'Size Matters': Berry Bros. Magnum Tasting

Fun, informal Tuesday evening wine tasting at the Berry Bros. office with staff and around 25 customers

A bit of a disappointment for 4 wines priced at between Euro 420 and Euro 650 per magnum.....personally, I thought that 3 of them would have benefited from full or longer decanting.

• 1983 Château Léoville Las Cases 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Small pour from magnum double-decanted for 2 hours. Slightly dusky but transparent ruby. Nose is closed and needs lots of swirling. Real depth and linearity of fruit. Cedar shingles. Very linear. Palate is similar but slightly tart acidity. Very powerful indeed on the finish in the head but lacks weight.

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• 1988 Château Léoville Las Cases 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Small pour from a magnum opened but not decanted for 2 hours. Dusky but clean and semi-transparent ruby. Nose is more open than the 1983 but quite austere except for lovely cedar but sullen fruit. Palate is similar rainy vintage austerity but in a linear way I am partial to. Much Less length and resonance than the 1983.

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• 1990 Château Léoville Poyferré 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Small pour from magnum opened but not decanted (which I think was a mistake) for 3 hours. Almost transparent lambs blood. Nose is gosh.... lovely ripe fruit and sun-warmed cedar shingles. Not much earth. Palate is gorgeous but not quite as opulent as I have known it... fruit forward this time. Moderate length and resonance. Judged from when I last drank it 5 years ago (95pts), I think this is on its fully mature plateau.

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• 2006 Château Léoville Barton 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Small pour from magnum double-decanted for several hours. Still deeply translucent and almost purplish red. Very long thick legs. Nose is nicely accessible but still quite tightly-wound Classic St Julien -pencil lead and cedar stacked in a yard. Palate is lovely - inviting and fresh but semi-compote blackberry and blackcurrant. Good still young but relaxed tannic structure. Moderate length and power on the finish. A baby but very accessible for a young Leoville Barton

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Some real enjoyment here.....

• 2004 La Pousse d'Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Bousse d'Or 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  Small pour from a magnum opened for 2 hours but not decanted. Very light totally transparent lambs blood. Nose is quite high-toned and lacquered. Hidden depths of strawberries and sous bois but all lurking in the background. Palate is rather dried out, very earthy, interesting. Very harmonic and light but powerful resonance. Intriguing. But a bit green....which is the hallmark of the vintage. Good QPR for a Burgundy 1er Cru.

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• 2005 Vietti Barolo Brunate 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Small pour from a magnum double decanted for 3 hours. Transparent rusty red. Nose is rusty nails and iron filings with some hints of nail varnish, cold tar soap. Palate is light but muscular, good initial acidity but then mouth-drying red Piedmont dirt. Moderately but assertively resonant and reverberant on the finish....growlingly mounting resonance and a very long finale. Spans both tradition and new age effortlessly. This is really good! 93+

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• 1991 Bodegas El Coto Rioja Coto de Imaz Reserva 94 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  Small glass from an undecanted mangnum opened 2 hours prior. Totally translucent autumnal red plum colour. Nose is similar fresh but autumnal red plums, hints of woodsmoke and gunflint, the fruit gets fresher with time in the glass and it all gets more perfumed. Palate is richly medium bodied, ripe and very harmonious but with fresh acidity balancing the very velvety tannins. Very reverberant inside the head on the finish. My clear WOTN even though it was one-third the price of the next cheapest wine and one-eigth of the most expensive. Delightful. I would love to drink this with simple white truffle pasta.

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• 2004 Fattoria Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino 92 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Small pour from a magnum opened 6 hours and double decanted for the final 3. Semi-translucent beef blood in colour. Nose is less expressive than you might expect...if you chase after it you find rose water and cold black tar/asphalt. Palate is wow! Lovely fresh acidity on entry then super perfumed rose water and good but inviting tannic structure. Nicely resonant finish. I’d love to contemplate a bottle of this. 92 then got much riper and richer on a later pour... lots of licqorice stick and dried star anise on the palate. Definitely 92+

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My favourites were the 1991 El Coto - which was definitely the Cinderella of the evening at less then Euro 50 per magnum - and a split second between the two Italians.