SLDS Reunion Tasting

Bentley, Sydney, Australia
Tasted Saturday, August 6, 2016 by CamWheeler with 749 views

Flight 1 (2 Notes)

Flight 2 (2 Notes)

  • 2002 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 95 Points

    France, Champagne

    With an extra 8 months since I last tried this, it has started to give a bit more and become a better experience for it. Lemon, honey, floral notes, mineral, orange and ozone - snaps your attention towards it. The palate is pure and poised, with lovely brightness and energy. Linear at the moment, but if it continues on this trajectory it will be off the charts good.

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  • 2002 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Rare 90 Points

    France, Champagne

    Nettle, earth, lime, cherry and peaches. Initially the palate shows some upfront sweetness, but this richness is controlled by good acidity that pushes the wine into a good length finish. Bold and powerful, I would prefer a little more precision (especially from a 2002) but I still enjoyed this.

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Flight 3 (1 Note)

  • 1969 Marc Brédif Vouvray Collection 92 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

    Perfect light golden with green tinged colour. Orange rind, ginger, a little sweaty, passionfruit and a slightly herbal wasabi note - quite good interest to it. The palate is only softly sweet at this point but it really helps the overall composition. Very good length and a wine that worked really well with food, having the depth to stand up to other flavours.

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Flight 4 (3 Notes)

Flight 5 (3 Notes)

  • 2009 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti 97 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée-Conti Grand Cru

    Brighter in colour than the 2010. Surprising intensity as it bursts out of the glass immediately upon pouring, there are amplified notes of roses, cherry, five spice and distinct stalkiness - each time I come back to the nose I find more elements: musk and earth and plums. The palate continues with the sense of power and density with plenty of layers of lifted fruit, but at the same time it has a feeling of focus, verve and purpose. Superb texture and a line of spice interwoven throughout its length. Probably not the most typical Romanée-Conti given its larger proportions, but a sensational experience regardless.

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  • 2010 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti 94 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée-Conti Grand Cru

    More cloudy coloured compared to the 2009 Romanée-Conti. Definitely more subtlety here but it is still surely alluring - there is rhubarb, violets, redcurrant and musk. The floral notes show themselves more with time in the glass, but the nose remains coiled and as the night draws towards its close the wine tightens up even more. The palate is seriously good, the fruit is ethereal, with acidity that lifts the fruit and gives it even more depth. This wine is one for contemplation and patience, and a fascination contrast to the 2009 by its side.

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  • 1973 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

    Decaying autumn leaves, truffle, cherry cola, sandalwood and mint. The palate is settled and resolved, with good acidity propping up the structure of the wine. This is holding on really nicely.

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Flight 6 (2 Notes)

  • 2011 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze 93 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

    Slate, redcurrant, red cherry, raspberry and saffron. The palate shows off a brilliant balance of powerful fruit and nuanced depth. Flows with the confidence of youth, while still showing the structure that will give it the platform to mature. Excellent and much appreciated, but in a slightly different league to a stunning 2005 Rousseau Clos de Beze tonight.

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  • 2005 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze 98 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

    Bursts forth from the glass with an intensely lifted nose of cherry, violet, plum and raspberry. Beautiful power and precision with drive, focus and stunning persistence. Finely detailed and with sublime depth, this is a wine that would go head-on with any of the great wines I've been lucky enough to try thus far. Doesn't feel shut down at all, and while it will continue to improve, it is the kind of wine that you would feel privileged to encounter at any point in time.

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Flight 7 (2 Notes)

  • 1955 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva 88 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Pale coloured. Ash, boot polish, orange peel and VA, with some sultana notes in the background. Palate still retains a light touch of brightness, with acidity and the last remains of fruit and tannin. Holding on okay, but not all that complex or impressive when all is said and done. I held onto some in my glass for as long as I could, but it started tasting like it was falling away, so I finished it while I had the chance.

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  • 2008 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 97 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Given ~30 hours after double decanting, and it was certainly none the poorer for it. Olive, chocolate, raspberry, ash and redcurrant aromas. Palate has all the tannin structure that you would expect from this wine, but there is also a brightness and focus that really gives it life. Already feels like it has elements of complexity, with wonderful detail and texture. Has more than enough appeal already to enjoy in its youth, and an extraordinary future ahead.

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Flight 8 (3 Notes)

  • 1955 Penfolds Grange 98 Points

    Australia, South Australia

    90% Shiraz, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Bin 148A - a blend of Magill Estate/Morphett Vale, Kalimna Vineyard and McLaren Vale fruit. Level was very very high shoulder, cork was soaked through but came out in one piece.

    This is something special. Dark coloured, with some bricking only at the very rim. A nose of great complexity and intensity with eucalyptus, vanilla, chocolate, coffee, leather, earth, VA, blueberry and raspberry - I don't like to run with too many descriptors of aroma, but it is impossible to escape here as they just kept appearing every time I took another look. The palate is just as good, there is superb depth here, with a slightly sweet fruit element giving way to a savoury meaty character that feels perfectly in place. Fantastic balance and complexity, it barely moves with time in the glass, holding steady. Would have probably developed for another 10 years without too much problem. Wow.

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  • 1982 Château Beychevelle 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    Plum, undergrowth, cherry/kirsch, cassis and blueberry on the nose. The palate still has plenty of the ripeness that 1982 brings, the fruit definitely has a sweet edge to it, with good blanace through the fine tannin structure. Showing well now, but with more time on its side, this felt more complete and interesting than the 1986 Mouton that it was next to.

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  • 1986 Château Mouton Rothschild 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Graphite, musk, licorice and slate on the slightly closed down nose. The palate has nice composure, with a good balance of fruit and structure. There is a little bit of a lack of interest for me tonight, the complexity still has time to develop, but it isn't there yet. A wine that needs more time before it can show what it is holding back.

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Flight 9 (3 Notes)

  • 2010 Château Lafleur 96 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    62% Cabernet Franc, 38% Merlot. Very pretty and beguiling nose, there are swirling floral notes, cranberry, raspberry, wet stones, vanilla and plum - I found myself lost in smelling this wine more than once. The palate is delicate and stylish, I'm surprised and delighted by the restraint that this displays, allowing for the vast detail and purity to be appreciated even now in its very early stages. The best 2010 Bordeaux I've tried so far and it sets the bar incredibly high for any challengers that would like to step up.

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  • 1995 Giuseppe Quintarelli Cabernet Franc Alzero 96 Points

    Italy, Veneto, Vino da Tavola

    From magnum. Even darker in colour than the 2005 Alzero. Raisins, violets, blackberry, raspberry and a lighter but appealing meat element in the background on the nose. The palate is dense and concentrated, with plenty of sweetness but also punch and drive that gives it an outrageous sense of balance, given how monumental the proportions of the wine are. The alcohol never really showed through for me, and at 15% it definitely doesn't seem to be a defining character of the wine. A unique wine that demanded close attention even on a night filled with incredible wine.

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  • 2005 Giuseppe Quintarelli Cabernet Alzero 92 Points

    Italy, Veneto, Veneto IGT

    Lighter colour than the 1995 Alzero. 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot. Blueberry, a hit of plum and then cherry, herbal Cabernet Franc notes and some mint. The palate seems to have more power, there is a good tannic backbone and the fruit is dense and sweet (but not nearly as bold and sweet as the 1995). The acidity does well to push the wine along and keep things fresh. Approachable now and almost definitely not as long term a wine as the 1995, but should still develop positively over the next 8-10 years.

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Flight 10 (1 Note)

  • 2005 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 96 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    AP #08, 750ml, 7% alcohol. Superb nose with lifted floral notes of lilies then orange zest, apricot, mandarin and honey. The palate feels like the epitome of balanced Riesling, there is sweetness but it is taken over by a lightness and focus that sweeps toward the finish, giving it an element of purity and refreshment that is much needed at this time of the night. Long and very detailed, there is great depth even at the start of its development. A totally harmonious wine that will get even better from here.

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Flight 11 (3 Notes)

  • 2007 Molino Real MR Mountain Wine 88 Points

    Spain, Andalucía, Málaga

    Candied mandarin, apricot, coconut and grape essence. Fresh on the palate, there is a moderate amount of sweetness and while it has good length, it was a little bit left behind on the night.

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  • 1955 Fonseca Porto Vintage 90 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    Caramel and spirit, woody and cherry notes. The palate is sweet but has plenty of spirit to lift it. Medium depth, with plenty of that wooden character flowing through. Drink now based on this bottle.

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  • NV Chambers Rosewood Rare Muscat 96 Points

    Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen

    From 375ml. Lifted nose of chocolate, raisin, tobacco, toffee and ash. The palate is quite explosive and rich, with a viscosity that is just amazing to sip through. Despite how dense and powerful this is, there is a sense of focus that is much needed to carry this across the palate. A perfect way to end a night of stunning wine. My second encounter with this wine and one that I am happy to repeat any time I'm lucky enough to have the chance.

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