Domaine des Lambrays Morey-St.-Denis 2006

Alko's Burgundy selection is absurdly small and generally of abysmal quality, but sometimes an over-priced "gem" does become available. At the outrageous price of 50€ we got a Domaine des Lambrays Morey-St.-Denis 2006. I know it is young, but I was really hankering after a Burgundy, and I don't always want to drink Brun's Bourgogne Rouge (which is the one fairly priced and delicious Burgundy we do have). There is a bit of oak showing - IIRC the producer uses about 30% new oak for these "lesser" wines. But the oak does not hide a rather lovely Pinosity: beetroot, earthy/vegetal, the fruit veers more towards dark fruit than red. Rich and ripe but with great acidity and some attractive tannin. A good Burgundy, but sadly terribly over-priced over here, and perhaps a bit more polished and "modern" than I would ideally drink.

Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Riserva 2006

Badia a Coltibuono Chianto Classico Riserva 2006 - 22,80€; 14,5% abv

Dark aromas, almost liquorous in its sweetness, with some leather and cherry aromas, too. But despite these aromas it doesn't really seem obviously Chianti or Sangiovese; it seems so ripe that it could be almost anything. Usually such a degree of ripeness is further exacerbated by the use of new wood - which here, thankfully, seems to be either missing or just very deftly done (it does see time in French wood, but I wasn't able to find out the size or age of the wood). The very sweet fruit is thankfully made drier by a fair bit of tannin; the acidity seems a bit low for Chianti. The alcohol is well hidden. It seems like a perfectly nice wine, but its sheer size and power and lack of typicity - all this despite no obvious sings of spoofulation - make this a wine that I won't be buying again.

A little Chave

JL Chave Sélection Côte-du-Rhône Mon Coeur 2008 - 14% abv; at nearly 20€ not quite the great value here that it is elsewhere
I haven't usually been too fond of the negociant wines of Chave but this CdR was very pleasant. Though a blend of Grenache and Syrah it smells on opening much like a pure Syrah: black olives and game bird's blood. Some sweetness that I associate with Grenache does appear over time but it does seem always a Syrah-led wine. Rich, meaty, nicely tannic, refreshing finish despite some Grenache sweetness showing through. Nice! If I could get this at UK prices, this would make a lovely mid-week drink.

Two great whites

Tonight we sampled two Carcharodon carcharias. First was an organic Loire Chenin that I hadn't heard of before, Domaine Les Loges de la Folie Montlouis-sur-Loire "Nef des Fous" Sec 2009 which was quite lovely. It had remarkable purity and precision, lovely citrus aromas and despite some time in oak I didn't notice wood-influenced aromas. Dry but with lovely, juicy, citric fruit, very moreish and delineated. I liked this very much.

For dessert we had Eric Texier's Opale 2010, a Viognier from Condrieu that is made with Mosel Kabinetts as its stylistic ideal. It is only 7% abv and has 70g/l RS and it is like biting into an apple: crunchy, sweet and deliciously acidic. Outstanding.

William Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

William Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 - Napa Valley; 14,5% abv; 25,50€
This was by no means an elegant wine, and I will say it out right that I didn't really like this now. Yet this was a welcome change to the few other Americans we have seen here. The scent is very ripe, full of very dark fruit, but instead of being harsh and woody (this sees "only" 38% new wood) this is full of sweet aromas and some cigar box savoriness. Very full bodied, very sweet fruit, but unlike previous Cabs we have seen, this does have enough tannin and acidity to keep it all together. In other words, there is a perverse kind of balance in this wine: there is for my tastes too much wood, too much fruit, plenty of tannin and high acidity, yet all these elements are harmonious in relation to each other. Despite its size, it is rather refreshing so there is some moreishness to it. I would be intrigued to try this in five years or so if the elements I don't like would have faded by then. I can imagine that this is a pretty decent, fairly priced (by Finnish standards) Napa Cab for those who like such a big style. But for now at least, this isn't one for me.

Wine's Family Tree

I came across an interesting article in New Scientist that says that grapes are more closely related than previously thought.



This picture is from the original article published in PNAS (Sean Myles, et al.; 18.1.2011).

Nine Loire Reds

Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Rouge "L'Arpent" 2006 label
This was a lovely Pineau d'Aunis, very "natural" with peppery, juicy, slightly Cornelissen-like aromas. Delicious. Light but lively and intense, interminable, sweet and pure. I love it.

Domaine du Moulin Cheverny Rouge "Le Domaine" 2009 label
50/50 Gamay and Pinot Noir. Lovely, sweet red fruit, perhaps a touch too candied and warm year in style if I'm being picky, but lovely aromas of Pinosity despite that. Racy, lively, "natural" (but not in the freaky end of that spectrum), and quite simply delicous and moreish.

Domaine de la Chevalerie Bourgueil "Cuvée des Busardières" 2007 label
At first this was all sweaty and lactic, reductive and unpleasant. The scent did open up somewhat during the evening, but it was awkward throughout. The palate was quite lovely, however, with leafy, refreshing, cool sensations, juicy fruit and pleasantly upright tannins. Possibly very nice, but a pity the scent didn't reveal much.

Domaine Philippe Alliet Chinon "Coteaux Noiré" 2007 label
This might be the most famous name of tonight's tasting, but it was also my least favourite. Obvious new oak aromas; soft structure; so strongly oak-led aromas that I am unable to find any grape-derived sensations. Anonymous and boring.

Domaine de Saint-Just Saumur-Champigny "Terres Rouges" 2009 label
An almost Gamay-like Cab Franc with lovely, bright but blood/iron aromas. Good tannins, sweet fruit, more substantial than the scent suggested. Very nice.

Domaine de Bellivière Coteaux du Loir "Le Rouge-Gorge" 2008 label
It seems that Pineau d'Aunis was my favourite grape tonight since this and the Clos Roche Blanche were the two I most want to buy! This was peppey, earthy, seemingly a little stemmy, but also lively and fruity. Light, perhaps, but supremely intense, crisp and persistent. Outstanding.

Domaine Saint Nicolas Fiefs Vendéens Brems "Cuvée Saint Jacques" 2005 label
85% Pinot Noir, 15% Cabernet Franc. This was an ok wine, but a bit boring in this company. A bit candied and mainstream in comparison, some strange ripe but tangy sensations that slightly reminded me of Super Tuscans! Good structure to counter the ripeness, but still a bit boring.

Domaine Ladoucette du Château Nozet Sancerre Rouge "Comte Lafond" 2006 label
Quite a lovely, light Pinot. A bit funky at first, but it cleared up to become bright and very pure Pinosity. Deliciosly crisp and light, savoury yet sexy, intense. Very nice.

Ferme de la Sansonnière (Marc Angeli) Anjou Rouge "Les Jeunes Vignes Gelinettes" 2004 label
100% Cab Sauvignon. Blackcurrant juice, ink. Harsh tannins. I love tannins, but this was too much even for me. I wasn't able to find enjoyment here.

Moldova - Mileştii Mici

Mileştii Mici have the largest collection of old bottles in the world (some two million). We recently got two of their "Quality Mature Wines" -series in Alko. These wines are released when mature and, if I understood correctly, are stored in vats until bottling (October 2010 for these two). I wasn't expecting much, I have to admit, but I thought these were really lovely little wines. Definitely something to buy again at these prices.


Traminer 1988 11,75€; 11% abv
I had no idea wine of this quality was made in Moldova and, indeed, the tiny comperssed cork and the horrible label (sorry, no camera with me) didn't inspire confidence. But the wine was wonderful. It had sweet and ripe aromas of oranges, minerals, earth and rosewater. The palate was dry but pleasantly rich despite the low alcohol and has pleasantly crisp acidity. Both the aroma profile and the structure remind me of Čotar's Malvazija. It is very lively despite some aged aromatics.

Codru 1987 12,45€; 11% abv
A blend of 75% Cabernet Saugignon and 25% Merlot. Once again, it comes with an unbearably ugly label and a tiny compressed cork. But the wine is again a lovely little drop. Very bright and pure aromas of cherry and some herbaceous Cabernet lift. No oak aromas as far as I can see. Resolved structurally, but with still vibrant fruit - it dosn't seem like it will go over the cliff soon though it is pleasantly light. A luncheon claret and dashed good one at that!

Two Blaufränkisch

Muhr-van der Niepoort Blaufränkisch Carnuntum 2008 - Austria, Niederösterreich, Carnuntum; 12% abv
This was a rather charming wine, a collaboration between Dorli Muhr and Dirk van der Niepoort. It is elegant and has some nice red berry aromas, pleasantly herbaceous but with much ripe fruit (so much so, that I'm surprised at the low alcohol). Crisp but fruity palate, primary, crunchy, balanced. Nice stuff, but could use a bit more age.

Prieler Blaufränkisch Oggau 2006 - Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee-Hügelland
This was a sample of a new wine from Prieler from Oggau, so there wasn't even a finished label: no abv, the "Oggau" written in pen. But it was a pretty impressive wine. I don't know what sort of oak this sees, but there is a slight smoky scent - nothing to worry about, since the lovely, dark berry aroma isn't obfuscated at all. It is, perhaps, a bit stemmy? I would love to find out if stems are used since the palate also has the sort of grip and crunch I often notice when stems are included. But it isn't a tannic monster, though it does have pleasant rigidity. More full bodied than the Muhr-van der Niepoort and so different that it's difficult to believe that they are made from the same grape. Nice.

Pure Bagatelle Ruby NV - Lovely Loire fizz with nauseating marketing

Pure Bagatelle Ruby NV is a "natural" Rosé sparkler aimed at 21-35yo women. The PR surrounding the bottle is such that if I were a woman I would be offended at this being made for my demographic. Take a look at the PDF - am I overreacting? Is it not quite so terrible?

I would love to hate this wine based on this PDF, but I can't. It is a blend of Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. Light salmon pink. Lovely freshness and surprising depth; despite the CF the aromas are full of floral Pinosity. Small, elegant bubbles. Light but fruity, good acid, persistent, mineral finish with, again, lovely Pinosity showing. Marketing aside, this is everything I like to have in a pink fizz.

Tapanappa Tiers Chardonnay 2007

Tapanappa Tiers Chardonnay 2007 - Piccadilly Valley, S. Australia; 13,5% abv; 5,8 g/l acidity; 38,70€


60% new oak and it does show. But it also has a pleasantly crisp, citric backbone. But that is all that it shows: oak and citrus. Very unaromatic, and since it showed no signs of being slightly corked, I can only deduce that this was a very bad time to be opening this wine. It was completely shut down: I could see that the structure was to my liking, but I couldn't see anything else. Closed; or if not closed, then just a boring wine. But with its reputation, I'm betting on just closed.

Carmignano "Terre a Mano" 2006

Tonight, I got to try the red from Rossella Bencini Tesi. Just like I was told, it wasn't quite as unique a wine as the Sassocarlo, but it was very nice.

Fattoria di Bacchereto Carmignano "Terre a Mano" 2006 - 75% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo Nero, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon; 2 years in Alliers oak of 350 l.; 14,5% abv



I knew that the tradition of adding Cab Sauv to Sangiovese predated "Super Tuscans", but I had no idea the tradition went all the way back to the 18th Century in the case of Carmignano. I have tasted only a handful of such blends where I felt that the Cab didn't overwhelm the Sangiovese and this is one of them.

Dark toned, earthy and herbaceous aroma despite bright cherry scents - it is a little bit different profile to the pure Sangioveses I have had, though I don't perceive obvious Cab aromas. Very racy and lively, bright and tangy despite its richness. Palate cleansing tannins and fair acidity keep the fruit in check. The high alcohol is not noticeable. Very nice.

Čotar Črna Penina

I can't seem to open conventional wines if my life depended on it. For our NY fizz this year I opened up a Čotar Črna Penina klasična metoda ekstra brut 2006 which is a sparkling red wine from Teran (Refosco). It was closed with a crown cork and is unfiltered and undisgorged. Opening it was a bit scary because there is some sort of capsule that shoots out after the crown top is opened (can someone explain how this method differs from more conventional disgorgement methods? - I am a bit shaky on this sort of technical aspects). But we managed it without any eye-injuries and without too much of the wine being wasted.



The wine, as expected from Čotar, was wonderful. It had earthy aromas, lactic/sour, tangy. Just 11,5% abv yet wonderfully deep aromas and well structured. It was very much like the still Teran I recently wrote about: very dry, very acidic yet not hardcore or difficult despite being out of the mainstream. Lovely wine.

Awesome Kab

A.J. Adam Dhron Hofberg Riesling Kabinett 2009 - Mosel; 8% abv; 65 g/l RS; 9,8 g/l acidity
Delicious. I am afraid of these riper years, but even I have to admit that this was pretty special. Slight tropical/passionfruit aromas and Spätlese weight hint at a hot year, but otherwise it is delightfully mineral, acidic, lively, light and sweet. An antidepressant if down; will cause bouts of giddy happiness if not.