Important Update From the Founder Read message >

Asher's 1st Birthday

Alex's place

Tasted September 15, 2013 by Paul S with 660 views

Introduction

Asher turned one in September and his parents oragnised a little get-together for their "wine friends" at their lovely new place in AMK. We had some really interesting, eclectic wines on the night, including several magnums, a double-magnum and a methuselah. The last two were the only wines served non-blind, because of logistical issues. For the record, little Asher did not partake of the libations.

Flight 1 - WHITES (5 notes)

White - Sparkling
2004 Gaston Chiquet Champagne Special Club Brut France, Champagne
92 points
60% Chard, 40% Pinot Noir. I really enjoyed this – it was quite a perfect balance of approachable attractiveness and fresh precision. The lovely nose was a promising start, with mushroom, cream and yeasty, biscuity notes floating around a core of red apples and sugarcane aromas. Nicely complex for such a young Champagne. The palate had a nice round fleshiness to it as well, with a fine mousse cosseting orangey tones of ripe mandarins, kumquats and limes on a very appley base. This was all so nicely integrated that it slipped down wonderfully, with each glass finished in record time. It was almost deceptively easy though, for beneath the slightly ripe, round flesh, there was actually a really defined, almost linear backbone to the wine which stretched from the attack, through the midpalate and into the finish where a lovely lick of mineral that stretched on into a long, lingering tail. It may have lacked some depth and scale to be a truly great Champagne, but this was very nice indeed. We were all very taken by it. It has the balance to age pretty nicely in the midterm, but its drinking so nicely now that I would hardly wait unless I had several cases to work my way though.
1 person found this helpful Comments (1)
White
2010 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
93 points
This wine absolutely blew me away when I tasted it from barrel two years ago. Back then, manager Rémi Edange warned that it would take a good 8-10 years in the bottle before coming anywhere close to how it showed in the barrel; still, I could not resist snapping up a case en primeur. It was thus a great opportunity to see how this was doing when Ming brought a bottle to dinner. He had opened it 3 hours before serving it blind, but even then, it was far tighter and less expressive than in its infancy. No mistaking it for anything but a top-end Bordeaux blanc though, even just from its lovely nose of cream and nuts underlying the ripest gooseberries, passion-fruit and green mango scents. Tighter for sure, but still lovely. Unfortunately, the palate was really way, way too young. It showed great promise though, displaying a ripe depth alongside a lovely sense of definition, precision and focus, with solid minerality running like a laser-like beam through fleshy notes of mangoes, gooseberries, passion-fruit and cream. Along with really fresh acidity that gave a firm backbone to the whole package, this was really impressively built. - rich, deep, yet always light, almost lithe on its feet. It had a long, long finish too, slightly nutty, with some oak inflections flecking nicely round and fleshy fruit, and underlined by more of that lovely minerality and a nice, spicy linger. A baby, but so very good; actually super-complex considering how young this was. However, it was all just slightly muted compared to the exuberantly expressive, almost explosive wine we tasted from barrel. My own bottles will remain untouched for sometime yet. 93++
5 people found this helpful Comments (2)
White
1996 Jean Noel Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
92 points
From a double magnum, this was very nice. It had a lovely nose, with fragrant aromas of brown pears and lemon zest nestling amidst more developed scents of mushrooms in cream, some honey, and then drifts of smoke and flinty mineral. The palate was still fresh and alive, with a lemon and lime attack underlined by a lovely line of mineral. This then opened up into brown pears and some appley flavours with a lightly honeyed glow on the midpalate. Pass that, a lively finish pulled away with some of those savoury mushroom and mineral tones suggested on the nose. A nice wine. Not the most complex, but nicely weighted, with a mellow, rounded feel tied to a very nicely focused and precise feel. At a nice place now, but in this format, it could easily have gone on for years yet.
White
2009 Domaine Amiot Guy et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
92 points
Lovely stuff - this bottle really was a return to form. I liked the nose here - this was classic Chassagne with its aromas of fleshy white fruit and melons, sweet nectar and honeysuckle flowers, all underlined with a little chalky mineral notes. Very nice. The palate was very much a reflection of the warm 2009 vintage. Round, ripe, almost- Meursault-like in its creamy texture, it showed sweet notes of ripe apples touched with a nice honeyed tone. This actually seemed rather developed for such a young wine. However, what was really impressive was how it still kept a nice sense of structure and focus, with a fresh balance and a good bit of minerality underlying its ripe fleshiness. At the moment, there was nothing absolutely complex about this, but boy was it delicious. Nice backpalate too, with bits of chalk, spice and honey drifting into a long finish. Very nice now - this seems to be one for drinking relatively young. It does have the bones to age for at least the next few years though.
White
1990 Domaine de la Bongran (Thevenet) Mâcon Clessé Cuvée Tradition France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon Clessé
92 points
This was really unusual: a 23 year-old Macon - ripe, fruity and really quite delicious. The nose could well be from Alsace rather than Burgundy, with rich aromas of ripe mangoes and brown apples, along with lots of toasty honey and winter melon notes and a floral, chrysanthenum accent. Rather alluring. The palate was rather leaner than the palate promised and showed very matured, even old notes of sultanas, browned apples and honeyed, dried fruit tones. This was super-ripe, so that it was almost seemed off-dry. Everything was still in pretty good balance though, so that the wine managed to come together in a really quite delicious package. So different from anything I would have expected, and almost impossible to guess blind, but this was actually very enjoyable.
1 person found this helpful Comments (1)

Flight 2 - REDS (5 notes)

Red
1995 Château Rauzan-Ségla France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
92 points
From a magnum, this was still youthful, a bit too youthful actually, but really enjoyable. This was one wine that feels as though it may have been tough as nails and quite unpleasant say a decade ago, but it is definitely coming around slowly. I really liked the nose on its - wet earth and leather, tobacco and spice, some greener tea-leaf notes, than cassis and sweet violets - very classic left-bank, with a touch of Margaux perfume to it. Attractive stuff. On the palate, this was clearly neither the strongest nor the most complex of wines, but that did not stop it from being really delicious. Cassis on the attack, smoke and spice accents, some tobacco drifting over a slightly more austere midpalate. Nice stuff, very fresh and defined, and all firmly held in the grip of a rather noble 1995 structure, with fine tannins and finely integrated acidity forming a solid backbone for the wine. The finish was long, but still a bit stern, a bit too austere I thought, leaning-off in mineral and dried earth notes only relieved by a toss of tobacco and a sprinkle of spice. Otherwise, this was actually a very nice long with a good, very complete feel to it. It needs time though, esepcially in the magnum format. I would say hold for another 5-6 years at least or, even better, wait till the turn of the decade to really enjoy it.
Red
2001 Antinori Tignanello Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
flawed
From a 6 litre Methuselah (my first ever bottle in this format!), this was Tragically Corked. I have really enjoyed previous bottles of this wine, but tonight, the light but distinct TCA notes of wet cardboard on the nose could have brought a grown man to tears. There were still nice aromas on the wine - tobacco, dried woody undergrowth, dark fruit - cassis, plums and blackberries - some savoury notes, almost as if the wine was manfully trying to fight the flaw. However, there was no escaping it on the palate. Those dreaded cardboardy notes were there again; and while the fine structure and balanced from previous bottles was still there, as was the sense of purity on the cassis flavours, all this was muted, dulled, weakened, especially towards a rather flat finish. There was actually enough still left in the wine to enjoy, but very sip was haunted by the TCA. So sad.
1 person found this helpful Comments (1)
Red
2008 Mas de Daumas Gassac France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
90 points
Decently good. Decanted from a magnum, none of us could place where this came. The majority guess was actually Loire Cabernet Franc - shows how little we know about wine. To be fair though, the nose really did smell Loire-like, with green capsicum and briary notes weaving through dark-fruited blackberry and tobacco scents. The palate was confusing too. It could be the vintage, but this had a really nice, fresh, defined feel to it which is unusual for recent vintages of Mas de Daumas Gassac, let along Languedoc Roussillon as a whole. It was quite cool, quite elegant, with not a hint of rusticity, showing a litheness to its black fruited notes. I liked that. Past the midpalate, a distinct funkiness started peeking out, with earthy, barnyardy notes setting in as the wine slid away into a cool finish, where puffs of tobacco and damp leaves nestled amidst wild herb and berry notes. It is a bit on the lighter side given recent vintages, but I certainly did not mind the trade-off of depth and power for elegance and clarity. Overall, nothing spectacular, and this clearly needs plenty of time in the bottle, but it was a pretty nice wine.
Red
2000 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
93 points
Very nice indeed. Served blind, this has toned down a bit from the last bottle some 4 years back. While still a rather early-drinking and unusually voluptuos Ponsot, it is no longer the fleshy sex-pot of a wine that I recall. This still gave lots of pleasure, but seemed a lot more controlled, less fruity sweet. On the night, it had a deep nose with very Morey blueberry and cherry aromas tossed up with some savoury notes of dried earth and toasty spice. Very pleasant in a rather masculine fashion. The first thing that struck me about the palate was how juicy it was; it had really nice definition for 2000, with a full, mouthfilling attack of fleshy blue and black berries and sweeter cherry notes traced by velvety tannins and fresh acidity, all lending the fruit a lovely sense of purity. Past the midpalate, more earthy, minerally notes, a little twist of briar, and a good bit of lovely Morey spice wafted across the backpalate. Not the most complex of wines, but this was certainly not one-dimensional. In fact, it seems to have put on some complexity from the last time around. I thought it came a little bit looser, less well-structured right at the finish, perhaps indicating that it is just about time to start drinking these up. No hurry though, there is enough oomph and structure here to keep it at least at this level for quite a few years yet. That aside, this was actually a very complete wine. Very nice.
Red
1997 Albino Rocca Barbaresco Riserva Vigneto Brich Ronchi Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
91 points
A pretty Barbaresco. You would have thought this was completely open for business from the nose alone, with its lovely wafting scents of red cherries and rose ringed with fragrant smoke, twists of briar and bramble, and little pats of dried earth - a really pretty bouquet. The palate clearly needed time though. The attack was generous enough, with a rather fruity tone of black cherries and dark berries with a kiss of orange peel, all laced with lovely bright acidity. Nice. However, from the midpalate onwards, firm, teeth-coating tannins set-in in very determined fashion, layering over the fruit as well as some nicely savoury secondary notes of meat and earth. The finish was still tight, and a little austere, with some smoky ash and a touch of green herbs lingering over the tannins. I liked the feel of this wine, but it seems to need more time to mellow and grow. I would have said 8-10 years on those tannins, but I am not sure the warm 1997 fruit will last that long. In any case, this would be interesting to try again in the future, preferably with a nicely prepared veal dish.

Flight 3 - A PAIR OF BIG ONES TO END (2 notes)

Red
2002 Buller Durif Calliope Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen
90 points
A Petite Sirah by any other name, this 16% beast actually turned out to be a pretty well-made, interesting wine. Served blind, it was practically impossible to guess the varietal, let alone the country of origin. The nose showed something like a less tomato-ey Zinfandel, with green herbs, eucalyptus and briar scents dancing around ripe black-fruited aromas, with blackberries at the forefront, and a little earthiness coming behind. The palate was rich, thick and black-fruited, with loads of ripe plums and blackberries. There was tons of power and girth to the wine, and the high alcohol, while not in-your-face, was clearly somewhere in there are well. Thankfully, all this was buoyed by rather fresh acidity and a structure of fine, slightly chewy tannins that seems to have just started softening slightly. It was actually quite balanced in spite of its size. This still needs time in the bottle though; right now, it is still marked by tons of primary fruit, with only bits of eucalyptus and spicy tobacco peeking out at the finish. Overall, I would say that it is a pretty good wine. I certainly found this more interesting than the RL Buller Shiraz that was served together. Would be interesting to drink this in 4-5 years.
Red
2002 Buller Shiraz Calliope Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen
90 points
Decently good, but I liked this rather more the last time I tried it. It has softened somewhat in the intervening couple of years, but I am not sure the wine has actually improved. The nose practically screamed "Aussie Shiraz", with black fruit aromas of plums and blackberries, followed by lifted notes of mint, eucalyptus and a typical whiff crushed cockroach twang of formic acid. Like the RL Buller Durif that preceded it, the palate here was rich and thick, with round, fleshy notes of plums and blackberries at the forefront and briary notes of herb and eucalyptus running behind. I found this really fruity, and somewhat lacking in complexity. To its credit though, it had a nice juicy freshness to it that lent the wine very decent balance in spite of its thickness. It was all very plush and mellow at the finish, with soft, velvety tannins and more black fruit leading away. A good enough wine; well-crafted, but a bit boring. It will certainly hold at this level for a few years yet, but I am not sure it will actually improve.
© 2003-24 CellarTracker! LLC.

Report a Problem

Close