Cornelissen by Raeburn Fine Wines 12/05/2011 (TNB)

Mithas in Leith produced a really good Indian meal. My marks were pretty extravagantly high I notice on writing these up - but the wines are fantastically individual and great expressions of terroir.

• Munjabel Bianco No. 7, 2010 (Cornelissen) Darker gold colour than the older whites (a touch of botrytis) but less of the pinky tint from skin contact. Less weight and apparent concentration than those too, and a bit more mainstream. A difficult vintage.
• Munjabel Bianco No. 6 VA, 2009 (Cornelissen) Orange/pinky colour from skin contact. Peachy, grapey fruit, bone dry with a long complex finish. Very individual and excellent. Good
• Munjabel Bianco No. 4, 2007 (Cornelissen) Deep coppery colour, tenserthan the No. 6, with the same very authentic fruit. Great balance.
• Contadino Rosso No. 8, 2010 (Cornelissen) Nice bright, high-toned red fruits. Delicious. From a cask sample.
• Contadino Rosso No. 7, 2009 (Cornelissen) Bright again, cherries and nice quality tannins. A nice minerality emerges. Top
• Contadino Rosso No. 4, 2006 (Cornelissen) Mineral again, nice fruit but slightly mute - a touch rough-edged though. Odd bottle (very possible from this grower with his highly natural style) or is this how this vintage is? Bare
• Munjabel Rosso No. 7, 2009/10 (Cornelissen) A step up in density - extra minerality generally lovely. (Cask sample.)
• Munjabel Rosso No. 7 VA, 2010 (Cornelissen) Very pure and bright yet with great precision and nice minerality from the high-altitude vineyards. Top
• Munjabel Rosso No. 6, 2008/09 (Cornelissen) Also splendid - pure fruit with lovely ripe tannins.
• Munjabel Rosso No. 4, 2006/07 (Cornelissen) Lovely, lifted red fruit yet with a core of plummyness. Really gorgeous - it seems these wines age well for a year or two at least. Very top
• Magma Rosso No. 8 VA, 2009 (Cornelissen) Like a very pure and more complex version of the Munjabel, this has a fantastic sense of place and a real "grand cru" feel. even
• Magma Rosso No. 7, 2008 (Cornelissen) This is a little softer and less mouthwatering than the No. 8 VA, but the minerality on the finish is outstanding.
• Magma Rosso No. 4, 2004 (Cornelissen) Again, pure and lovely, but this is a touch reserved and has a bit of volatility about it. More rustic than the other two lovely Magma's.
• Grappa (Cornelissen) Rounded, with the real essence of grape (skins and pips). Interesting stuff - although I'm not at all an expert on this.

I had a bottle of Contadino No. 7 at home a few days later and it had a heavy spritz that did not easily dissipate, which detracted a little from the enjoyment. The wines are great, but I hope there is not too much of this sort of phenomenon.

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