A B-day double blind session

A b-day celebration. Host prepared a 7 doubled blind session, with a 2004 Neret Velly champagne that showed very well and proved to be a steal for €20 from a small vigneron.

• 2008 Emilio Rojo Ribeiro 87 Points

  Spain, Galicia, Ribeiro

  Served double blind. Opened for two hours. A little bit shut on nose, offers a bouquet of rubber, vegetal, some reduction and some other "dirty" aromas. On palate it's medium bodied, unctuos, grassy, with a remarkable minerality and a mid palate sweetness made of fruits like peach or sweetd plum. End palate has with a slighty bitter, medium lenght finish. Certainly a different and well made wine but I did not really like it. (87-88)

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• 2007 Do Ferreiro Albariño Rías Baixas Cepas Vellas 90 Points

  Spain, Galicia, Rías Baixas

  Tasted double blind. Opened for 2 hours. No formal notes. Strange nose mainly with smoked aromas and blue cheese... everybody thought of a chard. On palate this was grassy, well balanced with flavours of white fruit, minerality and a medium finish made of tropical fruits. When the bottle was unveiled we were surprised and totally fooled by this wine and on how different this showed, specially on nose. (90+)

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• 2008 Castell d'Encús Costers del Segre Acusp 89 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Costers del Segre

  Tasted double blind. Opened for 2 hours. No formal notes. Medium red (dirty) ruby color. On nose it has a mixed bouquet of coconut, smoke, violets and strawberries. On palate it's lush, rounded with some alcohol notes, medium to light body with a lot of acidity and layers of red fresh fruit. It has a medium plus finish. This was the first vintage of Acusp - only 200 bottles - and I was glad to be able to taste it. By comparision I liked more the 2009 vintage (lighter and fresher). At a retailprice of €+35, it has a below qpr. 89+

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• 2005 Bodegas y Viñedos Castro Ventosa Bierzo Valtuille Cepas Centenarias 92 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Bierzo

  Tasted blind. Opened for 2 hours. No formal notes. Dark crimson color. The wine shows very intense on nose with sweet raspberries, liquour cherries and wet stones. On palate it is powerful, with tons of red and black ripe fruit, mineral. It has quite dryness on mid palate, tannins are present and strong, muscular; it's full bodied and provides a mouth coating feeling. A delicious wine to drink. It ends with a medium to long finish. (91-92).

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• 2004 Viñedos de Páganos Rioja El Puntido 92 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja

  Tasted double blind. Opened for 2 hours. No formal notes (and very brief). Medium to dark crimson color. A very appealing and complex nose with raspberries, blackberries, kirsh liquor, incense, some minerality. On palate its medium to full bodied primarly made of red fruit. Present sweet tannins but very nice to drink, high acidity, well balanced with a nice and elegant structure a long finish. A really good wine and a perfect example of an excellent vintage. Plenty of life ahead. (91-92)

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• 2005 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 92 Points

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

  Tasted double blind. Opened for 2 hours. No formal notes. Medium ruby color. Kirsh liquor, red fruit, raw meat on nose. On palate it has a medium body with a remarkable high acidity. Raspberries and cassis flavours primarly made up the palate. The finish it's outstanding.. long and seamless, very very nice. (91-92)

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• 2004 Clos Mogador Priorat 86 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  Tasted double blind. Decanted for 2 hours. No formal notes. Nose initially offering a bouquet of string barnishes, gum, rubber, menthol,... really weird nose considering the time this had been decanted. On palate this unusual phase goes on, as the wine shows to be medium bodied, with medium (right) acidity. Mid palate it's surprisingly hollow and made of red fruit. It ends with a medium finish. What was intended to be "the flight" of the night, became"the big disappointment" of the night. Bottle was not corked but could have been victimized of a bad storage and maybe damaged by the heat.

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