) a bit finer. 84(?+) (18.49)
• d'Angludet 1990 Floral, almost burgundian sweet fruit. Aetherial, but not lacking concentration. Very "85ish" 88 (21.99)
• Belair 1990 A bit inpenetrable - a monolith of fruit surrounding some hefty tannins. Perhaps rather good? 89(?+) (28.99)
• Bahans Haut Brion 1990 Gamey and smokey. Lots of weight. Better than I remember. 90. (29.99)
• Gruaud-Larose 1990 Lots of pencily fruit, fascinating on nose, excellent long finish 94 (31.99)
• La Dominique 1990 Lighter than the Belair - perhaps more elegant, Long refined finish. 90 (?+) (44.99)
• Lynch Bages 1990 Amazing colour. Fruit a bit "roasted", no great subtlety. Good rather than great. 90. (51.99)

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16/03/1997 (TNB)

• Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese 85 (JJ Prum) Lovely tight sherberty intense Mosel, just coming round to drinking. Very good indeed. 91.
• Erbacher Schlossberg Auslese 85 (Schloss Rheinharthausen) Orangy, very evolved, quite sweet. Pleasant stuff. 88 (from a half)
• Barolo Riserva 67 (Borgogno) Slight stink blew off and a nicely scented old Barolo emerged. Quite pleasant 87.

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16/03/1997 (RJB)

• Tesco's Alsace Gewurztraminer 1995 Clear varietal, but dilute and hot. I haven't had a supermarket generic wine for a while, and I'm not going to rush out to try more. 79
• Penfolds Kalimna Bin 28, South Australian Shiraz 1993 Typical Penfolds, but lacking the depth of fruit this wine can achieve. 82
• Alban Vineyards Reva Alban Estate Syrah 1993, Edna Valley California Nice smokey Syrah with a touch of stalkiness. Not quite as velevety as I remember from a previous tasting. French in style. Enjoyable. 88
• Clos de Marquis 1983 Fair medium-weight claret, perhaps on the way down. 86
• Notarpanaro 1988, Taurino This bottle seemed fairly dilute in colour and simple in flavour. I've been fairly bowled over with some bottles, but not this one. I think there's some bottle variation. 81

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but forgotton 15/03/1997 (TNB)

• Collheita (Niepoort) 78 and 63 They do this style well. The 78 is OK, but not the best. The 63 is a lovely old wine.

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Cavalchina at V&C 10/03/1997 (TNB)

• Pinot Bianco garda 96 (La Prendina) Respectable Alsace-like. 82 (4.99)
• Bianca di Custoza 96 (Cavalchina) Made with local grape varieties. Characterless Italian white in he extreme! Clean. 78. (5.69)
• Bardolino Chairetto 96 (Cavalchina) Rose. Quite pleasant, dry, slightly floral. 83. (5.69)
• Bardolino 95 (Cavalchina) Fairly thin, fresh fruit, drinkable. 82 (5.69)
• Cab Sauv 94 (La Prendina) Decent varietal with well-managed oak. 84 (9.69)
• Cab Sauv 90 (La Prendina) As above, but with real concentration and structure. An interesting wine. A great vintage for them, apprently. 87 (unavailable).

Afterwards:

• Gewurtz Cuvee Laurence Clos de Cappucins 88 (Weinbach) Lovely nose of smoke and roses. In the mouth drier than you expect, and nicely long. Pretty classy. From a half. 91.
• Pinot Gris Kitterle 89 (Schlumberger) Big fat nose, off-dry. Pleasant, but not with the promise of loads to come that Broadbent's review suggests.

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09/03/1997 (RJB)

• Cousino Macul Cabernet Sauvignon Antiguas Reserva 1986 Fleshy, but rather simple. 83
• Champagne Drappier Brut Carte d'Or Probably with about four years of storage. Drinking beautifully. Mineral and floral with a touch of nutty maturity. A bit of bottle age has done wonders. 91
• Pinot d'Alsace 1990, Zind-Humbrecht From a half. A superb Pinot (although I believe Z-H sometimes adds some Chardonnay) with custardy overtones and balancing acidity. A wine that has certainly benefited from age - some of the sweetness and heaviness has gone. 89
• Champagne J. M. Gremillet Brut Disappointingly thin. Not going anywhere. 83
• Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett 1989, Von Schubert Perhaps not the pin-point clarity of higher levels of this wine, but fine wine none-the-less. 88
• Lamaione 1991 Settling down well. Some of its early fleshiness has gone, but the wine is exhibiting excellent structure and colour, and the fruit, although subdued at present, is most definitely there. Needs more time - but this is a fairly classy Merlot. 90+
• Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise 1988, Domaine de Durban From a half. No signs of age. Orange blossom nose. Excellent wine for its style. 87
• Chateau Smith Haut Lafite 1990 From a half. Fairly good middle weight claret with a fair amount of charm. Approachable now, but no rush to drink up. 87

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08/03/1997 (TNB)

• Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofberg Spatlese 90 Hard to assess young riesling, but good acidity, plenty of (quite tight) fruit, and good length. Will be 90?

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07/03/1997 (TNB)

• Mas Cristine 1992 (Rivesaltes) I do rather like this - palate of brown sugar, like an Ozzy liquer muscat on the palate, but much less weight and alcohol (Vin Doux naturel - 16%). Fine as aperetif, or in the right circumstances, after dinner.

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Fine Claret at OFW 06/03/1997 (TNB)

• Haut Brion 93 Juicy fruit, good colour, nicely crafted wine, quite forward, and not so long. 86. (39.99)
• Leoville Poyferre 83 Maturing nicely - quite high acid, lifted fruit, capsicum, dry finish. 89 (32.99)
• Ducru Beaucaillou 83 Good colour, complex nose, slightly pencilly. Beautifully balanced classic claret. 91 (32.99) (Much better than a browning bottle I remember a few years ago!)
• Haut Brion 83 Huge rich, very smokey, also floral, but with slight vegetal undertones. Lovely! 94. (62.99)
• Leoville Las Cases 79 OK, but rather one-dimensional, typical sound claret. Just possibly there is more to come, but at the moment not very interesting. 85 (74.99/magnum)
• La Conseillante 86 Slightly corked bottle. Lots of concentrated slightly New-worldy fruit. Probably pretty good!
• Leoville Las Cases 89 Huge, dense, very long. Hard to penetrate at the moment, but probably excellent 92(?++) (48.99)
• Latour 86 Round, walnutty, very typical. Will age amazingly slowly and well. Not quite got the concentration for greatness. 91(+) (89.99)
• Mouton Rothschild 90 Flashy nose - oak, almost Californian. Dissapointing in the mouth - very evolved and no real depth. 90 (but not going anywhere) (96.99)

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01/03/1997 (RJB)

• Pol Roger 1982, Cuvee de Blancs de Chardonnay Good maturing Champagne at a slighlty odd stage of development - lost its freshness and not quite gained its tertiary complexity. 88-90
• Tokay Pinot Gris Sonnenglanz 1994, Bott-Geyl Beautifully balanced, fat and with good acidity. Some sweetness, but elegant for a big wine. 90
• Hermitage 1983, Guigal Black fruits and liquorice - a chunky version of his Cote-Rotie. 88
• Recioto Classico Della Valpolicella 1991, Giovani Allegrini From a 50cl. Refreshing wine to have after a biggish meal. Good acidity. I rather like this style. Need to try again.
• Muskat-Ottonel Beerenauslese 1991, Zwishen den Seen, Kracher Not as dramatic as I remember from previous tastings. The fruit is disappearing, but hopefully other flavours will develop. Palate rather fatigued by this stage so I will not score it.

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Dinner at E.McC 01/03/1997 (TNB)

• Bernkasteler Doktor 78 Sekt (Deinhard) Curiosity, made to celebrate Deinhard's anniversery. Old riesling plus sparkle -- very drinkable, but a (not so unpleasant) sour aple finish.
• Riesling Kitterle 86 (Schlumberger) At peak or beginning decline. Restrained classy, fruity mature Alsace. I like it! 88.
• Pernand Vergeleses P. Cru 88 (Laleure-Piot) Honeyed, estery, minerally - guessed as Rhone, but once in Burgundy, more Chablis like than anything. Pretty good. 85
• Gevrey Chambertin Combe aux Moins 88 (P. Leclerc) Concentrated, good colour, but a bit jammy and not terribly complex. Nice enough, but nothing like as good as RP claims! 89
• Gressier Grand Poujeaux 70 Two misses in a row for RP -- this has good colour, but lacks anything behind it at all except a bit of citricness. Second bottle I've had like this! 80.
• Lascombes 70 Rather decent medium weight cedary old claret. Fills out nicely in the glass. 89.
• Rasteau, Domaine des Nymphes, Vin doux naturel Brown sugar, without the weight of good muscat. Deep orange colour. Almost dry. Quite pleasant.

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