Important Update From the Founder
Read message >
The Sampler Summer Tasting 2013
The Sampler, Islington
Tasted July 7, 2013 by davestenton with 568 views
Flight 1 - Whites (6 notes)
White
2010 Raymond Morin Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine
Nose is a little sweeter than the Muscadet norm. Palate is OK, bit neutral. 16/20.
White
2012 Reichsrat Von Buhl Sauvignon Blanc Trocken
Stony, gooseberry nose with an appealingly marine freshness. Fairly restrained - Loire-like - palate. Very refreshing with stony minerality and then crunchy green apple acidity on the finish. Not sure the world needs any more Sauvignon Blanc but hard to argue with the quality here. 16.5/20.
White
2010 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Petit Chablis
Fresh, mineral nose. Concentrated with a beautiful texture. Gorgeous green apple fruit. Ignore the Petit Chablis designation: this is better than many producers' 1er Crus. 17/20.
White
2011 Domaine Lejeune Bourgogne Blanc
Quite a creamy nose with a little apple. Rounded, creamy palate. Full-bodied and a touch heavy - I'd prefer a little more acidity. I preferred this producer's Bourgogne Rouge. 16.5-/20.
White
2010 Domaine de la Noblaie Chinon La Part des Anges
Very lightly honied nose. Quite a bit of extract, which gives the palate an apple skin texture. Full-bodied and concentrated. Great potential. 17+/20. 2015+
White
2012 Meulenhof Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett
There's some sherbetty sweetness on the nose alongside the grapey fruit. Rich, ripe fruit. Real teeth-tingling acidity but not quite enough to balance the richness. I prefer my Kabs a little racier than this. 16/20.
Flight 2 - Reds (13 notes)
Red
2011 Jean-Marc Burgaud Beaujolais-Villages Les Vignes de Thulon
Earthy, red berry nose. Fresh, stemmy palate with decent grip. Slightly tart on the finish. 16/20.
Red
2011 Domaine Hudelot-Baillet Bourgogne
Sweet strawberry fruit with a touch of vanilla on the nose. Oak is a little too obvious on the palate. Slightly tart but I expect that will ease as the wine fills out. 16+/20. 2014+
Red
2011 Tissot (Bénédicte et Stéphane / André et Mireille) Pinot Noir En Barberon
Quite complex nose already: some earthy notes alongside the fruit - with a mix of strawberry and cherry - but there's also a sweeter, slightly perfumed top note. Real earthy complexity on the palate too and lovely purity of fruit. Transparent. Good. 16.5/20.
Red
2010 Villa Marnia Chianti
Nose isn't giving much way at the moment. Savoury palate with some 'grippy' structure. Pretty tight just now. 16.5/20. 2014+
Red
2011 Domaine du Fogolar (Collet de Bovis) Bellet
Very distinctive pomegranate nose. Palate reminds me a little of a top-quality New Zealand Pinot: the combination of concentrated sweet fruit and silky elegance. 14.5% ABV but you don't notice it. Excellent. 17.5/20.
Red
2002 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
Classic tomato leaf nose. Palate is earthy and savoury with some plum and just a touch of spice. Still a little unresolved tannin but you could drink this now. 16.5/20.
Red
2009 Bodega Sottano Cabernet Sauvignon 3 S
Prominent minty aromas. Sweet, mouth-filling fruit; just a little sweet for me despite decent acidity. 16.5-/20.
Red
2007 Guasti Clemente Barolo Riserva
Some tobacco and fig aromas. This should drink relatively early but not sure it has the stuffing for the long haul; I remember the 2005 being more impressive. 17/20. 2015+
Red
2011 Bodegas Lacus Rioja Inédito 3/3
Brooding, spicy and slightly yeasty nose. Palate is a touch too sweet for my tastes. 16/20.
Red
2010 Domaine Mas Theo Grignan-les-Adhémar Cuvée TO
Quite a bit of VA on the nose. And pronounced - overwhelming - balsamic notes on the palate too. A bad bottle? I've enjoyed wines from this producer in the past. 14/20.
Red
2009 White Stone Heavyweight Old Vine Zinfandel
Nose is fairly neutral; just a hint of something leafy/lifted. Nice cool palate; quite earthy. Fresh and elegant: not at all what you expect from the name/label. Nice herbal lift to the finish. Very good. 17/20.
Red
2011 Matias Riccitelli Malbec The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree
Rich, heady nose with plum fruit and then some spicy oak notes in the background. Powerful palate with a little spice and some cocoa richness. Very well made; feels less 'worked' than the 2010. 17/20.
Red
2011 Le Clos d'un Jour Cahors Un Jour
Tannic and savoury with herbal tinges. Fresh but needs another couple of years. 17/20. 2015+
Flight 3 - Vin Jaune (1 note)
White
2006 Benoit Badoz Côtes du Jura Vin Jaune
A mix of crushed almond and sea salt on the nose. Awesome intensity to the palate: you count the finish in minutes rather than seconds. Brilliant. 18/20.
1 person found this helpful
Comment