Jura, Alsace, Gaillac

...is from Jura!

Today we had a nice small tasting of a few wines imported by Vin Nature.

Marcel Deiss Pinot Blanc Bergheim 2003
Apple pie and red fruit on the nose - quite interesting actually. Very full bodied palate, oily, very alcoholic (tastes much more than the 14% it says on the label). There are some attractive aromatics, but the textures don't work for me.

Marcel Deiss Gewürztraminer Saint-Hippolyte 2004
A little bit candied nose, but true to the grape and with - I admit - some very attractive mineral tones. Plump, sweetish palate but balanced enough thanks to some grip. I don't usually care for Deiss's style, but this was ok in small doses.

Domaine Ganevat Côtes du Jura Les Grands Teppes Vieilles Vignes 2004
This smells clean, un-funky and un-oxidised, yet it still has interesting character and shows pretty Chardonnay fruit. I feel that there is perhaps a touch more oak influence than necessary, but the oak isn't offensive. The palate shows some of the wild character I hope to see in Jura with healthy and bright acidity, rather strong tannins for a white, and lots of citrussy fruit. I like it!

Stéphane Tissot Arbois Les Graviers 2004
This totally rocks! The nose is pleasantly funky and screams Jura at me, yet it is still at the same time a very pure expression of the Chardonnay grape. The palate has arresting grip, good acidity, surprisingly firm tannins for a white wine and lots of citrussy fruit and that flor-like aroma of Fino sherry. The aftertaste last forever. I love this wine.

Robert Plageoles Muscadelle Gaillac Doux 2006
A very attractive nose of honey and some spice, but despite these "heavy" elements it promises freshness on the palate. And the promise is fulfilled: very sweet but crunchy acidity, very moreish despite the sugar. Nice!

Cristóbal de Morales

Cristóbal de Morales (c.1500-1553) is one of my favourite Renaissance composers - I generally like the Iberian school of polyphony very much.

Music for Philip II - Missa pro Defunctis - Introitus - "Requiem aeternam"



Music for Philip II - Officium Defunctorum "Antifonia - Circumdederunt me"



Mass for the Feast of St. Isidore of Seville: 1. Cançion a 6. & 2. Emendemus in melius.



Jubilate Deo Omnis Terra



Circumdederunt me gemitus mortis

Finally a Sangiovese I like!

One of life's great mysteries has been why I don't like Sangiovese. I always feel like I should enjoy the grape because I like well structured, savoury wines and it often - when unmanipulated - is like that. So I was happy that I got to share a good bottle today of Podere le Boncie Chianti Classico Le Trame 2004.



It had a nose of ripe cherry, sandalwood and ground nuts. Juicy palate with good grip, very savoury. Long and very charming. So maybe I can be won over to this grape.

Haag and Graillot '05

Brief sips at a tasting on two interesting wines. I thought both showed more hot-year characteristics than perhaps ideal, but I am still happy to own a bottle or two of them.

Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2005 7,5%

Light gold. A restrained nose - a bit closed or not open long enough - but a charming wine with true Riesling aromatics of a very ripe (but gladly not over-ripe) nature. It is very fruit forward with the minerality on the background. It has a very lovable hint of grass. Plump, but still retains some of Haag's usual raciness. Long. Nice, but should go on a brief diet.

Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage 2005 13%

Very dark. It seems very reductive from the bottle, but also has classic N. Rhône aromatics of black olive and pepper. It does have a slight candied edge to the nose, but not so much that I would find it disturbing. Big, sweet fruit; ripe, plentiful but soft tannins; surprisingly refreshing acidity for the year. On the whole I really enjoyed it, though I am slightly worried about the slight sugary note.

Fougeray de Beauclair Fixin Clos Marion 1996

Domaine Fougeray de Beauclair Fixin Clos Marion 1996 13% abv; c.15€



Light red, some orange on the rim.

Delightfully rustic nose with perhaps some animality also; but there is lovely, beetrooty, vegetal and red toned Pinosity also. The fruit is sweet and ripe, it is well structured and refreshing. I find this to be at quite the optimum stage of development for my taste with still some sweetness, but also plenty of earthiness. Nice! Boeuf Bourguignon was quite the ideal dish with this - it might be though heretical, but I think I might prefere a properly earthy Fixin with the dish than a Chambertin!

Ranting about Alko

I recently tasted two wines which I thought so extraordinarily good that I wanted to buy a case of each - and the most I have ever bought a wine of is five bottles of Musar Blanc 1998.

Overnoy-Houillon Arbois Pupillin Ploussard 2002 was very light coloured, smelled of bright red fruit, earthy funk; had irresistably juicy acidity, light yet intense - quite the perfect wine for me.

The other I wanted was Dom de l'Ecu "Expression d'Orthogneiss" 2004 which was all rocks. And tautologous though it may seem, rocks really do rock.

We are allowed to order any wine imported into the country via Alko (but minimum 1case + Alko's fees on top). With this method the price per bottle would be for the Overnoy-Houillon 47,80€ (winesearcher is c.16€) and the price for the Muscadet 34,90€ (ws is c.10€). Ummm? What is a wine lover in Finland to do? Where can I complain about such a Monopoly?

Alexander Kipnis

Kipnis might just be the best Bass ever!

Brahms Sapphische Ode:



Richard Strauss 2 Lieder:



Schubert Der Doppelgänger:

Musar Rouge 2000

28.10.2007: Ben gave me a bottle of the Musar Rouge 2000 when he was here. I've been itching to open it for several days but haven't had time to have a proper meal until today.

"Only" 13,5% abv on the label. Compared to the '99, this is a lighter, brighter style. Where the '99 was full of darker fruit tones, this is red and berried. Where the '99 was full of sweet fruit and warm aromatics, this comes across as savoury and cool. This is vegetal and slightly leafy. I don't usually like to play the game of saying that Musar tastes like this or that type of wine, but I'll do an exception here. The brightness and relative transparentness of the nose was almost Burgundian.

I usually find that Musar relies more on acidity to provide structure rather than tannins. The '00 is however surprisingly tannic for Musar - I really like the grip here! It also has fair acidity and lots of sweet, bright and red fruit. Long, satisfying aftertaste.

But now for some philosophical problems. It all reads like I should find this one of the best Musars made, and, indeed, I do like it very much. Yet I still found the '99 a better Musar. Why? I tend to prefer brighter, lighter wines to heavy, sweetly fruity ones. So why is it that with Musar, I find a sweet and heavy one works better? It seems illogical to me. Now I am all for drinking just what I like, and will continue to do so, but I can't help wondering about this and other paradoxes of my taste (like why do I like Port so much when that is thick, heavy, sweet and certainly not an acid forward wine).

Perhaps I shouldn't so concern myself with what seem like contradictions in taste, but should just enjoy what I enjoy. So yes, I like this wine and really hope that it becomes available in Finland.

Charles visits and we drink good stuff

CM was visiting so I met up with him to drink a few wines at Carelia, a lovely restaurant with a great list of well-priced gems. CM loves Alsace and Rhône, so that is what we had with a dinner of Elk in a berry sauce (and a lovely match it was, indeed!).

Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile 1999
An elegant, mineral, lime-like nose - beautifully restrained yet still expressive of both grape and area. The palate is concentrated yet not very intense, but with good grip. A very nice wine, though it isn't a great CFE.

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 1999
A beautiful wine. The nose is full of red berry aromatics, blood, and a pure but ripe essence of Syrah. It is concentrated and shows good structure now, but the fruit is very lovable and ripe which makes this a very enjoyable drink. Lovely.

Tonight we met up with a couple friends for an informal dinner with a few blind wines:


Josmeyer Riesling Hengst 2004
Light gold. A very pure nose of white flowers, citrus and minerality; it has great Alsace Riesling typicity in an elegant, understated style. It is quite full bodied, dry, but very fruity and with fair intensity. Long, mineral aftertaste. A very enjoyable, elegant, young Riesling.

Chateau Musar 1977
Thanks to NW for this gem. Mature colour. The nose is just lovely - quintessential Musar! Red toned, slight VA, spicy, warm sweet fruit. Sweet and spicy, very lively on the palate with strong acidity on the finish to counter the fruit. Drinking well and will surely survive for ages. A lovely, lovely Musar!

Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Marie Beurrier 1997
A nose of peach stone, ripe and sweet red fruit, green tea and sous bois - utterly fascinating! The palate is in perfect balance with expressive and ripe fruit, good tannins and refreshing acidity unlike anything else I have experienced in CdP. This is just astonishingly good (which is high praise as I rarely seem to like CdP).

2005 Crushpad Pinot Noir Töövi Brosseau Vineyard
A more confected and oak-driven nose than I remember it to have been in previous tastes, yet still with good Pinosity. A sweet, big palate with decent structure, but the whole seems more a cocktail wine than previously.

Winzergenossenschaft Königschaffhausen Königschaffhauser Steingrüble "Regnum" Spätburgunder Qualitätswein Trocken 2003
Dark for Pinot. The nose started out with lots of ripe, new world style Pinosity. With air, it gained more and more oak notes and became rather confected. The palate is big, with much dark toned Pinot-fruit, nice tannins on the mid-palate and - surprisingly for the year - refreshing acidity on the finish. Not bad at all, if you like big Pinot.

Californians

Strangely enough, the Family was all in one place at the same time - a rare event as they are mostly scattered all over the globe. I made a pot of Risotto with Craterellus cornucopioides (aka Black chanterelle, Black trumpet, Horn of plenty and Trumpet of the dead) mushrooms.




With it, I opened up two Californian wines - a region I have wanted to better acquaint myself with. The Clos Pepe Estate Chardonnay 2003 (Sta Rita Hills; 13,9%abv) was a huge surprise. The nose shows a very pure Chardonnay fruit of lemon and some minerals. It is very ripe and shows some tropical hints like passion fruit. The palate is well structured with high, but crunchy and juicy acidity, and ripe (rather than over-ripe) fruit. Long, refreshing and mineral aftertaste. I assume this is aged in old barrels since there is only the slightest hint of wood? Very good!

I love the Black trumpet mushroom - it is so fragrantly earthy that it would ideally call for an old Burgundy, but Lagier Meredith Syrah 2000 (Mt. Veeder, Napa Valley; 14,5% abv) was excellent with the dish also.




Very dark red. The nose is quite lovely with all the typical Syrah aromatics of black pepper, a mix of dark and red fruit, bacon/animal undertones and a fresh lift. This smells very ripe, but doesn't cross my boundary for what I perceive as over-ripeness. It tastes very ripe also, but has honest, upright tannins, juicy acidity and a very long and mineral afteraste. So it might be a touch riper than I prefer my Syrah, but it is still a lovely wine and within the parameters of my "comfort zone". Like with some ESJs I've had, I can't beleive how there is no heat showing despite such a huge alcohol content. Good stuff!

With our dessert of cheeses (Kuttu Ville, Stilton, Farmhouse Cheddar), my brother brought a bottle of Bodegas Julián Chivite Navarra Gran Feudo Blanco Dulce de Moscatel 2006 which had a very fresh nose, true to the grape, with flowers and grapeyness. Sweet, but refreshingly acidic - a nice and uncomplicated dessert. I find that cheeses and wines are usually a very tough match since the cheeses (even many harder ones) coat the mouth and make the wine taste dirty. True enough, the Stilton and cheddar didn't work; but the Kuttu Ville (a bit like Appenzeller) was a charming companion.

Burgundies at Tero's

21.11.2007:

Antonin Rodet Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières Cave Privée 1996

Honeyed, floral, well integrating oak; very full body, sweet fruit, high acidity - I like it! It has the typical fullness I often find in Meursault, yet an uncharacterstic freshness also. It seems a bit teenage at the moment, and I would prefer a few years more maturity.

Hubert de Montille Volnay 1er Cru 1995

Very light colour. Only 12% abv. A nose of sous bois, vegetation, red toned fruit - the very essence of what I seek in Pinot. Good body, taut, nervous, tannic a bit rustic but a very, very charming wine that I find a joy to drink just now, and will probably drink well for quite some time still. I love it!

Daniel Bocquenet Echezeaux 1996

A rather dark toned and rustic nose with lots of Pinosity - I rather enjoyed it though I did sense more oak than necessary. It is tannic and rustic, full bodied and a rather masculine expression of Pinot. I like it, but it isn't GC level (but neither is its price).

Jean-Jacques Confuron Clos Vougeot 1996

A nose of very sweet strawberry - it is rather a one-track nose, and unfortunately coupled with a great deal more oak than I would prefer. The palate is quite a bit more enjoyable with not as much oak showing, but rather a combination of red berries, high acid and lots of sweet fruit. Long and refreshing. A very decent modern styled wine (if that's what you like...) but caught at a tough moment.

Pascal Bouley Volnay 1er Cru Ronceret 1999

Dark. A nose of blueberry oak, purple fruit, over-ripeness. It tastes over-extracted, hollow, finishes short. Off-bottle or just offensive?

Louis Boillot Gevrey-Chambertin 2003

Lactic at first, but opens up to a rather dark toned Pinosity, very sweet. Good body, good structure, not over the top despite the year - enjoyable, but not something I would seek for myself.

Bordeaux 2001

12.9.2007: I have liked the 2001 Bx that I have so far tried very much, so I was very happy that I got invited to a tasting with some high end examples on show. The wines were half-blind (or single blind if you prefer that terminology) with two fully blind "jokers" added in for good measure.

Blind starter: Schramsberg Brut Rosé 2003 is a great Californian bubbly. Very light coloured rosé. Almost all of us were thinking of Champagne because it was so elegant, and the nose was full of Bl de Noir scents like flowers and figs and earth. The palate was crisp, highly acidic yet still very concentrated. Most of us were thinking it was a prestige rosé Champagne. I am happy to say it is something a fraction of their price! Lovely stuff - though I have been blinded by Schramsberg several times before (and always I have thought it to be Champagne) this was truly exceptional.

Then we had half blind the following wines:
Ch. Kirwan 2001 (this was the first of the two fully blind jokers) I liked the nose: strawberry, slightly animal, deep and earthy and very sweet. The nose wasn't terribly Bx-like (though as an afterthought the strawberryness should have made me think of Margaux), but the palate was: dry, savoury, tannic, refreshing palate. It is leafy and elegant and I really liked it.

Ch. Figeac 2001 had a super sweet nose of coco-powder. Quite disgusting for my tastes (but it was very popular in the tasting - I must have bad tastes, lol!). The palate was better as it showed a savoury nuance and was not all about the oak. Still, I was very disappointed with this wine.

Ch. Palmer 2001 was one of my favourites tonight. The nose was leafy and savoury, classy and elegant, but very masculine and dark toned. I didn't notice any Margaux-like elegance to it even when revealed! The palate also was very masculine and powerful with graphite and dark toned fruit to the refreshing herbal character. Lovely!

Ch. Pontet-Canet 2001 was nice. Not my favourite tonight, but still nice - so I have to eat my words, since I've said bad things about this wine before. I tend to find most P-Cs a bit too "international" (or "modern" or "spoofy" or whatever wording you choose to use) for my taste, but the '98 was rather nice, and this '01 was also very enjoyable. Savoury, herbal, sweetish oak, but classy - a bit brooding at the moment. The palate had lovely balance and didn't seem too oaky though the toastiness has been a complaint in some other vintages I've had. Very nice!

Ch. Latour 2001 was a classic Pauillac, young and brooding, showing much promise but, of course, not giving everything it will have. It is a delightfully savoury style and obviously has much in reserve. It isn't as masculine or magisterial as I thought Latour would be, but rather was a charming and typically classic Médoc. I liked it very much, but it wasn't among my favourites tonight.

La Mission Haut-Brion 2001 was a tough wine tonight. It was a massive blob, indistinct in its features, showing more like a primordial ooze than a finished wine. But there was some very attractive savouryness to it. Despite being very difficult, it did show enough of itself that I am happy to own one bottle.

Ch. Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2000 was our second "joker". I have found too many 2000s a bit more ripe than ideal for my tastes, but this has on both previous times I have tasted it been outstanding. And so it was tonight. Leafy, elegant, not at all over-ripe, but still very attractively fruity. Savoury. Lovely.

Ch. Cheval Blanc 2001 was dark toned, herbal, obviously a classy wine but more closed than the others. It showed sweeter than the other wines tonight, it was oaky but not bothersomely so, savoury and prominently tannic. Nice, but rather tought now. It lacked the charm I perceived in the others, but did show promise. This was after the Figeac my least favourite tonight - but I must really like the vintage's style (if you believe in such a thing as "vintage style") if even one of my least favourites is a wine I would love to drink again.

Ch. Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2001 was overtly oaky yet not too toasty, it had lovely savoury and floral nuances and seemed as delightfully vegetal and savoury as I am used to with this property. It had nice grip and minerality on the palate, savoury fruit and a long finish. Quite lovely.

Ch. Lafite 2001 was rather sweetly fruity and oaky, nice but a bit simple on the nose. But the palate more than made up for it: savoury, leafy, lovely structure, very Pauillac. It is obviously a lovely wine but is in a bit of a tough phase now.

Then we had a dessert:
Ch. d'Yquem 2001 was oaky and smelled like coconut. It does have bright, citrussy fruit and elegant botrytis, and bright acidity also to balance it, but I still find the cigar-box-like oak too dominant. I often seem to have problems understanding d'Yquem.

Then we had a few more blind desserts:
Disznókö Tokaji 6 Puttonyos 1993 was bright, floral and darkly citrussy. It wasn't as spicy as I expect Tokaji to be. The palate has lovely high acidity and earthy notes. I liked it very much.

Disznókö Tokaji Aszú Eszencia 1993 was more oxidised in character than the 6 Putt - appley, earthy, oxidised and very acidic. Stunning stuff for my tastes.

Disznókö Tokaji Eszencia 1993 has 4,5% abv and over 400g/l RS and smells like Pedro Ximenez sherry! The palate is stunningly complex - more so than any PX I've had and better balanced because of its supremely high acidity. It is very intense and curiously light on its feet despite the massive sweetness. Great stuff, but the Aszú Eszencia is better balanced for me.

This was a really lovely tasting. It confirmed my previous thoughts on 2001 Bx - it really is a vintage to my taste. It is classic and savoury and not overbearing.

DRC + Bordeaux 1sts 2003

18.1.2007:

Blind starter

Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Francaises 1998

What a lovely nose: red apples, figs, bread crust, flowers and all sorts of Pinot oriented descriptors, yet with such a lightness of touch that I thought it a blend. I can't repeat myself too often: what a lovely nose!

The palate was a bit of a let down: too much fruit compared to the acidity. This was just too full bodied for my taste. The mousse was utter perfection in its size and intensity and the flavours themselves were lovely, but I really would have wanted more acidity.

The aftertaste was bloody brilliant: precice, pure, mineral and interminable. Lovely stuff; but a pity about the lack of acidity. My first VVF and I sure do see why it is a legend. Now I'd like to taste some more acidic vintage.

I like blind and half-blind tastings. Unfortunately the Burgundies were fully open:

Domaine de la Romanée Conti Montrachet 2003 is by far the best '03 white Burg I've had. The nose is rather New Worldly with its popcorn notes, but there is a touch of minerality and some delightfully bitter notes also. The palate is full bodied of course and lacking in acidity, but fresh thanks to the bitter notes. A very fair effort, but weak compared to the previous two vintages of the wine.

DRC Echezaux 2003

A rather pretty wine. At first very dark toned and odd, but with air it became totally Burgundian: elegant (when compared to the other 2003s only), some nice bitterness to make up for the deficient acidity. Lovely tannins, though I guess some might consider them too harsh for Burgundy.

Side comment: I thought the Echezaux much more on par with the other DRCs compared with the previous two years. It was the greatest positive surprise of the day: I haven't liked the Echezaux in 01 and 02 as much when compared to the rest of the DRC range.

DRC Grands Echezaux 2003

Initially it was oddly chemical on the nose. It cleared up to be a very ripe, earthy wine with some really odd scents reminiscent more of Southern Rhone than Burgundy. The palate was juicy, sweet, big, but red toned. Given blind, I'm fairly sure I would have gone to CdP! Hot finish. An enjoyable enough wine (if one doesn't think of the price), but it wasn't Burgundy.

DRC Romanée-St-Vivant 2003

I like my Burgundies to have brightness and freshness. This did have some of that and it was recognisable as Burgundy - but, alas, the oak was rather spicy and exotic and just too noticable. It did have some nice animal qualities to the bright, red toned fruit, but still the whole just didn't convince me. The palate was a bit soft and lifeless and would have needed more acidity and less alcohol to work for me. A fair effort, but not more than that for me.

DRC Richebourg 2003

The previous DRC have been fair wines, but just not much to my tastes. But this Richebourg is just weird! The nose is raisiny, dark toned, choclatey and much too alcoholic. The palate is also raisiny and alcoholic and unfortunately much too long as the aftertaste is fiery. This is the first time I've tasted a DRC and thought it thoroughly unconvincing.

DRC La Tâche 2003

Though this is a weird wine, like the Richebourg, at least this is a good wine IMO! Sure it doesn't smell like Burgundy with its loamy, earthy, dark toned and roasted fruit, but at least it is incredibly complex and deep. The palate is also much more dark toned than I would have expected from here, it is impressive and tannic rather than lovable and seducive. A truly impressive wine. Not terribly Burgundian IMO, but a truly impressive wine.

DRC Romanée-Conti 2003

A nice red toned nose, but rather too simplistic. But this, more than any other tonight, was truly Burgundian in its outlook. It was light and elegant for the year, with some true grace. The palate was red toned, seemingly higher in acidity than any of the others. It was light on its feet rather than ponderous. This seduced me rather than impressed me. I like it. Honestly.

Dugat-Py Gevrey-Chambertin Coeur du Roy 2003

Bubblegum?!?! That's it on the nose. Weird. Big, burly, harshly tannic palate with no mid-palate, harsh finish. Quite unpleasant. And overoaked and overextracted to boot!

Dugat-Pay Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle 2003

Ok, this is at least wine. It is utterly spoofulated, but at least it resembles wine: sweet fruit, drying tannins, the finish drops of a cliff, but it's wine.

I don't get Dugat-Py. I've tried some 2001s and 2002s and now these 2003s but I just find them repulsive. Though I'm told that the oak will integrate, I just don't see that what is underneath the oak will be pleasing either. Hence my surprise at the next two wines:

Dugat-Py Charmes-Chambertin 2003

Blimey! This is a big wine, burly and masculine, and dark toned and tannic and much too oaky, but I do sense some true Burgundian fruit beneath all that. It is bitter and tannic and dry despite the sweet fruit. I don't know what is going on here, but it does seem much better than any Dugat-Py I've tried before. Weird.

Dugat-Py Chambertin 2003

Apparently only 166 bottles were made of this. It was wasted on me: I thought the nose strangely lactic - like yoghurt -, much too oaky and graceless. The palate was similar. But again, there was a fleeting glimpse of honest Burgundy underneath.

I'm still not convinced of Dugat-Py's wines, but I am slowly beginning to understand why some rave about them.


Then we tried half-blind the first growths from Bordeaux with one fully blind joker:

Latour 2003

A big, banana-bread-like, dark toned, smoky, brooding nose - impressive rather than enjoyable. Thick, sweet, freaky, harsh and a little dirty palate yet oddly enjoyable. A freakish wine, but I won't mind drinking it again.

Haut-Brion 2003

A much lighter wine than the previous. Much sweetness and banana-bread on the nose, not brooding but weird and unexpressive. The palate was lighter and fresher, had better acidity than the previous, but also lacked the complexity. Frankly a pretty weak effort. My guess: doesn't belong with the group, i.e. the joker, left bank?

Mouton Rothschild 2003

A pretty fair effort, though still a bit of a freakish wine: soft, sweet, banana-like nose with lots of coffee. Soft, light, but savoury compared to the first wine of the flight. Guess: the softness + more right bank feeling = Haut-Brion.

L'Angélus 2003

Very exotic nose: almost eucalyptus-like, with a pronounced spicyness, yet with some true left-bank character. The palate has cassis, pronounced oak and is sweet and flamboyant. Guess: flamboyant + cassis + spice = Mouton. Oops. I suck at blind tastings.

Margaux 2003

Coffee and darker tones abound on the nose, yet with some red toned "elegance" and tobacco. Very soft palate, doesn't have the acidity to be graceful, long aftertaste. Fair.

Lafite 2003

A rather classically styled nose for a change, savoury and herbal - recognisable as Bordeaux, for a change. The palate was much too sweet and new world like, however. Very weird. A thoroughly enjoyable wine, but the divide between the nose and palate is really strange. Good.


After all these acidless wines I asked to have a couple highly acidic whites blind:

Bernard Chéreau La Griffe Muscadet 2005 was odd: smelled more like a super-ripe Sauvignon Blanc to me than Muscadet. I did like the minerality of it, but otherwise I thought it boring. I'll stick to the other Chéreau-Carré Muscadets.

Joseph Scharsch Riesling 2004 was pretty nice: citrussy nose, mineral, typical Riesling with a touch of red toned fruit. The palate was fair in acidity, with nice fruit and typicity. Scharsch really makes some very pure wines at very fair prices. I like them very much.

Rayne-Vigneau 2003

A typical scent of Sauternes: botrytis, some sea shell character. Big body, low acid, but fresh and intense. A nice wine, I like it.

Richard Dawkins The Design of Life, TED

Richard Dawkins The Design of Life, TED:

Château Pique-Sègue Terre de Pique-Sègue Anima Vitis Montravel 2002

10.11.2007:

Château Pique-Sègue Terre de Pique-Sègue Anima Vitis Montravel 2002 Montravel

Dark. A very oaky nose with some savoury dark fruit noticable underneath. Very oaky palate, but with juicy dark fruits also. Seems much like a modern style Bordeaux - not bad at all if you like that, but I find it quite boring.

Château Le Gay 1985

3.3.2006:

Château Le Gay 1985 Pomerol

Fleshy, plummy scent with much dark fruit tones yet a bright top note also. Good structure still, mature fruit - very Pomerolly. A warm-hearted wine; very nice.

Concha y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

3.3.2006:

Concha y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 Maipo, Chile

Dark. Juicy cassis, leafy, a bit of dung - quite a full bodied and expressive scent. The palate was also big and full of cassis and a lovely vegetality. Both fruit forward and savoury at the same time. Quite a surprise as this had more personality than most "top-end" Chileans I've had. Certainly well made stuff, but not something I'd buy.

Château Balestard la Tonnelle 2000

28.2.2006:

Château Balestard la Tonnelle 2000 St-Emilion

Dark brick red. A flabby and fruity nose with much dark fruit, toasted oak and just the tiniest hint of red berries and St-Emilion character. The palate is juicy, almost flabby and frankly not at all to my taste. This lacks the intensity and structure of Bordeaux. It also lacks the typicity of Bordeaux. Long and fresh aftertaste redeems an otherwise - for me - unpleasant wine. What a shame as the '98 was such a delight.

Delgado Zuleta Manzanilla

28.2.2006:

Delgado Zuleta Manzanilla Sanlúcar de Barrameda

Sea-breeze scents. Dry, refreshing yet full body. Lovely! A fresh bottle of this is always a delight.

Sdricca di Manzano Ribolla Gialla 2004

26.2.2006:

Sdricca di Manzano Ribolla Gialla 2004 Colli Orientali del Friuli

12,5% abv. Clear as water. The nose is rather strange but pleasantly savoury with a lager-like note, yeast and minerally fruit and sea-breeze. The palate is fruity, light, savoury and pleasantly acidic. Long and dry aftertaste. Very nice and personal wine - cheap, too.

Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Rosé 1982

26.2.2006:

Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Rosé Brut 1982 Champagne

Pale pink. The cork was worrysome: it was soaked through and it broke when trying to open it. But we got it out and there was a promising amount of fizz and no signs of damage to the wine. In fact the nose was amazing: mature, of course, with a prominent red Burgundy-like vegetality, ripe red apple, earth, mushrooms but also much vibrant fruit and even a hint of minerals. The mousse was quite perfect in both size and intensity. The palate was vibrantly fruity but with fine and soft acidity, much earthy and vegetal elements. This was more fleshy than elegant - though by no means was this inelegant. The aftertaste was amazingly long, perfectly harmonious between the fruit and acidity. There are some mature elements to this, but it doesn't seem to be even nearing the end of its life. Outstanding. Old Champagne rocks!

Marchesi di Gresy Barbaresco Martinenga 1999

24.2.2006:

Marchesi di Gresy Barbaresco Martinenga 1999 Piemonte

A very pleasing bright nose of red fruit/lingonberry but also riper/sweeter notes. The palate is well structured as young Nebbiolo should be, with bright acidity. Very refreshing despite a slight touch of oak. Very young, but very open - I really enjoyed this!

Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium Falkensteiner Hofberg Riesling QbA 2002

21.2.2006:

Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium Falkensteiner Hofberg Riesling QbA 2002 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

9,5% abv. A little evolved colour. The nose is pungently mineral, with grapefruit and other citrus fruits - simple but very pleasant. The palate is off-dry, with fine acidity, the fruit is a bit simple but it is well balanced. Quite nice, but not terribly memorable.

Producteurs Plaimont Madiran Château Viella Village 1999

16.2.2006:

Producteurs Plaimont Madiran Château Viella Village 1999 Madiran

Dark purple in colour. The nose has tobacco, a touch of greenness, earth, red berries and shit. The palate is, of course, very tannic, but the tannins are ripe. There is also ample fruit and quite a decent acidity and earthiness also. It is very full bodied but in a savoury way rather than the New Worldly way. Long and refreshing aftertaste. Young, but very, very enjoyable indeed with rare meat.

Dr. Pauly Bergweiler Bernkasteler alte Badstube am Doctorberg Riesling Spätlese 2003

14.2.2006:

Dr. Pauly Bergweiler Bernkasteler alte Badstube am Doctorberg Riesling Spätlese 2003 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

Nice nose with a true essence of Riesling, a delicate floweriness that I hope to see in Mosel - pretty and citrussy and doesn't seem as over-ripe as 2003s so often are. Unfortunately the palate is rather fat: this wine needs a diet.

Antonin Rodet Savigny-lès-Beaune 2002

11.2.2006:

Antonin Rodet Savigny-lès-Beaune 2002 Burgundy

Fairly dark for a Burgundy. The nose is rather new-worldly with noticable but uninterfering oak, with more emphasis on dark fruit than red berries. There is a touch of vegetality and the tiniest hint of dung. The palate is rather full bodied and very sweetly fruity with surprising amounts of tannin. There is fair acidity and length, but this is not a complex wine. Fair.

Argüeso Amontillado

11.2.2006:

Argüeso Amontillado Jeres, Sherry

Orange/brown. The nose has rancio and much depth. There seems to be a "duality" to it with thick, dark, almost PX-like undertones and citrussy, lighter overtones! Naturally there is much chalk also. The palate follows the dichotomy of the nose by being both full-bodied, downright heavy and dark, but also having lighter, fresh and citrussy nuances. Interminable aftertaste. Intense and lovely.

Domaines et Terroirs du Sud Maury 1928

8.2.2006:

Domaines et Terroirs du Sud Maury 1928

Healthy, light brick colour. The nose was lovely and sweet without the slightest hint of heat. It was typical to Grenache with strawberry aromas mixed with a hint of warm dung, a little floral also. The palate was rather full bodied, but not as heavy as port, with fine structure, much sweetness and fine length. The aftertaste was quite lovely, indeed with fine acidity carrying the herb-laced fruit to great lengths. Nice!

Château Phélan-Ségur 1998

5.2.2006:

Château Phélan-Ségur 1998 St-Estèphe

Deep core, brick red rim. The nose is quite lovely, though not in any way special, but quintessential Bordeaux: it is savoury, with plentiful cassis, earth/damp clay, a touch of cigar and a slight refreshing hint of greenness, which I don't object to at all, though some will undoubtably find it unpleasant. The palate is rather full bodied, with quite a bit of tannins, which however are not green as many 98 are, there is adequate acidity, and sweetish fruit, but the impression is of a savoury rather than a fruit-forward wine. Very good. Drinks now with a few hours decanting but ideally should have several years more age on it.

Te Kairanga Pinot Noir Reserve 2003

4.2.2006:

Te Kairanga Pinot Noir Reserve 2003 Martinborough, New Zealand

Dark. A rather dark toned nose with a bit of cola and oak, cherry, vegetation - a typical New World Pinot. The palate has fine fruit, balanced acidity, quite obvious oak. Long, but a bit harsh on the finish. Unexciting, boring, but competently made.

M. Chapoutier Deschants St.-Joseph 2001

2.2.2006

M. Chapoutier Deschants St.-Joseph 2001 Northern Rhône

Very typical N Rhone scent of black peppers, bacon fat, dark fruit with a touch of red berries anda slight, refreshing stalkiness. The palate is rather full bodied, with rather resolved tannins, highish acidity, fine balance and depth and good length. I like this!

Bunan Moulin des Costes Bandol 2000

28.1.2006:

Bunan Moulin des Costes Bandol 2000 Provence, Bandol

Dark red. The nose is prominently vegetal, with lots of fruit of both the red and dark varieties, earthy and animal. The palate is full bodied and quite rigidly structured even with a long decant, but the amount of fruit makes this balanced and very drinkable even now. There is fine acidity and lots of savoury character - even a slight refreshing greenness to the palate. Long aftertaste. Very good, but needs a few years more.

Barbeito Malvazia Madeira 1834

24.1.2006:

Barbeito Malvazia Madeira 1834

Brown-green-gold. The nose is lovely and expressive with notes of coffee, rancio, tomato, rust, espresso, dried figs, VA - great depth and nuance. The palate is fairly sweet with a pleasant degree of oxidation, fine fruit, and utterly beguiling rapier-sharp acidity. Immortal aftertaste. Outstanding.

A bunch of Niepoort's wines

24.1.2006

Niepoort Redoma Branco Reserva 2004

Yellow/light gold. The nose is rather funky with notes of sweat, much citrus, quite a bit of oak which is in perfect balance with all the other components, much fruit. The palate is very thick and luscious - very much fruit-forward - but it does have a fine citrussy acidity and even a saline minerality on the aftertaste. Excellent!

Quinta do Passadouro (Niepoort) 1997

Dark. The nose is dominated by red berry scents. It is big but elegant with a prominent note of lavender and a touch of dung (yum!) - deep and nuanced. The palate has much sweet fruit, resolved structure, good depth and and exceptionally fine and ripely acidic aftertaste. Very good.

Niepoort Redoma 1997

Dark. The nose is tangy, with much dark fruit, a bit rustic, meaty, savoury with Chateau Musar-like notes - a fantastic nose! The palate is big with much fruit but it is of a dark, savoury character, red berries, pleasantly rustic, rather tannic but the tannins are soft and long. Very good.

Niepoort Vertente 2003

Bottled, but not on sale yet. Very dark purple. The nose is a bit disjointed with the alcohol showing through. The components seem fine however: lilacs, fine ripe (maybe even over-ripe? too warm year) fruit with a bit of balancing darker scents and earthiness. Probably very fine, but hard to say as it's very disjointed.

Niepoort Charme 2004 (Barrel Sample)

A barrel sample - not the same components as the finished product I was informed today! Very dark red (n.b. not purple!!). The nose is very full on and fruity but still has an elegance to it. There are notes of strawberry youghurt, hints of dark fruit though red is the most prominent colour on the nose, some savoury green elements, boiled meat and lilacs. The palate has sweet fruit, much tannins (of course), a bit of savoury greenness bringing freshness, and a very fine acidity indeed. Excellent, bordering on outstanding.

Niepoort Batuta 2003

Very dark purple. The nose is rather closed: tar, dark fruit and a hint of fresh greenness. The palate is much more expressive than the nose with big and very ripe fruit, much tannins, fine acidity and a fresh green note to it. It even has a bit of salinity/minerality to the very long aftertaste. Very good.

Niepoort Minho NV

Orange. A nose of orange, ripe strawberry, toffee - a bit simple but very pleasant indeed. The palate is very sweet with notes of butterscotch, much alcohol and acidity. Long and good.

Freiherr Heyl zu Herrnsheim Rotschiefer Riesling Spätlese Trocken 2001

22.1.2006:

Freiherr Heyl zu Herrnsheim Rotschiefer Riesling Spätlese Trocken 2001 Rheinhessen

The colour is unevolved, watery with a slight golden tint. The nose is very pure and classic young Riesling with notes of peaches, minerality and things Rieslingy (a grape will always smell more of itself than of peaches and flowers and so on). The palate is also pure with much fruit and much balancing savoury notes, fine acidity - balanced for a Trocken. Long and mineral. Nice!

Ruffino Vin Santo del Chianti "Serelle" 2000

21.1.2006:

Ruffino Vin Santo del Chianti "Serelle" 2000

The colour was a deep orange. The scent is honeyed with touches of espresso and a good oxidation, orange, also a touch of roastedness and dried apples. In fact it is a little champagne-like though not so much that I would say Ratafia if served blind. The palate is sweet, rather ripely citrussy with fine acidity and the slightest touch of oxidation (I wouldn’t mind a bit more, actually). Very nice and long. I do prefer my Vin Santos a bit drier and a bit more oxidised, but still, this is very nice.

Alter Ego de Palmer 2000

21.1.2006:

Alter Ego de Palmer 2000 Margaux

Dark in colour. Darkly fruit on the nose; a bit flabby on the palate because of slight acidity. I don't find any sense of line in this wine - it is all over the place. Well made, but not made to my tastes.

Château Picque Caillou 2001

19.1.2006:

Château Picque Caillou 2001 Graves Pessac-Léognan

Dark core, light rim. The scent is typical and classical Graves: lead, cigar, earth, cassis and a touch of oak. The palate is rather light, but deliciously savoury, very food friendly, with rather evolved tannins, moderate acidity and a wonderful greenness to the fair length aftertaste. Quite a lovely little wine. Perhaps not one to keep long.

Descendientes de José Palacios Pétalos Bierzo 2003

15.1.2006:

Descendientes de José Palacios Pétalos Bierzo 2003 Bierzo, Spain

Impenetrably dark. The nose is herbal, darkly fruity balanced by red berries, rather earthy and a bit cigarry. The palate is very full bodied, extracted, but despite the huge fruit it is rather savoury in character. Long, herbal and a touch mineral aftertaste with fine acidity. Very good - I guess not all European 2003s are catastrophes! :-) Mencia rocks!

Léon Beyer Riesling 2004

14.1.2006:

Léon Beyer Riesling 2004 Alsace

Half used in cooking the other half consumed. The colour is very light - almost like water. The nose is restrained and classic with some hints of petrol, grapefruit and rocks/minerals - the nose is tightly wrought, powerful and well focused. The palate is also rather powerful, with dry and savoury fruit, high but ripe acidity, and quite a bit of minerality. Long for an entry level wine. Very fine, cheap Alsatian of the austere style.

Robert Weil Riesling Kabinett Trocken 2004

13.1.2006:

Robert Weil Riesling Kabinett Trocken 2004

Light as water. Lovely expressive nose of peach stone and minerals. The palate has much fruit, only a touch of RS, high but ripe acidity and a very prominent, savoury saline/mineral note. Long and quite nice for a trocken!

Redbank Sally's Paddock 1998

8.1.2006:

Redbank Sally's Paddock 1998 Victoria, Pyrenees, Australia

Full and fruity, integrating oak, herbs, some lift - quite nice and not a blockbuster style though sweetly fruity. Big and fullbodied, sweet fruit but also refreshing structure. I wish more Aussies available here were as drinkable as this! I like it.

Tardieu-Laurent Cornas "Côteaux" 2001

6.1.2006:

Tardieu-Laurent Cornas "Côteaux" 2001

Very dark. The scent has lots of oak, but it seems to be integrating well. It is rather peppery and pleasantly vegetal in character with rather Zinfandel-like berry aromas and a floral lift. The palate is very extracted and very oaky, but again, the balance between the components would suggest that this will come together. The quality of the fruit is excellent, it is moderately acidic and has much soft tannins. Very long. A very fine modern example! I was surprised at how inoffensive this was to my tastes...

Adegas Valmiñor Davila 2004

1.1.2006:

Adegas Valmiñor Davila 2004 Rías Baixas

Gold. The nose is lovely with very much sea-breeze, plentiful peachy fruit, a touch of asparagus and a savoury hedge-like edge. The palate has a good concentration of fruit, high but ripe acidity and a lovely saltiness on the aftertaste. Lovely stuff!

Ruinart "R" de Ruinart Brut 1996

1.1.2006:

Ruinart "R" de Ruinart Brut 1996 Champagne

Rather evolved for a '96 with a flowers, figs, steel and bread crust. Elegant mousse, lovely high acidity, abundantly fruity. Nice!

Tyrell's Lost Block Pinot Noir 2006

Tyrell's Lost Block Pinot Noir 2006 Australia 13% 21€

Light colour. A pleasant but very simple nose of strawberry and a very slight animally undertone. Sweetly fruity palate, pleasant structure, very primary. I like this - but I like it in the way I like a 10€ Beaujolais. A joke at 21€?

Château Musar Blanc 1998

25.12.2005:

Château Musar Blanc 1998 Lebanon

Deep golden colour. The nose has plenty of nuts, honey, spices, flowers and gorgeous fruit with lots of minerality and a curious but very pleasant scent of tomato and (red) burgundy-like beet-root/vegetation. The palate is weighty like the best Rhone whites but acidic and fruity like the top white Burgundies but with the mineral austerity and complexity of top German Rieslings - a paradoxical wine in combining both richness and austerity while staying in perfect balance. The palate is even a touch tannic! This is incredibly complex and one of the best young whites I've drunk. It improved continuously over the three days it was open. Excellent potential, but much too young now.

Nicolas Joly Becherelle Savennières 1997

24.12.2005:

Nicolas Joly Becherelle Savennières 1997 Loire

A typical "Joly" nose of apples, hay, funk - oxidative style and rather funky, but I like it! Big, very weighty palate, good structure and fun in all other ways except it has too much alcohol, though.

Château Balestard la Tonnelle 1998

19.12.2005:

Château Balestard la Tonnelle 1998 St-Emilion

Nice, lifted, fresh and herbal nose with a noticable Cabernet Franc character to the darker Merlot tones. The tannins need time to integrate, but otherwise this is a lovely drink now. A pretty and classic style.

Dr. H. Thanisch Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 1999

17.12.2005:

Dr. H. Thanisch Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 1999 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

Open and rather sweet nose of pure Riesling fruit. The taste is sweetish, quite low in acidity for a Mosel, but charming and moreish. Nice.

Château de Chantegrive 2000

10.12.2005:

Château de Chantegrive 2000 Graves

Very dark. The scent is very earthy, plummy and roasted with hints of lead. The palate is sweetly fruity, a little roasted, with rather soft tannins and relatively high acid for the year and cassis on the finish. Long and decent.

Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Spätlese 2003

6.12.2005:

Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Spätlese 2003 Rheingau

Nice minerals, ripe fruit, but doesn't go over the top. Sweet, plump, not terribly acidic, but still stays together. Not bad at all! One of the few wines from '03 that I bought!

La Spinetta (Rivetti) Pin Monferrato 2001

5.12.2005:

La Spinetta (Rivetti) Pin Monferrato 2001 Piemonte

Nebbiolo + Barbera. It has a mix of red, acidic berries and darker and herbal tones, so it does show the two grapes. Unfortunately I'm not convinced of the outcome - at least not in such an extracted form as this.

Delas Frères Hermitage Blanc Marquise de la Tourette 2000

2.12.2005:

Delas Frères Hermitage Blanc Marquise de la Tourette 2000

Deep gold. The nose is very expressive with flowers, ripe peach, minerals and a touch of toffee and marzipan. The palate is thick and weighty with very little obvious acidity yet still perfectly in balance: the fruit is copious and has a high mineral content, some attractive savouryness on the aftertaste. Very long. Rhone whites are tough for me because I crave acidity, but this did bring me some enjoyment.

Château d'Aurilhac 2001

1.12.2005:

Château d'Aurilhac 2001 Haut-Médoc

Dark. Savory scent of cassis and herbs, with red berries and a bit of earth. The palate is rather tannic but also fruity and with good acidity and some very savoury notes. Quite a nice little claret.

Disznókó Tokaji Aszú Eszencia 1988

29.11.2005:

Disznókó Tokaji Aszú Eszencia 1988

Brown. The nose is classic "old style" Tokaji with a touch of oxidation, much coffee, botrytis, citrus and even earthiness. The palate is very sweet, again a touch oxidised, highly acidic, long and very balanced. Not the most complex of wines, but very enjoyable indeed. Very good.

Château Cantenac-Brown 1996

29.11.2005:

Château Cantenac-Brown 1996 Margaux

A rather masculine style of Margaux, deep and full of cassis, a bit rustic but very pleasant. Deep fruit, upright tannins, savoury finish. Nice!

Mezzacorona Teroldego Rotaliano Riserva 2001

27.11.2005:

Mezzacorona Teroldego Rotaliano Riserva 2001 Alto-Adige

Juicy scent with a touch of herbs. The palate likewise was rather juicy but with nice tangy acidity and a delicious bitterness. Fine considering the price (10 euros) but just a tad pedestrian.

Château Cambon La Pelouse 2001

27.11.2005:

Château Cambon La Pelouse 2001 Haut-Médoc

Very modern and oaky. Pass.

Franz Künstler Hochheimer Kirchenstück Riesling Kabinett trocken 2004

20.11.2005:

Franz Künstler Hochheimer Kirchenstück Riesling Kabinett trocken 2004 Rheingau

Light gold. Nose has ripe fruit, lots of minerality, savoury hedge-like elements and peach stone. The palate is also very fruity and is balanced by very high acidity (7,8 g/l) which in turn is balanced by slight residual sugar (9 g/l). Very long, and very nice wine for the near future. Unfortunately bottled with a plastic "cork". Though not normally a fan of trockens, this worked for me.

Gonzáles-Byass Matusalem Oloroso

16.11.2005:

Gonzáles-Byass Matusalem Oloroso

A lovely example of a sweet oloroso: rancio and coffee, dark toned and chalky. Sweet and acidic enough to be savoury. Nice. Sherry rocks.

Marqués de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 1959

29.10.2005:

Marqués de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 1959 Rioja

A lovely, lovely nose of sweet, red fruit, citrus, earth - all that one can ask from a glorious old Rioja. Still a sweetly fruity and nervous palate, glorious acidity, very complex and very complete. Lovely wine.

Château de Fonbel 2001

28.10.2005:

Château de Fonbel 2001 St.-Emilion

Dark fruit, sweet oak, nice herbs - very modern style, almost Californian. Full bodied, soft tannins, nice enough if you don't mind a modern styled Bordeaux.

Gosset Grande Réserve Champagne NV

28.10.2005:

Gosset Grande Réserve Champagne NV

A Krug-style champagne on the nose with lots of fruit and oak. A heavy style, "fruit-salad" aromatics - a bit much for me, but obviously well made.

Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin 2001

25.10.2005:

Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin 2001

A modern style, much oak, plump for the year. Excellent if you like a modern style - I don't.

Château Musar 1997

25.10.2005:

Château Musar 1997 Lebanon

Slightly paling red. The scent is leafy, gorgeously fruity, slightly rustic, with lots of acidic red berries and almost raisiny and plummy sweetness. The wine was decanted for five hours - at first there was lots of VA and off-scents, which shows the necessity of either decanting Musar well in advance or having lots of bottle-age before opening. The attack was very fruity, the mid-palate also, but there was huge acidity also, plenty of sous bois, great life, vivacity and delineation. Long. Very good, indeed. One of the most promising young Musars I've tasted.

Frescobaldi Montesodi 1993

22.10.2005:

Marchesi di Frescobaldi Chianti Rúfina Montesodi 1993

A sweet, slightly leathery nose of cherry. Resolved palate, nice sweetness still, quite a charming wine.

Charles Joguet Chinon Clos du Chêne Vert 1997

11.10.2005:

Charles Joguet Chinon Clos du Chêne Vert 1997 Loire, Chinon

A scent of juicy dung. Great Cabernet character underneath the funk. This isn't a very acidic wine, but is refreshing nonetheless. Very nice!

Mongeard-Mugneret Savigny-lès-Beaune 1èr Cru Les Narbantons 1999

11.10.2005:

Mongeard-Mugneret Savigny-lès-Beaune 1èr Cru Les Narbantons 1999

A lovely, already fairly mature nose of sous-bois, bright red fruit and minerals - Pinosity abounds! Ripe fruit with good structure, very moreish and very charming. Nice!

Villa Cafaggio San Martino 2000

9.10.2005

Villa Cafaggio San Martino 2000 Toscana

Sweet, chocolate/oak, berried - very international, but competently made. Frankly quite boring.

Cavallotto Barolo Riserva San Giuseppe Bricco Boschis 1990

29.9.2005:

Cavallotto Barolo Riserva San Giuseppe Bricco Boschis 1990 Piemonte

Obviously from a ripe year, but not at all raisiny. Good grip and at a pleasant stage of evolution. This seems a traditional and very attractive wine.

Leopold Schätzle Endinger Steingrube Riesling Kabinett halbtrocken 2001

25.9.2005:

Leopold Schätzle Endinger Steingrube Riesling Kabinett halbtrocken 2001 Baden

Pungent, mineral, true Riesling aromas of a rather rustic (but pleasant) nature. Curiously dilute palate. Strange how different it was to the opulent scent.

Elena Walch Lagrein 2004

25.9.2005:

Elena Walch Lagrein 2004 Alto-Adige, Italy

Youthful, primary, savoury, herbal yet ripe and sweetly fruity. Nice tannins, too. Quite a charming, little wine.

Schloss Vollrads Riesling Erstes Gewächs 2002

25.9.2005:

Schloss Vollrads Riesling Erstes Gewächs 2002 Rheingau

Ripe red apple, honey and already a hint of petrol. Dry and forceful palate with true Rheingau character. Technically well made, but I really wish the Germans would get over their infatuation with dry wines and make something that is also charming!

Paul Jaboulet Aîné Cornas 1999

25.9.2005:

Paul Jaboulet Aîné Cornas 1999

Dark red, slight bricking at the rim. The scent is paradoxically elegant and rustic, with bacon fat, lilacs, Mediterranean herbs, gravel, cloves, red berries. The palate is likewise big yet balanced by high minerality, acids and a red berry-like tangyness. The aftertaste is long and herbal. Very good. This was a pleasant surprise as on a previous taste this wine did not show much promise.

Vintage Ports 2000

19.9.2005:

Dow's Vintage Port 2000

The scent had a delectable whiff of tobacco and damp earth, much plums and figs. The palate had soft tannins, relatively high acid and moderate sweetness. The aftertaste was fairly long. This wine is very stylish and harmonious. Very good, indeed.

Warre's Vintage Port 2000

The opulent scent was almost over-ripe with strawberry jam, dried figs, a hint of dark-roasted coffee. The palate was also very fat and rather too opulent for my taste: jammy, very sweet, very soft tannins - but the components were in good balance thanks to the moderate acidity which carried the aftertaste for a good length. Good, indeed.

Taylor's Vintage Port 2000

This wine was schizophrenic! It ranged from thick, fruity, with blueberry, stewed figs, very alcoholic to woody, closed, brutal and raw. The palate was ferociously tannic, superbly fruited (moderate in sweetness) underneath the wall of tannin, lifted by high acidity, long but at the moment marred by too obvious alcohol which made the whole seem harsh and stern. Judging by the components this wine has excellent potential, but it is not much fun drinking it now. Is it perhaps a little closed?

Fonseca Vintage Port 2000

The scent is dominated by blue notes: blueberry, violets, chocolate, even a little malty. The palate is very smooth with opulent very sweet fruit, again blue-tinged, but on the mid-palate there is also a good concentration of acids lurking beneath the fruit and much soft tannin. The aftertaste is very long, but perhaps carried more by the sheer force of fruit rather than lifted and carried by the acids. Excellent.

Graham's Vintage Port 2000

If the Fonseca was dominated by blue, Graham's is by red: The scent has an array of red berries (especially lingonberry-like savouryness and wild strawberry -like sweetness causing a delighful polarization by balancing each other), lightly roasted coffee, milk chocolate. The palate was also red: with very sweet fruit, strawberry, more overtly tannic than the Fonseca, with high acid which carries the aftertaste almost interminably. Excellent.

Adegas Valmiñor Albariño 2004

19.9.2005:

Adegas Valmiñor Albariño 2004 Rías Baixas

Gold. Nice nose of sea-breeze, salt, minerals, peach - typical for the variety. Vibrantly fruity, refreshing acidity. I like the pure, light-on-its-feet style that Valmiñor does. A very attractive wine.

Château Chasse-Spleen 1999

15.9.2005:

Château Chasse-Spleen 1999 Moulis

A classic scent of cigars and cassis, rather dark toned fruit; nice acidity, vibrant fruit, juicy tannins - I like it and will certainly enjoy it more in a few years once the oak goes even more to the background. Nice!

Langwerth von Simmern Hattenheimer Riesling Kabinett feinherb 2003

1.9.2005:

Langwerth von Simmern Hattenheimer Riesling Kabinett feinherb 2003 Rheingau

Very fruity, sweet and even tropical aromatics yet recognisably Riesling. Fat, not acidic enough palate. I really don't seem to get along with 2003s from Europe...

Château Lilian Ladouys 1998

28.8.2005:

Château Lilian Ladouys 1998 St.-Estèphe

Starts out oaky, calms down to a more classic style; mouthwatering acidity, good grip, bright fruit. I like it!

Perrin & Fils Gigondas La Gille 2001

25.8.2005:

Perrin & Fils Gigondas La Gille 2001

Sweet and strawberried. Nice tannins, but I don't really get along with Grenache and Grenache based wines. Well made, but doesn't fit my tastes.

Papin-Chevalier Savennières Clos de Coulaine 2001

20.8.2005:

Papin-Chevalier Savennières Clos de Coulaine 2001

This smells of hay, apples and minerals - pretty classic Chenin. Full bodied, very sweetly fruity, well structured and balanced. Nice.

Two from Gonzáles-Byass

17.8.2005:

Gonzáles-Byass Apostoles Palo Cortado VORS

Amber. Rancioed, coffee-like, nutty nose with refreshing citrussiness. Slightly sweet taste but still savoury and chakily smooth. Nice stuff, though I prefer dry Palo Cortados.

Gonzáles-Byass Pedro Ximenez Noe VORS

Black. Motor oil-like consistency, figgy, supremely sweet. Fun but a bit extreme.

Château Montus 2001

10.8.2005:

Château Montus 2001 Madiran

Oh dear! Vanillary, very spoofulated nose. Vile. The palate seems soft for a Madiran and dominated by oak. Quite undrinkable. This could be - and indeed is - made anywhere.

Château Labégorce 1999

1.8.2005

Château Labégorce 1999 Margaux

It is surprisingly open at such a young age: bright fruit and lovely cassis though there is a touch of oak showing. It has nice strawberry and wet clay aromas that I expect from Margaux. Lovely, high acidity - very bright wine! Nice tannins too and enough fruit for all "pleasure-hating oenophiles" (as one critic likes to call people who prefer to drink wines instead of manufactured, sweet, confected, grape-based alcoholic beverages). I like this very much.

Joseph Perrier Cuvée Royale Champagne NV

16.7.2005:

Joseph Perrier Cuvée Royale Champagne NV

Appley, slightly sweet/ripe fruit, elegant mousse, fine acidity. Always one of the best "cheaper" Champagnes available over here.

La Faîte Blanc 2002

16.7.2005:

Union de Producteurs Plaimont Côtes-de-Saint-Mont La Faîte Blanc 2002 SW France,
A blend of Gros Manseng 60%, Arrufiac and Petit Courbu 25%, Petit Manseng 15%. A strange but lovable nose of cheese and hay. Sweet fruit, good body, juicy/citrussy acidity and a fine mineral finish. I like it, but it is a bit weird!

Château Pontet-Canet 1998

3.7.2005:

Château Pontet-Canet 1998 Pauillac, Bordeaux

A very pleasant nose of cassis, some oak, earth - very restrained and unspoofulated for such a modernist Château. Good grip on the palate but also perfectly adequate fruit. Savoury rather than fruity, i.e. what Bordeaux should be. A very likeable wine from a property I haven't usually liked because they tend to taste spoofulated.

Robert Weil Riesling Kabinett trocken 2003

2.7.2005:

Robert Weil Riesling Kabinett trocken 2003

Dry, lacking in freshness, but ripely fruity and somewhat interesting nose. I'm not too keen on '03s here.

Bodegas Riojanas Monte Real Gran Reserva 1981

25.6.2005:

Bodegas Riojanas Monte Real Gran Reserva 1981

Lovely old Rijoa aromatics of bright red fruit, some citrus - deep and earthy. Mature and resolved palate, very complex, joyful and life reaffirming wine! Excellent.

Pewsey Vale Riesling 2004

24.6.2005:

Pewsey Vale Riesling Individual Vineyard Selection 2004 Eden Valley, Australia

Pungent, forceful, typically Riesling aromatics. Tight, acidic, dry - seems like great stuff for the price (12€), but very young.

Marqués de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 1970

Tasted on 12.6.2005:

Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 1970

Dark, few signs of age. Shows rather oaky, but at the same extremely complex and bright in its aromatics - classic old style Rioja. Mouthfilling fruit, vibrant tannins, unending aftertaste. This still seems very, very young! Fantastic wine, but perhaps wait a decade or two for it to mature?

Adegas Valmiñor Davila 2002

Tasted on 6.6.2005:

Adegas Valmiñor Davila 2002 Rías Baixas

A lovely blend of Albariño, Loureiro and Treixadura. Very pure and mineral, sea-breeze nose, citrussy. Good body, vibrant fruit, juicy acidity, lots of saltiness and minerality. Great stuff!

Joseph Drouhin Santenay Beaurepaire 1999

Tasted on 5.6.2005:

Joseph Drouhin Santenay 1èr Cru Beaurepaire 1999

The nose had good depth, classic restrained pinot aromas red berries, boiled roots and herbs with a mineral streak. The palate had sweet fruit, high acid, red berries, minerality. Very good and cheap for Burgundy. Drouhin rocks!

Serra da Estrela Albariño 2004

Tasted 3.6.2005

Serra da Estrela Albariño 2004 Rías Baixas

A very pleasant youthful nose with melon and citrus fruits. Palate had ripe, fat (perhaps even slightly flabby) fruit with copious but soft acidity, it even had some slight petrolly characteristics. Long aftertaste. Fine, but not the best Albariño I've had.

Sauvestre Pommard Clos de la Platière 1998

Tasted: 27.5.2005

Domaine Vincent Sauvestre Pommard Clos de la Platière 1998

Pleasantly mature and sweet typical Pinot Noir scent with earth, vegetationl, a little bit of charred oak. The taste has sweet fruit, high (though balanced) acidity, earth. Aftertaste is long and the fruit is carried well by the acid. Good, but not great.

The Root of All Evil - Documentary by Richard Dawkins

The Root of All Evil Part 1/2 (The God Delusion):


The Root of All Evil Part 2/2 (The Virus of Faith):

Air crash investigations

Air crash investigation videos and few others are available here:

http://www.geocities.com/apapele/

Dveri Pax Welschriesling '06

Tasted on 6.11.2007:

Dveri Pax Laški Rizling 2006 Slovenia Štajerska 12,5%abv 10,74€

Laški rizling = Welschriesling. Light as water. Citrussy, mineral forward nose. Nice fruit, refreshing, acidic and mineral palate. Cheap and nice but nothing profound.

Richard Dawkins The God Delusion

Richard Dawkins rocks! Here he reads from The God Delusion and answers some questions:

Part 1/6:


Part 2/6:


Part 3/6:


Part 4/6:


Part 5/6:


Part 6/6: