2005 CdP and others

Wonderful potluck and BBQ dinner at Alex's place. We took the opportunity to pop four 2005 CdPs blind and added a few more here and there. The tasting reconfirmed my initial impressions of 2005 in CdP - very ripe, almost dried fruit in some cases, firm, chewy tannins - this is a vintage that needs time.

Summer salad , potato skins and baked asparagus on toasted cheese bacon bread and delicious crab otak

• 2007 Neil Ellis Sauvignon Blanc Vineyard Selection Jonkershoek Valley 90 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch, Jonkershoek Valley

  Oak aged Sauv Blanc. Big nose - slate, guave, lemon notes and a smoky, mushroomy undertone. A touch of alcohol notwithstanding, the palate was nice and bright, with lemony acid wed to a creamy texture and a nice minerality that stretched into the dry, slightly bittersweet finish. Nice sense of structure, but I preferred it when tasted at the winery.

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• 2007 Casa Sant'Orsola Asti 90 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Asti

  Excellent starter at a ridiculously good price, especially when paired with Lawrence's home-made otak. Nose was all white flwoers, white musk and white fruit - very perfumed indeed. On the palate, I got sweet hibiscus water and a touch of pineapples. Simple, but delicious and very nicely balanced.

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• 2007 LaGarde Altas Cumbres Extra Brut 89 Points

  Argentina, Mendoza

  What an unusual sparkler. Super, super beaded, with a huge, persistent stream of medium size bubbles fighting their way to the top of the glass. Nose was all flowers and musk, along with a sweet, lemony carbonated drink fizz - something like Sprite or Mountain Dew mixed in with an Indian flower garland and sppices. The palate was a lot more serious after the playful, slightly fluffy nose - a touch of mineral, some mushroom and pear and apple flavours evovled into a super-dry finish that showed quite a bit of structure. Interesting.

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Lamb, beef, pork etc etc

• 2007 Tenutaderie Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato 90 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Monferrato, Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato

  Another really interesting wine. Sweet nose, white flowers and bandung (a Malay drink of rose syrup and condensed milk), ripe cherries, orange peel and spiced tomato juice along with a touch of peppercorn. Almost Bloody Mary like. Palate was similarly perfumy, with a dash of black perppercorn. Finished unexpectedly dry, with grippy but fine tannins. Strange wine this - not quite sure what to make out of it, but I enjoyed it somewhat.

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• 2005 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape 90 Points

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

  Super ripe morello cherries on the nose. Some soy, some meat, a touch of chalk and a sprinkle of cocoa powder along with base notes of mushroom and a flowery, almost lavender top note. Very attractive. Palate was not quite there though - rather dry, with fine-grained, but very noticeable tannins and a very extracted feel, with sappy raisins and prunes. It finished a little metallic, with some meat and bittersweet, stoney minerals. Balance was ok, but I thought it lacked a little freshness, flavours were also a little diffused and unfocused. All in all, a nice wine, but not fantastic by any stretch of the imagination.

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• 2005 Domaine de Beaurenard (Paul Coulon et Fils) Châteauneuf-du-Pape 90 Points

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

  Tight nose - reasberry jam, sweet cherries - very Grenache driven. Some telltale hot year raisins and prunes and a sprinkle of chalk along with woody spice and chinese herbal powder and a touch of orange peel. I felt this was just a little over-oaked and woody on the nose. Similar on the palate, which showed woody tannins, very tightly packed, along with spice box, with five spice rather dominant, and then pepper and menthol tones moving into a final grip or dry tannins at the finish. Decent enough wine, with some amount of character, but it is just so tight and oaked at the moment.

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• 2005 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve 92 Points

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

  This was more like it after two rather mediocre 2005 CdPs. Grenache and Syrah seemed to peek out more here, with leather and meat coming to the fore on the nose, all rather savoury. Rather tight otherwise, with pepper and damp, woody scents only giving way to some plums and fresh prunes later on. The palate was every bit as savoury, very muscular and meaty, with roast lamb and lean, lithe dark cherry flavours lifted by clean acidity. Lovely balance to this wine. Finish seemed shortish at first, with the typical 2005 drying tannins, but grew longer with time, ending in a dash of wood spice. This was a classy wine, with lots of body paired with stately elegance and a finer structure than the first two CdPs we had.

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• 2005 Le Clos du Caillou Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine du Caillou Les Quartz 93 Points

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

  My favourite CdP of the night. Nose had some glycerin, but that was quickly overtaken by traditional garrigue, along with sun-dried prunes, plums, dried cherries and savoury roast meat along with a sprinkle of pepper. Very classic CdP on the nose, rather more modern on the palare, which was dense and rich, but had decent freshness and firm, chewy tannins. I got olive tapande, dried herbs and cherries on the attack and mid-palate along with a touch of dried cherry fruit and white pepper wrapped in drying tannins as we got into the nice, satisfying finish. Very nice.

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Ice cream and brownies

• 1996 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Clos du Bourg 93 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

  Excellent. Nose was complex and challenging, with musk, mushroom and chalk wed to dried oysters and fresh apples along with a light touch of tropical pineapples. Nice and clean on the palate, which had a nice, full weight to it, yet with nicely integrated acidity. There was a lean streak of oyster-shell like mineral running through sweet white fruit flavours and a touch of citrus that lifted the whole wine. Decent, minerally finish reminded me of stweeed jasmine and green tea along with a touch of breadiness and finally, a little taste of dried fig. Very impressive, serious wine.

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• NV Sandalford Sandalera 93 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Brown coloured with a yellow rim. Nose reminded me at some points of a toffee nut latte from Starbucks, at others of gula melaka and coconut candy, and then with a whiff of dried figs. Thick, rich, syrupy palate, full of chocolate, butterscotch and dried figs - like a sticky date pudding. Long finish, again dried figs, maple syrup and fruit cake. Excellent and absolutely delicious.

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