David Pope's 60th

Medlar, London
Tasted Friday, February 24, 2017 by SimonG with 444 views

Flight 1 (1 Note)

Flight 2 (6 Notes)

  • 1998 Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon Single Vineyard Lovedale 92 Points

    Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

    Mid to full straw.waxy lanolin nose. A hint of creamy vanilla too. Quite floral. Positive attack, quite light and even a little dilute on the finish, but the nose and the front end keep building and evolving. Really quite engaging.puts on weight and starts to show honeysuckle and acacia notes. Too dilute / abrupt on the finish for greatness, but this is endlessly complex and fascinating. ****

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  • 1987 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 93 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Proper old Tondo furniture polish nose. Rich, typically oxidative. Good depth and nicely waxy. Body and oomph here too. This has evolved and improved since tasting at the bodega in 2010. ****

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  • 2001 Weingut Willi Bründlmayer Riesling Zöbinger Heiligenstein Flawed

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal

    Old vines. Dense, slightly musty nose. A touch of Riesling but this fits in well alongside the Tondo. The mustiness developed to corkiness both on the nose and the back of the palate. Shame.

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  • 1997 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune 94 Points

    France, Alsace

    Deep gold. Surprisingly rich nose with the sense of a good dose of RS. Quite padded through the mid palate, again surprisingly so. Finishes dry, but still quite rich. Keeps growing in the glass. Firms up on the nose after an hour or so to seem a little less rich. Power and complexity. Super. ****1/2

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  • 1991 Remoissenet Père et Fils Le Montrachet 91 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru

    Mid gold. Slightly cheesy, Ampeau-esque nose. It opens up and cleans up though, and there's a hint of depth here. Rounded with a touch of honey on the finish. A pleasant drink, but not really Montrachet, but after a couple of hours this has filled out further, become far more complex and interesting with more floral aromas and flavours, warm butter and some mineral grip. Really quite attractive. ****

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  • 1990 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc 93 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

    Mid gold. Depth and bite here. A touch of wax, lanolin, savoury and quite chewy. Nuanced. Some almond blossom notes emerging. Lots here. Turns a bit volatile after an hour or so. ****

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Flight 3 (10 Notes)

  • 2012 Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py Flawed

    France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon

    Slightly curious nose. A bit mute. Takes a long time to coax and strawberry fruit out of it. Muddy and atypical though. There's something not quite right — the lack of sulphur hasn't done this any favours. No.

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  • 2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904 94 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Double decanted four hours in advance. Bright red fruit, a touch of vanilla and a dusty complexity. Good underlying acidity. Plenty here, and shows good complexity as it continues to open over an hour or so in the glass, but this needs another decade. ***(*1/2)

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  • 1983 Château Margaux Flawed

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    Very muted. Not much on the nose let alone any great fragrance. Slightly herbal, dry. Richard is convinced it's corked, but if so it's not not woody corked, but certainly stripped / muted. Doesn't get worse though, but substandard in some way. Huge shame.

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  • 1991 Ridge Monte Bello 92 Points

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Slightly lactic, quite deep fruited. A savoury edge. Nicely dense fruit. There's plenty of interest here. Lovely. ****

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  • 1998 Denis Mugneret Père et Fils Richebourg 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru

    Savoury nose. Some discussion about whether it's reduced, closed or just not particularly good, but with a bit of coaxing there's some nicely sweet fruit with a good dose of sous-bois. Ultimately it is disappointing for the appelation. ***1/2

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  • 2008 Rhys Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard 93 Points

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Slightly savoury, dark red fruited nose. Dry on the finish. Very densely glossy front end. Curious this one, slightly betwixt and between at the moment. Slightly awkward phase but lots of promise. **(**)

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  • 1995 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 95 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

    Dense raspberry, slightly smoky with lots of white pepper. Poised and precise. Long and complex, this is beguiling and effortless. Very Chave and very lovely. *****

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  • 1981 Penfolds Grange 90 Points

    Australia, South Australia

    Very dense and floral nose. Approachable but still a little foursquare. A padded monolith. Does exactly what it says in the label, but I think Imwant a bit more nuance and less heft even if the fist is in a velvet glove. Develops a curious sawdust nose after a while. ***1/2 for me but your mileage may vary.

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  • 1996 Giovanni Manzone Barolo Riserva Le Gramolere 91 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Sweet-fruited nose. Very floral. Some volatile lift developing. Faculties tiring by this stage. ****

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  • 2004 Gianni Brunelli Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Flawed

    Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

    Badly corked and not poured.

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Flight 4 (1 Note)

Flight 5 (1 Note)

  • 1970 Graham Porto Vintage 93 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    Sweet, mellow, slightly herbal. Nicely resolved. I like Graham's. Could probably have done with a bit longer in the decanter to round out a little more, but this is lovely. ****

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