Wine Icons tasting with Sarah Ahmed/Oddbins Fine Wine
Alba Restaurant, London
Tasted Thursday, October 7, 2004 by IanL with 1,268 views
Introduction
Varied tasting of icons (mostly from slightly 'off' vintages) however nicely illustrative, thought provoking and with some wines coming to the fore that might not have been expected.
Flight 1 - Flight 1: The palate cleansers (3 Notes)
It was a close-run vote for favourite wine of this flight - the Batard slightly edging it over the Beaucastel by 13 votes to 12. 2 votes for the Dom Perignon, which may have been unduly harsh as it does need lots of time in bottle.
Flight 2 - Flight 2: Old-world Bordeaux (2 Notes)
Mouton was the unanimous favourite of the two, the Cheval showing poorly against the more complex and powerful 96 Mouton.
Flight 3 - Flight 3: New world blockbusters, old-world innovators and an incongruous La Chapelle (4 Notes)
The Grange just blew people away, clear wine of the night. Very very nice, but was left with question marks over the longevity of 100% shiraz versions of Grange versus their traditional blends. Showing really well now.
1998 Peter Michael Les Pavots 91 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley
Deep, back purple core with a narrow, ruby red rim. Big, distinct legs. Intense fruit nose comprising griotte cherries, ripe blackcurrants & cassis, plum, toffee and a hint of minty eucalyptus. On the palate, some quite ripe but astringent tannins, concentrated cherry notes, fleshy black fruits, liquorice, coffee and caramel. Powerful but fine.
[From a difficult, El Nino year. 50% new french oak. 14.5% abv. 79% Cab Sauv, 12% Merlot & 9% Cab Franc]
[Sir Peter Michael owns the hotel and restaurant, the Vineyard at Stockcross, Newbury at which vast verticals of this and other californian wines can be found]Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
1997 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle 89 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Deep, dark ruby core with a wide garnet rime. Quite subdued on the nose with savoury notes of red pepper, tomato plants, leather and griotte cherries. Smooth on the palate with firm tannins and complex notes of leather, pepper, liquorice, minerals and ox blood. Slight spritz on the finish - a touch green?
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1999 Penfolds Grange 97 Points
Australia, South Australia
[Fermented in stainless steel vats then aged for 17 mths in new American oak] Deep black/purple core, tiny purple rim. Intense, complex nose with notes of leather, farmyard, cassis, griotte cherries, violets, smoky vanilla and a touch of eucalyptus. On the palate, a powerful fruit flavour with ripe, rich and mouthcoating tannins. High acidity and alcohol, but well balanced. Further notes of mint, concentrated plum and blackcurrant. Very focussed, Excellent. Clear wine of the tasting.
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2001 Bodegas Roda Rioja Cirsion 94 Points
Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
[100% tempranillo. Only 8 months in barrel. 14.5%] Incredibly deep purple with a narrow medium-purple core. Quite a subdued nose, despite the obvious massive extraction. On the nose, notes of ripe griotte cherries, cassis, marzipan, rosemary, tar and wine gums. Mouthcoatingly ripe, rich velvety tannins melding with quite dry flavours of plum, cassis and spice. Nice.
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Flight 4 - Flight 4: A drop of sweet wine (1 Note)
A drop of yquem to finish us off and pair with the blue cheese on the buffet that followed the tasting.
1996 Château d'Yquem 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Medium-deep yellow-gold/amber, distinct legs. Quite restrained nose with notes of marmalade, honey and a floral hint of honeysuckle. Incredible mouthfull of intense, candied fruits, caramelised apple, great acidity, long cutting finish. Not quite as concentrated as expected.
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1996 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon 93 Points
France, Champagne
50% Chardonnay/50% Pinot Noir, 6-8 yrs on lees. Pale straw-gold colour with a fine mousse and beading. Ripe apples, citrus and peach notes on the nose, intertwined with toasted brioche, biscuity notes and roasted hazelnut. On the palate there is a high acidity and good length, with a fine mouthfeel and complex notes of ripe green fruits, peach and some lingering nuttyness. Quite austere currently. Very nice, needs some time to finesse in bottle.
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2002 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes 95 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Clear, deep gold colour with a wide, sl watery rim. Clean, intense nose with floral, honeysuckle notes, marmalade, honey, lime and a creamy, toasty vanilla pod finish. Dry, intense and with a great length on the finish, lots of complexity - rhubarb, citrus, yellow plums. Not as harsh or as closed as expected, in fact very expressive. Others noted that the wine had been more expressive 6 months earlier and that it was perhaps entering into it's closed-down phase. Impressive, powerful but perfectly balanced wine. Not as powerful as other Roussanne VV have been - however given the washout vintage in which no red beaucastels were produced this is a fine effort. Fermentation in 50% new oak, 50% stainless steel. All vines in this cuvée are over 75 years old.
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2002 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Bâtard-Montrachet 96 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
[40hl/ha vs max 45hl/ha. Debudding & green harvest used to concentrate fruit. 60% new oak used.] Pale straw colour with a tinge of green. Intense nose with complex notes of oily/buttery ripe fruit, toasty brioche, almon, nutmeg and pear. Pronounced palate with notes of ripe melon, caramelised apple, pineapple, pear drops and a long minerally finish. Nice, tight acidity. Great balance & length. Needs longer in bottle to polish the edges.
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