Cellar Raid at ES
Extra Space, Singapore
Tasted Saturday, April 18, 2009 by Paul S with 723 views
Introduction
Strange little tasting at ES, with a whole variety of wines. The usual suspects, William, Lawrence, Alex, with a few others.. Nancy, Alex Koh, Boon Seh, Liz, Hsien Min and Peter.
2006 Patrice Rion Chambolle-Musigny 89 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
A very modern interpretation. Red core, pink rim with a slight watery edge. Nose had a whiff of crushed beetles which blew off quickly, and then it was pretty intense and fragrant, if just a little sweet, with coffee candy, candied cherries, rose petals and a touch of souis bois. Quite a bit of extract on the palate, with tight powdery, especially at the finish. Again, sweet and very primary flavours dominated. I got maraschinos and cherry cordial. Good fruit expression and there was quite a bit of weight, but the acid was lowish, making the wine seem rather unenergetic. Finish closed rather short with a metallic hint. Not bad all in all, and this should show better with time, but nowehere near the best 2006 Chambolle I have had.
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2004 Zema Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 91 Points
Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
Improving all the time. This was far, far better than the last couple of times I tried it. Nose opened with minty eucalytptus notes along with green capsicum, pencil lead and cassis notes. Classic Coonawarra, if just leaning a little towards the wrong side of greeness. After some time, some earthy, meaty tones emerged. Palate was very polished. Lush, integrated, with fine tannins and a plush mouthfeel, all nicely balanced out with a nice, lacy acidity. I got rich flavours of sweet currants, mint chocolate, tobacco leaf, some savoury meat notes and a layering of spice. Longish finish showed just a touch of oak. Good at the tasting, it was even better the day after, with the flavours integrating and the odd bits melding into a smooth, rich, velvety, but very balanced Cab.
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1999 Rustenberg John X Merriman 89 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
Very right bank Bordeaux on the nose. A touch of crushed beetle that blew off, and then roasted capsicum, sweetish plums and currants, bitter chocolate, tobacco and some root herbs. Pretty lush, fragrant nose. The palate was a little rustic, with more leafy tobacco than was apparent on the nose, along with hebs, capsicum and blueberries. A little disjointed here and there, it was just about fresh enough, with a hint of alcohol mixed into the flavours and tannins that stuck out at points, coating parts of the mouth. Whatever oak there was was nicely integrated, showing just a little at the shortish finish.
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2000 Morgenhof Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve 90 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region
Very different from the more traditional 1999 John X Merriman we had just before, this clearly bore a new world stamp. Darkly coloured. Nose showed candied currants, licorice, and a touch of savoury tobacco leaf and capsicum along with graphite and mint chocolate notes. It was even a bit louder than the Australian Zema 2004 Cab a couple of glasses back. The palate had lots of extract, with fine but mouthpuckering tannins wed to prickly acidity. A little tough, but the wine probably needed the structure, given that there was a touch of alcohol mixed in with the flavours of stewed fruits, mint, leather, meat jerky and wood spice. Finish was very respectable, with a woody flourish. Not my favourite style, but pretty good.
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2002 Wieninger Wiener Trilogie 87 Points
Austria, Wien
Very strange wine. Looks, smells and tastes like a matured (and not very good) new world pinot, but the label says Zweigelt, Merlot and Cab Sauv. Light red with an orangey rim, the wine's nose showed lots of umami tones like funky sous bois, dried oysters and dried mushroom, along with sweeter notes of cherry cola and preserved winter melon sprinkled with accents of rosemary and thyme. Quite a bit of alochol in there too. The palate held plenty of stewed cherries, candied strawberries, more preserved winter melon and a wreath of smoke. It was pretty extracted, with plenty of firm tannins, especially moving into its short finish, bit somehow seemed a little flat. Not undrinkable. Just strange.
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1998 Bodegas Ochoa Navarra Gran Reserva 92 Points
Spain, Navarra
An excellent wine - my favourite of the day. Colour was orangey garnet. Lovely nose, with white pepper, high-toned herbal notes of oregano and thyme, and savoury, umami underpinnings. Just a whiff of alcohol fumes, but that quickly faded. Lovely tempranillo palate - sweet dark cherries and currants, more herbs, tobacco and smoke, cigarette ash and a ferrous hint at the finish - all wrapped up in a sleek, stylish package with fine tannins and decent acidity. Very elegant.
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1995 Château Clinet Flawed
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Not going to score this because a tiny bit of TCA seemed to have stripped the palate of some essentials. Pity, because the underlying balance was really nice. Nose opened with some fish and rubber. That blew off to show a touch of cherries and currants. Much the same on the palate. Truncated dry finish. Sad.
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1994 Hardys Shiraz Eileen Hardy 90 Points
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
Orangey colour. Typical aged Aussie Shiraz nose. Crushed beetles, menthol, mint, lots of of dried wood and lapsang suchong tea. Still incredibly fresh though - nothing musty or stale with this one. Acid on the palate was a little on the low side given the freshness of the nose, but certainly not so low as to make the wine flabby. I got sweet prune flavours along with creme de cassis, raspberry ripple, more mint, vannila, sour plums and black olives. Nice long finish, more berries, some coconut (American oak?) and a linger of tannins. Very idiosyncratic, only an old Aussie Shiraz of a certain ilk can taste like that. I think you either like this or you don't.
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2004 Finca Villacreces Ribera del Duero 92 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Even though this wine was a tad too modern for my tastes, it was very impressive, especially given its price point. Dark core, slightly pink coloured on the rim. Nose showed ince-cream soda, sweet plums, menthol, coffee and, with time, some umami notes. There was some varnish and glycerin as well, but that quickly disappeared with some air. More varnish on the palate - this was a bit harder to get rid off. Thankfully, it was more than balanced off with some fine acidity, lots of plush blueberry and dark cherry flavours, a hint of prunes and smoky cigarette ash. Tight, mouth-coating tannins lended an elegant, sculptedfeel to the wine. Nice long finish as well, with orange peel, herbs and a touch of flowers. Would benefit from a few years in the cellar as well! A definite must buy.
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2006 Torres Priorat Salmos Porrera Vi de Villa 91 Points
Spain, Catalunya, Priorat
I seem to be out of line with the other CT tasters here. I found this good, without ever hitting the heights, but good nonetheless. About as good as one would expect from a Priorat of this price range. Purple coloured. Some alcohol fumes on the nose, but nicely fresh, with sour cherries and berries, orange peel and fragrant flowers wed to baked slate notes typical of the area. Palate showed fresh, tomato-ey acidity, sweet cherries , crystalline blueberry fruit and a touch of menthol. Decent finish with a squeeze of tight tannins.
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1975 Brown Brothers Shiraz Milawa Vineyard 91 Points
Australia, Victoria, North East, King Valley
Now, how does one go about rating such wines? This was a dead ringer for a 30-year tawny port. The cork crumbled into the bottle, but the wine was alive and well. Rich brown colour. Nose gave up figs, raisins, mahogany, savoury beef stock, and rich fruit cake tones - rather beautifully done. Lots of dried raisins, figs and prunes on the palate backed up with still fresh acid and a note of orange peel as the wine slided into a long, lingering and rather dry finished with faint hints of mahogany wood. Really strange, but very enjoyable.
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