The Medlar, London
Tasted Friday, November 11, 2016 by SimonG with 661 views
Mid garnet. Orange peel and coffee on the nose. A little mute on the attack and finish, but a bit more on the mid palate. Lighter and a little fresher acidity than the 904s. This fills out well in the glass after fifteen minutes or so and shows really well.****1/2
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Some discussion as to whether it was 904 or something else, possibly a blend, or even the Arana. I bought it described as 904, and indeed John Gilman suggests it is 904 and possibly a better selection of barrels that would normally have gone in to 890; note 890 was also produced in 73. Anyway, a similar mid garnet colour. Brighter acidity here initially. Relatively light through the mid palate. Finishes well and fills out in the glass considerably over approx. 30 minutes. Showing far more like the 904 now. Lovely. Richness with freshness. ****
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A denser mid garnet here. Denser on the nose too. Very coffee mocha. Smooth and mellow with a lovely mid-palate weight. Rounded. More weight than the Ardanza. Gorgeous. Grows in the glass. *****
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Dense, fairly full garnet. Lovely nose. Good acidity' bright with some red fruit. A touch of orange peel too. Puts on coffee ground weight. This might even have a hint of fruit. Horror! ****1/2
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Lovely fresh nose. Similar on palate. A touch of orange, but more about the freshness and line. Actually a little more weight and richness here as it opens, but doesn't develop in the glass as the 73/76 did. ****
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More refined on the nose. Similarly bright on the palate. Lovely. Balance between freshness/acidity and a touch of caramel. Lovely balance. Lacks persistence on the finish but lovely up to the mid palate. The lack of finish prevents it being absolutely top flight. ****
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Dense, red fruit, redcurrant. Harmonious. Bright. A little more savoury than its strawberry phase of a few years ago. A little shrill on the finish perhaps, but lovely. ****
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Darker and muddier. More sediment here. More savoury on the nose as a result. palate rather muddled by the fine sediment too. It hasn't survived the journey. Shame.
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Quite lush on the nose. This does have fruit. A touch of smoke across damson and plum fruit. Quite fat and leggy in the glass. Just a touch of VA on the finish. ***(*)
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Lovely. Brighter. Lush and fresh. Currently this is texturally wonderful but the mid-palate is a little tight. Needs time. All there for greatness. ***(*1/2)
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A bit muddy and muddled on the nose, but quite savoury and mellow. Cleans up a bit with air; quite a lot in fact. Nicely coffee ground with a touch of orange peel. ****
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A touch of VA acetone and polish but it blows off with air. Richness and a nice freshness to cut through it. Lovely. ****
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Half. An old sweet wine, vintage unknown, but judging by the bottle thought to be immediately post-war or thereabouts. Made as a sweet wine. Quite a full dull amber. A touch of caramel on the nose and some old bottle, bottle stink. On the palate this is a rounded and quite padded wine. The sweetness has faded and now manifests as a richness. Not hugely complex but very drinkable and hugely fascinating. ****
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NV La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva 88 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
A pre-1964 edition from when the vintage didn't appear on the label. Strange wax capsule. Possibly post war. Light to mid garnet. Great condition. Good acidity. Fills out in the glass. The usual trad mix of orange peel and old varnish — Victorian church pews. Fading a little, but showing well and a fascinating experience with plenty of interest. (*)**
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1964 La Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva 904 Flawed
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
A slightly muddy id to light garnet. Hugely acetone-led VA nose. Some sweetness on the attack but its pretty ropey. A pale shadow of a lovely bottle of this last year.
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