Associates' Forum Wine Dinner
Sean Ballington's Home, Great Falls, VA
Tasted Monday, August 19, 2013 by grayfont with 489 views
Introduction
Sean was kind enough to invite a group of wine-interested associates for a tour of his cellar and a terrific tasting featuring a wide variety of wines including (as always!) some real winners from his native South Africa.
2000 Kenwood Merlot Yulupa 85 Points
USA, California
tart red fruit, dry and chalky, a little rough in the mouth. not really over the hill, just not that good.
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2000 Raymond Merlot Reserve 87 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
softer and rounder than the 2000 Kenwood Merlot tasted before it. some smoke, dry, medium finish. drink up.
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2001 Thelema Merlot Stellenbosch 87 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
a little heat on the nose and palate, plum and cherry notes, intense drying tannins. I think this can still go a few more years.
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2000 Mederaño Ribera del Duero
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
mute on the nose, faded in the mouth, where is it? NR as I think this bottle was a bit over the hill. old, and not in an elegant sort of way. Drink up if you have this in your cellar.
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2005 Domaine Paul Autard Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée La Cote Ronde 93 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
stylish, with sweet red fruits and a long peppery kick on the finish. Got better once it had been open a while - definitely wants a nice long decant.
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2000 Château Bel-Air Lussac-St. Émilion 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lussac-St. Émilion
nice, soft, fully mature - features leather and a touch of vanilla. very well enjoyed. A bargain at $20 and very much in its window right now.
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2001 Château Montet 87 Points
France, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur
a bit muted on the nose, with fruit on the palate at the high-pitched end of the range. Not a great match for my palate but I can see the merit and some would love this. med-long finish.
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2004 Nederburg Shiraz 88 Points
South Africa, Western Cape
mouth-melting power, especially after tasting all that merlot. thick, viscous... this stuff could be rocket fuel.
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2007 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Estate 92 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
delicious. soft mouthfeel. still way too young for me - tannins still very prominent - I think this will be extraordinary starting around 2016. 89 now, 92 for potential.
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2009 De Toren Fusion V 91 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
Had been decanted for 10 hours prior to tasting. The most powerful wine in the tasting; could smell it with the glass almost at full arm's length. Would probably benefit from quite a bit more age. Still quite enjoyable - especially if you like your wine a little rambunctious. This is a caged beast of a wine.
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2002 Peter Lehmann Clancy's 86 Points
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
high pitched and a little harsh. blackberry, bramble, a little bit green? (A very unusual note in a shiraz...)
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2007 Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 91 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Peninsula, Constantia
quite lovely, but for me this is a little bit of an all-nose all-star. (Nose suggests a score even higher than 91.) Smells like heaven. Honey, faint apricot, some green apple and caramel on the palate. mouthcoating. Lovely.
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