New Year's Eve (In memory of Charlie Trotter)
Eketahuna, New Zealand
Tasted Tuesday, December 31, 2013 by Marc with 581 views
Introduction
Tartare with avocado and lemon oil
Seafood sausage with sage and peppered pineapple vinaigrette
Rabbit rillettes in crispy phyllo with oranges and olives
Roasted cherry tomatoes with smoked trout rie, agria potato puree and shallot vinaigrette
Rabbit loin with pea risotto, black trumpet mushrooms and basil
Venison with mole and cashew nut vinaigrette
Verbena ice cream with berry fruit and black pepper tuiles
Warm tamarind soup with lemon and mandarin sorbets and kiwi fruit chips
NV Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut Réserve 89 Points
France, Champagne
(New bottle style) - biscuity rich well balanced acids. I was expecting more from this wine which was certainly excellent but felt like it needed a little more freshness and froth.
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1997 Delamotte Champagne Blanc de Blancs Millésimé 91 Points
France, Champagne
Caramel aromas, reasonable bead - considering the age, well aged - clean acid very long and modulated - reminds
me if a dessert wine in some ways excellent body. This was a great match with a salmon amuse with lemon oil - it rode over the avocado component beautifully.
Stemmy complexity and herbal - certainly outstanding and a champagne that has aged to grace and considerable interest.
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1996 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spätlese 95 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Some SO2 noted - beautiful preserved lemon nuance with a
dill nose. The palate is gorgeous - sprightly, beautifully aged and super bright with medium sweetness. This finishes dry on 7.5% alcohol This has an incredibly complex
nose with cool climate notes. Great clarity. A touch of kerosine. I love how complex and involving the wine is while at the same time how light and delicate it appears. This is great wine.
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1999 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain 93 Points
France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru
Deep gold with white pepper notes. Absolutely massive wine in the mouth (14%) - alcoholic finish
- caramel - very mature - line peel / bitter orange palate and nose -
some residual sugar - phenolic bite on finish. While the wine only sports 7 grams per liter sugar - the high alcohol makes the sugar
feel stronger. Steely power. Outstanding (and huge) and showing all it is going to show...
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2008 Eden Road Chardonnay Tumbarumba 83 Points
Australia, New South Wales, Southern New South Wales, Tumbarumba
Light straw/ hints of yellow /mineral chard nose/ high acid finish :
some oak / slightly unresolved - still very young. Out of balance.
Lean. vaguely in the style of Kumeu River but not in the same
league.
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2008 Apsley Gorge Vineyard Chardonnay 73 Points
Australia, Tasmania, East Coast
Straw gold / melony lifted oak/ volitile. In mouth, hard finish -alcoholic- quite prominent oak - very alcoholic 15.3% medicinal flavour - very hot. This is a hot mess of a wine and quite frankly I should be giving it below 70 points except that it doe have a certain power about it.
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1989 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage Blanc Chevalier de Sterimberg 87 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Stewed apple. Very old. Aldehyde. Cinnamon notes. High alcolic finish.
Possibly aged too long. Smells varietal. Possibly thinning out and as a result the
alcohol is peaking out. May be cracking up slightly. However, in the end, I
warmed to it immensely - it is old school heritage that is fading
gracefully and is both true to its terroir and varietal.
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1992 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon 88 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Large scaled, roasted nose with varnish, oak and a slightly disconcerting tawny port note that speaks to oxidation. On the plus side, the wine offers attractive plummy molasses nuance which is rather attractive. Very very earthy notes.
Tawny port aged quality in mouth, which in this bottle is fully or past fully resolved. Slightly over the top and monolithic tonight. This bottle is slightly past it with the tawny
noted. In its day (or possibly with pristine bottles) this should be
outstanding. It is certainly possible that the grapes were picked too ripe. Bad cork a likely reason behind the
slight advanced age (hopefully). My previous bottle (drunk in 2009) did not display these advanced characters.
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1993 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Rich black plums, classy oak - rich complete black olive.
Sweet entry, a point - great acid balance vibrant complex. Very
tannic. Dried flowers in the manner of Barolo in the end. An excellent Californian with superb fruit ripeness - drinking well and very concentrated and focused.
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1985 Château Cos d'Estournel 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Still feels very young - classic cedar new oak. Some green aspects add to
the linerality if the wine. Will drink well for years. Classic claret. Herbal, light on its feet and beautifully fragrant. To be critical,
it is slightly simple and the fruit feels ever so slightly under ripe but the classic cedar notes add to an exquisite experience. Great to taste a beautiful Cos before they turned towards the very ripe style of today.
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1998 Château Angélus 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Buttermilk and dense plums on the still slightly unevolved nose . Great
texture - plush and perfect proportion. Has a bit of an earthy edge on
the finish. Acrid finish. 94+ points - plenty of upside potential on this floral beauty.
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2002 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Hengst 93 Points
France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru
Massive nose of late harvest Gewurtztraminer with botrytis, lime peel and minerality. In the
mouth, lush back palate, spicy, sweet and opulent finish with an
alcoholic kick. Serious wine that is massive and possibly slightly out
of balance but impressed with its power, complexity and nuance.
Finishes complete. Close to a vendage tardive in style.
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1998 Albert Mann Pinot Gris Altenbourg Sélection de Grains Nobles Le Tri 94 Points
France, Alsace
Sugar levels are 185gl/litre with 100%botrytis - rich orange gold- concentrated apricots . Walnuts, honey,
va. - essence of pg and botrytis. Crazy complex, crazy concentration,
crazy sugar. A great taster said it was "like eating icing instead if cake"... Surprisingly good
balance for its sweetness.
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