5.6.40
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Diary index

Wine group at DW's 31/05/1999 (TNB)

31/05/1999 (RJB)

30/05/1999 (TNB)

23/05/1999 (RJB)

Beaucastel at Raeburn Fine Wines 23/05/1999 (TNB)

Berry Bros in Edinburgh 20/05/1999 (TNB)

16/05/1999 (RJB)

Misc 16/05/1999 (TNB)

Alberto Antonini & David Gleave at V&C 12/05/1999 (TNB)

Misc 09/05/1999 (TNB)

07/05/1999 (RJB)

03/05/1999 (RJB)

Wine dinner at EMcC's 02/05/1999 (TNB)

02/05/1999 (TNB)

The Diary - May 1999

Wine group at DW's 31/05/1999 (TNB)

Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 31/05/1999   Return to top

31/05/1999 (RJB)

Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 31/05/1999   Return to top

30/05/1999 (TNB)

  • Rauenthaler Baiken 1990, Kloster Erbach Rich, but a nice appley acid finish. Fairly evolved, but clearly at least pretty good. Perhaps not absolutely all one might hope for from a great vineyard in a great year however. **(*)
  • Chablis Montee de Tonnerre 1995, Michel Quite ripe, restrained, quite long. Could do with a year or two. Michel's Chablis is always refined. **(*)
  • Port Warre 1980 Mouthwatering fruit, nice length, drinking well, but good for years. (From a half.) Aren't the '80's delicious? **(*)
  • Rully 1er cru Les Cloux 1990, Jacquesson Lovely, ripe, sweet, luscious Burgundy. Drinking well. Just how an excellent "lesser area" Burgundy should be. The vintage helps, I guess, but this is a reliable producer. Scrapes ***
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 30/05/1999   Return to top

23/05/1999 (RJB)

Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 23/05/1999   Return to top

Beaucastel at Raeburn Fine Wines 23/05/1999 (TNB)

Impressive, as one might expect. I have a slight cold, so notes to be taken with a pinch of salt. The Vieille Ferme wines were OK but a bit thin, and the step up to the Perrin Reserve's well worth the extra pound.
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 23/05/1999   Return to top

Berry Bros in Edinburgh 20/05/1999 (TNB)

Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 20/05/1999   Return to top

16/05/1999 (RJB)

Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 16/05/1999   Return to top

Misc 16/05/1999 (TNB)

  • Clos du Papillon 1990 (Baumard) Clothy and vegetal - I do hope this is an odd bottle, and that this wine is not prematurely ageing! Not Rated
  • Gran Coronas 1982 (Torres) Still very lively, berryish fruit. An unfortunate slight dirtiness overlies a rather pleasant wine. Is this another slightly "off" bottle? Not Rated
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 16/05/1999   Return to top

Alberto Antonini & David Gleave at V&C 12/05/1999 (TNB)

Antonini is a "flying winemaker" who jets around telling people to reduce yields and resist any temptation to put the wine in dirty old barrels for a decade before bottling. I guess he is on the right side. The following are all from estates he is involved with.
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 12/05/1999   Return to top

Misc 09/05/1999 (TNB)

Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 09/05/1999   Return to top

07/05/1999 (RJB)

Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 07/05/1999   Return to top

03/05/1999 (RJB)

Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 03/05/1999   Return to top

Wine dinner at EMcC's 02/05/1999 (TNB)

  • Chalk Hill Chardonnay 1992 Holding wellish, getting slightly vegetal, but pleasant fruit. **
  • Clos Floridene 1990 Noted again as gracefully declining. Pleasant enough, but not a patch on the 89. **
  • De Fieuzal Blanc 1990 Classy, impressively oaked, lovely length. Fine wine. ***(*)
  • L'Enclos 1975 Plummy, cedary claret, with a nice finish, but an austere hit of 75 tannins in an agressive, difficult mid-palate. Pretty good. ***
  • Langoa-Barton 1978 Perfect claret a-point. Nicely bracing acidity, everything in nice balance. ***
  • Barbaresco Rabaja 1982 Cortese Scented, balanced, coffee and chocolate palate. Pretty tough tannins, decent finish. ***
  • Rabaud Promis 1988 Quite developed. Good, well-made sauternes. (From a half.) ***
  • Smith Woodhouse 1985 Blackberry fruit, hints of a more complex background. I wonder how the 85s will comapre to the 83s in time. (From a half.) **(**)
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 02/05/1999   Return to top

02/05/1999 (TNB)

  • Josephshofer 1983 Auslese (von Kesselstat) From before this estates current reliability, this is a sound wine, if a shade softer and waterier than one would like in an ideal world at this level and from this vintage. **
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 02/05/1999   Return to top