Duval-Leroy 1er Cru 29/11/2008 (TNB)

Currently 50% off at Waitrose for a week so I thought I would try a bottle. Unlike most of the ofers from the big players, it really does seem to be half of a normal selling price, although I have to say mid-20's seems a bit high to me as its "usual" price.

Duval-Leroy are a fair size although not in the Moet league and it is said they are pretty quality-conscious these days. Certainly this is excellent at the reduced price.

• Fleur de Champagne 1er cru NV (Duval-Leroy) This is 20-30 per cent Pinot I believe, which provides a certain strength and gamy roundness to the good-quality almondy Chardonnay fruit. Very decent fizz, if not absolutely riveting.

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Wine group at D.L's 24/11/2008 (TNB)

• Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2001 (Panizzi) Darker colour. Lemony, quite rounded. Nice acidity.
• Chardonnay Bramito 2005 (Antinori) Quite high acid, slightly artificial seeming. Decent fruit.
• Gewurztraminer Steingruber 1998 (A. Mann) Off-dry, almost sweet. Rich peachy fruit. Gently scented. Top
• Ribolla Gialla 1998 (Gravner) Quite maderised (not just Gravnerised). This is not the best example of the Gravner style. Possibly a poor bottle. Otherwise,
• Meursault Charmes 1992 (F. Jobard) Deep colour. Intense nose with a touch of caramelised something - lovely but hard to pin down. Dry and balanced. Long. Rather lovely.
• Bourgogne Blanc 1992 (F. Jobard) Quite Burgundian, quite high acidity. Very fine. Bare
• The Famous Gate Pinot Noir 2004 (Domaine Carneros) Lifted Kirsch nose. Quite bitter on the finish. Bare
• The Famous Gate Pinot Noir 2003 (Domaine Carneros) More beetrooty and earthy. Similar but more rounded. A bit stewed perhaps. Quite difficult. Top
• Pinot Noir Avant Garde 2004 (Domaine Carneros) Showing its age a bit perhaps. Quite refined but a bit unsatisfying. Top
• Murrieta's Well 2003 Fairly decent fruit, but I find it hard to be interested in this. (May have been a varietal on the label that I have not noted.)
• Tempranillo Cabernet 2003 (Inwood Estates) Bags of VA. Not to be taken internally. Possibly faulty or perhaps it is just like this.
• Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (Clos du Val) A bit thin in real interest and quality.
• Cabernet Sauvignon Oak Vineyard 2002 (Clos du Val) Rather woody. Tannic and unyielding. Very bitter. Horrible overmade.
• Chateau L'Eglise Clinet 1988 Quite dry and a touch hard. I'm not sure this will come round. Bare
• Chateau Rausan Segla 1988 Not like the bottle last month. It seems drier and less giving. Possibly just hard to come back to after the odd stuff above.
• Chateau Climens 1990 Barley sugar. Rich, full and long. Quite botrytised, as one might expect. Lacks the precision one might hope for. Top
• Chateau Bastor Lamontagne 2003 Lighter, quite delicate. I thought this was rather older, but it doesn't easily follow the Climens.

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With dinner at Christ's 21/11/2008 (RJB)

• Bourgogne Chardonnay 2004 (M. Bouzereau) Well made with tight chardonnay fruit and nicely balanced. Pleasurable.
• Chateau Batailley 2002 A slightly dusty feeling to the wine. Needs a bit more time to open out and let itself sing. A touch dilute, but it will be a good light claret.

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Noval at the Scottish Malt Whisky Society 10/11/2008 (TNB)

• Cedro do Noval 2006 Dry red from local varieties, treated in a fairly modern way (100% new oak and so on). Quite good of its type.
• Unfiltered LBV Port 2000 (Noval) Very drinkable - although a touch sweet perhaps. There's a touch of sediment. It might well keep for a year or two. A good example of the style top
• 10 Year Old Tawny (Noval) Quite elegant, cherry fruit with a touch of chocolate and tobacco and a citric edge. A good example of the 10-year old style.
• Colheita 1995 (Noval) Bottled in 2007 apparently. Nutty, quite alcoholic, nicely rancio, lots of character. Very attractive. Top
• Silval 2000 (Noval) Something in the way of a second wine to the Noval vintage, I think. Quite soft and suave with a liquorice character. Clearly designed for relatively early drinking. I don't much go for this sort of dumbing down exercise. Again though I have to say it is nicely done. Bare

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