Wine group at D.L.'s 28/11/2005 (TNB)

• Very Dry Oloroso, 4th Criadera (Sandeman) Tangy, yeasty. Quite concentrated. Not especially fine or long.
• Chardonnay Limited Release 2002 (Jacobs Creek) Sherberty, lemony. Extravagantly rich. Touch of liquorice. Has a certain appeal, but it's out of balance to me. Bare
• Rasteau blanc 1998 (Gourt de Mautens) Toffee, spicey. Very thin on nose and palate. May be a poor bottle.
• Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Vergers 1998 (Colin-Deleger) A bit light but reasonable flavour and balance. Bare
• Bloodstone Tempranillo 2004 (Gemstone) Very cassis nose, minty. Very primary. Very ripe. Structured under quite open fruit.
• Rioja Reserva 2001 (Martin Cendoya) Rich, lifted cherry fruit. Touch of oak etc.
• Rioja 1999 (Solar de Samaniego) Cherry again - dry tannins. Might come good.
• Rioja Prado Enea 1995 (Muga) Lighter weight - a bit more old-fashioned. Touch of volatility on the finish. Good underlying intensity. Bare
• Rioja Gran Reserva 1995 (Coto de Imaz) Laid back, suave. Ripe but balanced. Pretty nice.
• Barolo Bussia 1990 (Prunotto) Reductiveness blows off - dry, quite flavoury.
• Barolo Bricco Fiasco 1995 (Azelia - L. Scavino) Pleasant, fresh. Seems rather older than its years.
• Barolo Bric del Fiasc 1985 (P. Scavino) Absolutely horrible at first - fetid, suggestin oxidation. Cleans up so much in the glass - good nose - slightly dull palate. Might be even better after a few hours in decanter. Top
• Barolo 1967 (Prunotto) Drying out badly.
• Barolo Brunate 1988 (Bricco Rocche - Ceretto) Bright and pure. Dry, meaty, long. Nice intensity. Top
• Barolo 1988 (B. Mascarello) Baked, tarry, old-fashioned. Still quite tannic. The sort of wine one needs to decant well in advance and to drink a glass or two over a couple of hours. At least
• Barolo 1964 (Calissano) Nice fruit. Quite tannic. Solid old Barolo. Top
• Barolo 1971 (Ratti) Very graceful - round, ripe fruit. Lovely.
• Barolo 1971 (Doglietti) Pleasant old thing, without being special. Top
• Chateau Nairac 1990 Quite botrytised. Elegant, lighter weight but nice intensity.
• Rieussec 1990 Darker, larger. Burnt marmalade. Very Rieussec. Perhaps needs time.
• Offley Boa Vista 1966 A bit dry, light, hard - a bit low on fruit. A touch spirity but quite intense.

Montrose dinner 25/11/2005 (TNB)

• Chateau Montrose 1983 Lovely, classic Bordeaux nose. Bright fruit, but a very odd, harsh, late-palate and a slightly hot finish that leaves bitterness in the mouth. Would be lovely except for that.
• Chateau Montrose 1981 Very nice - mineral, classic Claret. Lovely balance right through. For drinking. Top
• Chateau Montrose 1975 Medium weight with a lovely savoury palate and a touch (not unpleasant now they are resolved) of the vintages tannins. I like this a lot - probably has more time left than the 81. Bare
• Chateau Montrose 1971 Very nicely classic. Cigar box and sweet, ripe fruit nose. Follows through nicely with a high-toned palate. Bare
• Chateau Montrose 1967 A bit faded, but alive and quite pleasant - splendid effort for the vintage. Very drinkable. From a half. Top
• Chateau Montrose 1970 Intriguing brown-sugar nose with lots of mineral terroir notes. Very classic and savoury - gorgeous. Returning to it: walnut nose and the palate too is like licking one. High-toned again. Really splendid but still needs time.
• Chateau Montrose 1966 Classic, quite austrere and high toned - very 66. Good length too, but it seems just very slightly corked. Clearly excellent, but I'll not rate it.
• Chateau Montrose 1964 (UK-bottled by Ellis) Stunning mix of flavours - quite fascinating. Hints at an edgy volatility too. Delicious but needs drinking - it may be a bit unstable. Top
• Chateau Montrose 1962 Perfectly balanced mature Claret - So mineral. An absolute pleasure from beginning to end.
• Chateau Montrose 1961 Stands out above the last two wines with an amazing extra depth and huge complexity. Suave, yet dry. Very, very long. No hurry to drink.
• Chateau Montrose 1990 Very ripe and rounded - silky rich texture and a long, complex palate. Relatively forward. I can see how this got its rave reviews from Parker, but on returning there are piquant notes too. Top
• Chateau Montrose 1989 Corked.
• Chateau Montrose 1988 Hopelessly oxidised - surely an odd bottle.
• Chateau Montrose 1986 Much more classic than the 90 - dry, flavoury with marked tannins. My impression is that while very good this won't become a star like the 70 or 61 - it seems a touch lighter.
• Chateau Montrose 1982 Exotic coconut nose, creamy. Not Claret as we know it, but fascinating. There's great depth and structure and so this probably will be stunning in a while. Bare
• Chateau Montrose 1999 Young wine cassis - but Montrose minerality too. Fairly ripe - it seems in a slightly softer more modern style than the later wines in this flight. Good though. (and improving)
• Chateau Montrose 1998 Liquid minerals and excellent fruit. Very good and will be lovely.
• Chateau Montrose 1996 Very dense - a cross between 98 and 90. Qute a monster, but perhaps some of the older wines were that way in their youth. Still, this will surely be lovely in ten years.
• Chateau Montrose 1995 Mineral again but a bit more restrained and classic - less exotic than the 96. I like it a lot - almost more than the 96 - very stylish and balanced.
• Champagne "Un Jour de 1911" NV (A. Clouet) A blend of 91, 90 and 89. Apple and mushroom nose and palate - very meaty and substantial. Big finish.
• Chateau Bouscaut blanc 1967 Two bottles, quite different. One very honied and becoming a bit austere. One fresher with nice richness. Both quite good.
• Brauneberger Juffer Auslese 1975 (Konrad Prum) Pleasant old thing - it may be the end of a long night, but it seems just to be fading a touch.