Weekend drinking Thread 19-21 Feb

[Sean Hardon]

Mount Bluff M&S New Zealand sparkling wine NV.

Past its best yellow plum colour and very little fizz. A whiff of lemon and stone fruit on the palate. Very one dimensional and worth no more than its reduced price.

Pernand Vergelesses Premier Cru Les Fichots Domaine Rollin Père et Fils 2005.

Opened 3 to 4 hours before drinking after reading Mr Jaines note on CT. There was a rustic feel to it but the fruit was very much to the fore. Beginning to enter into maturity, there was a soupcon of sous bois, tart cherry and redcurrant, tannins integrated well and a fair lick of acidity. Decent length. On the second night the fruit was softer and more approachable. It was a very well balanced wine, with absolutely no rush to drink.

 

[Nigel Palesford]

A rather sour and severe Tignanello 2005 last night to accompany a Locatelli recipe for a Beef Ragu. The penultimate bottle from a case bought in 2009. Dark colour with a copper hue and pretty impenetrable on opening. Left for a couple of hours with the cork out and then double decanted. Initially it tasted like a classic old Super Tuscan blend but an hour later with the food it was merely okay - a bit brawny, no tannins to speak of, the barest hint of fruit. I think it may have been better to have opened and drank straightaway. We had a bottle in 2018 which was much better and I wonder if it maybe on the decline.

 

[Cameron Clark]

Sallio is the entry level white from Ruggabellus. This has put on a lot of weight in the last 18 months. It’s orange in style with lots of yeasty notes on the nose and tangerine in the mouth. It’s lost the crunchiness of youth, but the extra weight of the fruit and the complexity make for a rather completing wine.

 

[Raymond Tilney]

Last nights Comtes 2005 was more about 05 than Comtes.
Very identifiable Comtes nose, but on the palate less depth than you might have expected.
Mature Chardonnay notes, but with a slightly more stemmy twist and more herbal than honeyed.
17.25/20.
At the price Mike H secured these for us they are very decent value, but they are not a vintage to use to introduce someone to Comtes.
A bit dilute and stalky, if one were to look for issues.
DP 2005 is the benchmark champagne of this vintage, which always it seems carries that identifiable note.

 

[ian clarke]

Two very interesting white burgundies both totally different and fully resolved,drank with last night with Sea Bass and risotto Milanese
The Charmes a recommendation from a friend and it was excellent.

 

[Paul J a i n e s]

Probably my wine of the year so far.... 2015 Domaine Cosse Maisonneuve Cahors Les Laquets. Absolutely superb....

TN: Oh wow. Where did this one come from? Stupendously fragrant infused with a mineral spine chiselled from the hardest rock and layered on top with essence of fruit without every being fruity. This exists in a dimension where mineral, liquid and fruit all exist on multiple levels - at first there is tight tannins the red fruit, then a mineral kick then a touch of sweet black fruit. A wine of calmness and quite superb quality.

 

[Gareth Germain]

Probably my wine of the year so far.... 2015 Domaine Cosse Maisonneuve Cahors Les Laquets. Absolutely superb....

TN: Oh wow. Where did this one come from? Stupendously fragrant infused with a mineral spine chiselled from the hardest rock and layered on top with essence of fruit without every being fruity. This exists in a dimension where mineral, liquid and fruit all exist on multiple levels - at first there is tight tannins the red fruit, then a mineral kick then a touch of sweet black fruit. A wine of calmness and quite superb quality.

They are fab wines. We visited two years ago and were blown away by the contrast between these feminine, mineral, light, ethereal wines. The owner is lovely she gave us a great tour. For refined Cahor you really cannot do better. I have a case I haven't broached. Must get one out of the wine fridge.

 

[GuyD'nis]

2010 Chave Mon Coeur. Feels much more northern than southern Rhone, very good balance, lovely nose for the money, has a familial likeness to other Chave wines (though bear in mind this is a humble CdR, and accordingly priced). Blind you'd think majority syrah, though I believe it's actually tilted more to grenache. Very dark nose, no kirsch like many southern Rhones. It's cool, calm.

You're not supposed to drink this wine so old, I gather, but it's fine, interesting and enjoyable - and was a bargain. No fading or bricking in the colour. I shall drink my remaining three bottles over the next nine months or so, though. It needs the right food- it's not like a bold, fiery southern Rhone that can stand up to bright flavours, spices, tomato sauces, roasted peppers, etc.

As for my other vintages of Mon Coeur... I'll aim to drink at about five to eight years of age, I think. Has been great to get to try this wine with more age. And perhaps it shows some viability of a Rhone hope: that with higher temperatures, the higher vineyards in places like Vinsobres and Visan will still offer cool elegance.

 

[Melvin Yeo]

• NV Pol Roger Champagne Brut Réserve - France, Champagne (20/2/2021)
  Can’t go wrong with this – textbook champagne with notes of green apple and brioche. For entry-level house champagnes I prefer this to Roederer and Bollinger. Reliable.
• 2008 Rudi Pichler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Wösendorfer Hochrain - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau (20/2/2021)
  Remarkably bright and fresh for its age. Starts off with lemon curd and a lovely saline quality, then a mineral drive in the middle. Finish is a little bitter.
• 2016 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Dürnsteiner Kellerberg - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau (20/2/2021)
  Riper and more exotic fruits of peaches and pineapple, voluptuous wine, very good finish. Excellent wine but my preferred style is still leaner with more up front acid. Hedonistic.
• 2000 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley (20/2/2021)
  On opening, VA on the nose. Typical Musar with a lot going on. Savoury elements such as bacon and olive, sweet and ripe red fruit revealed itself after an hour. Softer tannins than I expected. Musar is always distinctive.

Not a fan of the wines that followed, the Prado was the most restrained and balanced. The others were either too ripe and plummy, too polished with oak, or just anonymous. The Syrian wine might be the worst wine I’ve tasted this year.


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[Richard Zambuni]

After finishing off the Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin VV 2009, we opened a 1999 Jadot Beaune 1er cru Theurons. Boy, was this a grumpy beast. I don't recall it being at all like that the last time we had it. It was not unlike a 1996 in character, but without the extra dose of acidity. In a way, quite hard going because the fruit never relaxed and it lacked fragrance on the palate. A bit of an odd one.

Unusually for a burgundy, the Jadot is better on day two. The fruit is more evident, the balance superior and both the depth and length on the palate more obvious. In fact it’s really enjoyable but it still feels 1996ish.

 

[Simon Grant]

• NV Pol Roger Champagne Brut Réserve - France, Champagne (20/2/2021)
  Can’t go wrong with this – textbook champagne with notes of green apple and brioche. For entry-level house champagnes I prefer this to Roederer and Bollinger. Reliable.
• 2008 Rudi Pichler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Wösendorfer Hochrain - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau (20/2/2021)
  Remarkably bright and fresh for its age. Starts off with lemon curd and a lovely saline quality, then a mineral drive in the middle. Finish is a little bitter.
• 2016 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Dürnsteiner Kellerberg - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau (20/2/2021)
  Riper and more exotic fruits of peaches and pineapple, voluptuous wine, very good finish. Excellent wine but my preferred style is still leaner with more up front acid. Hedonistic.
• 2000 Chateau Musar - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley (20/2/2021)
  On opening, VA on the nose. Typical Musar with a lot going on. Savoury elements such as bacon and olive, sweet and ripe red fruit revealed itself after an hour. Softer tannins than I expected. Musar is always distinctive.

Not a fan of the wines that followed, the Prado was the most restrained and balanced. The others were either too ripe and plummy, too polished with oak, or just anonymous. The Syrian wine might be the worst wine I’ve tasted this year.


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Which vintage was the 904, Melvin? I’m a fan of the 01 Prado, but it’s only just getting into the zone.

 

[Rob wilson]

So thus week i fixed a piece of hi fi equipment for a friend. I got paid in the usual currency with this bottle! There's definitely bourbon on the nose and on the palet. Soft tanins and layers of fruit which I feel are overpowered by bourbon preventing the more delicate flavours from breaking through. Nice long finish but perhaps lacks a bit of complexity. We'll see through the night how this develops. In any case, it was a thoughtful gift for my efforts!

 

[Rob wilson]

So thus week i fixed a piece of hi fi equipment for a friend. I got paid in the usual currency with this bottle! There's definitely bourbon on the nose and on the palet. Soft tanins and layers of fruit which I feel are overpowered by bourbon preventing the more delicate flavours from breaking through. Nice long finish but perhaps lacks a bit of complexity. We'll see through the night how this develops. In any case, it was a thoughtful gift for my efforts!
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Update: the last half of this bottle was much nicer having had the time to breath a bit. The bourbon whisky aromas and taste subsided massively to allow the subtle fruit flavours come to the front.not bad, but would certainly allow to breath for an hour if I get it again.

 

[Simon Grant]

A little lighter and brighter than last night’s Fontaine G. More definition and precision, and a little more complexity. Redder, rather than darker fruited A ripe vintage suits BR.

 

[Paul J a i n e s]

Had a really good day today with my wife (we left our vile children at home to kill each other) at Borough market, Beromdsay market (needed to get my bottle of Jensens gin) and Spa Terminus ...... we are now feeding our vile children the fruits of our hunger-gatherer trip.....

You know you are no longer in Kansas (or Grimsby) when your kids say "daddy, the truffled cheese is divine.... but where is the Mont d'Or?"

Booze: finished our Cahors (see earlier) and now onto a chunky portuguese Quinta da Pedra Escrita Doura (imagine a Ribere del Duero with a touch more Portugeseness)

 

[Andy Leslie]

Our 1996 weekend continued with this...

Ridge, Geyserville, 1996
Translucent dark damson colour with dark orange/brown tones. The nose took a while to open up, even after a 4hr double decant. It’s still densely packed with dark fruit, but there’s also evident sous bois evolution. White pepper, framboise, tea bread, just a touch of lily florals. The palate was strikingly fine. The texture is now finely silky, tannins fully integrated, some spicy notes, plenty of raspberry/framboise red fruit and really perfectly balanced acidity. Not tiring at all, I suspect there’s positive development to come here with more time.

I’m a firm believer in keeping Geyserville and Lytton Springs for a good long time. I think they soften & evolve beautifully and slowly and become something quite different from the young wine, and much more interesting. I have a few more bottles and won’t open another for 3 or 4 more years.

 

[Gavin Davies]

Chateau Kirwan 1996

After a 2 hour decant this was opening up rather nicely. Loads of blackcurrant fruit, smokey with some cedar, cigar box and dried fruit. Lovely silky tannin and still holding good concentration of fruit. Finished rather short which was disappointing given how youthful it was otherwise tasting.

Enough going on to handle haunch of venison with herb crumb. In fact, the venison was rather punchy in flavour, therefore a more delicate wine may well have struggled to keep up.

 

[Nigel Lierop]

Last night an Oakridge Duck Lane Chardonnay 2010. Slightly reductive, creamy, fairly broad, a little 2 dimensional. There's something stylistically here which reminds me of PYCM BB but not quite the style.

Tonight a 2014 Des Moirots Givry 1er Cru A Vigne Rouge. Cracking stuff. Fabulous length. As though someone has carved mulberries and raspberries in to my palate. Only comment perhaps a slight note of rusty nails upfront.

 

[Mark Palmer]

Had a really good day today with my wife (we left our vile children at home to kill each other) at Borough market, Beromdsay market (needed to get my bottle of Jensens gin) and Spa Terminus ...... we are now feeding our vile children the fruits of our hunger-gatherer trip.....

You know you are no longer in Kansas (or Grimsby) when your kids say "daddy, the truffled cheese is divine.... but where is the Mont d'Or?"

Booze: finished our Cahors (see earlier) and now onto a chunky portuguese Quinta da Pedra Escrita Doura (imagine a Ribere del Duero with a touch more Portugeseness)

Sounds sort of familiar....except for the “Booze” category.

 

[Jeremy Caan]

Arlaud Ruchots 99. Corked. Damn.

 

[Tom Cannavan]

Genot-Boulanger, Mercurey-Sazenay 1er Cru 2017
Burgundy, France, Dry Red, Cork, 13.0% abv
91/100. From a fourth generation family estate based in Meursault, this Premier Cru was de-stalked and aged in 20% new oak barrels for 12 months. It has a fresh, medium-pale garnet colour and aromas evoking mushroom, a touch of silage, but then cherry and rhubarb fruit too. The palate has a stripe of lean, chewy and gamy tannin and acid structure, with a bittersweet liquorice and dark, savoury, redcurrant fruit. It's a savoury style of red Burgundy, but with food a creaminess and more generous fruit ripeness is evident, with quite an intense, concentrated and incisive style pushing on to the finish.

 

[Melvin Yeo]

Which vintage was the 904, Melvin? I’m a fan of the 01 Prado, but it’s only just getting into the zone.

Was the 2010, but I never have been the biggest fan of LRA because of the heavy touch. Haven't had the chance to try such an old Prado but I loved the 09 Gran Reserva. This was fine but didn't hit the heights as expected from the price differential I suppose!

 

[Simon Grant]

Was the 2010, but I never have been the biggest fan of LRA because of the heavy touch. Haven't had the chance to try such an old Prado but I loved the 09 Gran Reserva. This was fine but didn't hit the heights as expected from the price differential I suppose!

Thanks. That’s interesting — I love LRA and find them at the more traditional end of the spectrum, but they do need time (as do Muga, who I’d characterise as more modern in style, even more so). I hadn’t thought of LRA having a heavy touch (I’m guessing you mean of fruit and oak), but I can understand what you mean when I think of younger examples tasted.

 

[Raymond Tilney]

Start of another 6 pack and as good or better than the last.
Elegant and refined but with just enough red fruit succulence.
18/20.
A beautiful pale pink erring towards the purple hue end of salmon....wish I'd taken a photo doh!

 

[Colin Bradley]

Homemade elderflower cordial with sparkling water and ice is also a beautiful and refreshing beverage - summer in a glass.

Genot-Boulanger, Mercurey-Sazenay 1er Cru 2017
Burgundy, France, Dry Red, Cork, 13.0% abv
91/100. From a fourth generation family estate based in Meursault, this Premier Cru was de-stalked and aged in 20% new oak barrels for 12 months. It has a fresh, medium-pale garnet colour and aromas evoking mushroom, a touch of silage, but then cherry and rhubarb fruit too. The palate has a stripe of lean, chewy and gamy tannin and acid structure, with a bittersweet liquorice and dark, savoury, redcurrant fruit. It's a savoury style of red Burgundy, but with food a creaminess and more generous fruit ripeness is evident, with quite an intense, concentrated and incisive style pushing on to the finish.

I think that’s the first time I’ve seen silage referenced in a tasting note