The Sampler Winter Tasting 2012

London
Tasted Sunday, October 7, 2012 by davestenton with 667 views

Flight 1 - Whites (8 Notes)

  • 2010 Weingut Keller Riesling trocken

    Germany, Rheinhessen

    Surprisingly sweet, floral and honied nose for trocken. Palate not delivering on the aromatics just yet: stone fruit, moderate acidity. 16/20. 2013+

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  • 2011 Raymond Morin Sauvignon Blanc La Sauvignole

    France, Loire Valley, Val de Loire

    Lively! Gooseberry aromas leap out of the glass. Palate is more savoury and herby. Very dry. Chalky texture is crying out for goats cheese. 16/20.

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  • 2011 Corte Adami Soave

    Italy, Veneto, Soave

    Nose a little mute - just a hint of stone fruit. Soft peachy flavours in the mouth. Relaxed and easy drinking in style: can enjoy this without having to think about it too much. 16/20.

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  • 2009 Pierre Boniface Vin de Savoie Apremont Les Rocailles

    France, Savoie, Vin de Savoie Apremont

    Very distinctive nose of burnt caramel and toffee apple. Some sweetness on the palate initially too but it finishes dry with the bite typical of white wines in this part of France. Sort of Jura-lite but in a good way and would make for an interesting aperitif. Relatively low alcohol too. 16.5/20.

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  • 2011 Cantine Rallo Sicilia Bianco Maggiore

    Italy, Sicily, Sicilia

    Very young with some fermentation aromas still in evidence. Really dense, tightly wound palate. Moderate acidity. Promising but needs time to show its potential. 16.5+. 2013+

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  • 2007 Domaine Antoine Jobard Bourgogne Blanc

    France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc

    Great balance between fruit and oak on the nose. Savoury core with a fringe of sweetness. Quite a broad palate but steely and mineral too. Ambitious for a Bourgogne Blanc (but then so is the price) and should drink well for another two years at least. 17/20.

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  • 2011 Viña Indómita Chardonnay Nostros Gran Reserva

    Chile, Casablanca Valley

    Odd nose: smells of tinned fruit but I can't quite identify what. Oddly synthetic palate too and it all seems a little disjointed. Lingering sweet vanilla on the finish; a result of oak chips maybe? OK. 15.5/20.

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  • 2011 Château de l' Eperonnière Savennières Croix Picot

    France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières

    Already a waxy, honied quality to the nose. Rich, sweet attack then the racy acidity takes over. Beautifully balanced and surprisingly complex already. A joy to drink now but this will get better and better, I reckon. And it's a bit of a bargain to boot. Very impressive. 17+. 2012-2018.

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Flight 2 - Reds (14 Notes)

  • 2010 Karim Vionnet Beaujolais-Villages

    France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages

    Pongy, cidery nose with some red apple alongside the more typical red berry aromas. Savoury palate with a hint of strawberry but also some slightly bitter notes. Deceptively tannic but has enough acidity to balance things out. OK. 16/20.

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  • 2009 Mount Edward Pinot Noir

    New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago

    Pure cherry aromas with a lifted, leafy tinge. Decent fruit and not too sweet. The oak has integrated nicely and resulted in a nice textural mouthfeel. Still a bit of structure but this is drinking very well and it compares very favourably with the 2010 Ata Rangi I tasted recently, which was 40% more expensive. Not sure there's much complexity to come but very easy to like just now. 17/20.

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  • 2009 Pierre Morey Monthélie

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Monthélie

    Ripe red fruit and spicy oak. Quite chunky tannins and flirting with rusticity. More savoury and more structured than the Mount Edward Pinot. Bright fruit with decent acidity knitting everything together. I'd give it another a year. 17/20. 2013+

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  • 1989 Federico Paternina Rioja Gran Reserva

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    Smells very youthful: cherry and vanilla and no secondary characteristics in evidence just yet. Really interesting to taste this immediately after the NZ Pinot and '09 Burgundy - hard to believe there's a 20-year age gap! The palate is still fairly primary and there's a bit of tannin to chew through. I think its best years are probably ahead of it. 17+.

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  • 2010 Château La Gardie

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc

    Lifted nose with menthol and blackcurrant leaf. Soft and approachable already but oddly sweet given the nose. And quite a long way from the Bordeaux norm. 15.5/20.

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  • 2009 Domaine de Salmes Gaillac "Tradition"

    France, Southwest France, Gaillac

    Looks like I've tasted this one before. And I liked it much more this time. Spicy, dark fruit with the herbaceous quality I picked up on last time not overwhelming and adding a bit of complexity. Decent value, too. 16.5/20.

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  • 2009 Le Miccine Chianti Classico

    Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

    Juicy, cherry palate. A bit of structure still. It's not obviously Chianti (not even sure I'd pick it as Italian if served blind) but it is attractively light on its feet with decent length. 16.5/20.

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  • 2010 Fattoria del Cerro Rosso di Montepulciano

    Italy, Tuscany, Montepulciano, Rosso di Montepulciano

    95% Sangiovese; 5% Merlot. Mix of red and darker fruits on the nose. Much more overtly fruity than the Chianti tasted before it. All upfront and fades fast. 16/20.

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  • 2008 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape

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

    Unoaked. Attractive mix of southern and northern Rhone on the nose: garrigue, red fruit, olive and tapenade. Quite sweet strawberry fruit on the palate. Very focussed and precise with linear acidity. Transparent. Very good. 17/20.

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  • 2004 Château Ormes de Pez

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

    Some cedar and graphite alongside the black fruit. Supple, juicy palate with some attractive herbiness. Textbook Bordeaux. 16.5/20.

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  • 2011 Evohé (Bodegas Leceranas) Garnacha Viñas Viejas

    Spain, Aragón, Vino de la Tierra Bajo Aragon

    Bright red fruit aromas. Mouthfilling. Lots of tannin but it's ripe tannin. Masses of fruit and verging on cocktail cherry sweetness initially but there's balance and you're not aware of the alcohol. OK. 16/20.

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  • 2007 Heitz Cellar Zinfandel

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Creamy palate with red fruit and vanilla. Not a million miles from Rioja. But sweeter - too sweet for me, despite decent acidity. 16.5/20.

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  • 2010 Viña Cobos Malbec Felino

    Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo

    Quite supple palate initially but lots of oak on the finish and the 14.5% alcohol makes its presence felt too. Ok. 16/20.

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  • 1999 Yalumba The Signature

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Blackcurrant and licorice; quite lifted. Still tastes quite youthful with lots of dark fruit and just a hint of something more herbal on the finish. Juicy and supple but also rather muscular; much more of a gymnast than a ballerina. 17/20.

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