The Sampler Spring Tasting 2012

London
Tasted Sunday, April 15, 2012 by davestenton with 577 views

Flight 1 - Whites (9 Notes)

  • 2005 Benoit Badoz Côtes du Jura Vin Jaune

    France, Jura, Côtes du Jura

    Beautiful nose: could smell it all day. Complex - and delicious - palate: citrus, crunchy green apple, white nuts and a thread of salinity. Ridiculously long. Brilliant.

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  • 2008 Stephan Ehlen Riesling feinherb

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Beeswax, slate, hint of petrol – textbook! Lots of sweetness initially but searing acidity ensures it finishes off-dry. Lovely, bright fruit flavours: apricot mostly. Very good value.

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  • 2011 Anubis (Susana Balbo) Chardonnay

    Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo

    Nose is quite restrained; a hint of citrus. Full-bodied. Alcohol a little prominent. Quite rich (but not sweet) with decent citrus flavour. Reasonable but not that exciting.

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  • 2004 Tahbilk Marsanne

    Australia, Victoria, Central Victoria, Nagambie Lakes

    Beeswax with just a hint of the petrol aroma this wine is famous for (and which develops with further aging). Bright acidity lends real crunch to the fruit. Very refreshing. Such a consistently great wine.

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  • 2009 Michel Issaly Domaine de la Ramaye Gaillac Les Cavaillès Bas

    France, Southwest France, Gaillac

    Interesting - if not the most inviting - nose: marmite and blue cheese rind. Palate more classic: quite floral with honey and peach. Concentrated but fresh.

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  • 2010 Les Larmes de Divona Bourgogne Blanc

    France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc

    Lovely shimmery gold colour. Complex nose with some oxidative notes (deliberate, presumably?) but also beeswax and lanolin. Really appealing slightly sour character to the palate. Very distinctive though reminds me a little of Jacques Puffeney Savagnin I drank recently. Real crunch to the palate. Unusual but it works; others may disagree!

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  • 2010 Domaine Maroslavac Leger Bourgogne Blanc La Combe

    France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc

    Apple, citrus and some leesy aromas. A little honey too. Palate has decent concentration and is predominantly green apple with a stony, Chablis-like element. Balanced and long; a decent wine at this level.

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  • 2009 Domaine de l'Ecu Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Expression de Gneiss

    France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine

    Some salty sea air - but also an odd whiff of nail polish remover (acetone?!). Bone dry. A hint of citrus. Not especially exciting for almost £15.

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  • 2011 Quinta das Arcas Alvarinho Arca Nova

    Portugal, Minho, Vinho Regional Minho

    Grassy nose. Some stonefruit too. Described as off-dry but doesn't taste it. Crisp, refreshing but not much depth. OK.

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Flight 2 - Reds (13 Notes)

  • 2011 Anubis (Susana Balbo) Cabernet Sauvignon

    Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo

    Also quite oaky but some plum and spice too. Lots of dark fruit. But the oak is pretty prominent and it's also a little hot.

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  • 2011 Espiritu de Argentina Shiraz Rosé

    Argentina, Mendoza

    Oaky nose; not much fruit in evidence. Oak less noticeable on the palate: soft tannins and plenty of fruit. Good acidity too. Juicy - almost jammy - and easy to drink.

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  • 2005 Guasti Clemente Barolo Riserva

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Textbook leather and violets nose. Tannins, though substantial, are tame by (young) Barolo standards. Medium-bodied. Bright, crunchy fruit. Balanced. Very long. Lots of potential and likely to be long-lived.

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  • 2009 Le Seuil de Mazeyres

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Marmite ‘n mahogany. Ripe, round and very forward; could drink this now if you decanted it. All the flavour is upfront though; no surprises.

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  • 1997 Château Duplessis Fabre

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Moulis en Médoc

    Leather, tomato leaf, cedar; classic nose. Soft, juicy plums. There's an attractive herbiness too. Ok, not exciting. Drink up.

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  • 2009 Bodegas y Viñedos Castro Ventosa Bierzo El Castro de Valtuille

    Spain, Castilla y León, Bierzo

    Lovely perfumed nose; Cab Franc-Mencia comparisons make perfect sense here. Bit of oak in evidence too but not overbearing. Lots of sweet raspberry fruit. Fuller-bodied than most Bierzos. Round, ripe and very easy to like - but a little one-dimensional.

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  • 2009 Domaine Philippe & Vincent Jaboulet Crozes-Hermitage

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

    Textbook 'grunty' animal nose but also a fair whack of oak. Medium-bodied. Decent, juicy fruit but the oak is just a little prominent for the moment; would be tiring to drink.

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  • 2007 Domaine de la Ramaye Gaillac Cuvée la combe d'aves

    France, Southwest France, Gaillac

    Interesting animal-y, stony nose. Good structure. Has a herby quality but more fruit than the Anjou - strawberry mostly. Good.

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  • 2009 Vignobles Mathieu Tijou Anjou Di Vin

    France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Anjou

    Lifted, tomato leaf nose. Lots of tannin just now. Very savoury but perhaps flirting with underripe. Needs time for the tannins to resolve but not sure the fruit has much more to offer.

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  • 1973 Bodegas Riojanas Rioja Monte Real Crianza

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    More leathery character to the nose – also a little vanilla. Holding up much better than the Beronia. Some grip still. Remarkable fresh strawberry flavour; almost juicy! Really impressive longevity for a Crianza.

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  • 1982 Bodegas Beronia Rioja Reserva

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    Not much in terms of secondary characteristics on the nose: strawberry, vanilla - maybe a little leather actually. Less fruit on the palate. Just about hanging in there but fades fast and a little dried out; suspect its best days were some time ago. A shame as could have made a great 30th birthday present this year.

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  • 2010 Damien Coquelet Chiroubles

    France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Chiroubles

    Wow! Leather, animal, farmyard, prunes, slightly cidery (VA?); lots going on here. Lovely texture. Mostly savoury but a smidge of cherry sweetness. Real knife-edge intensity though and perhaps borderline faulty but it works somehow! Great now but perhaps a gamble to cellar it?

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  • 2009 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Savigny-lès-Beaune

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune

    A deep (healthy) red by Burgundy standards. Exuberant nose: lots of dark cherry. Quite a bit of structure. Tannins are robust but ripe. Nice depth of flavour. Should develop well. Drink from 2014.

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