Monday 3 August 2015

A Lot Of Oldies = Goodies!


A couple of weeks ago Mikke invited to his annual going-on-holiday-tasting and this time we got to drink a lot of mature wines.
Almost all wines tasted double blind, see below.

NV Brut Extra, Piper-Heidsieck
When googled we guessed this to be from the 50 or 60´s. If anyone know, please tell me! The bottle contained 77 cl, nothing I can recall seen before.
The nose is (of course!) mature and somewhat dusty with notes of mushroom cream, dried fruits, old chocolate and almond paste. It actually got fresher with air for about an hour or two before declining.
The taste is mature and broad with notes of almonds, mushrooms and dried fruits. There is some bubbles left. A fine acidity and a decent long finish. A fine salty touch. Drinking really well.
87p   (tasted 2015/07)



Three white wines got poured, blind. An interesting comparison of Chardonnay from three parts of the world.
2007 Pouilly-Fuissé Tris des Hauts de Vigne, Domaine Gueffens
A fine, cool nose with some maturity and notes of spicy lemons, elderberries, dry vanilla and some fudge. Deep and fine. A very creamy character.
The taste is concentrated, warm and medium mature with notes of candied lemons, matchbox, sage and dried flowers. Very, very long and intense. This is good and in a perfect drinking window.
91p   (tasted 2015/07)



2007 Chamoson Chardonnay V.V., Simon Maye
This Swiss Chardonnay comes out on top in this trio. I have tasted his Syrah before and been impressed. Same thing with this wine. The nose is refined and deep with notes of ripe lemons, grass, smoke and summer flowers. A wonderful structure. Deep and racy.
The taste is tight and focused with notes of starfruit, lemon peel, cucumber water, dried flowers and a hint of fudge. A very long, taut finish with a high acidity and a pure warmth. Great wine.
93p   (tasted 2015/07)

2007 Les Noisetiers Chardonnay, Kistler
A much more opulent nose on this one, with notes of lemon cream, almond paste, fudge and Christmas spices. Very good in its rich style.
The taste is somewhat mature, broad and warm with notes of dried tropical fruits, matchbox and almond paste. A long warm finish with a tiny bitter note. Very good but a bit unfocused, compared to the two previous wines.
87p   (tasted 2015/07)


Four decanters hits the table. We were given no info, bur most guesses were on Bordeaux, although we thought them to be younger...
1955 Château Rouet
A deep, mature, animal nose with notes of dried black currants, cigarette ashes, dark orange peel and some leafy aromas. Very good and holds well in the glass.
The taste is cool and mature with notes of fresh stables, red and black currants, charcoal and tobacco. A medium long finish with a fine balance. Very, very good. 60 year is no age for this one. From Côtes Fronsac. Mikke obviously bought it for 15 Euro - who said Bordeaux is expensive! :-)
88p   (tasted 2015/07)



1955 Domaine de L´Eglise
This Pomerol started out soft and uneasy but with air it turned into the best of these four. The nose grows and becomes big and meaty with notes of sweet plums, pipe tobacco, mushrooms and moist undergrowth. Deep, sweet and a touch smoky. Very, very good.
The taste is mature and steady with notes of plums, tobacco, autumn leaves and old leather. Very long, balanced and tight. A fine warmth to the fruit. Wears its 60 years even easier than the wine before.
91p   (tasted 2015/07)

1955 Château Junayme
A open, light, mature nose with notes of stables, dried red fruits, old leather and tobacco. Fully mature and then some. A little lose around the edges although its holding on.
The taste is mature, seedy and dry with some red and black currants, tobacco and dusty earth. Works well with the food but is a bit to foursquare on its own. From Côtes-Canon-Fronsac.
78p   (tasted 2015/07)


1955 Château Branaire-Ducru
On paper the best, but the proof, as always, is in the bottle. And in this case it is the least good in the line up. The nose is a tad over the hill with notes of muscovado sugar, soya, dried plums and some smoke.
The taste is old and dry with some beetroots, tobacco and earth. The finish is short and hollow. There is some life left but its going fast.
66p   (tasted 2015/07)

Some of us helped out to extract the corks out of the following bottles, so these were tasted non blind.
1949 Presumably Chambertin, unknown producer
No label except the vintage slip on the top of the neck. According to the wine shop were Mikke bought it (a reliable source where I also have bought wine) it is supposed to be a Chambertin, but the shop owner didn´t have any more info as he had bought it from an estate that obviously didn´t use Cellartracker...
Anyway, the nose opens up nicely in the glass, as old Burgundy do, with notes of root vegetables, pine forest, dried raspberries and dusty earth. A dried up sweetness. I like it, although it is past its prime.
The taste is more up to scratch, with notes of dried red fruits, moist undergrowth, beet root juice and pipe tobacco. The finish is actually long and rather intense. Very good. On the taste alone you wouldn´t think that it is a 65 year old wine.
87p   (tasted 2015/07)


? Volnay, Louis Grivot
For the next one, we knew the wine and producer, or negociant anyway. But not the vintage. It is supposed to be from the 40´s or the 50´s, which compared to the others would be the case.
The nose is deep, round and mature with notes of dried strawberries, bitter orange, nougat and coffee grounds. Very fine. A hint of VA, in a positive way. Alive and kicking, with a fine sweetness to the fruit.
The taste is tight and fine with notes of dried red fruits, tobacco, root vegetables and forest floor. A very fine acidity. Long and intense. Really good.
91p   (tasted 2015/07)



1947 Les Grands E Echezeaux Têtes de Cuvée, unknown producer
Another variant of lack of information - we knew the vintage and wine but not the producer - interesting enough, the label doesn´t say. But who ever it was, he or she did know his or her stuff. The nose is deep, mature and velvety with notes of beet roots, forest floor, cool tobacco, a hint of chocolate and a whiff of wild strawberries. A very fine sweetness. Wears its age with grace. Pure and refined.
The taste is tight, mature and intense with notes of red cherries, forest floor, root vegetables, tobacco and some dry chocolate. A long, pure finish with a velvety mouth feel. Great wine.
93p   (tasted 2015/07)

1969 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Tête de Cuvèe, Duvigneau
A Ch-du-Pape in a Burgundy line up - what a sacrilege! :-) Actually, it worked out well. The nose is big, mature and meaty with notes of dried red and black cherries, moist earth, warm herbs and a touch of beet root juice. Very good.
The taste is big and tight with notes of dried raspberries, herbs, scorched earth and tobacco. A medium long finish with a nice warmth. If this would have been poured blind, I would have guessed that we still were in Burgundy land. Time - the great equalizer...
87p   (tasted 2015/07)



1969 (presumably) Corton-Bressandes, P. Dubreuil-Fontaine
Again, wine and producer known but not the vintage. It was presumed to be a 1969. The nose is open, sweet and deep with notes of ripe raspberries, red plums, warm forest floor and pipe tobacco. Rich, generous and sweet. Very, very good. Feels the youngest in the line up.
The taste is tight, intense and delicious with notes of red and black cherries, root vegetables, smoke and warm tiles. A long, pure, structured finish. This still needs some time in the bottle. Really good stuff.
91p   (tasted 2015/07)

2013 Johannisberg Valais, Domaine Mercier
A youngster is poured as a palate cleanser before the sweeties. This Sylvaner has a young, fresh nose with notes of pear ice cream, wet rocks, spices and basil. Good.
The taste is young, seedy and fresh with notes of grass, slate and bitter almonds. The finish is medium long and very dry. Could use a year or two in the cellar.
85p   (tasted 2015/07)


The final line up consisted of three sweeties, or at least they were sweet years ago... Tasted double blind.
1937 Château Couillac
A rather deep but foursquare nose with notes of dried apricots, rust, moist earth and some glue. One dimensional. Still hanging in there but just so.
The taste is medium bodied and semi dry with notes of dried tropical fruits, rubber carpet, orange peel and some bitter notes. The finish is long and concentrated. Better and livelier on the palate than on the nose. Good. From Sainte-Croix-du-Mont.
83p   (tasted 2015/07)



1971 Château Guiraud
A big, intense, mature nose with gorgeous notes of apricot purée, burned toffee, iodine and some old wood. A very fine botrytis scent. A lovely maturity. Very, very fine.
The taste is big, sweet and intense with notes of dried apricots, blood orange peel, band aid and crumbly butter cookies. Very long and yummy with a fine backing acidity. A great maturing Sauternes, that will keep for 10+ years.
93p   (tasted 2015/07)

???
And now for the real mystery bottle. Mikke thought is should be a Burgundy so we opened it with the others, but it has a short cork that old fortified wines often has, and one sniff told us, this is sweet, so it was pushed to last.
The nose is big, sweet and concentrated with notes of dark plums, figs, muscovado sugar and dark chocolate mousse. Dense and rich. Has some age but with these kind of wines, hard to pinpoint more exactly.
The taste is big, sweet and mature with notes of raspberry liquorice, plum pudding, moist earth, sweet tea and chocolate mousse. Very long, sweet and a touch fiery. Our guesses goes to the south of France and a fortified wine with 30-40 years of age, but who knows?
86p   (tasted 2015/07)

1 comment:

  1. Now...THAT'S what I call a BLIND tasting!

    When you have to use forensic science trying to figure out what he heck you just drank. :-)

    ReplyDelete