A private tasting

Thirteen of us gathered round the table at my home for a merry evening of Pomerol and Port, with some interesting extras. Le Bon Pasteur 2001 was the surprising winner among the 14 Pomerols and Fonseca and Dow shared first place in the Vintage Port section. But is was the Burgundies who stole the show...

• 2014 Camel Valley Pinot Noir Brut Rosé 90 Points

  United Kingdom, England, South West, Cornwall

  I already like it better than I did in June of this year; the nose is very attractive with red berry fruit and a nice hint of Pinot Noir spice, and the palate is light and fresh and elegant, with clean and pure flavours and better integration of the dosage than before. A perfect aperitif on a sunny evening in late summer.

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• 2014 Camel Valley Bacchus Darnibole 90 Points

  United Kingdom, England, South West, Cornwall

  Very similar to my previous note, but perhaps not as tight on the finish. A lovely Darnibole.

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• 2004 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Corton-Charlemagne Quintessence 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  JD thought that a bottle of CC would go very well with our home-cured salmon, and I happily obliged. Deep and rich and powerful, especially for a 2004, rich and concentrated, still youthful but with some tertiary evolution, lemon curd, slightly salty minerality, well integrated new oak, good length. Completely intact on the second day, at peak and with time in hand.

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• 2000 Château La Pointe 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Tasted blind. Mature but lively appearance; classic claret nose, cedar and gravel, lovage; quite dry and skinny on the palate, slightly fragile and metallic, fresh, light and dry finish, good length. A decent wine, but feels much older than 2000.

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• 2000 Château La Grave a Pomerol Trigant de Boisset 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Tasted blind. Warmer style than the previous wine, Cabernet Franc noticeable, slightly riper and juicier fruit, cream and spices, again a bit metallic on the palate, slightly edgy acidity, bright tannins, good length.

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• 2000 Fugue de Nénin Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Corked.

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• 2001 Château Le Bon Pasteur 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Tasted blind. Good depth and nuance, beautiful nose, classic Pomerol, flowing style, ripe and sweet fruit, spice and truffle, black tea, medium weight, well-integrated creamy tannins, lovely balance and length. Intensity and finesse, attractive, excellent.

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• 2001 Château Latour à Pomerol 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Tasted blind. Lacks depth on the nose and on the palate, quite dry and even skinny, very developed but closed at the same time, paprika and grass (88). A second bottle from my own cellar was fresher and livelier, with better fruit, but still decidedly in the drier and lighter part of the spectrum (89). Both not as convincing as the bottle tasted in 2016.

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• 2001 Château La Conseillante 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Tasted blind. More depth than the previous wine, but the tannins are quite dry and give the wine a clenched feel; good expression on the nose (crushed red berries, truffle, blonde tobacco), medium bodied palate, pinched on the finish. I have tasted this wine seven times now and there seems to be a lot of bottle difference.

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• 2001 Château Gazin Pomerol 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Tasted blind. Fabulous nose, the sexy elegance of Pomerol personified, warm and rich, meat and truffle, slightly bloody, soft but firm, green touch on the finish, very good length.

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• 2001 Vieux Château Certan 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Tasted blind. Quite closed, all about finesse, not easy to assess right now, balance and energy are exemplary. Maybe a bit on the light side? It's certainly no match for the 2000.

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• 2001 Château Hosanna 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Tasted blind. Classic Pomerol, finesse and elegance, red berries and truffle, quite tannic and extracted but well balanced, energetic, powerful, very good length.

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• 2003 Château Hosanna 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Tasted blind. Quite warm and rich and spicy on the nose, with a burnt edge, but it does not lack freshness on the palate, good body, good stuffing, has sève, the tannins are fiercely drying however, umami and liquorice finish. Needs food.

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• 2001 Château L'Eglise-Clinet

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Tasted blind. Evolved nose, meaty and a bit bloody, burnt character with unripe tannins, lacks stuffing, clenched and dry finish. Long but tough. Not a good bottle? Not rated.

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• 2003 Château L'Eglise-Clinet 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Tasted blind. Not completely clean on the nose, deep but slightly oxidative, opens up well in the glass, chocolate, coffee and tar, raspberry, tannic, soy and cabbage finish. Strangely, this holds up very well over two days in the open bottle, and seems to only become fresher. Puzzling.

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• 2003 Château La Fleur-Pétrus 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Tasted blind. Roasted but well balanced, dried flowers, relatively elegant, fresh, powerful and tannic. Not very expressive.

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• 2003 Château L'Evangile 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Tasted blind. Quite a developed colour, pruney nose, powerful yet fresh palate, elegant and rich, juicy but firm tannins, light flavours, lovely balance, relaxed style, hard finish but good length.

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• 2001 Château Mont-Redon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 90 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Magnum. Mature, juicy Grenache fruit, autumnal style, leathery tannins, good length. A decent CdP, fully mature even in this larger format.

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• 1990 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT 91 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Magnum. Very classical, cedary, claret-like style, firm tannins, restrained but not austere, fully mature but energetic after 27 years, black tea finish, good length. No end in sight in this format (still fresh after two days in the open bottle), but there is no reason to wait either.

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• 2005 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Tasted blind. Magnificent, classic, beautifully expressive, very youthful, I identified this wine correctly, but I guessed it was the 2010. Captivating stuff.

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• 2005 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru

  Tasted blind. Elegant and refined, fragrant and pure, immaculate precision and finesse, powerful and concentrated but almost weightless, poised and firm like a ballet dancer, silky texture and tannins, long and linear. Beautiful, quite sublime actually. Very good now, many years ahead of it.

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• 1985 Kopke Porto Vintage Quinta São Luiz 92 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Tasted blind. Beautifully refined, silky and fresh, complete and relaxed, medium weight, gentle tannic grip, candied fruit, good concentration, attractive hint of nutty evolution, Grande Champagne finish, good length. Stylish.

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• 1985 J.W. Burmester Porto Vintage 90 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Tasted blind. Stalky nose, juicy and elegant palate, medium-sweet, cherries and milk chocolate, beautifully resolved tannins, slightly hot finish. Nice wine with a rough edge.

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• 1985 Churchill/Graham Porto Vintage 91 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Tasted blind. Fully mature colour, little red left; not too sweet, gentle tannins, vestiges of red berry fruit, spices, delicate style, pure and fresh, boudoir powder, good length. Lovely wine, but very developed for a 1985.

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• 1985 Warre Porto Vintage 91 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Tasted blind. Deep and spicy and quite powerful, fresh and well balanced, but it does not seem to have a lot of fruit left, autumnal, light and hot finish. Will dry out. Not as good as the bottle tasted in 2015. Provenance issues?

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• 1985 Graham Porto Vintage 92 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Tasted blind. Mature but lively appearance; sweet Graham style but not luscious or rich, cedary nose, good fruit and freshness, rounded, well integrated tannins, spicy finish, very good length.

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• 1985 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage 92 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Tasted blind. Deep and rich and spicy like the previous wine, fully mature as well, but the stuffing of juicy fruit is better, bright and fresh, milk chocolate and spices, energetic tannins, good length.

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• 1985 Quinta do Noval Porto Vintage 89 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Tasted blind. Light colour, pale and bright, fresh and a bit hot, cherry stones and almonds, off-dry, light body, hint of citrus, green apple on the finish, good length. A particular style, not unattractive, but lacks gravitas.

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• 1985 Fonseca Porto Vintage 93 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Tasted blind. Rich and spicy nose, powerful and youthful for a 1985, drinking well but needs more time to develop its characteristic exotic complexity, has freshness and balance, elegant and refined, firm grip from ripe tannins, touch of heat on the finish, very good length.

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• 1985 Dow Porto Vintage 93 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Tasted blind. Rich and sombre, mature colour, deeper than the Fonseca; warm spices, quite tannic, lively and concentrated, dense and masculine style, the most powerful of all the 1985 VP's tasted today. Long life.

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• 1983 Lequin Roussot Bâtard-Montrachet 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

  After all this Pomerol and Port, JD felt like white Burgundy again and this time he asked if there was any Bâtard around. So what do you do? Full yellow colour, deep and mature but lively; remarkably fresh and pure (this wine is 34 years old!), slightly lactic, hint of honey, fresh and oaky, tart lemon, has lost most of its fruity stuffing, resinous finish, very good length. Perfectly intact on the second day, no rush. And still going strong on day four. Oh, the miracle that is called sulphur!

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• 1976 Weingut Schuster-Weißenborn Ungsteiner Osterberg Huxelrebe Trockenbeerenauslese 93 Points

  Germany, Pfalz

  Deep and rich amber colour, Alpine herbs and flowers and honey, full-on sweet but with a lovely balancing freshness, subtle bitters, energetic for a 41 year old non-Riesling sweet wine, really powerful and concentrated, does not excel in nuance or finesse, but an impressive TBA all the same (92). What was left in the bottle (about 1/4 - 1/3), remained in the fridge until 16 September (!) and was quite intact when I retasted it. The Ricola notes had receded a bit and there were lovely flavours of dried fruit, honey and figs. I think I liked it even better than on the day when it was opened and this will clearly last for decades to come (93).

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