France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire
Mature colour, hint of gold; nose seems to have lost its fruit but opens up nicely in the glass, hint of aniseed, white flowers, chamomile; good intensity and weight on the palate, fresh and mineral but not acidic, hint of juicy fruit; good length. Well-aged Chenin Blanc.
Intense colour, hint of gold; nose is hard to fathom, little fruit or definition, some resinous wood, hint of smoke; mineral, slender, has freshness and energy, is holding up very well; good length.
Rich colour, mature appearance; deep nose, ripe fruit, peach and honey, lovely hints of spice and earth, tropical fruit, mint, wax; the palate shows considerable bitters, relatively low acidity, mature, energy seems relatively low too, but balance is good, typical weight; good flavours and length. Drink up.
Lively white golden colour, medium intense; discreet nose, good depth and varietal typicity, hints of earth and spice, yellow fruit; elegant weight, nice pepperiness, good intensity and length.
Pale colour; bright fruit, light and delicate but no greenness, hint of stalks, relatively dry tannic structure but well-balanced, nice minerality, fragrant, good complexity, good length, leaves the mouth dry but perfumed, with a hint of spice.
Youthful, purple colour; spicy nose, glossy fruit, some warmth from the oak; ripe fruit, rounded, nice freshness, grippy but ripe tannins, well-structured, relatively slender, tannic; good length. Little or no Merlot typicity. Tasting blind, I guessed this was Nebbiolo from the Colli Tortonesi...
Fully mature appearance; mature nose, cedar and freshness, quite stony; slender palate, tannic but no lack of ripeness, nice stuffing, hint of sweetness even; good length. A very nice surprise, holding well, tasting blind I plumped for 1988 rather than 1975!
A blend of 35% Touriga Nacional , 30% Tinta Roriz, 15% Touriga Franca, 10% Tinta Amarela, 5% Tinta Barroca and 5% Tinta Cao, 14.5% ABV. Youthful, purple, medium-deep; stalky, slightly port-like, drying tannins, medium weight, very youthful for age but a bit tannic for the stuffing of fruit, good flavours; very good length.
Bordeaux blend, 100% new oak, 12 months. Relatively youthful colour, starting to brown at the edges; spicy, good wine but little typicity or definition, sturdy rather than refined.
15% ABV. Youthful appearance, nice saturation, starting to brown at the edges; sweet and supple but with drying tannins, decent glass of wine, too tannic to be really harmonious and balanced, nice enough but a bit disjointed.
Mature but lively appearance; mature, tannic but a nice hint of mature sweetness, sturdy, vinous, slightly barnyardy, nose opens up to some sweet fruit, hint of nuttiness, little Sangiovese typicity, flavoursome; good length. Ready but time in hand.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Youthful appearance; very sweet and ripe fruit and highish acidity, not really together yet, has depth, oak has been absorbed well on the nose, unformed but impressive and boding well for the future, good stuffing of ripe cherry fruit, energetic but not without alcoholic heat (15%), avoids the overripeness of many 2007 CdP's.
Appearance starts to show some maturity; hint of mature sweetness, vegetal, cedar, quite tannic, alcohol in check (14.3%), lacks some stuffing for balance, drink up.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Again a whopping 15% ABV; a classic blend of the traditional varieties, with Grenache (80%), Mourvèdre (10%) and Vaccarèse (5%) as the main components. Modern, sweet-and-sour, vegetal, tannic, lactic, toasty oak, lacks depth of flavour, disjointed, obvious, unimpressive. Overripe and unharmonious to me; I guess I just don't get it, others seem to be very impressed.
Youthful appearance, purple, not very deep; stables and bubblegum, ripe red cherries, slate, hint of the stalks; slender and mineral, elegant and refreshing, lovely balance, tannins need a bit more time to soften.
Spain, Castilla y León, Vino de la Tierra de Zamora
From Zamora, ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines. Youthful, purple; lactic, very sweet fruit, very toasty oak, tannic, quite alcoholic (15%+ ABV), not really sure what they are trying to achieve here.
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Mature bit lively appearance; warm and vinous nose, hint of nuts, cedary depth; easy palate but wonderful freshness, harmonious, hint of menthol, luxurious fruit, excellent flavours and length.
2005 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Clos du Breuil 91 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire
Mature colour, hint of gold; nose seems to have lost its fruit but opens up nicely in the glass, hint of aniseed, white flowers, chamomile; good intensity and weight on the palate, fresh and mineral but not acidic, hint of juicy fruit; good length. Well-aged Chenin Blanc.
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2000 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur Blanc Brézé 89 Points
France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur
Intense colour, hint of gold; nose is hard to fathom, little fruit or definition, some resinous wood, hint of smoke; mineral, slender, has freshness and energy, is holding up very well; good length.
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2002 Künstler Hochheimer Hölle Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel Trocken 92 Points
Germany, Rheingau
Rich colour, mature appearance; deep nose, ripe fruit, peach and honey, lovely hints of spice and earth, tropical fruit, mint, wax; the palate shows considerable bitters, relatively low acidity, mature, energy seems relatively low too, but balance is good, typical weight; good flavours and length. Drink up.
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2007 Weingut Willi Bründlmayer Grüner Veltliner Käferberg 91 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal
Lively white golden colour, medium intense; discreet nose, good depth and varietal typicity, hints of earth and spice, yellow fruit; elegant weight, nice pepperiness, good intensity and length.
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2004 Domaine Joseph Voillot Volnay 1er Cru Champans 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Pale colour; bright fruit, light and delicate but no greenness, hint of stalks, relatively dry tannic structure but well-balanced, nice minerality, fragrant, good complexity, good length, leaves the mouth dry but perfumed, with a hint of spice.
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2007 Famiglia Cotarella Lazio Montiano 88 Points
Italy, Latium, Lazio
Youthful, purple colour; spicy nose, glossy fruit, some warmth from the oak; ripe fruit, rounded, nice freshness, grippy but ripe tannins, well-structured, relatively slender, tannic; good length. Little or no Merlot typicity. Tasting blind, I guessed this was Nebbiolo from the Colli Tortonesi...
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1975 Château Lascombes 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Fully mature appearance; mature nose, cedar and freshness, quite stony; slender palate, tannic but no lack of ripeness, nice stuffing, hint of sweetness even; good length. A very nice surprise, holding well, tasting blind I plumped for 1988 rather than 1975!
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2000 Quinta do Vale Meão Douro 91 Points
Portugal, Douro
A blend of 35% Touriga Nacional , 30% Tinta Roriz, 15% Touriga Franca, 10% Tinta Amarela, 5% Tinta Barroca and 5% Tinta Cao, 14.5% ABV. Youthful, purple, medium-deep; stalky, slightly port-like, drying tannins, medium weight, very youthful for age but a bit tannic for the stuffing of fruit, good flavours; very good length.
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1999 Sportoletti Umbria Rosso Villa Fidelia 89 Points
Italy, Umbria
Bordeaux blend, 100% new oak, 12 months. Relatively youthful colour, starting to brown at the edges; spicy, good wine but little typicity or definition, sturdy rather than refined.
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2008 Poderi San Lazzaro Grifola Marche IGT 87 Points
Italy, Marche, Marche IGT
15% ABV. Youthful appearance, nice saturation, starting to brown at the edges; sweet and supple but with drying tannins, decent glass of wine, too tannic to be really harmonious and balanced, nice enough but a bit disjointed.
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2000 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT 91 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Mature but lively appearance; mature, tannic but a nice hint of mature sweetness, sturdy, vinous, slightly barnyardy, nose opens up to some sweet fruit, hint of nuttiness, little Sangiovese typicity, flavoursome; good length. Ready but time in hand.
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2007 Domaine de Cristia Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 92 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Youthful appearance; very sweet and ripe fruit and highish acidity, not really together yet, has depth, oak has been absorbed well on the nose, unformed but impressive and boding well for the future, good stuffing of ripe cherry fruit, energetic but not without alcoholic heat (15%), avoids the overripeness of many 2007 CdP's.
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1996 Bodega Catena Zapata Cabernet Sauvignon Catena Alta Tikal Vineyard 90 Points
Argentina, Mendoza
Appearance starts to show some maturity; hint of mature sweetness, vegetal, cedar, quite tannic, alcohol in check (14.3%), lacks some stuffing for balance, drink up.
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2007 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine des Bois 87 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Again a whopping 15% ABV; a classic blend of the traditional varieties, with Grenache (80%), Mourvèdre (10%) and Vaccarèse (5%) as the main components. Modern, sweet-and-sour, vegetal, tannic, lactic, toasty oak, lacks depth of flavour, disjointed, obvious, unimpressive. Overripe and unharmonious to me; I guess I just don't get it, others seem to be very impressed.
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2006 Clos Mogador Priorat 91 Points
Spain, Catalunya, Priorat
Youthful appearance, purple, not very deep; stables and bubblegum, ripe red cherries, slate, hint of the stalks; slender and mineral, elegant and refreshing, lovely balance, tannins need a bit more time to soften.
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2008 Bodegas Cenit Tempranillo Cenit 89 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Vino de la Tierra de Zamora
From Zamora, ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines. Youthful, purple; lactic, very sweet fruit, very toasty oak, tannic, quite alcoholic (15%+ ABV), not really sure what they are trying to achieve here.
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1997 Penfolds Shiraz RWT 93 Points
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Mature bit lively appearance; warm and vinous nose, hint of nuts, cedary depth; easy palate but wonderful freshness, harmonious, hint of menthol, luxurious fruit, excellent flavours and length.
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2001 Le Clos du Caillou Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine du Caillou Les Quartz 93 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Sweet fruit, fresh, intense, liquorice, slightly lactic, deep, smoky oak, very youthful for age, really impressive.
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