Wine group at M.D's 30/11/1998 (TNB)

The Pavilon Rouge came over as a very well designed wine with a consistent style of attractive, ripe, chocolatey fruit. Would drink well soon after vintage, but the 82 and 83 in no danger of fading. A better idea than simply making something comparable with an average 5th growth to my mind.

• Nackenheimer Rothenberg 92 Spatlese, Stat Dom. Spicey, pineappley fruit. Off-dry, quite weighty, barely adequate acidity. Shortish.
• Serriger Vogelsang Auslese 89 Stat Dom Germanic, light or possibly tightly wound. Off-dry, youngish riesling (?) a bit simple.
• Ch. Montrachet Caillerets 93 (Amiot Bonfils) Hazlenut, honey, cabbage. Good length. Suprisingly evolved - all the blind guesses were mid-80s - some 93s are evolving very rapidly.
• Ch. Montrachet Champgains 93, Neillon Tight melony fruit. Fresh, tight, acidic. Fine, but a shade light. Knowing it's 93, rather a good effort, and with a way to go compared to the other wines.
• Ch. Montrachet Vergets 93, Fontaine-Gagnard Very cabbagey. Long, mature fruit. Characterful, quite fine. Really very evolved again
• Pav Rouge de Ch. Margaux 86 Deep colour. Cherry and some oak influence. Ripe. Unobtrusively well-structured.
• Pav Rouge de Ch. Margaux 85 Cherry and chocolate. Even more attractive ripe fruit and decent length.
• Pav Rouge de Ch. Margaux 84 High acidity. Fails in the glass, but respectable.
• Pav Rouge de Ch. Margaux 83 Attractive, chocolatey, ripe fruit. Very long and the most concentrated of these wines. Lovely.
• Pav Rouge de Ch. Margaux 82 Quite tannic, again ripe. Less exciting than 83.
• Torcolato 90 Dried apricot, oranges. Decent length.
• Torcolato 89 Nice barley sugar fruit. Lovely brown-sugar fruit Possibly the best of these (excellent) wines.
• Torcolato 86 Again refined barley sugar. Pleasant longish fruit
• Torcolato 85 Similar, but a shade 1-dimensional in the mid-palate, perhaps. Pretty good though.
• Quarles Harris 83 (h} Fresh young blackberry nose. Fine acidity. Succulent. Seems pretty good. Probably a long way to go.

---

28/11/1998 (RJB)

• Moet et Chandon Brut Imperial 1986 I had a bottle of this from the same source a couple of years back and thought it pretty poor. This, however, was delicious - not showing its age and with lovely acidity. Elegant. 89
• Pol Roger Extra Dry White Foil Coarse compared with the Moet - a bit too big and green. 85
• Mas de Gourgonnier 1995 Reserve du Mas, Les Baux de Provence Cherry fruit, leathery structure and a slight leafiness. Enjoyable. 86
• Clos Du Marquis 1983 On the way down - drink up. 85
• Vouvray Demi-Sec 1983 Reserve, P. H. Foreau Not quite as evolved or as flavoursome as I had been expecting (possibly it is too evolved - but I think probably not). Not quite together in some way i can't quite put my finger on.
• Domaine de Trevallon 1987 Leather and mushrooms - drinking well, if slightly subdued. 87

---

28/11/1998 (TNB)

• Mas Christine, Rivesalt 92 Quite sweet, brown sugar flavours, very drinkable.
• Pouilly Fuisse Vielle Vignes 89 {Ch. Fuisse) Deep golden colour. Gentle toffeed nose. Very evolved, honey and buttered cabbage - the right sort of vegetality. Drinking well. (h)

---

26/11/1998 (RJB)

• Champagne Guy de Saint Hary Brut This has has at least three and a half years cellarage. Drinking beautifully with lovely acidity and real elegance. Not a Champagne I've had before. 88
• Bourgogne Pinot Noir 1995, Alain Coche Bizouard Rather rough and lacking fruit. 82
• Chateau La Tour de By 1985 Definitely fading - losing fruit without gaining any interest. 83

---

Pichon Lalande in Edinburgh 26/11/1998 (TNB)

Much as I expected: excellent wines, highish Merlot content always evident, enough backbone but structure not obtrusive, making very good wine in moderate vintages (the 91 below and 81 and 79 also tasted again recently), but not always adding quite the same value in the very best vintages (e.g. 90 below, but I have never tasted the famed 82).

This confirmed and developed a few feelings about vintages too: is 95 another 85, with georgeously ripe fruit but a numer of wines a bit light and undemanding in the final analysis? In particular, might 94 seem a more interesting vintage in 10 years time? All the 93s seem a bit unbalanced, but it was said that there are a number of rather good 91s like the Pichon. 88 is a lovely classic claret vintage, a bit undervalued (speaking relatively of course, as one has to for Bordeaux these days) in the scheme of things.

• Pichon Lalande 1995 Solid purpley red. Rounded fruitcakey, ripe nose, some unintegrated oak. In the mouth, ripe but structured. Quite 85y.
• Pichon Lalande 94 Healthy deep young red. (Shade darker than 95!) Slightly more attack on the nose, some cherry. Classic palate. Will age well.
• Pichon Lalande 91 Healthy, fairly deep colour. Initially interestingly gamey on the nose. Ripe, balanced on the palate. Typically merloty, slightly gamey. Very good for the vintage.
• Pichon Lalande 90 Medium deep. Lovely oak and fruitcake nose. Ripe and quite long. Not obviously as strong as the 89, but pretty fine. Will it seem a shade light in time?
• Pichon Lalande 89 Deep colour. Dense, monolithic nose. Big wine, marked tannins, hard to assess, needs time. Hints of the future emerge in the glass. 89 lacks the balance of my favourite vintages.
• Pichon Lalande 88 Deep colour, with signs of age. Classic, pencily notes emerging on the nose, with cherry fruit. Nicely structured, good length. Nice acidity. I increasingly like the classic 88 wines. Will be lovely.
• Champagne Baudry (?) NV Nice ripe fizz.
• Res Comtesse 90 Ripe and pleasant.
• Pichon Lalande 93 Tannins to the fore - balance a worry. Scented. I wonder...
• Pichon Lalande 85 Shade denser than I remember. A pretty strong 85.
• Pichon Lalande 75 Grippy tannins but nicely succulent in a grown up way. Excellent fruit - will last. From Magnums. A top grade 75.
• Highland Park 72/24 Cask 1639 Who am I to judge? Flavours gush from the glass when you add the water. Pretty pleasant.

---

Bacchanalia's Winter Wine Fair - A Selection 25/11/1998 (RJB)

Necessarily short notes on these

• Chateau Hostens-Picant Blanc 1997, Bordeaux Reasonable, some oak. Not as exciting as previous vintages 83
• Chateau Hostens-Picant Rouge 1995, Bordeaux Rather thin. 80
• Yenda Mourvedre/Shiraz 1997, South Australia Rather obvious and oaky. 81
• Champagne Regent Grand Cru NV Subdued but with reasonable acidity. A bit coarse. 80
• Torres Gran Sangre de Toro 1994 Easy, quite sweet. 82
• Marimar Torres Pinot Noir 1995, California Good pinot nose - floral. thin on the palate. 84
• Mitchelton Goulburn Shiraz 1996 Full, minty and peppery. 86
• Warres Sir William 10 yo Tawny Nutty, oxidative style. nicish length and acidity. 85
• Graham's Malvedos 1984 Floral and toffeed - too sweet for balance. 80
• Bouchard Finlayson 'Kaaimansgat' Chardonnay 1996, South Africa Classy toasty oak and aniseed. Not together. 81
• Valdivieso Pinot Noir Reserve 1997, Chile Stalky and sulphury. 75
• Bouchard Finlayson 'Galpins Peak' Pinot Noir 1997, South Africa Again (see the chardonnay above) toasty oak. However, the oak is not integrated with the oak. 81
• d'Arenberg 28 Road Mourvedre 1997 Cherries and earthy flavours. 85
• Valdivieso Merlot Reserve 1997 Plummy and stalky. Slightly dirty finish. 80
• Elyse Jake's Cuvee 1996, Napa Simple woody flavours - was this bottle faulty?
• Sangiovese Vino Noceto 1995, California Rather heavy and hot. 82
• Mont Gras Reserva 1997 Chardonnay Fairly oaky, signs of niceness, OK length. 82
• Copertino Reserva 1994, South Australia Tarry sweetness - thin. 81
• Barolo 1994, Ascheri Rather cheesy nose. 80
• Touriga Nacional 1995, Quinta do Crasto, Portugal The star of the tasting. Lovely balance of oak and juicy fruit. Good structure, juicy wirth a leathery finish. 91+
• Bizantino Rosso del Salentino 1996, Pervini. Apulia, italy Lacks fruit - dry finish. 81
• Chateau de L'Armarine Cuvee des Bernis 1996, Nimes Rather thin with lots of tannin at the finish. 81
• La Riche Cabernet Reserve 1997, Stellenbosch Metallic finish and not much else. 81
• Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Cazetiers 1989, Vallet Freres Light, smokey beetroot. Short. 84
• Vino nobile di Montepulciano 1995, Le Casalte Developing nose of fragrant bitter cherries. 86
• Champagne Grand Cru 1992, Claude Lancelot Quite yeasty bready - greenish finish - needs time - good length. 89
• Chablis 1997, Denis Race Subdued nose - not much coming through. 83
• Meursault 'Clos de Tessons' 1995, vincent Sauvestre Toffeed with a woody finish. Dull. 80
• Semillon 'Full Sister' 1996, Stanley Brothers, Barossa Deeply revolting.
• Gigondas 'Le Grand Montmiral' 1996, Brusset Cheesy nose. OK, but thin on the palate. 80
• Vouvray 1996, Marc Bredif Green apples. Good if not exceptional. 85
• Vin Sec du Chateau Coutet 1995 I quite liked this - hammy and waxy, and with acidity. Needs more time. 87
• Riesling Reserve 1995, Trimbach Petrol and sherbert - good acidity. 86
• Montevina Barbera 1995, California Gamey and full flavoured. 87
• Baron Henri 1993, Rothschild Astringent tannic finish. Leafy and weedy. Talk about trading off the Rothschild name! 72
• Chateau de Chamirey 1996, Antonin Rodet, Mercury Plum-skin simple. 91
• Boschendal Shiraz Reserve 1995, South Africa Smokey Franfurter nose. Short stalky finish. 78
• Clover Hill Brut 1995, Taltarni, Victoria Rather coarse and green. 83
• Piedras Altas Chardonnay 1996, Chile Overripe apples - blousy. 75
• Chateau de Campuget Cuvee Prestige 1996 Thin chocolate. 81
• Stellenzicht Shiraz 1996, South Africa Not bad spicey warm shiraz with length. 85
• Chateau Fortia 1995, Chateauneuf-du-Pape Raspberries. Early drinking. 85
• Barilot 1995 Michelle Chiarlo, Piemonte Fairly dry, cherryish. 84
• Wehlenuhr Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 1997, Dr Loosen Combined sulphur on the nose a real problem at present. I'm not convinced - it seems out of kilter.
• Fox Wood Chardonnay Reserve 1997 Liquorice. 82
• Tuella Douro Tinto 1996 A 'dry port' from the chap who makes Cockburns. lovely floral, petal nose. No great structure, but pleasant easy drinking. 85
• Rouge homme Caberner Sauvignon 1993 Rather stalky and green. 81
• Cuvee Etienne Gonnet 1994 Chateauneuf-du-pape, Domaine Font de Michelle Silky, spicey and sweet. Maturing, but alcoholic. 86
• Seppelt Rutherglen Muscat DP 63 NV Mandarin flavours, good length but a touch cloying. 85

---

Noel Young Wines Cabernet Sauvighnon Tasting 24/11/1998 (RJB)

• Charls Melton Rose of Virginia 1997, Australia (8.49) Strange start to a cabernet tasting - this is mainly grenache! Strawberry nose and a soft liquorice finish. Pleasant summer drinking (I should imagine). 83
• Leef Op Hoop Cabernet Merlot1997, South Africa (6.79) Chocolate, smoke and peppers, but a rough finish. 84
• Santa Laura Barrel Select 'Laura Hartwig' 1996, Chile Swee, spicey green pepper. Not as plump as some Chilleans. Tannic grip at finish with oak showing through. 86
• Catena 'Agrelo' Vineyards 1995, Argenetina 9.49 Lovely warm nose - good structur, if slightly subdued. Needs time. 89
• Rouge Homme 1994, Coonawarra (10.99) Minty and oaky - some tannins giving structure. Good for this style of wine. 87+
• Vasse Felix 1996, Margaret River (12.99) Minty, juicy and beefy on the nose, and with an oaky finish. Opulent, but balanced with it. 89
• Stonestreet 1994, California (18.99) A fine effort with a mushroomy maturing nose, and a good structure and balance. Could do with more time in bottle, but it's very fine now. 91
• Chateau Batailley 1982, Pauillac (35.99) Fairly classic mature claret nose, and medium weight simple flavours. Rather short. At peak I'd guess. Claret prices are ridiculous - I'd rather have two bottles of the excellent Californian above. 87

---

22/11/1998 (RJB)

• Villa di Vetrice Riserva 1993 Chianti Rufina Initially rather rough, but when it warmed up a bit it showed a pleasant floral and tarry fragrance. Medium weight. 83
• Penley Pinot Noir Chardonnay Brut 1989 Strangely this is becoming more New Worldy with age. Toasty and pineapple fruit. 84
• Tokay Pinot Gris Vieilles Vignes 1989, Zind-Humbrecht Having suggested last month that Zind-Humbrecht wines were often disappointing with age, I now have to say that this wine is drinking rather nicely. Ripe grapefruit acidity and a good balance developing. 89
• Yalumba Museum Show Reserve Rutherglen Muscat Pleasant if unexciting. 83

---

21/11/1998 (TNB)

• Chianti Classico Riserva Tenute Marchese Antinori 90 (Antinori) Lovely, old-fashioned yet deliciosly fruity Chianti

---

Noel Young Wines presents a Tasting of Fine Australian Wines, 17/11/1998 (RJB)

I should say that I disagreed with most tasters about the Armagh and the following wine - so my comments should probably be taken with an even bigger pinch of salt than usual.

• Brokenwood Semillon 1997 (9.29) Lemony nose with signs of depth. Lime acidity, dry, full. Should age well by all accounts. 89
• Vasse Felix 'Heytesbury' Chardonnay 1997 (15.49) Big oaky nose and palate but with excellent acidity pulling it through 86
• Cullen Cabernet-Merlot 1996 (17.49) Sensuous silky-smooth fruit nose with an underlying leafiness adding to the picture. Raspberry blancmange. Good tannin and a peppery finish. 91
• Clarendon Hills Merlot 1996 (25.99) A touch volatile on the finish, and seemingly a touch short. Chocolate, mushrooms and bitter cherry. 88
• Primo Estate 'Joseph' Cabernet-Merlot, 1996 (31.99) Made in an 'Amarone' way. Bitter, dry nuts and cherries. Good 'grip'. 89
• Wynns 'Michael' Shiraz 1994 (32.99) Rather gummy, soft, sweet nose. Big and easy, but not great. 87
• Jim Barry 'The Armagh' Shiraz 1995 (32.99) Dumbish nose, reasonable acidity and fruit Just not very exciting. 87
• Three Rivers Shiraz 1993 The only Oz wine I believe to get more points (99+) from Parker than Noel's 1996 Magpie Estate 'The Malcolm' (99 points). Interestingly though the grapes are from the same vineyard for both wines. I found this disjointed and a bit alcoholic on the nose. Also it had an oddly metallic finish. 90?
• Charles Melton Sparkling Red NV, 1996 Disgorgement (15.99) Nothing is more refreshing at an end of a tasting of big reds than a chilled bottle of this sort of wine - it quite revives the spirits. This one is a touch too soft for my taste, but lovely in its own way. 87

---

Piemonte tasting by Valvonna & Crolla 17/11/1998 (TNB)

Not a bad showing, specially considering that the current vintage is the very difficult 94. On the other hand, a suprising number of wines were marred, and in some cases ruined, by excessive SO2, often varying from bottle to bottle. The worst examples are noted.

• Araldica: Pinot Noir 97 slightly medicinal style of pinot fruit, seemed pretty plausible. (Tank sample); , a decent food wine as usual. (5.99)
• Ascheri: Dolcetto Sant' Anna 96 a nice blackberryish Dolcetto (8.49); ripe, round cherryish fruit, nice early drinking (9.49); I quite enjoyed this understated, perfumed, wine. It sometimes seems a shade tough in the mouth though. (13.29)
• Bergaglio: Gavi di Gavi La Minaia 97 Slightly estery, almost gamey (odd, and I wonder where it came from, but not unpleasant), tolerable weight. I still find Gavi a bit dull though. (9.99)
• Produttori di Castiglione Faletto: Barolo Cordana 94 Slightly dirty (in an acceptable way), bags of fruit, pleasant, but pretty short-term. (12.99)
• Conterno Fantino: Barbera Vignota 96 & 97 good, concentrated wines, but a shade too well-made for me --- the Barbera has somehow been tamed to produce a balanced wine (11.99); I'm not a fan in general of internationalised blends, like this of Nebbiolo, Barbera and the dreaded Cab Sauv, but this one is damn good, bags of structure, interesting fruit, and lots of time ahead (19.99) An estate to watch, perhaps.
• Fontanafredda Not much sign of a return to form for this estate, very evolved and weak (13.29); again quite evolved, decent, but not a good 93 (15.99); smelling oddly of wood-varnish (8.79).
• Mascarello: Dolcetto 97 capsicum and blackcurrent - slightly suprising in Dolcetto but an attractive wine; very evolved and not so enjoyable; one bottle ruinously sulphured, another suffering less, but still hard to penetrate to see what is underneath -- I suspected quite a serious wine (33.49).
• Marco Parusso: Bricco Rovella 97 Langhe Bianco I didn't notice this until deep in the reds, but it seemed a fairly strong oaked Sauv blanc, as one might hope at 18.99; one of those big rounded wines that seemed a bit anonymous - perhaps just not forthcoming at the moment (18.99)
• Pira Barolo 94 Very striking, concentrated red berry fruit with a sort of cranberry acidity. I would like to taste this more carefully, but I was impressed. The small estate has holdings in Cannubi and elsewhere, and in better vintages will make single vinyard bottlings. (23.99)
• Voerzio: Dolcetto Priavino 97 hopelessly over-sulphured; Quite dense, blackcurrent and cherry fruit. An impressive effort (17.99); has typical la Serra scentedness, nice balance and a decent finish - a very good 94 (36.00).
• La Spinetta Moscato d'Asti NV my sort of Moscato, deliciously grapey and refreshing. A shade sweeter than some perhaps. (9.99)

---

14/11/1998 (RJB)

• Notarpanaro 1988, Taurino Fading, I think. Or perhaps the bottle variation I have mentioned before. Dull.
• Salice Salentino Riserva 1993, Taurino As with the above diappointing, but with more fruit.
• Riesling Reserve Millesime 1994, Rolly Gassmann I'm unsure about this. It's quite good, and seemed to improve (acidity opened out a bit), but initial impressions were of a mineral mustiness. 85
• Foppiano Petite Sirah 1994, Russian River Valley Chocolate and spices. Reasonable depth and character. 86

---

12/11/1998 (TNB)

• Tokay Pinot Gris Kitterle 89 (Schlumberger) Probably coming towards peak - this seems to have lost what I now feel was youthful clumsyness, and is a well-balanced, full-bodied, slightly off-dry wine. Very good.
• Savigny Guettes 70 (Doudet-Naudin) Well-coloured, meaty, Rhone-like wine. Drying a little, and so while good, it's a bit tiring without food.
• Sociando Malet 82 Another wine with a "South of France" feel, good, concentrated stuff, needing time still.
• Cote-Rotie 85 (Guigal) Very smokey, typical Guigal style. Good wine.
• Santa Novello Costanza 98 (Banfi) Very much Italian Beajolais - not bad, if you must. I prefer Dolcetto though!
• Barolo Cannubi 92 (Scavino) Good colour, lovely succulent tannins, good fruit and decent length. Modern style in some ways - certainly none of the traditional feel of large-cask aging - but very well made. Excellent effort in a weakish vintage.
• Fontalloro 90 (Felsina Berardenga) Delicious, nutty, sweet fruit. Well-structured. Might age interestingly from here, but might dry a little. A very good 90.

---

07/11/1998 (RJB)

• Billecart-Salmon Brut 1989, Cuvee N F Billecart Balanced, light-weight fizz that's not showing its age. 89
• Wiltinger braune Kupp Riesling Spatlese 1989, Egon Muller Drinking well, but with time still ahead of it. Perhaps just a bit too sweet. 86
• Champagne Deutz Brut Classic OK, but lacks that something else that the real high-quality champagnes have. 86
• Mountadam Eden Valley Chardonnay 1990 Big and a bit vegetal - clumsy. 82
• Coudoulet de Beaucastel 1990 Delicious. Lovely balance of tertiary flavours, silkiness and acid. 89
• Domaine Gramenon 1992 A touch sweet and out of balance. 84
• Val St Gregoire Pinot Blanc 1990, Cave Vinicole Turckheim Feels too alcoholic for its own good - sterile. 80
• Bauget Jouette 1990 Blanc de Blanc Showing some lovely, slightly nutty age. Enjoyable. 87
• Domaine de Villeneuve 1995 Vielles Vignes, Chateauneuf-du-pape Liquorice depth and a gentle sweetness. This should age fairly well for drinking in five years or so. 88
• Gigondas Vielles Vignes 1991 Domaine du Grand Montmirail Simple cherry fruit. 83
• Tokaji Dry Furmint 1995, Disznoko Well we haven't had a Hungarian wine on these pages for a while and this is actually fairly interesting - rather like a woody Loire chenin blanc with its apple flavours accentuated. Beginning to go slightly vegetal, but worth trying at under a fiver at Waitrose. 84

---

Claret and related things, OFW 05/11/1998 (TNB)

Claret prices are of course generally out of hand, but this nonsense of Second Wines retailing for 30 quid really is going too far. There may be very occasional exceptions, but second wines to my mind are wildly over-rated (the press seem to hype them up every now and then) and are generally 10-15 pound wines at best. I just can't imagine who wants to drink them for prices in excess of what you might pay for top Cote-Rotie or 1er Cru Burgundy.

• Pagodas de Cos 94 Cos's second wine: classically clarety, but an odd bitter edge, more than just "stalky". Not keen. 80 (14.99)
• Reserve de La Comtesse 95 Round, berryish fruit, very ripe in the 95 way, together with bags of tannin. An odd mix. 83 (27.99(!))
• Petit Village 95 Slightly sulphury - makes the (good, concentrated) fruit seem a bit monalithic. Good, balanced, long, ripe fruit. Pretty good. 87 (28.99)
• Cab Sauv "Coppermine road" 96 (D'Arenberg) Red ink colour, lifted eucalyptus (not unpleasant) and leather on the nose. Monsterous overly fruity Oz on the palate. Quite good of its type. 83 (14.99)
• La Croix Beaucaillou 95 Another characteristically ripe, cherryish 95 - balanced, but a bit unremarkable. Some claimed one bottle had a slight cork problem. (Good old Ducru!) 83 (27.99(!))
• Duhart Milon Rothschild 95 Hopelessly over-sulphured - blew off to some extent, and there seems to be decent concentration underneath. The SO2 ruins it for me though. (23.99)
• Belair 90 Quite evolved in colour, and on the coffee-chocolate nose. Fully mature, and drinking quite pleasantly. To early-maturing to be very serious. 88 (27.99)
• Cab Sauv 95 (Forman) A largish, ripe, fruit-driven thing. Rather well-handled, some relative of mintyness apparent but likeable. Good wine. (24.99)
• Mazis-Chambertin 95 (Laurent) To replace the corked bottle of the previous tasting. Dense, concentrated, serious Pinot - excellent, silky, but as I remember not much better than the (excellent) premier crus of the last tasting.
• Ch. Reynella "Vintage Port" 79 An oddity brought back from Oz. Sweetish, intense "mediterranean herb" nose. More South of France than Oporto to my mind, but an interesting after-dinner rink.

---

Wine group at D.L's 02/11/1998 (TNB)

My last chance to see the 67 clarets inquantity, I expect. They are quite acidic, and maybe that is what is preserving them - they were all fairly healthy, if clearly tiring. All faded quite quickly in the glass.

• Ockfener Geisberg Auslese 83 (Gebert) Quiet, nutty nose, honeyed, slightly smokey. Fairly pleasant.
• Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese 83 (JJ prum) Lifted, almondy, almost varnishy nose (not universally admired). Good acidity. A bit of a disappointment from his producer.
• Trittenheimer Apotheke Auslese 83 (Grans-Fassian) Sweetish, unctious, quite rich. Again, slightly varnishy. Decent length. Rather good.
• Pernand-Vergeleses 90 (Rollin) Steely, quite lemony. Apple notes emerge. A very slight hint of classy Burgundian ginger. Lightish, but my sort of wine. Good
• Puligny-Montrachet Referts 90 (Carillon) Lots of oak, and an almost New World up-frontness. Very good in its way, and some liked it a lot, but I don't like this style, which is very typical of the producer in my experience.
• Mersault 90 (Coche-Dury) Serious, quite austere wine. There was an odd woodyness on which opinion was divided. I thought it slightly corked, but it seemed to moderate a bit in the glass, which is a counter-indication. Perhaps it's just a bit rustic?
• Ch. Woltner, St Thomas Vinyard 90 One of the best New World chardonays - singed toffee on the nose, slightly green-pea fruit, and the merest hint of eveolution towards the vegetal. Pretty good.
• Cantemerle 67 Graves-like smokeyness. Not bad.
• Lascombes 67 More berryish. Short but reasonably pleasant.
• Leoville-Barton 67 Refined, round, cherryish. Not bad. (Two halves combined.)
• Branaire-Ducru 67 Slight cigar flavours, but really rather thin.
• Montrose 67 Dry, merlotish, mature claret. Not at all bad. (Two halves combined.)
• Cos D'Estournel 67 Sweet fruit. I thought it the best, but some thought it overly chapetalised and preferred the Montrose.
• Lascombes 66 Light relief: refined, scented, dry, classical claret. Very pleasant!
• Ch La Rame 90 (St Croix du Mont) A dumb blonde on the nose, but serious, concentrated, nicely botrytised fruit. I was worried by other bottles I've had of this that it was going to turn blowzy, but it is now giving a good imitation of a reasonable 83 Sauterenes.
• Doisy Daene 71 fresh, peachy fruit on the nose. Pineapple on the palate, and a gentle barley-sugaryness. Very fine and notably better than the two other perfectly decent bottles of this I have tried from the same auction lot.

---