CT London Event

This was one EPIC event. Great company, and a seemingly endless flow of ridiculously good wine. We had people streaming in from different parts if the world. What a great way to end a great holiday in France and the UK. Thanks to all who made it, especially Pjaines, Toby and Bryan for pulling it all together. Kudos for J2K for flying all the way from the States and to Colonel Lawrence for being himself.

Standout here for me was clearly the Taittinger - an absolutely lovely Rosé. The pair of Moets also surprised me with their quality.

• NV Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Claude Moet 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Brought by Pjaines' father-in-law. According to him, this is given to regular customers of the house and is not available commercially. Great pity. It was excellent Champer. Completely different sylistically from the Dom Perignon that followed, but really good in its own way. Lovely nose showed some maturity, with red apples, yeast and a touch of toast. Nice rich mousse on the palate, which attacked with a mini-explosion of apples, some mineral notes and little touches of herb - thyme I thought. Lovely balance throughout and, again, the maturity showed - it was all very nice and round moving into a pleasantly dry finish with a slightest hint of bramble. An excellent way to start off the mother of all wine gatherings.

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• 2000 Dom Pérignon Champagne 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  I thought this was showing really well. Very clearly DP styled. A little tight on the nose at first, showing its youth maybe, but opened up to show very expressively, with lovely chard tones of sweet apples and melons, a touch of yellow flowers, a little musk and some bread. Palate was quite a bit sweeter than the Cuvee Claude Moet that preceded it, almost bursting with fruit - I got green apples and cherries. Lovely integration though, with a nice focus and a little minerally backbone. Nice long finish too, with more sweet fruit, again the green apples and cherries, before it tailed off to a tightly wound mineral and yeast finish. Could have done with a touch more complexity and structure, but it was very nicely balanced and delineated.

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• 2002 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Rosé Brut 94 Points

  France, Champagne

  This was truly excellent. Beautiful colour a shade between salmon pink and onion skin. Nose was gorgeous. No overt raspberries or cherries, instead, it was almost like walking through a dry woody undergrowth, with an earthy air wed to touches of herb and a touch of yeast. Bead seemed a little large, but it still had a lovely, lithe mouthfeel. Maybe a touch of alocohol on the initial attack, but that gave way very quickly to pinot flavours of cherry and bramble, with a dry, stony mineral backbone and lovely mouthwatering acidity. Really, really long on the finish, which just kept unfolding with layers of cherries, raspberry cream and whiffs of flowers. Absolutely delicious.

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• NV Roger Brun Champagne Premier Cru Brut Rosé 89 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

  Not bad at all, but it was always in a tough spot having to come after the excellent Taittinger Comtes Rose. Much deeper in colour - this was a deep cherry pink. Nose was somehow what you would expect from the colour - dominated by cherry flavours, sweet, slightly stewed in fact, with a touch of brambly earth. On the palate, a rather muscular feel, with sweet cherries again dominating. A touch too sweet maybe? Almost a touch of cherry syrup there. Finish was long, with an inetresting smoky note and some mineral. All in all, rather simple, but nicely balanced champagne.

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Really interesting vertical from Toby (if I remember correctly). Very interesting wines, chockful of personality. All blanc des noirs if I am not wrong.

• 2000 Roger Brun Champagne Cuvée Des Sires La Pelle 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  Did not quite know what to make out of this Champagne at first actually. Very idiosyncratic, full of personality. After a few tries, I think I really like it. Nose was choked fill of umami characters with meaty chicken, foie gras scents along with a rim of yeast. On the palate, really rich, almost heavy, with more chicken stock with a hint of slate. Medium length finish, with more savoury notes and the mineral reasserting itself at the very end.

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• 2002 Roger Brun Champagne Cuvée Des Sires La Pelle 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Not quite as heavily brooding as the 2000, I actually really liked this. Nose opened with attractive caramel and toffee tones, with whiffs of dried figs and caramelised apples underscored with the umami accents that came across in each of the other vintages. I thought this had better balance than the 2000 on the palate as well, with a juicy acidity adding relief to rich flavours of smoky toffee, apples, chicken stock and the lightest touches of mineral and funk. Juicy green apples rounded the wine off. Very nice, again very idiosyncratic, and I can only imagine it soaring when paired with a nice meaty poutry dish.

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• 2004 Roger Brun Champagne Cuvée Des Sires La Pelle 90 Points

  France, Champagne

  Like the other two vintages we tried, lots of mouthfilling mousse. Nose again had that idiosyncratic touch of umami. Almost cider like at points, very rich, some chicken meat scents and a touch of cloves. Lots of acidity on the palate, but it was so rich, almost overwhelmingly so, that the acidity did not really stand out. Again, apple cider flavours along with heady, meaty savoury tones. Medium lengthed finish, but with tons of power and lingering layers of flavours. As with its older siblings, Something very different, and certainly not a champagne for the fainthearted.

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My first taste of Silex. Not everyone liked these, but I absolutely loved them. The 2006 was my white wine of the day.

• 2004 Didier Dagueneau Silex 93 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé

  The pair of Silex really split the opinion across the room. I really liked them though, especially the 2006. This vintage was no slouch either. A very powerful nose. You can tell the Sauvignon Blanc on it, but it is worlds away from the ubiquitous Marlborough, or even South African or Australian efforts. It was perfumed, with dried herbs mingled with warm grassy tones - like walking through a summer meadow with flowers in bloom. Lovely richness on the palate as well - flowers and grass, daffodils I thought, with a rim of spice and crossing the mid-palate, an absolute explosion of ripe guava notes. Great packaging also, with fresh acidity giving a delicious juicness that was nicely woven and integrated into a round, rich palate. Long finish, with powerful grapefruit and pomelo fruit and a hint of lime complementing the guava.

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• 2006 Didier Dagueneau Silex 95 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé

  I personally thought that this was absolutely outstanding. Incredible nose, with sweet melons (Japanese rock melon for anyone who has ever tried them), guava, pomelo and bits of dried grass, along with pinpricks of spice, touches of herbs (oregano and rosemary?) and a little bit of creme caramel even. Gorgeous. Palate was deep and profound, a world away from your run-o-the-mill SB. I got raspberry cream on the attack, the ripest gooseberries, and then strawberries in cream at the midpalate - all giving an incredible lush sweetness without ever seeming confected. Incedible. Handwritten notes say "wow!". A liitle mineral, some spice, and then on to a long, long finish that showed more melon, some musk and an absolute explosion of preserved guava that just lingered for about forever in the mouth. A glorious wine.

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• 2008 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Graham Vineyard 87 Points

  New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

  This was put side-by-side with a couple of Silex from different vintages. Talk about bringing a knife to a gunfight. I think this wine was never that good to begin with in the first place though - one whiff, one sniff, and the wine literally screamed "GRASS!!' It was hard to get beyond this after that point. To be fair, It showed some gooseberries and sweet grapefruit on the palate and pleasant dried herbs on the finish. Decent balance, good freshness. All in all though, a little mediocre, even when seen in the context of Marlborough SBs.

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Very interesting flight. The Zierfandler was one of the great surprises of the say. A smashing wine, but one that I am unlikely to find in Singapore at the moment.

• 2007 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Ried Steinertal 92 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  Obviously lots of stuff going on, but not exactly showing well at the moment. Nose started out a touch smoky, with a little soil, some minerality and then cream fraiche accents together with whiffs of green apple. Palate had a prickly acidity, with cherries in cream, lemon curd and greener notes of gooseberries at the midpalate with a touch of spice rounding things out. Mouthwatering on the finish, which was long and smoky with a rather surprising unfolding of apples and pears as the wine opened up quite dramatically at its tail. Needs lots of time I think. In its youth, I found the wine a world away from the German rieslings that we normally drink or their Alsatian cousins. I do need to try more Austrian rieslings.

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• 2007 Stadlmann Zierfandler Mandel-Höh 93 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Thermenregion

  My first ever Zierfandler and, boy, was this ever impressive. Beautiful, expressive nose of apple tart, ripe lemons and lemon curd, a slight toastiness and a whiff of sweet musky pear, almost shading into peach tones. Palate opened with a touch of smoke, and then pears and apples and some stone fruit enfolded withing a lovely, creamy textured mouthfull. All very complex and rich right into the powerful and very long finish which showed more smokey notes and tons of mineral. Almost like a cross between a Chard and a Riesling. Lovely and very interesting wine.

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• 2007 Stadlmann Rotgipfler Tagelsteiner 88 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Thermenregion

  Not bad, but absolutely paled in comparison to the Zierfandler. Toasty nose, with accents of old wood, soil and some white fruit. Decent balance on the palate, with pale, sweetish apple tastes. Okay finish as well, with a touch of gooseberries. Nothing wrong, but nothing outstanding. A simple, rather pleasant tipple.

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Two great white Burgs, along with an interesting CdP that I brought along from Avignon.

• 2005 Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet 92 Points

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

  Very, very young. Obviously cut from good cloth, but rather overshadowed by oak at the moment. Nose showed lots of sweet oaky notes - toasty caramel, cereal, a bit of crushed beetle - all very sweet and creamy, with an underpinning of earth, spices and cloves and, buried even deeper, rich underlying fruit. Much the same on the palate. Tons of rich white fruit, apples I thought, with the rest being a little indistinct. With time, I got smokey notes, along with nutty flavours and slatey mineral. Plenty of power here balanced by great juicy acidity, but all and sundry were a little buried beneath a layer of oaky butter and cream, especially noticeable just before the long finish where the nuts and minerals reasserted themsleves.

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• 1999 Domaine Jean-Claude Bachelet et Fils Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet 93 Points

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

  Might have done this a little injustice by coming back to it after some reds, but this was a lovely wine. Karen certainly scored with the 1986 Montrose (which I thought was one of the best reds on show) and this bottle. Nose had a little touch of aged Burg funk, follwed by buttery and creamy notes tumbling along with almonds, sweet pears and melons and a touch of flowers - all very deep, rich and inviting. Laser-like focus on the palate. Again, sweet melons, pears and apples, with tons of minerality underlying the lovely fruit and great mouthwatering acidity. Almost a little tart at points, but with the depth of concentration and complexity in this wine, the acidity was certainly needed to scuplt it and maintain the lovely sense of delineation and balance it had. Good length on the finish as well, with the wine resolving in a gentle melt-away of nuts and ripe lemons. Long, long way to go with this one, but I am glad we got to try some. Delicious.

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• 2004 Domaine Monpertuis (Paul Jeune) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 90 Points

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

  Interesting blend with plenty of Clairette. Bought the last available bottle from Paul Jeune's "Vignerons Rebel" shop in Avignon to tote down to the CT gathering. This came highly recommended. Truth to be told, I was a little disappointed at first, it started out rather big and alcoholic. This was up against two very good Grand Cru Burgs as well! After some time though, it really begin to show a whole lot better. Slight oxidative notes on the nose - I got soy, chicken stock and a touch of figs, along with toasty, smoky notes and a touch of cigarette. Interesting palate. When it pulled together, it showed a nice cleaness and balance with flavours of beeswax and cloves along with some mineral. Nice finish too, with cereal and biscuit flavours wrapped in a nice, round mouthfeel. Very decent, full of personality.

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Wish we had more - but still, not a bad little selection at all

• 2002 Chanson Père & Fils Beaune 1er Cru Bastion 87 Points

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

  Drank at the tasting, I thought this was very disappointing for a 2002 1er Cru. Nose showed a touch of soil, sweet cherry fruit and some crushed beetles and varnish tones. Very extracted, modern style on the palate, with firm rubbery tannins and smoky oak notes wed to gummy cherry and ripe strawberry fruit. Nicely balanced, but pretty simple style for all that extraction. Finish was decent, with some perfumy accents and a touch more of the varnish. Not altogether unpleasant, but certainly not showing too well amongst the many smashing bottles we had. Glad to see from Khamen's note that it improved significantly with time.

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• 2001 Domaine Amiot-Servelle Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  Bought this solitary bottle from Christian Amiot at the domaine and carted it along to the CT gathering. Apart from the finish, which showed a little touch of rot, I really enjoyed this - both the quality of the vintage and the vineyard shown through. Earthy, soily nose, with mushrooms, plums and dark cherries along with typical perfumed wilted flowers. Just a whiff of alcohol at first, but that blew away quickly. Where the wine shown was from the attack in the mouth to the mid-palate. Clean, fresh acidity gave life to concentrated flavours of strawberries and cherries and more of the lovely Chambolle flowers. Beautiful balance on this one, showing both delicacy and power and plenty of charm. Quite a bit of length on the finish as well, which had a touch of dried wood and, as mentioned, just that bit of rot. Get past that and the wine lingered nicely in the mouth with a dusting of powdery tannins and long, lingering poutpourri accents. Very nice.

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• 1988 La Pousse d'Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Bousse d'Or 92 Points

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

  Treetops' magnum. Nose opened with a little whiff or varnish and a touch of funk that took a little while to blow away. When it did, it showed tons of flowers, a lovely damp soil accent, sweet truffles and almost port-like spiced-cake and plum tone along with lifted orange peel notes. Gorgeous, heady stuff. Very Pousse d'Or, very aged Burg, and showing plenty of Volnay characteristics. I thought the palate was rather tired and dried out at first, with dry tannins, sourish acid and that little rim of funk the outstanding features. Came back to the wine an hour later though, and it had completely transformed. Throwing of that robe of dry, tiredness, it had put on lovely old Burg characters of rich damson plums and tons of Volnay strawberries along with a lifted bramble hint. Finish was nice and long as well, with more orange peel, some spice and, when tailing off, just that little hint of dry, woody tannins. Can probably keep a little while longer, but that dry touch at the end, very reminiscent of quite a few 1988s, suggests that this should probably be drunk around now or in the next year or so, preferably with some food - a nicely grilled magret de canard would be just nice.

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The 1976 Tondonia was one of the stand-out wines of the afternoon. Brilliant, with the 1985 not too far behind

• 1976 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 95 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  This was quite, quite stunning on the day. Orange brown colour showed its age, but it was alive and kicking in every other respect. Incredible nose that I could just have smelt all day. Rich plums, dark berries, rich earth and mushroom tones and a port-like dried fig note. All very lush, warm and rich. But it was on the palate where this really shown. Pure seduction - figs, prunes, dried cherries, orange peel, sour plums, haw flakes and spice, all dancing around in a complex movement with lots of fresh acidity. Silky smooth, great clarity and elegance, great balance. Was this ever alive! Beautiful length on the finish as well - more figs, lingering dried fruits and little whirls of tempranillo tobacco smoke. Charming and seductive to the end. This was as beautiful, developed and complete as an aged Rioja can get.

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• 1970 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 91 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Still enjoyable, but clearly on its last legs. Lovely nose - soil, haw flakes, a touch of plums, some orange peel. Palate was really starting to tire. I got more orange peel flavours, some dried figs and a nice cherry tone, but this all got a little short towards the finish which came across as rather volatile. There was a charming linger of dried fruit right at the tail, but that disappeared very fast. This would have been great in its prime. Am glad that I got to enjoy some of it before it rode off into the sunset completely.

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• 1985 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia 94 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Excellent. If anything, this might be even better than the 1976 come its time. Beautiful nose. Very rich, heady stuff, with a gorgeous melange of mushroom and earth, deep dark fruits, bramble and a little metallic mineral note. Palate was equally exciting. Dried figs, preserved winter melon and dried plums, more of the familiar haw flakes flavour at the mid-palate and a flush of musky cherries as the wine moved into a long finish replete with orange peel, earth and toasty spice notes with little smoky highlights. A beautiful wine. It's moving into a very good place right now, but should be even better in another 5 years' time.

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• 1996 Bodegas Muga Rioja Gran Reserva Prado Enea 89 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

  Rather disappointing after the trio of LdH Tondonias. Sweet prunes on the nose, wed to savoury preserved sour plums and orange peel. Pretty decent. Palate was rather one-dimensional though. Clearly extracted, with rather chunky, drying tannins, sweet cherries and plums and tons of spice, to a point where I was not too sure how much of it came from the tempranillo and how much from the oak. Rather drying finish - dried plummy flavours, dried wood, and some smoke. Decent wine, but I expected rather more.

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I found this flight rather tiring - lots of fruit, lots of extract, quite a fair amount of tannins as well

• 1994 Bodegas Alejandro Fernández Ribera del Duero Janus Gran Reserva Pesquera 89 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Another big reputation wine that came across very disappointing. Nothing very wrong about the wine I guess, but I just did not "get" it. The flavour profile was unlike any other Ribera del Duero or in fact, any Tempranillo based wine I have ever had. Nose was rather high-toned, with a touch of crushed beetle, violets, plums and sappy cherries. Pretty promising. Palate was really unusual though (although somewhat said unusual was a kind euphemism). Tight and very woody, with sparkly acidity, tightly-coiled, slightly rustic tannins and a whole lots of cherries underneath. What was most striking though was a rush of pain grille or over-toasted bread and roasted walnut flavours that just came flooding in from the mid-palate into the smoky finish. It more or less overwhelmed everything else that was going on, giving rise to a whole host of puzzled looking faces at the gathering. Flaw? Idiosyncracy of wine-making? Not quite sure what it out of it. Apart from that, a decent wine. But the strange flavours were so distracting that it was difficult to get away from them.

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• 2003 Bodegas y Viñedos Alión Ribera del Duero 91 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Performed a touch better than when I had it last year. Very nice nose - dark and smoky, with cigar and pepper notes along with sappy dark cherries and fragrant spice frills. Palate was still a little primary, dominated with sweet, sappy cherries and spice with more of the cigar smoke billowing about. Very modern, plush and smooth, but very nicely balanced. As Pjaines said, this wine is all about plesaure. Finish had good length, closing with a flourish of toasty tobacco and smoke. I think some time would help to round the wine out and give some complexity.

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• 2003 Bernard Magrez Toro Paciencia 89 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Toro

  Certainly a well made wine, but not my favourite style - lots and lots of oak on this. On first sniff, the nose more or less shouted "Kahlua!" at me. Toasty coffee notes dominated, with some dried earth and dark fruit that mingled underneath the oak accents. Lots of sweet oak on the palate as well, very toffee-ish this time. A lot of quality on the fruit though, with sweet cherries and tons of tempranillo smoke wrapped in tight tannins. Finish was every bit as smokey as the nose and the attack. Lots of concentration, decent balance, plenty of depth. However, I suspect this will take many, many years to emerge from its oaky shell. I personally find it a bit difficult to discern its character at the moment.

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• 1998 Fattoria Petrolo Galatrona 90 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Very big, modern style. Well-made, but where was the Tuscan touch in this? Nose was rather lovely, and clearly Merlot - plums, spice, earthy soil and bramble. Palate was much bigger than expected though, almost hulking in its puckering, chewy tannins wed to rich plums, prunes and smoky notes. So much richness that it was almost overwhelming. It got a bit cleaner and more focused from the mid-palate and into the medium-lengthed finish, which had lots of concentrated fruit and mouthcoating tannins. Balance is there, fruit is there, structure is there, so I think this wine will do well in time - but it does need a whole lot of time though.

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• 1990 Fattoria Selvapiana Chianti Rùfina Riserva Bucerchiale 87 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Rùfina

  I think this had dipped over-the-hill. What a pity. The wine obviously had really good material. Just barely enjoyable now, with a port-like nose of figs and soil. Palate showed quite a few signs of oxidation, with sweet, porty flavours of dried fruit and sweet cherries mixed with bovril notes. Finish was dried out, with some dried fruit lingering spicily at the back of the palate.

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Big thanks to Colonel L for bringing these. Great chance to taste through a vertical. Strange thing though - the wines (especially 1997 to 1999) were stunningly similar. All well-made, but all rather simple, marked with tobacco leaf and sweet cassis. The 2001 was the stand-out for me

• 1997 Viña Almaviva S.A. Almaviva 91 Points

  Chile, Maipo Valley, Puente Alto

  Dried cedar wood on the nose, a touch of bramble, tobacco leaf and damp earth. Rather old-worldlish I thought, but the palate was anything but. It attacked with a rush of sweet cassis and then resolved into flavours of spice, tobacco and smoke. Tannins were very fine, but I thought the acid could have been just a little higher. It finished decently, it just a little too leafy, with more tobacco and sweet cassis notes. Simple but very well-packaged, this was clearly a well-made wine, with plenty of concentration and flavour.

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• 1998 Viña Almaviva S.A. Almaviva 91 Points

  Chile, Maipo Valley, Puente Alto

  Stunningly similar to the 1997. Tobacco leaf, cigar smoke and cassis on the nose. Sweet cassis, a whole lot of it, and bramble on the palate. Not quite as concentrated as the 1997, or as plush, but I thought this had a better balance with slightly more acidity. This gave the wine a nice sense of cleanness, especially into the finish which showed a touch more cassis and a whiff of cigar smoke. Again, simple but well-made.

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• 1999 Viña Almaviva S.A. Almaviva 91 Points

  Chile, Maipo Valley, Puente Alto

  This was one of a set of triplets with the 1997 and 1998. Lots of tobacco leaf on the nose, along with sweet cassis and damp earth. If anything, the bouquet was just a little more powerful than its predecessors. Pretty nice. Palate was sweet but well-balanced, with a soft round texture uopn which floated the familiar sweet cassis flavours. There was an interestingly savoury touch of red meat in there as well though. Nice length on the finish, with very assertive tobacco flavours popping up again.

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• 2000 Viña Almaviva S.A. Almaviva 91 Points

  Chile, Maipo Valley, Puente Alto

  Finally, a bottle that was slightly different from the other vintages. Not necessarily better, but the difference was certainly welcomed. Nose had more complexity to begin with - damp earth, highlights of minty menthol, a nice fragrance in its cigar like notes and some tobacco, although not as leafy a variety as the earlier vintages. Decent balance on the palate, which displayed sweet cassis, some leaf, bramble, cigar and puffs of smoke moving into the long finish. Like the other bottles, certainly well-made, but not brilliant.

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• 2001 Viña Almaviva S.A. Almaviva 93 Points

  Chile, Maipo Valley, Puente Alto

  Neither as fine as the last bottle I had or as middling as the first one I ever tried. However, this was still far and away the best vintage on show. Nose showed damp earth, mint and menthol highlights, a touch of iodine, savoury meaty notes, pepper and lots of lurking dark fruit. Very nice, and certainly more understated than the previous bottles. The palate also seemed to have more elegance and a more sculpted structure and mouthfeel. Sweet cassis flavours mingled with tobacco and mocha notes. Superb balance throughout. Finish was nice and fresh, with still tightly wound tannins giving shape to the wine and a final linger of smoke and savoury meat.

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• 2002 Viña Almaviva S.A. Almaviva 91 Points

  Chile, Maipo Valley, Puente Alto

  A bit more developed than when I first has this last year. Nose had the typical leafiness, but there was an interestingly savoury beef jerky note on it, as well as tobacco smoke, bramble and hints of dried dirt. Palate was marked by sweet cassis and more leaf. Simple, but quite nicely rounded, balanced and rather complete. Finish with another puff of smoke. Again, a well-made wine.

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How did the 2000 Pichon Baron get squeezed in here? It was an excellent claret, certainly deserving to go head-to-head with the very best from the next flight

• 2005 Viña Santa Rita Triple C 90 Points

  Chile, Maipo Valley

  First of 3 wines served blind in a guessing game. Shocking accuracy for all three wines from the crowd assembled. This was actually rather pleasing. Funky nose, with earth and wet leaf, wed to sweet notes of cherry and cassis and then some cream soda and leaf. Palate was very modern - smooth tannins with a little grip, plush, well balanced, with a touch of smoke, more sweet fruit and quite a slash of green peppers at the mid-palate. I guessed a pretty high proportion of cab franc and camenere on this one. Tannins were a little more assertive on the medium-lengthed finish, which had a touch more smoke. A drink with quite some quality.

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• 2000 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Very, very nice - we all spotted the quality immediately when it was poured. Lovely typicity too, with Khamen picking it up as a 2000 Pauillac from the nose alone. A dark colour in the core still. Lovely, stately nose with a touch of toastiness, menthol, tobacco leaf, pepper and deep, dark cassis. Fantastic balance on the palate. Clean acidity and firm but well-formed tannins provided a sculpted frame for more deep cassis tones seasoned with some capsicum. There was a lovely, creamy texture on this wine, but all underscored by a firm, muscular backbone. Plenty of power all round. Nice long finish too, with a touch more tannins and a sprinkle of spice. Very good indeed. Still rather closed right now, but everything is in place to make this a real smasher in time to come.

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• 2004 Garlands Shiraz 87 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Mount Barker

  Clearly new world. But I was a little surprised when this was unveiled as a Shiraz. Sweet cassis fruit on the nose, earth, plums and a savoury umami tone. Palate showed more typical blueberries and spice. Very sweet though. Finished a little shortish with a touch more spice. Simple wine this. Nothing wrong, rather quaffable I guess, but certainly not very good either.

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Probably the best all round flight. Helped that there were many claret fans in the group, but the wines were splendid all round

• 1996 Château Haut-Brion 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Drank from an absolutely ridiculous double-magnum carted to the CT event by the good Colonel. Archetypal Graves. Gorgeous nose, all rich and plush with damp earth, sweet plums and cassis notes, spice, cloves and undergrowth. Palate had telltale 1996 richness. Concentrated dark berries and currants, some cigar smoke, tobacco and pencil lead. Beautiful balance throughout though, with fine tannins and lovely freshness. Great length on the finish, a touch of spice, more tobacco, rich cassis fruit and a rim of earth, all lingering on and on in the mouth. Very complete, plenty of depth and power (except maybe at the finish) and great balance. This was a textbook wine that showed clear vintage, terroir and Chateau character. Just lacks that little extra something at the moment to push it over the cusp to greatness. A lot of time left in this yet though. It may well get there.

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• 1995 Château Lynch-Bages 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Another wine en magnum. This will probably never be as great a wine as the 1996 Haut Brion, but was certainly more developed and ready on the day. A very nice Lynch Bages indeed. Toasty nose, very masculine, with soil, sous bois and a touch of animale. Lots of pwoer hinted at also, with deep fruit tones like plums and leafy cassis tones just spilling out of the glass. Very wow. Palate was a little less expressive, but still pretty impressive, with clean juicy acidity and mouthcoating tannins holding up gummy black fruit and smoky tobacco flavours. Finish was oh so long and well fruited, with more pure cassis tones just pulling away in the mouth. Very good indeed.

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• 1986 Château Montrose 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  This pushed the 1976 Tondonia, 1985 Clos des Papes and 1994 Grange very closely for the WOTD crown. Drinking at its absolute peak right now and a fine example of how good an aged claret can be. Another very "wow" nose. Deep, aromatic and warm, with cedar wood, leaf, a touch of comte cheese, toabacco, green pepper and the faintest hint of flower. So very complex and developed. Palate was every bit as complete. Balanced and round, with melted powdery tannins sliding like velvet through the mouth, just caressing the palate with deep dark and lovely fruit. This has just the finest and most round and complete structure imaginable. Lots of richness and concentration too, all the way onto the very lovely and resolved finish that showed more dark fruit, some stewed tea, tobacco, herbs and a sprig of mint. Not the most complex of wines on the palate, but incredibly lovely on the day. Could not have asked for more from this wine.

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• 1986 Château Léoville Barton 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Very classic Barton, but surprisingly tight and youthful, even backward, especially when compared with the 1986 Montrose that I had just before. Deep soil and tobacco leaf nose, some smoke and a touch of savoury, umami meat. Pure, crystallined cassis fruit on the palate. More smoke, some mineral and another touch of meatiness. Very fine balance and structure indeed, but simpler than the Montrose at the moment, even to the point of being rather primary still. Finish was medium-lengthed, with a touch more tobacco leaf. Very nice, but needs some time to unfurl.

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• 1988 Château Lagrange (St. Julien) 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Nice, but like my previous experiences with old Lagrange, rather underperforming for a wine of its status. Nose showed soil. earth, a touch of leaf and a little barnyardy touch. Mush the same on the palate. Tobacco, spice and some meat layered over good dark fruit. Finish had a nice linger of meat. Good balance, plenty of concentration, but it came across rather simple for a 21 year old wine.

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My first experience with a whole lot of top-end Cali Cabs at the same time. A great experience too - some of the wines were just outstanding

• 1978 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Another wine that was close to the end of its life. We caught it just at the cusp though. Fading fast, but still lovely on the day. Brickish brown on the rim, the wine still had a truly outstanding nose. Pencil lead, dried earth, little mushrooms, lifted truffle notes and a touch of stewed meat, all wrapped up in an incredibly harmonious, heady mixture. Palate had fine, melted tannins and a very resolved structure with sweet cassis on the attack and plenty of gummy fruit moving into the mid-palate suggesting quite a bit of life left. It plummeted rather alarmingly at the finish though, quickly moving into dried prunes and vine leafs, all about drying out. This wine was clearly on its last legs, but it sure was great while it lasted.

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• 2001 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Interesting contrast with the 1978. Both great wines, one on the way down and this one on the way up. Still needs some time though. Very deep, powerful nose, with notes of earth and soil, spice and dark, dark fruits. Lots of richness on the palate as well, with plum and dark cassis tones showing plenty of power. Good thing there was a great sense of structure undergirding all that, with powdery tannins giving good grip. Finish was mouthwatering, with some spice and menthol notes. Very nice, and will certainly get even better with time.

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• 2000 Joseph Phelps Insignia 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  A very nice wine with lots of stuffing in it - I think this is absolutely bursting with potential. Nose was rich with toasty oak, black peppercorns, bramble and lots and lots of dark fruit. Clearly extracted palate, with mouth coating but very fine tannins adding a very strong sense of structure of rich plums and cassis flavours. Lovely balance in spite of the great fruit weight though. I was very impressed. Lots of fruit at the finish as well, which was long, very long in fact, and powerful to the very end. An excellent wine.

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• 2002 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Another very good Cali Cab even though I am not too keen on the styling of the wine. Toasty oak on the nose, all rather rich and heady, with lots of sweet dark fruit underneath and sprinkles of spice above. Sweet, perfumy palate, with just tons and tons of blackcurrant and a little smoky oak. All very nicely resolved and balanced though, it just a little too sweet for my tastes. Finish was a tad shortish for all the power on the palate, but it had a nice linger of rich fruit, coffee and toffee notes. Very good now, should be even better with time as the oak integrates and the fruit tones down and develops complexity.

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• 2004 Turnbull Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  This was what I had in mind as a typical mid-range Cali Cab. The bottle was kindly brought by J2K to let us experience just actually. Sweet nose, lots of plums and cassis and a little bit of alcohol. Palate was sweet as well, very well fruited with lots of currants and cherries a touch of cream soda. Decent balance though, and quite well-shaped all the way to its decent, smokey oak finish. Not bad, but it was in tough company with the excellent Bords and Cali Cabs at the same table.

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Some lovely wines here, with an incredible 1994 Grange at the top of the pile

• 1994 Penfolds Grange 96 Points

  Australia, South Australia

  This is what all the fuss is about. An absolutely knock-out wine, possibly the best Aussie Shiraz I have ever had. Nose was screamingly perfumed. Poutpourri flowers, a touch of crushed beetles and latex so typical of aged Aussie Shiraz, deep, deep blueberries and lifted dark fruit tones. Stunning, complex and beautiful. Lots and lots of power on the palate. Sweet plums and prunes, dried figs and blueberries just bursting in the mouth. Yet for all that exuberance and power, it also showed beautiful structure and great balance with very fine-boned tannins and clean acidity. What moved this wine from excellent to great though was the finish. It was unbelievable. It just did not end, on and on it went, with perfumed flavours of poutpourri, prunes, berries and touches of menthol and eucalyptus just tumbling on and on in the mouth. Possibly the longest finish of any wine I have ever had. Astounding. A real treat this one, and truly outstanding even coming at the end of a whole afternoon of great wines. WOTD, just pushing aside the glorious 1976 Tondonia.

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• 1999 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Oh so tight right now, especially coming right after the stunning and overtly expressive 1994 Grange. Tight and shy nose, dominated by a nice roasted meat tone, with plenty of deeply buried dark fruit and a touch of flowers. Palate showed a little more. Blueberries, pepper, meat - almost a new world richness to it, but it all did seem a little hidden under the beautiful structure and balance of the wine. Nice depth on the wine, given the clean 1999 lines, but far too young at the moment. Same thoughts on the finish as well, with the fine-boned, slightly mouth-coating tannins being the outstanding feature. Lots of quality, but I would lay of for another decade at the very least.

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• 1985 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 94 Points

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

  En magnum. Another glorious wine. Any other may have been swallowed up by the 1994 Grange on the same flight, but this more than stood its ground. Beautiful nose, with rich ripe cherries, pomegranates and earthy garrigue and spicy pepper notes. Not for the first time in the afternoon, my notes go "wow!!". Great, great balance on the palate. Rich and very concentrated with lovely stewed cherries and cherry liquer tones, but ever so elegant and beautifully poised with lovely acidity and silky tannins. Finish was every bit as clean and round as the rest of the wine. Not the lengthiest, but very resolved, with melted tannins and a lovely spiciness. Lots of life left on this, but already singing when I tried it.

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What a way to end the day. Much thanks to Toby for these two fascinating fortified wines

• 1937 Domaines et Terroirs du Sud Maury 94 Points

  France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Maury

  Wow! on the nose. Rich cherry liquer, chocolate, spiced fig cake and treacle. Gorgeous palate as well, this was alive and kicking and, in fact, even singing. Gloriously too, especially for a 72 year old wine. Sweet raisins, dried figs and sultanas filled the mouth in a wonderful resolved way. Finished with a touch of spice and a linger of raisins. Not quite as racy or structured as the 1955 Banyuls we had next, but oh so very charming and seductive. Very, very lovely.

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• 1955 Domaines et Terroirs du Sud Banyuls Grand Cru 93 Points

  France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Banyuls

  Another superb old fortified wine. Rich nose, replete with raisins, liquered cherries, a touch of mushroom and some mahogany wood. The palate was richer and more mouthfilling than the 1937 Maury we had alongside, with lots of dried figs and deep cherry flavours. Very deep and concentrated, yet impeccably balanced with clean and lively acidity. Nice long finish with a final kiss of dried figs rounded the wine off. Truly excellent but perhaps just lacking the subtle charm of the older Maury. No doubt this has plenty of time to develop still.

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Phew. What a day! And I know that I must have missed a couple of wines at least, a Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle 1er Cru and a bottle or three of Canadian Icewines amongst them. Still though, this was a knock-out event with a brilliant, eclectic mix of wines. Cheers to all the wonderful people who made it possibel