Phil's Birthday tasting

Popped over to Phil's with my Coravin and a few bottles of wines and he had a fossick in his cellar to dig out some stuff under cork for us to try with the aforementioned.
No real theme other than for him to try some Burgundies and Riojas and me to get my nose and mouth around some Wendouree's and an old sparkling shiraz...everything else as a peripheral bonus

• 1987 Seppelt Shiraz Show Sparkling Great Western

  Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Great Western

  Blackcurrant, blackberry, bretty stink, black cherries and some leather. The brett is more forward on the palate and the fruit very much present, as are drying tannins. the slight sweetness helps mask the alcohol warmth. with time it starts to show a little smoky aniseed as well.

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• 2009 Domaine Patrick Javillier Meursault Tête de Murgers Cuvée

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

  From Coravin. Slight butter, peach, cream, rich nose and similarly rich on the palate with butter, oak, honey and marzipan, the fruit a little muted. Arguably it's a bit overblown and blousy but I still think it's rather nice.

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• 2009 Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  From Coravin. Mineral, peach, slight stone fruit, a touch of pineapple, toasted notes, slight sulphur, citric tang. In the mouth that citric tang proves to be more lemony, stone and stone fruits are present as is a textured and tooled mid palate, toasted nuts join on the long finish. Yum.

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• 2016 Domaine Henri Rebourseau Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Fontenys

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  From Coravin. Blackberry, cherry, a little earthy and funky, spice and, with time, a touch of stalky herbaceousness. In the mouth it's juicy with medium plus intensity acidity, wild blackberry and plenty of talc textured tannic grip, that herbaceous note shows more on the finish. Time

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• 2008 La Pousse d'Or Corton-Clos du Roi

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

  From Coravin. Soy, meaty, savoury, a little menthol, muted black fruits, coffee, sour raspberry. Juicy medium plus intensity acidity, soy biscuit, softly textured tannins, coffee, muted fruit. Not showing as fruity as last time I tasted this. Hmm.

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• 1998 Les Cailloux (Lucien et André Brunel) Châteauneuf-du-Pape

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

  From Coravin. Farmyard, leather, volatile acidity, raspberries, a little asian five spice. Juicy, red fruit, spice, leathery tannins. The VA note not so obvious on the palate. Nice but also a touch of damp stink on the finish. Perhaps drink up now.

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• 1998 Château de Beaucastel Côtes du Rhône Coudoulet de Beaucastel

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

  From Coravin. Garrigue, mushroom, earth, sweet spice, the fruit, a little baked red over black, touches of tomato leaf. Juicy, silky but tight tannins, still with that baked fruit and the tertiary characteristics play second fiddle. Yum.

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• 1979 Domaine de Chevalier

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  From Coravin. Lovely pyrazine and red berries, a little toast and sweet spice, leather, clovely, slightly rocky/struck flint note. Medium plus acidity, muted silky tannic burr, again green notes with red berry, old, yes, but the tertiary notes are not so obvious on the palate. Okay.

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• 1985 Château Pavie Decesse

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  From Coravin. Blackberry, sweet plum, still that primary fruit backed by sweet spice, leather. Juicy, slightly oxidative notes on the palate, blackberry fruit, slightly course tannins are still present but very much in the background. Nice.

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• 2001 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  From Coravin. Vanilla, strawberry, jubey, slightly oxidised notes, a little bruised apple, tobacco leaf. Juicy, alcohol warmth lends spice, strawberry, tobacco leaf, that oxidised note here as well. Tannins are quite silky.

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• 2004 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  From Coravin. Vanilla, slightly meaty notes, strawberry fruit, a little blackcurrant underpin, tobacco leaf. In the mouth it's juicy, tannins are tight though the strawberry with that tiny blackcurrant underpin show through. Long, rather lovely, still quite primary.

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• 2005 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  From Coravin. Baked strawberry, the vanilla more subdued here, sweet spice, tobacco leaf, vanilla grows with time as does the tobacco leaf note. Juicy, spiced, still a bit young for me, strawberry fruit, tight tannins, yum but time.

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• 1991 Bodegas El Coto Rioja Coto de Imaz Reserva

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  from Coravin. Leather, earth, sweet spice, red berry, slight tobacco leaf, slight baked fruit. More of the same palate, a touch of raisins on the finish. Very nice.

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• 2004 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  From Coravin. Leather, red berry sweet spice, toast, a little vanilla, dried raisins and currants. More of the same on the palate with quite sharp acidity and drying, talc textured tannins. The fruit is joined by a little cream. Hmm, the acid is a little pokey for me on this occasion.

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• 2008 Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja

  From Coravin. Vanilla, sweet spice, red and blackcurrant, biscuit and a little green tobacco leaf note. Medium plus intensity acidity, juicy, more red berries here than currants, tobacco leaf again. This is, perhaps, a little green for me on the palate.

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• 1994 Viña Tarapacá Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva

  Chile, Maipo Valley

  From Coravin. Leather, earth, a little sweaty blackcurrant and a little green capsicum, toast. Juicy, medium plus intensity acidity, leathery chalky textured tannins, those herbaceous notes translate to the palate with a little blackcurrant. Nice.

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• 1996 Stanton & Killeen Durif Flawed

  Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen

  monstrously corked. FLAW

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• 2003 Cofield Wines Durif Quartz Vein

  Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen

  From Coravin. meaty, plummy, a little chocolate and vanilla, sweet spice almost violet top notes, a little blue berry. With time a touch of raisins and prunes as well as a touch of oxidation. Pronounced acidity is obviously adjusted, plenty of drying talc textured tannins, plenty of ripe fruit here as well but the acid throws everything out of balance. Ugh.

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• 2004 Cofield Wines Durif

  Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen

  From Coravin. Initially really reductive, a tiny little peppery note, plums, sweet spice and very slight green quality here as well. Pronounced acidity that I think has been adjusted. a little plums, coarse tight tannins, alcohol on the finish. Meh.

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• 2004 Fratelli Seghesio Barolo Vigneto la Villa

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  From Coravin. Pot pourri, dried orange peel, pretty, slight wild plums, almost a slight saline quality. Opens with time and shows more and more depth on the nose. On the palate it has juicy, medium plus intensity acidity, wild plum and pot pourri, wonderfully drying tannic grip coats the tongue but is in balance with the acid and fruit. Needs times and/or meat but shows promise. Yum.

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• 2003 Fratelli Seghesio Barolo Vigneto la Villa

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  From Coravin. Funky, slightly stinky farmyard, oxidised, caramel, prunes, volatile acidity, tar. The palate is positively porty initially, alcohol is quite jarring, then plenty of grippy tannins, there is a spirituous quality which puts me in mind grand marnier and plenty of volatility on the palate as well. Nah.

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• 1997 Wendouree Shiraz Flawed

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

  From Coravin. Initially closed and showing a little cork taint which grows with time. Blackberry and plum under this with black cherry, biscuit and sweet spice. Juicy acid, sweet black fruits with lovely tannins that grip and grab at the palate. Pity about the cork taint though. Bah.

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• 1998 Wendouree Cabernet Sauvignon Clare Valley

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

  From Coravin. Quite pyrazine and ripe blackcurrant, with time it gets earthy and leathery, still has an inherent primary richness and sense of power on the nose, a little cedar here as well. Medium plus acidity, tight tannins, the blackcurrant is joined by a little red currant on the palate as well as cedar and that pyrazine note which creates a woody impression the finish. Lovely in a riper style.

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• 2004 Wendouree Cabernet Sauvignon Clare Valley

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

  From Coravin. More jammy black fruit (again blackcurrant) than the 1998 but the pyrazine note is still present though far more muted, with time gets a little plummy. There is more sweet spice here as well; perhaps more new oak. Juicy acidity, tannins are massive; tongue grippy, drying, chalky textured & very persistent. The fruit is less jammy on the palate. Feels a little disjointed for me. Time should help.

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• 2013 Ashton Hills Sparkling Shiraz

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

  Slightly reductive initially then meaty, savoury black berry, slight sweet spice, quite a savoury nose. Creamy, rich mousse, plenty of acid offset and alcohol warmth, again savoury though ripe blackberry fruit is joined by talc textured tannins that have their grip reinforced by the mousse. Dry, rather lovely. A pleasant surprise.

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• NV Seppeltsfield Para Liqueur Port Bottling No 102

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  Walnuts, figs, sweet spice, cream, caramel, vanilla, slight rancio, orange peel, a little cherry and raisins with time as well as a meaty, slightly funky undertone. Interesting and complex nose. In the mouth it's rich, dense, a little coffee and wood joins the nose aromas in the flavour profile. Long. Lusciously sweet, alcohol warmth with a little VA enrichment to the acidity to help keeps things fresh. Dangerously quaffable.

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Couple of corked wines (boo), touches of VA etc on some of the older wines but generally a lot of very nice wines and a very very pleasant time. Also managed snaffle a plate of beef cheeks and boiled spuds thanks to Phil's wife so...result!