Rhones and clones at Oddbins Fine Wine 30/11/1999 (TNB)

• Hermitage La Chapelle 1996 Very deep colour. Rubbery figs. Tannic, sweet fruit. Good length. Long life expected. (37.99)
• Hermitage La Chapelle 1997 Very ripe, slightly minty and soft. Quite spicy. Very promising. (Becomes v complex in time.) Interesting to compare to 96. At first sight, this is a much more forward vintage. There is a lot there, and perhaps the balance might lead it to age as well as the 96. it'll be interesting to see. (44.99)
• Cornas 1995 (Jaboulet) Oaky (or at least stalky) nose, rough, tannic palate. This had its fans, but I'd say this bottle at least was just flawed. (15.99)
• Cornas 1996 (Jaboulet) Toned down; less woody, still austere but much better balanced. Reasonable finish. Dry. (17.99)
• Cornas 1997 (Jaboulet) Sweet, perfumed, much softer. (Again the 96/97 comparison.) Very good, but not very wild. (17.99)
• Shiraz 1997 (Bannockburn) Minty, pencily. Decent acidity offsets New World softness of fruit. Pretty decent. (17.99)
• St Joseph 1997 Le Paradis Saint-Pierre (Coursodon) Golden syrup nose, a shade light on the palate - or is it just masked by acidity. Maybe just overmade. (10.99)
• Cornas St Pierre 1997 (Jaboulet) Soft tangeriney. New-worldy. I wonder about the length a bit. Are all the 97's so soft? Doesn't seem as good as my memory of the 95 of this wine. (25.99)
• Ch. De Ampuis 1995 (Guigal) Closed, but bacon-fat emerges. Fine structure. Very long. Oaky, of course, but in its way as enjoyable as the La Chapelles. (42.99)
• St Henri 1995 (Penfolds) Big, chocolatey, soft, but unknit. OK. (19.99)
• Shiraz McCrea wood 1996 (J. Barry) Oaky, medicinal, substantial, but not my sort of thing.

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Marcarini Dinner with Raeburn Fine Wines 29/11/1999 (TNB)

• Dolcetto Fontanazza 1997 (Marcarini) Like all Marcarini's wines, elegant rather than strident. Correct, fruity, succulently tannic wine. (7.99)
• Barbera Ciabot Camerano 1995 (Marcarini) Text-book stuff again - deft touch of oak, very drinkable. (8.99)
• Barolo Brunate 1994 (Marcarini) One of the better 94s - no attempt to make it what it isn't. Elegant wine drinking well now.
• Barolo Brunate 1989 (Marcarini) Traditionally made as always with no barrique ageing. Hard to spot as Barolo right now - perhaps it is slumbering. All the components are there in a tremendously well-balanced wine. Will be very good indeed.
• Moscato d'Asti dolce frizzante 1996 My favourite Moscato: fruity but very far from cloying. Delicious. (Interestingly, Marcarini's Moscato seems to survive a year or two in bottle.)

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28/11/1999 (TNB)

• Rioja white Reserva 1985 (Murrieta) Uncompromisingly old-fashioned, orangey, pleasant, if you like that kind of thing. I do, for a change!
• Champagne NV Extra Dry 250th Anniversary Cuvee (J&B) I think Justerini have done rather well with this inexpensive, fairly full-bodied offering. Not "brut", but not remotely cloying. Fairly heavily chardonnay, I would guess.

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The best of the Rhone vs California's 'Rhone Rangers' 27/11/1999 (RJB)

• Cotes du Rhone les Gramenons 1998 Jammy sweet nose. Good acidity and with a gentle sweetness that then finishes dry - a mineral touch at the end.
• Qupe Syrah 1997 Rather simple. Ripe and a jammy edge.
• Crozes Hermitage 1996, Alain Graillot Typical Syrah nose, and a touch of rubber. Overdone acidity and getting volatile with time in the glass.
• Mataro Bridghead 1996, Ridge Vineyards Good Ridge style. A bit short and with a mint and rosemary finish.
• Domaine de l'Hortus Grande Cuvee1996, Pic St Loup Showing more age than I was expecting, and a bit soft. Good though.
• Le Mistral 1996, Phelps Minty and New World sweet. The best of the Californian wines. Drink now.
• Gigondas Santa Duc 1996 Showing very well - good integration. a bit closed compared with a few weeks ago. possibly more
• Chateauneuf du Pape 1996, Domaine de Macoux Colour a bit orange - palate not together.
• Le Cigare Volant 1993, Bonny Doon From magnum. Colour surprisingly good - odd, meaty finish.
• Cline Syrah 1996 Dull and lacking generosity.
• Cote Rotie Brune et Blonde 1994, Guigal Not a great Guigal on this showing.

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25/11/1999 (TNB)

• Coonawars Cab Sauv 1988 (Petaluma) In good nick really - some cedaryness and while perhaps a bit soft it made up for this with some quite succulent almost Dolcetto-like tannins. A bit of a surprise that it was like this.
• Champagne NV Ultra Brut (Laurent Perrier) I was ready to be impressed by this semi-luxury cuvee from L-P, but it seemed a bit ordinary and chardonnay dominated. It gave the impression of being just ever so slightly unclean - so just possibly a dodgy bottle.

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17/11/1999 (TNB)

• Cantemerle 1991 I was overcome by a sudden curiosity as to what the 91's are like. Certainly this is lightish, reasonably elegant, but it needs a bit more flesh if its going to progress interestingly, I think. I suspect that it is too late to hope it is going to flesh out now.

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A tasting of wine to match game, 13/11/1999 (RJB)

• Pellion Pinot Noir 1998, Pipers Brook Vineyard, Tasmania Subdued nose, touch of stalkiness, but develops perfume with time. Good acidity, drink when young. Cherryish, a bit dilute. Best with the pheasant.
• Vina Ardanza Reserva 1990, La Rioja Alta A star wine. A gorgeous fragrant nose and a leathery sweetness. Balancing 'aged' acidity. Excellent mature wine. This coped well with the gamier food: hare and pigeon.
• Fontalloro 1990, Felsina Berardenga, Tuscany A touch gummy and a touch of menthol. Good gentle bitterness. Pheasant.
• The Faker Grenache 1997, Magpie Estate, Barossa Valley Big fruity stuff - liquorice. Excellent balance. Too much for the cold game on offer - perhaps needs richer food.
• Gigondas 1996, Domaine Santa Duc Good balance and a lovely sweet nose. Gentle leatheriness. Pigeon or venison.
• M de Gras Carmenere 1998, Montgras, Chile Quite stalky, but with reasonable fruit. Apparently Carmenere is a Bordeaux variety that is coming back into favour. But I wouldn't choose to drink it with game in this form.
• Chateau Meyney 1989 Ah! Lovely mature nose. Textbook old claret. Excellent. A pleasure to drink with any of the meats.
• Campbells Bobby Burns Shiraz 1997, Rutherglen Quite mentholly and meaty. Rather simple. None of the meats.
• Ridge Vineyards York Creek Petite Sirah 1995 Good colour, quite soft. Very ageworthy wine according to the producer. Lacks oomph at the moment. Duck or pheasant.
• Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives 1996, Lucien Albrecht From a half. Typical Gewurz. Good sweetness, but finishes a bit too easily. Went fairly well with all the meats.

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11/11/1999 (TNB)

• Erbacher Hohenrain spatlese 1969 (Deinhard) Still decently fresh; pleasant, mature fruit. No great length.
• Chassagne Montrachet Champgains 1995 (Neillon) Lovely rich yet elegant fruit and well-judged oak. Very, very good (as so often from this producer). Doesn't give the impression that a lot is waiting to emerge, so perhaps not a very long-term keeper.
• Grands Echezaux 1987 (A.F. Gros) Stylish wine, nice acidity (typical of the vintage). Probably for drinking in the next year or two.

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07/11/1999 (RJB)

• Charles Heidsieck 1990 Excellent medium weight wine with 1990 fruit, but not agressively so. Good balance.

  The whites:

• 1993 Pouilly Fuisse Le Clos M. Nous, Dom. Vallette Subdued nose, but good lees character on the nose. Really long good finish.
• 1989 Coteaux de Layon, Dom. des Rochettes Long sweet lanolin and marmalade finish - quiet on the nose. Lovely.
• 1985 Gewurztraminer Fronholzt VT, Dom. Ostertag Fairly simple, fading gewurz.
• 1997 Ladoix, Verget I thought this tasted more like Muscadet! Dry, salty and not much going on.
• 1996 Riesling Schonberg, Selig Dry, rather chenin-like nose. Spritzy.

  The reds:

• 1993 Charles Melton Nine Popes Medium aged, quite leathery syrah style. Finishes short and with a touch of volatility.
• 1995 Biale Petite Sirah Gummy oak feel to it, fresh fruit, big tannins. Good wine.
• 1992 Shafer Hillside Select Juicy northern Rhone (I put!), reasonable structure, needs a few more years.
• 1997 Fox Creek JSM Shiraz/Cabernet Subdued nose, good colour. Not that impressed by this.
• 1988 "Hermitage La Chappelle, Jaboulet Medium weight wine with a bit of age. A touch dry at the finish. Disappointing.
• 1987 Yarra Yering No. 1 Cabernet Cabbagey maturity and drying at the finish.
• 1987 Penfolds 707 Cabernet Sauvignon Lacking fruit and tarry.
• 1994 Mountadam The Red Medium age, lacking fruit at finish, tannins at the end.
• 1993 Bandol Cuvee La Tourtine, Dom. Tempier Big debate over whether this was corked or not! Certainly a dry mustiness to it. Probably unfair to rate it too seriously.
• 1997 Qupe Syrah Cherries and leather, but slightly unknit.
• 1987 Ch. Pichon Lalande Subdued claret nose - easy wine, but showing some signs that it comes from a classy producer.
• 1991 "Coteaux de Langedoc, Dom. L'Hortus A bit simple perhaps, but juicy and drinkable.
• 1997 "Condada de Hazo, Ribera del Duero Good colour, sweet fruit nose. Big and juicy and with leathery tannins. Showing more age than perhaps it ought to be.
• 1992 Maglieri Shiraz a touch volatile and unknit. Tannins.
• 1990 Yarra Yering No. 2 Shiraz Volatility and tannins - where's the fruit? (Fruit does make the odd appearance eventually)
• 1989 Ch. Pichon Lalande Big disappointment. Sulphury. Initially I didn't even bother to score it.
• 1969 Penfolds Grange (recorked) OK, so this is dying, but the nose was simply the greatest of the tasting - gorgeously sweet and mature. Signs that it is teetering on the edge with time in the glass, but wonderful to try. Easily
• 1992 Ridge Montebello Excellent colour, juicy and with an almost Italian-style bitterness.
• 1993 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon Gummy and juicy. Serious (too many?) tannins.
• 1997 Warrenmang Shiraz Excellent colour, but a dumb nose. Big wine, but has it got the structure?
• NV Tatachilla Sparkling Malbec Refreshing! This style is still my favourite end of tasting reviver.

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