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Vinoteca Winter Portfolio Tasting 2011
London
Tasted November 26, 2011 by davestenton with 527 views
Flight 1 - Whites (13 notes)
White
2010 Verus Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc
Textbook floral SB aromas. Palate is fruit-forward but simple and a little clumsy - a touch flabby perhaps?
White
2009 Three Choirs Willow Brook
Freshly cut apple on the nose. Juicy with lots of flavour but too sweet and the blend seems a little smudgy.
White
2010 A Coroa Godello Valdeorras Blanco
Smells beautiful: a hint of honey amongst the citrus. Long and quite rich. Lovely balance and a great demonstration of Godello's capabilities.
White
White
2009 Domaine de la Robinière / Vincent Raimbault Vouvray Sec Bel Air
Lovely nose with fresh melon and apricot. Palate doesn't quite match but suspect it will develop. Well balanced. Good value.
White
2009 Domaine des Valanges Mâcon-Prissé Les Clos
Rich. Lovely texture and a minerally finish. Not a bargain but a decent example of what the Mâconnais does best.
White
2008 Domaine Michel Caillot Bourgogne Blanc Les Herbeux
Rich, honied palate but finishes dry. Good structure. Classic and ticks all the white burgundy boxes.
White
2010 Mas des Bressades Costières-de-Nîmes Blanc Cuvée Tradition
Stone fruit aromas. Palate pretty simple; seems overpriced.
White
2008 Royal Tokaji Wine Co. Furmint Tokaji Dry
Nose is beautiful - peach and apricot aromas that leap out of the glass. Vivacious! Interesting palate too: off-dry (despite what the label says) with some backbone and a long finish.
White
2010 Lammershoek LAM
Nose a little muted. Lovely palate though: melon, peach and apricot flavours and a long minerally finish. Very good.
White
2010 Birichino Malvasia Bianca
Lots of pear on the nose - a little honey too. Hmm, palate a bit messy and overblown. Flabby.
White
2010 Cullen Wines White Margaret River
A blend of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin and Chardonnay according to the notes. Complex and classy. Citrus, honey, melon. Long finish. Good value.
Flight 2 - Reds (25 notes)
Red
2009 Johanneshof Reinisch Pinot Noir
Some earthy, red fruit aromas. Strawberry fruit but seems a little dried out.
Red
2009 Clos Henri Pinot Noir Petit Clos
Pale red - almost translucent at the rim. Red berry aromas. Juicy but savoury palate. Well balanced. Good length.
Red
2009 Harwood Hall Shiraz
Dark red colour. Quite meaty on the nose - bit of polish as well. Dark fruits and a bit of spice. Good length. Ticks all the syrah boxes.
Red
2008 Mark Haisma Gevrey-Chambertin La Croix des Champs
Pale red with some signs of age. Red fruits and a little autumnal on the nose. Good structure with beautiful fruit but also some savoury characteristics. Long finish. Tannins are still a little sturdy; will wait till next year to open my first bottle.
Red
2010 Château de Pierreux Brouilly
Pale purple. Spicy, marmite-y nose - smells pretty serious! Good structure. Savoury, red fruits. Refreshing. Very grown-up. Very good.
Red
2008 Château Le Grand Verdus
Dark red with some signs of evolution. Some spicy oak on the nose. Lovely, silky palate - well balanced. Lots of red fruit flavours. Long and satisfying.
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Red
1999 Château Grand Pey Lescours
Tomato leaf and a little polish on the nose. Serious and savoury. Still some grip. Very good and decent value for mature Bordeaux.
Red
2009 Les Coteaux Cairanne Cuvée du Belvédère
Deep purple. Some sweet fruit on the nose. Medium-bodied. Ripe and round. Well made but not that exciting.
Red
2009 François Villard St. Joseph Mairlant
Dark, plummy purple. Dark fruits, polish and some raw animal-y aromas. Lovely, silky palate. Very precise. Long and serious.
Red
2006 Mas Jullien Coteaux du Languedoc Les états d'âme du Mas Jullien
Deep purple; doesn't look five years old. Dark fruit and cinnamon (!) on the nose. Savoury palate with red fruit flavours. Grippy tannins. Good acidity.
Red
2010 Guy Allion Touraine Le Poira
Light purple. Strange wine this: smells and tastes more like a Cab Franc than a Malbec. Grainy, savoury.
Red
2009 Terra dei Templari Friuli Grave Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso Ponte dal Diavolo
Pale purple with some signs of age. Has a slightly vegetal Cab Franc-like nose. Juicy. Linear but long.
Red
2001 Antonio Vallana e Figlio Boca
Pale red with translucent rim. Herby, autumnal nose. Lots of lush mid-palate flavour. Very long. Lovely texture too.
Red
2007 Cesconi Moratel Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT
Dark purple. Medium-bodied but layer after layer of flavour. Very complex. Long. Balanced. Deep and brooding and very good indeed.
Red
2006 Cantina di Montalcino Brunello di Montalcino Palazzo Comunale
Pale red with signs of age. Not much on the nose. Lots of sweet red fruit on the palate initially. Mouthfilling but just a little dense right now; needs food or decanting.
Red
2009 Attilio Contini Cannonau di Sardegna Tonaghe
Light purple. Lovely fresh berry aromas. Soft and summery; suspect it's unoaked. Sweet, ripe fruit. Juicy and moreish. Focussed. Just a touch simple for £15+.
Red
2008 Fattoria Selvanova Aglianico Vignantica Terre del Volturno IGT
Burnt rubber nose; reduction? Medium- to full-bodied with a deceptive amount of grip. Rich, dark fruits, spice - there's lots going on here. Very long. Impossible to spit. Superb.
Red
2010 Bon Cap Pinotage The Ruins
Pale red. Marmite-y nose. Then sweet red fruit on the palate. Ripe and juicy but a bit simple. Better than the 2009 but, for some reason, and despite organic production, it just seems synthetic somehow.
Red
2009 Vinos Valtuille Bierzo Pago de Valdoneje
Deep, dark purple. Smells oaky but the notes claim it's unoaked. Odd. Dark, spicy fruit. Good acidity. Round tannins. A decent Bierzo for the money.
Red
2010 Willunga 100 Tempranillo
Deep, dense purple. Spicy, animal-y nose. Ripe, red fruit but a touch sweet.
Red
2007 Familia Cecchin Carignan
Interesting nose: quite savoury and autumnal. Atypical Argentine palate that is soft and silky. Pure red fruit. Very refreshing. Good length with a touch of spice on the finish. Good value.
Red
2010 De Martino Syrah
Woah, serious meaty nose! And a palate to match: but it's a bit brutal and lacks acidity. Needs food.
Red
2008 Quinta do Infantado Douro
Dense, dark purple. Not much on the nose. Dark fruit, spice; well made but not very exciting.
Red
2008 Quinta do Mouro Vinho Regional Alentejano Vinha do Mouro
Light purple. Dark fruit flavours. Nice, spicy finish. Good acidity.