"M21" - Mature and Delicious Wines

William brought a group of us together to do a BYO tasting with the theme "M21" - Mature and Delicious Wines. For some reason, most of us went off theme. But still, a fun afternoon with friends and some nice wines. Strange thing is that we had a whole lot of Italian wines this time

• 2002 Gustave Lorentz Pinot Gris Kanzlerberg 90 Points

  France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru

  Deep golden yellow colour - belies it age actually. Nose had very Alsatian chalk, along with sappy yellow fruit (banana?), manuka honey and a dusky kiss of orange peel and dried flowers. The palate had just the tiniest bit of heat peeking out here and there, with a touch of spritz and flavours of orange peel, some breadfruit and a hint of bittersweet grapefruit pips. Impressively lengthy finish - dry and minerally, shaded with more yellow fruit tones. I think we served this a little too warm to appreciate this fully, with some parts of the wine seemingly unintegrated as it got even wamer. Still, a nice one.

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• 1996 La Pousse d'Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos des 60 Ouvrées 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  Good as this bottle was, I really regret popping it - it is far too young to drink. All of us who had the privilege of drinking the last bottle that Charles brought to the La Paulee dinner were surprised by how undeveloped this was. While the last bottle was a fully mature, sultry, seductive, powerful wine, this one still had the sharp acidity and awkward corners that mark a top-class Volnay in its gawky adolescence. It certainly did not help that it was a 1996 as well - a vintage marked by lots of acidity. Still though, a very enjoyable wine even for all that. Garnet coloured, the nose showed grassy strawberry scents mingled with spice, flowers, and dense, thick, earthy mushroomy tones. Lots and lots of weight on the palate. with rivulets of bright acid streaming their way through fresh cherry and strawberry tones, splashed with a touch of fresh cut flowers and a thin stream of ferrous mineral. Lots of power in low, bassy undertones, almost meaty at points - so much so that some guessed Nuits rather than Beaune, let alone a Volnay. Spritzy finish was just a little short, but still very impressive. You just get the sense that its only about now starting to emerge from its chrysalis. This needs time, a good 2-3 years at the very least - hold on to your bottles if you have some.

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• 2001 Jacques Cacheux & Fils Vosne-Romanée 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée

  This bottle had been opened 2 days before we got to it - this really is a continuation of Alex H's notes because he brought the bottle along for us. It was a little flattened out, but still pretty decent. Pink rim. Nose was a little medicinal, like cherry flavoured Woods cough syrup, and a slight funky stink. My first impression of the palate was that it was pretty woody. There were some sweet maraschino cherries, ok balance with some acid and a dry, again woody finish of decent length. The flavours had certainly flattened out somewhat though. Decent wine at this stage, but not fantastic by any means.

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• 2006 Koru Pinot Noir 87 Points

  New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

  Wow, this was sweet. Nose showed lots of preserved winter melon, rock sugar and leng yong, along with a touch of toasted vanilla and sweet cherries. Lots of confection here. Much the same on the palate as well, more candied sweet cherries. There was some acid to balance the wine out and the finish was decent, but not my favourite style of pinot.

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• 2001 Cigliano Chianti Classico Riserva 91 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

  This wine had a distinct sweaty tang when we first opened it, SO2 maybe? Thankfully, it blew off to show soy notes and some soil along with a touch of vanilla. Lots of acidity on the palate, a bright stream running through sour cherry flavours flowing into prunes and more in the finish. Almost a tad sharp at first, this took some time to settle down. By the time I revisited it several hours later, it had taken on a plush, balance feel, with sweet cherries married to a decent structure and just the slightest whiff of smoke blowing around. Very modern interpretation of Chianti Classico - served blind, it took quite awhile to recognise the Sangiovese, with the acidity being the only give-away.

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• 1999 Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico Riserva Coltassala 92 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

  Nice, matured Chianti. Clear, orangey rim. Nose showed earth and a faded vanilla tone along with darkly fruited plums. Still a lot of fresh acid on the palate, which showed lots of ripe berries and strawberries along with a little perfumy, chemical sweetness that reminded me of barley sweets. The slightly confected tone continued into the finish which showed a touch of leather. The sweetness died down a little a few hours later, and the wine resolved into a very plush, rather modern, but very enjoyable drink. More BdM than Chianti to my mind.

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• 1999 Castello di Volpaia Balifico Toscana IGT 92 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  Another nice 1999 bottle from this producer. This was just a tad too un-Italian for me though. Served blind, I was actually quite sure that this was a right-bank Bordeaux. Nose had loads of loamy earth, some spice, a touch of cherry and quite a bit of roasted green capsicums. All very nicely integrated and well resolved though. Palate had nice sweet cherries that showed lots fleshy weight, but also a good clean acidity with a rubbery grip. Decent finish, a tad short, but nicely resolved. Very nice, even though it was not exactly my favourite style.

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• 2003 Gaja Barolo Dagromis 92 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Very nice - this concluded a quintet of yummy Italian wines. Nose was pretty modern, with coconut and caramel macarons with roses, cinamon spice, some meat, a touch of rubber and some umami tones. The palate was nicely matured, with a melange of fresh strawberries, cherries and berries with dried wood, bramble and a layer of milk chocolate. Finish was decent, more wood, and some plush, resolved tannins. Not mind-blowing given its price, but a very nice wine.

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• 2004 Ca' Tullio Rosso L'Ardito Casaforte Cru della Sdricca 89 Points

  Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Venezia Giulia IGT

  Very interesting wine. Served blind, none of us could place what it was apart from thinking that it was one of the varietals ground in the Venezia region. Nose was a little stinky and sweaty at first, before opening to show soy, some soil and plums. Nice freshness on the palate, which showed more sweet plums, a touch of raisin and just that but of glycerin. Pretty, flowery finish. Nothing flashy, but a very decent wine.

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• 1997 Château Pontet-Canet 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Wow, this was surprisingly good. Lovely Pauillac nose of green peppers, tobacco leaf, cassis, a bit of tar and a slightly toasty, cigar box tone. Palate had nice fresh acidity, good weight and a nice amount of cherries and sweet cassis fruit along with a touch of green apple, all wrapped in plush, resolved tannins. Earthy leathery finish lingered somewhat, with touches of tobacco. Only issue was that any power the wine had just died after the mid-palate, so that the finish, lengthy as it was, felt a little weak. Still, a surprisingly good wine given the negative press 1997 had when first released. Right in its dirnking window, it gave lots of pleasure. Almost like a less fleshy but slightly more elegant 1999.

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• 1997 Hacienda Monasterio Ribera del Duero 92 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  This was drinking very nicely - not quite as OTT as some of Peter Sisseck's wines I have tried. Maybe the 10 years of age have toned the wine down somewhat - it was all the better for it too. Nose showed clear tempranillo characteristics of soy, earth, sweet plums, some dried wood, menthol, smoke and cigarettes. Quite a bit of umami and gula Melaka (brown palm sugar) swirling around there as well. Palate was very well integrated, but there was still a good amount of acid buried underneath the dense mouthfeel, which showed some alcohol and plush, rich flavours of maraschino cherries. Not the most complex of wines, but interesting enough in a modern Ribera del Duero way. Pretty decent grip in the finish, which had a note of rubber and minerals.

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• 2006 Château Villerambert-Julien La Syrah 88 Points

  France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Minervois

  This is a strange little wine - it had been opened for nearly a week, but was still pretty drinkable,. I think there must be quite a bit of viognier in this. Nose was all sweet perfume, with lots of rose syrup and oak - almost bandung like when put together, with quite a touch of alcohol and an umami driven, boiled pork accent. Palate had the menthol touch from dried toasty wod along with purple berries and lots of sweet, almost preserved blueberries. Like the nose, two words came to mind - "sweet" and "perfumed". Pretty decent finish.

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• 1996 MontGras Merlot Ninquén Mountain Vineyard 87 Points

  Chile, Rapel Valley, Colchagua Valley

  Wonderful nose - leather, sous bois, earth, wet leaves, tobacco - could almost be a mature right bank. The palate was on its last legs though - acid was getting flabby, tannins had softened into a rather shapeless form, a little heat, some cardboard, dull fruits which seemed like the remnant of something that might once have been plush and flavourful, and a short finish. This would have been nice a few years back, but it certainly had one foot in the grave by the time we got to it.

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