Langton's Cellar Club Tasting 11 December 2012 - Pierre de la Grange (Luneau-Papin), Champagne Delamotte, Balnaves of Coonawarra

Standard Langton's (ex-Wine-Ark) cellar club tasting. As it's Christmas, and as is my wont occasionally, I was particularly lazy on my note taking...

Fairs fair, these wines really need food...seafood in fact and, preferably, big fat freshly shucked oysters and, therefore, tasting them in these conditions does them a bit of a disservice.

• 2010 Domaine Luneau-Papin Folle Blanche

  France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Gros-Plant du Pays Nantais

  Nose: Low intensity, very neutral, slight pear and white pepper
  Mouth: Medium minus tannin front of mouth grip, savoury pear...
  textural wine...but v.neutral. I'm a bit meh.

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• 2011 Domaine Luneau-Papin Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie Vieilles Vignes

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

  Medium minus intensity nose, slight front of mouth grip, slight orchard fruit...doesn't, for me, have the acidic backbone I'd want to see but nice enough.

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• 2010 Domaine Luneau-Papin Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Terre de Pierre

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

  Low intensity, slight lemon citrus then in the mouth hints of peach and white pepper coupled with mineral notes of wet stone, gun flint and a slighty briny quality that are interwoven and underpinned by a round mouthfeel. Good.

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• 2007 Domaine Luneau-Papin Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Semper Excelsior

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

  Medium minus intensity, very neutral in fact. Some cream, yoghurt and cheesiness...it's very savoury and there are some slight citrus notes...the profile of the wine changes over time. It really is very nice.

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Tally vertical tasting is a bit of a treat. Personally I've never been that blown away by these wines, preferring their entry level which I find less 'worked'.

• 2004 Balnaves of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon The Tally Reserve

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  vanilla oak over blackberry and currant and clove spice both on the nose and in the mouth...alas there is a sizable dollop of hot alcohol in the mouth and the spice gets quite peppery.

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• 2005 Balnaves of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon The Tally Reserve

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Mint, eucalyptus over blackberry and spices including clove and touches of nutmeg. In the mouth the black fruit comes to the fore and is supported by the herbacous notes...the acidity lends the fruit a juicy quality and the wine finishes savoury with slightly drying but not intrusive tannins. Nicely balanced and very good.

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• 2006 Balnaves of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon The Tally Reserve

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Mint over generic black fruit and a slightly creamy quality on the nose. in the mouth again the fruit is ripe, generic and surrounded by lashings of tannin. it's good but, perhaps, needs a bit more time to gain some complexity.

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• 2009 Balnaves of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon The Tally Reserve

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Prunes, black currant and berry and a slightly perfumed note. In the mouth the fruit is glimpsed on the front palate before disappearing behind a massive, thick, black curtain of chewy, chunky, drying tannin...Very young indeed. Come back in 3-5 years for another look

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The Terre de Pierre and Excelsior were nice and the 05 Tally was my personal favourite of that bracket. No notes for the Delamotte because it was not my cup of tea at all and I found it very hard to be subjective.