Monday 30 April 2012

Dinner With Two 2001 Baroli


Last night was premier for grilling outside - finally there is something you could call spring in Sweden! Anyway, some nice steaks, oven potatoes and a Madeira sauce called for a Barolo. Or why not two...

2001 Barolo Vignolo Riserva, Cavallotto
This needed some time in the glass and the decanter, but when it opened up - what a wine! The nose is deep, complex and lovely perfumed with scents of crushed roses, sweet red currants and cherries, dried mushrooms, bakelite ans dry spicies. Hauntingly beautiful. Some sweet/sour cherries. Very, very fine.
The taste is purity liquified with sweet lingonberries, forest floor, rosehips and dry leather. The tannins creepes up on you in the end of the finish. Although drinking beautifully this night, this nectar should have some more years in the cellar. Great stuff!
95p   (tasted 2012/04)

2001 Barolo Vigneto Campo, La Spinetta
This is a whole other creature - darker, sweeter, broader - but not better. Just another shape of Barolo. The nose is very upfront and jumps out of the glass with notes of sweet black cherries, dark chocolate, warm wet earth, cookie dough and sweet flowers. Very deep and intense. There is a lot of oak on the nose, but in my view it is nicely integrated. You can still feel the origin of the wine.
The taste is big, sweet and powerful with wave upon wave of black fruit and notes of ginger bread, chocolate, mint and cherry jam. The finish goes on for over a minute. Very, very intense and very, very good.
93p   (tasted 2012/04)

Two very different characters of great Barolo, and on this night I prefered the Cavalotto, but I would drink them both anyday!

Friday 27 April 2012

Friday Evening And a Giacosa

Giacosa......just the name gives you goose bumpes. And opening a young, fresh Giacosa wine is, almost, like drinking from the fountain of youth...:-) I wish it would!

2007 Barbaresco Asili, Bruno Giacosa
The nose is ultra fresh, pure and just gorgeous with notes of lingonberry bushes, rosehips, almond paste, dry licorice, undergrowth and rose petals. Very fine and complex. A touch of dry tobacco. This is for sitting down and sniffing!
The taste is fresh, young and concentrated with a lovely purity, a racy acidity and notes of lingonberries, red currants, rosehip and some dry nougat. Very, very fine. After some time in the glass this nectar has the scent of freshly washed clothes drying in the wind. Just great. Very pure and aristocratic. Great!
94p (tasted 2012/04)


Thursday 26 April 2012

Mini Mini Ornellaia



Maybe its unfair to name this very nice everyday wine that, but in a sense its true. First comes the one and only Ornellia, a masterpiece made of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. The 1988, 1990, 1997 and 2001 is as good as it gets in the wine world.
Then the Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia follows. This is a real mini Ornellai, since its made of the grapes that doesn´t meet up with the high standard of the first wine, and primarily from the younger vineyards. Made up of 54% Merlot; 31% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Cabernet Franc; 10% Petit Verdot.
The Le Volte dell´Ornellaia is made of 50% Merlot, 30% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and is a cuvée from different parts of Tuscany. It is aged for 10 months in barriques ranging from 2-4 years old which had already been used for the ageing of Ornellaia.
I remember buying a case of the 1997 and that was prime time drinking for some 10 years. This is usually very good value.
For more info, check out - http://www.ornellaia.com/home.html.

2010 Le Volte dell´Ornellaia, Tenuta dell´Ornellaia
The nose is open for business with nice notes of red and black currants, chocolate covered cherries, freshly grounded coffee and some oak vanilla. A fine cool framework. Very good. Although very young it is upfront friendly.
The taste is medium big, fine and a nicely put together with notes of red cherries, red currants, dry licorice, tobacco and some oak flavours. The finish is medium long and ends with a warm note. The tannins are young and nicely integrated. This is for drinking sooner than later but its a great wine on thursday evening with a salsiccia pasta. This is definitely worth seeking out. Very gulpable.
87p   (tasted 2012/04)




Wednesday 25 April 2012

The Vigorello Hunt

Ever since I bought the first vintage of Vigorello, the 1968 - http://barolista.blogspot.se/2012/03/just-bought_12.html - I have been thinking - "why not get some other vintages and arrange a vertical tasting dinner" - well, since I have no resistance to my own ideas - today two more vintages of Vigorello arrived - the 1978 and 1987.
The hunt is on! :-)



And then they were three...and more to come!

Monday 23 April 2012

A Great Saturday Night!

Its always thrilling, but at the same time somewhat nervous to meet new people. And in this case, people you have, in a way, formed an opion of by reading what they have written about food and wine, here - http://redscreamandriesling.blogspot.se/, http://vinotinto.wordpress.com/, http://www.matpm.blogspot.se/ and http://wctc.se/.

How would they be IRL...? :-)
Friendly, funny and enthusiastic, it turned out! A great night of food, wine and laughter - thanks all! And a special thanks to R for the outstanding food!
Besides the wines below I missed a Vin Santo that seemed to made some sort of impression...:-)

? Il Poggio, Cantina Poggio
We started with two bottles from Emiglia Romagna. The first one is a blend of Barbera, Bonarda and Cabernet Sauvignon. I seemed to have missed to note the vintage on this one - it must have been the nervs... Anyone else that noted it?
The nose is a bit shy at first, but with some swirling scents of blueberries, earth, peppar, pine and warm spicies emerge. Nice but not that deep.
The taste is young, fresh and good with notes of mixed fruits, warm earth, leather and a touch of Chinato. The acidity is nicely noticable in the finish. A good food wine.
84p   (tasted 2012/04)



2009 Gutturnio, Cantina Valdione
A big, warm, spicy nose with notes of cherry jam, chocolate, earth and a warm flowery note. A big ungainly.
The taste is big and juicy with lots of sweet red fruit, licorice, earth and a touch of alcohol. The acidity doesn´t feels really integrated. If you like them rather big and brawny, this is for you.
55% Barbera, 45% Bonarda.
76p   (tasted 2012/04)

2009 Blanc de Noir, Shelter Winery
A Pinot Blanc from Germany. The nose is delicate, fresh and salivating with notes of lemon peel, grey pears, mineral, seashells and that interesting touch of a wet dog. Very fine. This has character. I like this a lot.
The taste is warmer and more full bodied than the nose leads you to believe, with notes of lemon cream, ripe pears, blood oranges and a buttery note. I would definitely have guessed Chardonnay if I had gotten this blind. The finish is long, fresh and fine. Very good!
89p   (tasted 2012/04)



1994 Flaccianello, Fontodi
When it opens up in the glass, this is a great example of a mature Super Tuscan. The aromas is just beautiful, with ripe black cherries, pipe tobacco, Valrhona chocolate, forest floor and a touch of animal. Deep and beguiling.
The taste is mature, creamy but with some resistance still there in form of sweet, melting tannins. A lovely taste of velvety sweet black cherries with notes of tobacco, leather and a touch of cassis. Served blind, there were some guesses leaning to Bordeaux and I wouldn´t have been surprised if I also would had guessed that if I had gotten this nectar blind. A great drink, especially from this magnum...:-)
92p   (tasted 2012/04)




2006 Barolo Vigneto Monvigliero, Comm. G.B. Burlotto
There is something completely disarming with a great traditional Barolo - you just surrender to its charm and wayward personality. A deep, funky, dark nose with notes of sweet lingonberries, red cherries, licorice, dried mushrooms and Savoiardi biscuits. Very, very young. The sweetness of the fruit is stunning.
The taste is hard as a nail, but the sweet fruit, tannins and acidity makes up for a big mouthful of young, strapping Barolo that fills every little nook in the mouth. This needs time but with some air in the glass, one cannot resist this brute today.
92p   (tasted 2012/04)

2004 Ghemme Bricco Balsina, Ioppa
A deep, dark, jammy nose with notes of blackberries, chocolate, balsamic vinegar, oil paint and warm earth. The nose is yummy in its up front structure. Touches of freshly sawn oak.
Sadly so can´t the taste keep up with the nose. At first it does, with lots of sweet, tight fruit, but then the finish hits you with alchocol marinated oak. The tongue curles up and tries to avoid the dry oak taste. But to no avail... I don´t know if this was a poor showing, since I read good things about it? It worked with food but on its own its way too dry.
78p   (tasted 2012/04)



2003 Barolo Broglio, Schiavenza
A dense, deep, fine nose with notes of red cherries, licorice, dried flowers and parsnips! Very, very good. A hint of maturity. A scent of coca cola candy aftter a while. Deep.
The taste is tight, young and classy with notes of lingonberries, red cherries, licorice and forest floor. The finish is medium long and ends with a nice dry twist. This still has some maturing to do but there is no problem finishing this bottle of today. Lovely wine.
90p   (tasted 2012/04)



2009 Brachetto d´Acqui, Braida
This 5,5% refreshing red sparkler is a great way to end this evening. A fruity, fresh nose with notes of rasberries, wild strawberry candy and a touch of licorice.
The taste is semi sweet with fresh rasberry flavours and a tingling sensation over the tongue. Very nice for refreshing the palate before I head out in the cold spring of Stockholm.
82p   (tasted 2012/04)

What´s The Fuss About?

Attended a great dinner tasting yesterday with lots of new, friendly faces and great wines, and my head is a tad heavy today - but attack is the best defence, right....so why not open a bottle of wine...:-)
Will be back soon with tasting notes and pics.

Nature wines......there has been a lot of fuss about them here in Sweden the last couple of months. I try to have an open mind when in comes to wine - the proof is - usually - in the bottle. But it was with some curiosity I opened this bottle - what would I think? Well, to qoute Shakespeare - "much ado about nothing"...

2010 Morgon Cote du Py, Jean Foillard
The nose is light, fresh and pure, with notes of lingonberry bushes, unripe rasberries, a touch of stables and a fine spicy note. A little on the shy side but very well balanced and fine.
The taste is fresh, juicy and gulpable with the same lingonberry and rasberry notes as on the nose. There is some additional notes of dry licorice, hard cherry candy and balsa wood. A medium long finish. A pure, fresh wine without real complexity. But very nice drinking, the bottle suddenly became empty...
But for 20 Euro it is on the verge of being too expensive for what it delivers.
86p (tasted 2012/04)

Friday 20 April 2012

Drinking Tonight

Popped and poured this lovely mature St Emilion two hours ago, and the bottle is almost gone - what happened! :-)
What happened was that when the cork was pulled a gorgeously mature St Emilion was poured in the glass and this is some seriously gulpable wine!

1983 Chateau La Grace Dieu Les Menuts
The nose is open for business right from the get go - soft, mature and with beautiful notes of ripe plums, red currants, dark fudge, horses in the distance and autumn leaves burning in the wind. Very, very good. Somen orange peel after a while. Not that deep but very complex all the same.
The taste is all about pure silk that flows over the palate. The tannins have melted into the fruit and the sips just evaporate in the mouth - lets have another! Lovely notes of red and black plums, milk chocolate, autumn leaves and coffee and milk. This is soooo great drinking tonight!
90p (tasted 2012/04)

The 83's have been hits and misses during the years, but I have very found memorys of Margaux, Palmer, Haut-Bailly, Cantemerle, Cheval-Blanc and L'Evangile too name some.
And I have a vivid memory of a magnum of 61 La Grace Dieu that was drinking pure silk a couple of years back, just like this 83 but with added depth and complexity. This estate is a great buy, I think I paid 20 Euro for this 83 a year ago...

Tuesday 17 April 2012

The Syrah Battle Continues



Yesterday it was Rodericks turn to challenge our taste buds. All six wines were tasted double blind, and after the usual swirling, tasting and spitting it was unanimous that we had Syrah or Syrah blends before us.
And that what it turned out to be. There were pretty big differences between the Rhone wines and those from Australia, not just vintage wise but mostly structure wise. Great tasting - thanks Roderick!

1990 Hermitage Monier de la Sizeranne, Chapoutier
I just have to admit it - I have rarely been impressed with the wines from this estate, and that includes the bigger names with bigger price tags and even bigger Parker points. They don´t speak to me like for instance Guigal´s prestige wines. But to each his own.
The nose is a touch feeble and the fruit that emerge from the glass is warm, from time to time, even cooked. There is plums, dark earth, dry chocolate and some leather aromas. Friendly but rather uninteresting.
The taste is mature, warm and a touch foursquare with notes of sweet lingonberries, warm earth, balsa wood and dry leather. The finish is medium long but a tad hollow. All in all, an ok wine but for me, this is dull.
83p   (tasted 2012/04)



2001 Côte-Rôtie La Sereine Noire, Mathilde et Yves Gangloff
An interesting new acquaintance for me. This C-R starts of with an intense, deep and complex nose with notes of lingonberries, black peppered meat, dried flowers, violets and Italien salami. A fine, almost ethereal nose. An interesting note of clotted blood...:-) Great.
The taste is tight, medium big and very fine with notes of sweet lingonberries, rasberries, white peppar, the same kind of salami as on the nose, and rosehips. A lovely structure. This is a stunning bottle of Côte-Rôtie.
According to Berry Bros it  includes the local Syrah clone, Serine - http://www.bbr.com/producer-1436-yves-gangloff
94p   (tastted 2012/04)



1991 Hermitage Les Bessards, Delas Freres
A big, mature, rounded nose with lots of soft, sweet red fruit and fine notes of black pepper, dry chocolate, forest floor and band aid. The band aid note comes and goes, and when it really show itself, it is a bit too much. But otwerwise, very good.
The taste is less mature than the nose with lots of sweet red cherries, rasberries, dry licorice, forest floor and a touch, but just a touch here, of band aid. A long, fresh and interesting finish. This is in a great drinking phase right now.
90p   (tatsted 2012/04)

2002 Amon-Ra
To quote Monty Python - "now over to something completely different"...! The nose is big, big and big, with notes of toothpaste, blackberry jam, dark chocolate mousse, mint and vanilla oak. But its hard not to be impressed by its structure. Its not flabby in any way. Very, very deep.
The taste is big, compact and powerful with wave upon wave of blackberries, rasberries, dades, sweet licorice and cherry liquor. And here is the problem, that liquor taste goes all the way through the finish and ends up with a obvious alcohol feeling. The fruit is big and brawny and gorgeous. The structure, beneath the fruit, is fine. But the alcohol at the end ruins it for me. Too bad.
88p   (tasted 2012/04)

2003 Goose-Yard Block Shiraz, Schubert Estate
Another new estate for my taste buds, and a very good one at that! The nose is just stunning in its combination of power, sweetness and refinement. Lovely notes of seared meat, rasberries, summer flowers, Valrhona chocolate, leather and moist forest floor. A delightful warmth. Very, very deep. This is sooo good on the nose!
The taste is equally fine with lots of concentration, power and structure. Gorgeous notes of sweet lingonberries, rasberries and blueberries with some chocolate, flowers and peppery notes. The label states the same alcohol strength as the Amon-Ra, but you can´t feel it anywhere in the taste. Brilliant. Shared WOTN with the Gangloff.
94p   (tasted 2012/04)



2002 The Factor, Torbreck
This third Barossa Shiraz is the most closed one. The nose is tight, compact and big with notes of warm rasberries, rosehips, scorched earth and dark chocolate. Very deep. Doesn´t have the upfront sweetness as the two others. Very, very good. Some garrigue notes after a while.
The taste is very focused and structured with a lovely sweet fruit. Notes of blackberry liqcuor, pipe tobacco, sweet licorice, chocolate and summer flowers. Very, very long. This also hides the alcohol in a great way. A luscious, fine wine.
92p   (tasted 2012/04)

Saturday 14 April 2012

2009 Bourgogne, Hudelot-Noellat

Opened this newcomer to the state monopoly last night. For 17 Euro this is a nice entry level Burgundy, destined for the cellar.

2009 Bourgogne, Alain Hudelot-Noellat
When popped and poured the nose reveals some funky notes of dry undergrowth and beets. With air some nice red fruit emerges, with notes of warm spices, hard cherry candy and dry leather. Nice.
The taste is cool, laid back and friendly with nice notes of lingonberries, just about ripe rasberries, warm herbs and a fine earthy character. A fresh acidity in the medium long finish. Young and fresh. I think this could just get better with 2-3 year in the cellar. A touch simplistic today.
84p (tasted 2012/04)

Live from Eriks Winebar - Part I

So here I am once more......drinking lunch. While I decide what to eat I'm having a glass of

1999 Blanc de Blancs, Bruno Paillard
A big, open, almost mature nose with lots of toasted bread, freshly washed clothes, dried orange peels and lovely smoky note. A nice depth to this one. Just about mature.
The taste is fresh, more youthful than the nose with notes of lemon cream, orange peels, toasted bread, red apples and sweet minerals. Long and refershing. This is drinking very nicely.
90p   (tasted 2012/04)

Live from Eriks Winebar - Part II

Well, you have to eat too... I start with a Swedish classis - Toast Skagen! And with that a young, mineral Chardonnay.

2008 Saint Veran, Dominique Lafon
A steely, fine, cool nose with notes of lemons, white peaches, grey pears, cap gun smoke and lots of sweet minerals. Medium deep and fine. A touch of summer flowers. Very nice.
The taste is as steely as the nose but the depth and concentration is greater. The wine fills the mouth with ripe yellow pears, lemons, cold butter and crushed rocks. It tightens up in the finish and express great structure and cleansing acidity. This is a great food wine!
90p   (tasted 2012/04)

Live from Eriks Winebar - Part III

Next up is a steak with red wine sauce - you can't really go wrong with that, can you? :-) I am not in the mood for some Syrah after the Syrah battles this easter. Not Bordeaux either. Or Piedmont. But wait, a young Nuits-St-George from a great producer - wouldn't that do the trick? I guess so...

2008 Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de la Marechale, J-F Mugnier
Aaaaah, this is a fine nose, deep, young and powerful with stunning notes of blueberries, ripe rasberries, leather, christmas spices, forest floor and seared meat. Compact, concentrated and very focused. A lovely sweetness to the fruit.
The taste is more brutal than the nose, with tight, young, sweet fruit that is rather locked in at the moment. A long, strapping finish that effectively cleans the palate from the steak. But drinking it on its own, it almost hurts... I wouldn't be surprised if this would turn out to be a magic bottle of Burgundy 15-20 years down the road, but today it is too young, palatewise. The nose is, on the other hand, just beautiful.
92p   (tasted 2012/04)

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Hidden Treasure

When I opened the fridge yesterday and picked out a bottle of oyster sauce, a small bottle showed up behind it. A forgotten 5 centliter bottle of the 1872 Ferreira port that we tasted a few weeks ago - Tasting Dinner with 12 Vintages of Bric dël Fiasc.
I often pour some leftover wine in these small bottles to savour on a rainy day, but this one I had forgotten about!
It was a tad dryer than on that night but still very much alive. Lots of character and a great length of flavours. It made a tuesday evening seem just a little brighter.

Sunday 8 April 2012

The Easter Syrah Battle - Part II



The next pair of Syrah´s up this weekend is two favourites of mine, although they are very much different from each other - one is a classic example of a Côte-Rôtie and the other is a very modern Australien Shiraz - but I love drinking them both!

1999 Côte-Rôtie, Jamet
This is the best vintage from Jamet that I have ever tasted, and I have tasted all major vintages back to 1990. Would love to taste the 1988 though, which Parker raves about.
The nose is just captivating in all its splendor. Haunting notes of freshly peppered meat, sweet blueberries, thyme, violets and lots of fresh undergrowth with some resin in it. This speaks to the heart. A stunning example of the Syrah grape.
The taste is just awesome, with sweet, fresh black fruit, thyme insfused seared meat, minerals and warm earth. The finish is long, focused and the tannin creeps up at the end, leaving the mouth clean and wanting another large sip. Its still on the young side of things but there is no problem drinking glass after glass of this juice right now!
95p   (tasted 2012/04)

2001 Henry´s Drive Reserve Shiraz
This beast weighs in at 15% alcohol. Does it show? Nope. Is is over the top? Nope. Is it any good? Is the pope catholic...
The nose is sex in a glass - hedonistic, dripping wet, full of funky notes and just exhilarating. Leaving the juicy parts aside, this is stunning! The nose explodes from the glass with notes of ripe black- and blueberries, vanilla infused cookie dough, leather, black peppear, eukaluptys and marshmallow powder. Very outgoing but it has a tight, intense core in the middle. A nectar!
The taste is as sexy as the nose - this liquid just flows over the tongue with the most sweet, powerful yet restrained fruit ever and fills every nook in the mouth. The finish never ends. Impressive notes of blackberries, rasberries, vanilla oak, sweet licorice, new leather, sugared coffe and a dark perfumed note. Seamsless. This is going on the list - 2012 most memorable bottles!
97p   (tasted 2012/04)

Two stunning bottles with everything one can ask for from the Syrah grape. And with a couple of grilled steaks they created a magic evening!

Saturday 7 April 2012

My 100th Post - Easter Dinner with 1999 Château Latour



Any excuse is good to open a bottle of Château Latour, right? :-) I noticed that I have reached the 100th post, and combined with a leg of lamb for tonight, what better excuse could you have for reaching in the cellar and grabbing a bottle of - in my view - the best of the premier cru´s.

We were going to start with a bottle of 1996 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets from Jean Noël Gagnard, but the ugly cork mosnter reared its ugly head, so we finished the P-M I opened two days ago instead. It was holding great and was truly enjoyed.

But the shining star this night was the Latour - it went perfectly with the succulent leg of lamb with a tart of beets and potatoes and a madeira sauce.  Lamb and Bordeuax is one the perfect combinations.

1999 Château Latour
The nose is all about breed, you can feel the history, the pedigree, the care that have gone into making this wine. Deep, fascinating and pure with notes of sweet black currants, expensive leather, fresh stables and cigarr box. Aristocratic down to its smallest component. Just lovely. It has some notes of maturity on the nose.
The taste feels younger than the nose, with young strapping tannins paired with a medium deep, sweet fruit and notes of red and black currants, cigarette ashes, sweet minerals and a touch of oak. Nicely balanced. The finish is long and very fine. Could do with 5+ years in the cellar but there was no problem finishing the bottle of! Classy stuff.
95p   (tasted 2012/04)

Too bad I don´t have the financial means to drink more of this great stuff. I finished the night of with a glass of the 15 year old Bual from Cossart Gordon - yummy as always!

Friday 6 April 2012

The Perfect Ones - Part 13

I have reported on this perfect creature in another context - http://barolista.blogspot.se/2012/01/past-glorys-bruno-giacosa-tasting.html - but this is one of the - so far - 22 perfect wines I have tasted.
This is what dreams are made of... For the rest of the wines, check out the link above.

1982 Barolo Collina Rionda Riserva, Bruno Giacosa
I´m going to make this pure and simple – I would kill and die for this wine! :-) One of the purest, most intense, most fascinating wines I have ever tasted. It has everything, and then some…
The nose is the purest expression of Barolo, or wine for that matter, one could ask for with perfectly mature, sweet fruit, layer upon layer of everything you want in a wine. Breathtakingly beautiful!
The taste is as concentrated, intense and awesome as the nose with a finish that doesn´t stop. This brought tears to my eyes. An easy
100p    (tasted 2009/10)



 

Just Bought

This stunning bottle arrived today. It will be a nice compliment to my 64 collection. And I hope it lives up to the high praise it gets from various sources.
"This has concentration and depth, sweet fruit and a good cedary background" (Clive Coates. Grands Vins)
"A gentle giant" (Michael Broadbent: Vintage Wine)
"A marvelous, opulent St-Emilion" (Yves Durand: Connoisseur´s Guide to Bordeaux Wines)

Thursday 5 April 2012

The Easter Syrah Battle - Part I



I opened these two Syrah bottles a couple of hours ago. It was a couple of years ago I tasted each of these and I thought it was high time tasting them again. I tasted them almost at the same time 8 years ago. At that time I thought highly of them - this was my tasting note way back:

2001 Les Aspres Syrah, Domaine Cros
A Syrah from Minervois. Holy s...t! I don´t usually use profanity but words did escape me when I put my nose in the glas. It is so deep, complex and profound, and at the same time big and brawny, that you don´t know what to make of it. Some of my notes read hard fried bacon, violets, licorice, undergrowth, raw meat, sweet tobacco etc. Very, very complex. It just gets better and better in the glas, settles down a little and a wine of beautiful proportions and concentration emerges. This is as good as it gets.
The taste is very, very concentrated and intense with notes of sweet blueberries, dark chocolate, licorice, warm earth and oak vanilla. The finish is over 1 minute long and is warm, balanced and complex. Lots of new oak but the fruit stands up to it. Needs time in the bottle, but I wouldn´t be surprised if I would score this even higher with 2-3 hours in a decanter. This is a must buy!
96p   (tasted 2004/01)


2000 Alban Reva Syrah
This was the “nicest” one in the lineup. A deep, full bodied nose with notes of sweet blueberrys, pine forrest, licorice and a touch of toothpaste. Very, very good. Even elegant.
The taste is young, tight and intense with sweet, concentrated red and black fruit and matching tannins. Notes of blueberrys, rasberrys, bacon, licorice and some oak-vanilla. Very, very long. This is going to be a great wine in 5-10 years, but I don´t think it´s on the same level as the -98 (97p).
94p   (tasted 2004/05)





Well, what about now then. Just popped and poured and then decanted for two hours.

2001 Les Aspres Syrah, Domaine Cros
A deep, powerful, profound nose with gorgeous notes of black cherries in liquor, violets, tar, dark chocolate and sweet rosemary. Very, very deep. A lovely purity to the fruit. With air beautiful aromas of warm forest floor emerges. Great wine!
The tatste is a big mouthful with lots of sweet black fruit - blueberries, black cherries and rasberries. The tannins are fully integrated in the fruit. A very nice balance. Great structure. The finish goes on for over a minute. This has aged very well, but, alas, my last bottle out of the two cases I bought after the tasting above in 2004. The first 23 bottles almost evaporated in a few months time...:-) I regret I don´t bought more at the time. A stunning wine!
96p   (tasted 2012/04)



2000 Alban Reva Syrah
Out of the starting blocks, this is all over the place and the aromas is of the non-fruity kind - band aid, burnt rubber and a touch metallic. But with two hour in the decanter other aromas emerge - there is lots of sweet blueberries, rasberries, warm cookie dough and dark fudge. Very deep. A very nice warmth. Blueberry pie with whipped cream!
The taste is big and brawny with lots of tarry sweet black fruit and notes of dark chocolate, violet tablets, meat and warm earth. Very long, intense and big. In the end of the finish there is a touch of alcohol warmth. This is in a fine drinking window with a nice piece of grilled meat, but I think it was better young.
91p   (tasted 2012/04)

Wednesday 4 April 2012

Easter vacation is on - 2007 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Mouchere, Domaine Henri Boillot

Finally some days of! It is a great feeling coming home, reaching into the fridge and pulling out a bottle of fermented grape juice. A great start of this evening!

2007 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Mouchere, Domaine Henri Boillot
This Monopole wine starts off intense, deep and a touch restrained. With air beautiful aromas of lemon and orange peel, cold butter, pears, white peaches and fudge emerge. Very deep. Later a fine note of warm gravel appears. This has been in contact with some new, expensive oak. Gorgeous.
The taste is as intense and focued as the nose. Lots of sweet yellow fruit, a tight structure and a lovely, refreshing acidity. The only downside I can find is that the structure is a tad too strict, maybe due to its young age, but I sense that is it always gonna be this way. This will not likely turn out like its slutty older sibling, like the 1985 and the 1992, that were sultry and seductive from the get go. But still, a very fine bottle of Chardonnay.
93p   (tasted 2012/04)


Tuesday 3 April 2012

My Easter Egg...

Only one day left to work before easter. Then its five days off! And during five days there is time to drink some nice wines. I assembled my own easter egg of bottles just now - can´t wait to get the corkscrew in motion...
Happy Easter! Stay tuned!


Sunday 1 April 2012

Past Glory´s - A Dinner With Old Pommards 1921 - 1969


arranged this dinner a couple of years back. I had been buying some old Pommards from bin ends at auctions and from merchants all over Europe. Unfortunately some of my friends couldn´t make it due to colds so we were four brave tasters to take on 14 bottles over dinner…

I had a couple of bottles put aside as backup, since bottles with this age can be a hit or miss. But we didn´t have to open a single backup bottle! To our surprise, and a nice one at that, not one bottle was DOA, everyone was alive and offered different interesting characters, although some were a lot better than others. A very fascinating insight to old Burgundy (but not all were all 100% Pinot, or…?).



I uncorked all bottles around 2 p.m. and we started pouring the first flight around 7 p.m. The ones that smelled good I corked with a fresh cork, the ones that smelled somewhat musky or restrained I left open. I note the fill in cm in the tasting notes below.
We started things of with three different tartars of scallops, tuna and salmon. Very tasty with a bottle of



1959 Raunthaler Wülfen Riesling Auslese Cabinet, Staatsweingut Eltville Kloster Eberbach
A beautiful golden amber color. The nose is fresh as a dasiy with lots of petrol, dried fruits – pear and pineapple – and honey. Very deep. Perfectly mature. Some flowery notes. Just a lovely nose.
The taste is as fresh, with semidry fruit, perfect acidity and a long, elegant, very balanced finish. Lots of dried fruits. Beautiful!
94p   (tasted 2009/01)
Before the Pommards arrived at the table we had a lobster gratin with two bottles of white Burgundy.

1993 Meursault Charmes, Comte Lafon
A deep, sweet, complex and young nose with notes of tofée, butter and lovely sweet yellow fruit. Deep. A very nice citrus-note, almost like lemoncello. Still young. Very, very good.
The taste is fine, elegant and long with lots of sweet citrus fruits and fresh acidity. Very nice finish. This surely is at its best right now but will keep.
93p   (tasted 2009/01)

1983 Meursault Charmes, Comte Lafon
This is fatter than its younger sibling, both on the nose and on the palate. A deep nose with some overripe yellow fruit, wet earth and some oak. Massive.
The taste is big, mature and somewhat fiery with sweet lemoncello and earthy notes. Some sherry notes on the finish. Not as fresh as the 93 but very good in its own way. Went perfectly with the lobster gratin.
90p   (tasted 2009/01)

Then it was time for the first flight of Pommards. With this flight we had Veal sweetbreads with black morels and spinach (the recipe is from Wine Spectator Dec 31 1998 issue, and called for a mature Volnay or Pommard – and that we had!)

1969 Pommard Les Jarolliéres, Henri Boillot
2 cm. A soft, mature, elegant nose with notes of dry strawberries, warm earth and assorted spice. Very elegant. Lots of wild strawberries after a while. Ethereal and just lovely.
The taste is fine, mature and cool with tight red fruit, nice acidity, a long dry finish and a aristocratic feel about it. Doesn´t show of, but instead has an understated elegance. Very, very good.
93p   (tasted 2009/01)

1959 Pommard, Moillard-Grivot
2 cm. The first of the Grenache / Pinot wines we had…? This can´t be all Pinot? The nose opens up with notes of beef broth, coffee, and some rubbery/plastic notes. Underneath there is a sweet red fruit popping up but the other attributes above doesn´t give the fruit much of a change.
The taste is tight, dry and somewhat angular with notes of asphalt, broth and hot red, dry fruit. A long and warm finish. Not my cup of tea.
80p   (tasted 2009/01)

1953 Pommard, Piat & Co
3 cm. A deep, warm, lovely sweet nose with lots and lots of strawberries and rasberrys with milk and honey! A beautiful note of fresh roses. Sweet undergrowth. This is just great. Has a nose of a perfect autumn forest walk!
The taste is big, mature and concentrated with lovely sweet red fruit. The finish goes on for over a minute and ends with just that perfect dry twist. Very elegant but at the same time it has power. Perfectly mature. The sweetbreads and this wine created perfect harmony!
96p   (tasted 2009/01)




The 69 and the 53 was great examples of mature Burgundy with, still, lots of fruit but also with that extra nuance which only bottle maturity can achieve. The 53 was more Pommard than the 69, which more leaned to a Volnay structure. The 59 was just odd, but the fill was excellent and the cork also. I usually quite like mature wines from Moillard-Grivot, but not this one.

For the next flight we had pigeon with truffled Jerusalem artichokes and a rasberry sauce (made from the pigeon carcasses). With this course we went backwards in time…

1921 Pommard Epenots
6 cm. An unknown producer, the label just stated 1921 Pommard Epenots and a negociant name out of Brussel. The nose is dark and sweet with lots of muscovado sugar, overripe strawberries, soya and licorice. Very dark, as is the color… This can´t be all Pinot, really? But it is good in its own way. Very sweet.
The taste is big and concentrated with notes of sweet broth, dark red fruit, alcohol and some resin – can someone say Châteauneuf-du-Pape? But sweet and nice all the same, but without complexity.
86p   (tasted 2009/01)




1923 Pommard, Hanappier
4 cm. The next two bottles came from the same Bordeaux negociant, Hanappier, and this is the real stuff. They should have focused on Burgundy if these two bottles is representative of their work there!
A warm, deep, elegant nose with notes of forest floor, dried rasberry fruit, hints of tobacco and lovely mushroom flavor. Very seductive. Deep nose. Unbelievable fresh.
The taste is warm, elegant and perfectly mature with cool, sweet red fruit, nice acidity and a long, creamy finish. Just a lovely mouthful of mature Burgundy! Great!
96p   (tasted 2009/01)

1928 Pommard, Hanappier
4 cm. A deep, tight, and complex nose with sweet red fruit, some spice and mushroom/undergrowth. Lively fruit. Deep and with a touch of cold coffee. Very, very nice. Very fresh.
A very deep, long and balanced taste with dark red fruit, perfectly mature tannins and refreshing acidity. Very, very long. Brilliant taste!
The 23 have the better nose but the 28´s taste is incredible. Both is fresh as daisies – phenomenal!
95p   (tasted 2009/01)



1929 Pommard, Leon Violland
5 cm. The nose is deep and somewhat brawny with dark red/black fruit, some rubbery notes, burnt leaves and a touch of resin. Here is a very different notes than the Hanappier wines above. Just Pinot? But the nose is, again, nice on its one.
The taste is tight, broad and somewhat dry with notes of muscovado sugar, overripe dark fruit, same rubbery notes as in the nose and a touch of resin. A long and warm finish. A good wine but I wouldn´t have guessed Pinot in a million years…
88p   (tasted 2009/01)


This was a very interesting flight – two wines with an undisputable Burgundy feel and they were great, and then two wines that was nice on their own, but were they authentic Burgundy? It didn´t felt that way, but I couldn´t say for sure, I, regrettably doesn´t taste enough old Burgundy to be sure.

With the third flight we had some cheese – Gruyere, a goat cheese from Burgundy that I have forgotten the name of and a Poisson.

1949 Pommard, Gabriel Lafon
7 cm. The nose is warm with notes of dry licorice, somewhat cooked dry red fruit and a touch of pipe tobacco. Has a lot of warmth, probably from the vintage. Not that deep but nice anyway.
The taste is better with a tight grip of sweet red fruit, warm undergrowth and long finish with a nice dry twist. Long and fine. Very nice taste. Keeping up well.
88p   (tasted 2009/01)

1949 Pommard, J. Boulaigre (magnum)
5 cm. This was an impressing bottle and with a 49 Burgundy from magnum you should have high hopes, and this fore filled it somewhat. The nose was initially somewhat foursquare (although it was Aoudouzed for about 6 hours) but turned, with some time in the glass, into a big, brawny wine with lots of sweet red fruit, a lot of sweet, wet undergrowth, old leather and some barnyard notes. This wear its heart on its sleeves.
The taste is tight, dry and big with very nice, sweet, dry red/black fruit. This still have some tannins in the finish. Long and warm. This must have been very impressive 20 years ago, but still manage to make a statement.
90p   (tasted 2009/01)

1945 Pommard, Nooruenbos
5 cm. This is what dreams are made of – a haunting nose of sweet/sour red fruits – wild strawberries, rasberrys and red cherries. A beautiful touch of milk chocolate. Very, very deep. Just a lovely nose. A lovely earthy note. This is breathtakingly beautiful!
The taste is concentrated, rich, and sweet with beautiful texture and lovely sweetness. Long, long and…long. This is just great!
97p   (tasted 2009/01)





And with the Pommards finished we had some rasberry chocolate truffles. With these we had a bottle of old Port.

1900 da Silva Vintage Port
This is sweet, and then with some more sweetness with lots of chocolate, sugar and sweet flowers. Very nice, but haven´t got that much complexity. But very sweet and nice.
The taste is big, sweet and fun. Taste like a great chocolate mousse. Not that complex but very yummy!
90p   (tasted 2009/01)

A great evening of wine, food and laughter. The day after was somewhat heavy…but the taste of the 53, 23, 28 and 45 lingered on.

And the next Pommard dinner is in the planning process...