Back Vintage Wine Night

A lovely back vintage wine night where all 4 wines showed clearly the beauty of time and its effect on fine wines.

• 1986 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Pop and poured. Drank over 2 hours.
  Appearance is clear, medium intensity, garnet colour. Legs.
  Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of capsicums, tobacco, tea leaves, earth, and sweet red and black cherries. Developed.
  On the palate, dry, medium acidity, medium alcohol, silky smooth medium- tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of capsicums, tobacco, tea leaves, earth, sweet red and black cherries, red plums. Long finish.
  Very good quality. Over the course of the 2 hours, the capsicums and tea leaves initially were more prominent, receding at the 1 hour mark, allowing the sweet fruit to exhibit itself. By 2 hours, the fruit was fading already and capsicums dominated. Nearing the end of its life and long run. Drink up.
  The 1986 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Bella Oaks I drank last year was much better. This bottle had no vineyard indication on the label.

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• 1999 Giuseppe Quintarelli Rosso del Bepi Veneto IGT 95 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Veneto IGT

  Aired in decanter and drank over 2 hours.
  Appearance is clear, medium intensity, ruby colour. Legs. Lighter colour intensity than I expected.
  Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of sandalwood, smoke, sweet earth, dark red cherries, redcurrants. Developing.
  On the palate, dry, high acidity, high alcohol (15%), fine medium+ tannins, full body. Pronounced flavour intensity, bursting with sweet fruits - dark red cherries, redcurrants, red plums, and earth and smoke. Exceptionally long lingering finish.
  Very very good quality, even though this is a declassified Amarone produced in average vintage years. Palate is very elegant and nicely integrated. Could still develop a bit more tertiary notes over the next 3 years. A joy to drink now anyway.
  55% Corvina and Corvinone, 30% Rondinella, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, Croatina, Sangiovese.

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• 1982 Delas Frères Cornas Chante-Perdrix 95 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  Carefully poured into decanter and drank over 2 hours. Lots of coarse sediments left behind in the bottle. Initially quite tight, only opened up after 30mins of air.
  Appearance is clear, medium intensity, garnet colour. Thin legs.
  Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of mushrooms, earth, leather, smoky savoury meat. Developed.
  On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium- alcohol (12%), medium tannins with just a hint of grip, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of mushrooms, earth, leather, savoury meat, and fruit that is still alive - blackberry, black cherry, dark plums. Long finish.
  Very good quality. I was surprised by my own wine. A Cornas from a good maker can indeed age well. Drinking at its peak now. Drink up by 2-3 years' time before the fruit dies.

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• 1995 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli 95 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Poured into decanter and drank over 2 hours.
  This was really very tight initially and needed almost the full 2 hours before it began to show itself.
  Appearance is clear, medium intensity, garnet colour. Legs.
  Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of earth, soy sauce, slight mushroom, horse saddle, used leather. Developing.
  On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium+ alcohol, firm medium+ tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of savoury earth and meat, worn leather, sweet ripe red cherries, red plums. Long finish.
  Very good quality. Nice Brunello, drink now with long aeration time in decanter. Otherwise, keep for another 5 years before re-exploring. No hurry to drink this up at all.

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