Tasting at Wine and Cheese Show - The highlights

Here were the high end highlights from what I was able to grab at the Toronto Wine and Cheese Show.

• 2001 Domaine Dujac Clos Saint-Denis 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru

  Deep red, but not dark. Lovely nose is singing dark fruit, complexity. Still very primary but there is good effort in both the mid pallette and the finish. Some very plush tannins can be picked up, but this is going to be stinky great pinot in 5 to 10 years. Nice.

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• 1989 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 97 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Well, this is the first time I have had Vega Unico, and this 89 was unbelievable. The vanilla oak nose with red fruit was just unreal, it was soo clean and you got it a mile away. Elegance personified, it just went down, and I do not even remember drinking it. Clearly it outclassed everything else I tasted today. This really reminded me of great fruity red bordeaux. Wow, I was speachless... got to get some of this, I just shudder at the price.

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• 1995 Giuseppe Quintarelli Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 93 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico

  Oh man, just a small pour but the sweet raisony fruit was outragously good. You can tell this guy knows what he is doing, it is just the price that means us mere mortals do not drink this everyday. The complexity was mid boggling. It is clearly the best Amarone I have ever experineced, long finsh. I think you can enjoy now, or in 10 years.

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• 2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru

  Awesome dark leafy nose. Big taste, which was not fruity but was very rustic leafy merde like. I really liked it but others were concerned it was corked. The funk blew off and I got a lot of flavor, but it was almost dirty like. I guess it could be considered terroir. I think this wine will last forever, as the acids are very tight on the back end. Boy, I am sure the big boys are great in this year.

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• 2000 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Masseto Toscana IGT 92 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Only a small taste, but, well, kinda like a pin up girl who opens her mouth an reveals a grade-8 education. Drop dead gorgeous fruit bomb on the nose, lovely thick viscus mouthfeel, and then it stopped. The follow thorough was weak, no tannins to hold things up and then - that is it. It certaqinly did not hold my attention. I would never say no to this wine today, if somebody gave me a glass, and hence my rating, but given the $300 CDN price, forget about it. As far as aging, I do not think it will get better.

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• 2001 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 91 Points

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

  VT has never been a favorite for me, and I note that I purchased only in very select vintages. On intial approach, it was very tarry black fruit and the the stong menthol liquorice notes. Different I thought. The taste showed big fruity jammy attack, with a big complex mouthfeel. This is rustic and tannic, but quite intense. I cant figure out the flavor on the end, and then it showed up - liquorce again, very distinctive. This wine will last a long time, and I think for the right person it is a very good example, but It is not my fave.
  
  What do those liquorice pipe notes turn into with age??

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• 2002 Château Latour Grand Vin 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Just a small taste but the clean Pauillac nose and taste are hard to miss. It had a really incredible classic red fruit nose, hints of cedar. This is a real fruit bomb on the initial taste, however the mid palate falls off a bit. It lacked a bit of stuffing to be considered great, and you cannot descrie the finish as long, but it certain was nice. If you have a bunch, it is tasting well now, so try it. I did not notice the tannins too much.

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• 1994 Graham Porto Vintage 93 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Nice swwet port, this is not as blisteringly tannic as on release. It still has a very thick mouthfeel, and is quite purple. Classic Graham chocolate. I would not open a bottle for a 10-15 years, but then I tend to like my port old. Gald I own it.

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• 1997 Château d'Yquem 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  I had just a small pour, but the orangy yellow hue was evident. The nose was creamy citrus flavors, with a hint of the oak. Taste is the classic sweet yquem, big, I got pineapples, and oranges. The slightest hints of cream brule show through. Nice to taste now, seemless and elegant with decent acids, but you know there is so much more complexity to come. After i fiished the wine I walked around the show and just smelled the my glass for about 15 minutes and the caramel notes were just unreal. Yup, need some for the cellar in 30 years.

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