Vacation Wines - No 16 & 17 - 2008 Brut, Louis Roederer & 2008 Givry 1er Cry Clos Du Cellier Aux Moines, Domaine Joblot

Some friends visited us on our ongoing stay on Gotland and I opened these two 10 year old bottles to go with dinner.

2008 Brut, Louis Roederer
This Champagne is always a treat. A wonderful, light yet intense nose with notes of smoke, toasted bread, lemon cream, minerals and almond paste. Deep and balanced. Still young.
The taste is hight and tight with notes of sweet minerals, lime peel, smoke and dry cookie dough. A very long lasting, fresh finish. Gorgeous. 6+ years.
93p   (tasted 2018/07)

2008 Givry 1er Cry Clos Du Cellier Aux Moines, Domaine Joblot
A cool, fine tuned nose with a hint of maturity and notes of ripe lingonberries, rose petals, earth, bakelite and a hint of tobacco. A fine depth. Laid back and lovely.
The taste is earthy and racy with a fine acidity and notes of dried raspberries, rowanberries, earth and dried herbs. A refined finish that ends with a lip smacking dryness, Very, very good. 4+ years.
92p   (tasted 2018/07)

Vacation Wines - No 14 & 15 - 2008 Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir, Simonnet-Febvre & 2010 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Poissenots, Louis Jadot

2008 Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir, Simonnet-Febvre
There is a hint of maturity on the nose, yet it still is steely and racy with notes of white currants, lemon cream, warm grass and a hit of rust. Deep and fine.
The taste is cool, steely and fresh with notes of minerals, hard lemon candy and dusty earth. A long, fine finish with a cleansing acidity. Very, very good. Still needs 5+ years in the cellar.
91p   (tasted 2018/07)

2010 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Poissenots, Louis Jadot
A fine, flowery, herbal nose with notes of red currants, ripening raspberries, beet roots and forest floor. Earthy and fine. Opens up beautifully in the glass. Refined.
The taste is cool and creamy with notes of dry raspberry licorice, root vegetables, earth and dried flowers. Quite sturdy in the finish still. Very long. Very fine. Drinking great now and the coming 8+ years.
93p   (tasted 2018/07)

Vacation Wines - No 13 - 2003 Barolo Sarmassa, Brezza

Another Barolo!

2003 Barolo Sarmassa, Brezza
A mature, warm but not overly so, nose with interesting notes of meat, dried flowers and some animal scents. Additional notes of autumn leaves, burning fir and a hint of milk chocolate. Very, very good.
The taste is big and warm with notes of dried raspberries, licorice, leather and a touch of cocoa. Soft, warm tannins. Drinking really nicely now. A fine mouthful of Nebbiolo.
90p   (tasted 2018/07)

Vacation Wines - No 12 - 2014 Chardonnay, Rochioli

With fine grilled filets of catfish, new potatoes and a lime aioli I opened this beauty.

2014 Chardonnay, Rochioli
This Russian River Valley Chardonnay sports an open, direct yet deep and complex nose with notes of dry butter cookies, candied lemons, passionfruit and sweet minerals. Ripe, rich and very yummy.
This is a big mouthful of ripe, lively, forward Chard with a firm backbone and notes of lemon meringue, dry pineapple, smoke and lots of chrushed rocks in the long lasting, structured finish. Very, very good. Drinking great now and the coming 6+ years.
92p   (tasted 2018/07)

Vacation Wines - No 10 & 11 - 2014 Chassagne-Montrachet, Michel Niellon & 1996 Cuvée El Palomar, Abadia Retuerta

2014 Chassagne-Montrachet, Michel Niellon
Poured to go along a light seared tuna with a sallad of asparagus, cucumber and spring onions. The nose is steely, mineraly and salty with notes of white currants, birch leaves, dry butter cookies and a hint of white chocolate. Very fine. Lots of flint after a while.
The taste is light and refined with notes of smoke, white currants, grass and flint. Long and fine with a fresh acidity. A really fine village wine.
91p   (tasted 2018/07)

1996 Cuvée El Palomar, Abadia Retuerta
This mature blend of 50% Tempranillo and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon shows of a round, sweet nose with notes of a mix of raspberry and blueberries and scents of moist animal fur, mushrooms, warm rocks and tobacco. A very fine maturity.
The taste is finely mature and softly intense with notes of raspberry licorice, warm herbs, leather and tobacco. Long, rich and velvety. A very fine warmth. Fully mature. Very, very good. Much better than the 96 El Campanario tasted three years ago.
92p   (tasted 2018/07)

Vacation Wines - No 9 - 2015 Langhe Nebbiolo, Bartolo Mascarello

First evening on Gotland - grilled chicken, pasta and a mushroom sauce. What to open?

2015 Langhe Nebbiolo, Bartolo Ma‭scarello
A lovely perfumed, low keyed yet intense nose with notes of sour/sweet cherries, dry raspberry licorice, paint and dry leather. Very fine.
The taste is juicy and refined with notes of dried red currants, a hint of chocolate wafers, esrth and dry leather. Very polished tannins. Long and fine.
92p   (tasted 2018/07)

Vacation Wines - No 8 - 2013 Sangreal By Farr Pinot Noir, Wine By Farr

My first Pinot bottle from Farr and you can call me impressed!

2013 Sangreal By Farr Pinot Noir, Wine By Farr
The nose soars up from the glass with stunning aromas of wild raspberries, dark licorice, most earth, french nougat, smoke, dark spices and a light meat stock. High spirited and interesting. Very deep, complex and yummy.
It flows over the palate with a silky feeling at first and then the sweet raspberries comes foward alongside licorice, dark fudge, warm gravel and smoke. A long, lingering finish with a very fine warmth. Great juice. Glad I have more.
93p   (tasted 2018/07)

Vacation Wines - No 7 - 1967 Barolo, Vietti

I was saving this bottle for a different occasion, when it was supposed to be joined by the 67 Rocche from Vietti which I also have, but......visiting the cellar a couple of days ago and trying to find something to open (I never have anything to open! Every bottle is planned for something or way to young. Am I lonely with this problem...?!) I saw that this bottle had started to leak.

#%&")(&%¤#!!!!

Nothing to do but to stand it up and wait two days for the sediment to sink.

1967 Barolo, Vietti
I hadn´t a change pulling the cork, it went down into the bottle. Ah, well, slowly pouring the wine I notice that it has the same colour as the 1964 tasted four years ago. Looks light and fragile but the 64 had power and refinement to spare. How about the 67 then...

Thanks for asking, very nice indeed. The nose is deep, fragrant, light and refined with notes of dried strawberries, paint, stale hazelnuts, autumn leaves and lots and lots of rosehips. Lovely. The scent of a autumn walk in the Langhe vineyards when the day has been warm. A very fine maturity with a gorgeous dried up sweetness.
The taste is dry, finely tuned and elegant with notes of dried strawberries, cold sugared coffee, earth and dry licorice. A medium long, fine finish. But - there is a void in the midpalate, making in feel a bit fragile. Very, very good though. I bet a perfect bottle would have have scored in the high 90´s, but this being no slouch gets
92p   (tasted 2018/07)

Vacation Wines - No 6 - 2016 Château Haut-Landon

2016 Château Haut-Landon
Last year I drank a couple of bottles of the 2015 vintage and really liked them. Now it is time for the 2016. 2016 as a vintage has a lot to offer, as I found out at a tasting a year ago.
But on this occasion the 15 is the better deal. The 16 opens with a high spirited, herbal nose with notes of red currants, unripe raspberries, bakelite and a hint of band aid. Good and solid made but in a superficial way.
The taste is light, cool and fresh with notes of red currants, green bell peppers, earth and bakelite. Good with a nice acidity. Rather light. Drinkable now but I don´t think it will improve much.
85p   (tasted 2018/07)

Vacation Wines - No 5 - 2014 Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly, Marc Colin

Dinner this night - cod, vegetables, bacon and a herb sauce. Why not open a Burgundy?

2014 Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly, Marc Colin

A young, steely, cool nose with notes of star fruit, lemon cream, red basil, oranges and summer flowers. Laid back, finely tuned but a tad uncharming.
The taste is tight and seedy with notes of hard lemon candy, white currants, smoke and chrushed rocks. Unrelieved. A good structure, a fine acidity but a bit "stiff" in character. Give this - and I will with my remaining bottles - 6 years in the cellar and see if it puts on a more attractive personality. Maybe the Saint-Aubin´s from Marc Colin needs some age?
89p   (tasted 2018/07)

Vacation Wines - No 3 & 4 - 50´s Perelada Especial, Castillo de Perelada & 1994 Rioja Gran Reserva Vina Tondonia, Lopez de Heredia

With some grilled sausages, fried mushrooms, sallad and a tarragon sauce I opted for a mature Spaniard. The first one was a tad too mature, even for me...

50´s Perelada Especial, Castillo de Perelada
According to the seller, from the 50´s. The colour is very dark for that age but the nose leads to you believe that it is 60 years old - old stables, dried black fruit, dark muscovado sugar, earth and autumn leaves. Old yes, but still hanging in there.
The taste is dry and mature with a rather hollow middle, but with some nice notes of dried fruits, undergrowth and old leather. There is still a nice warmth in the finish. Should have been drunk decades ago but still delivers a slice of enjoyment.
76p   (tasted 2018/07)

1994 Rioja Gran Reserva Vina Tondonia, Lopez de Heredia
But I wanted something better to drink. And boy, this bottle delievered. The nose is a dream with a hauntingly fine, low keyed yet intense personality with notes of ripe root vegetables, paint, matchbox, sweet red currants and rhubarb. Very deep, very idiosyncratic and just lovely.
The taste is high spirited with a fine acidity, dry, finely tuned tannins and a dried up red fruit sweetness that is to die for. Long, lingering and multi layered. You just want to take sip after sip after sip... Great wine! For drinking now and the coming 6+ years.
94p   (tasted 2018/07)

Vacation Wines - No 1 & 2 - NV Hommage Francois Hemart, Henri Giraud & 2006 Barbaresco Martinenga, Marchesi Di Gresy

Time for vacation. Finally. It has been a loooong spring with too much work, hence the few posts here.
You could say that it has been "all work and no play"...

But now there is no work and all play for almost five weeks. And what better way to start than with a bottle of bubbly and and a Nebbiolo?

NV Hommage Francois Hemart, Henri Giraud
Tasted four years ago, I thought that it would need some age and I bought a couple of bottles. It still does. This is a classy Champagne with a deep, herbal nose with notes of dark bread, ripe red apples, minerals and wet asphalt on a autumn morning (exactly like that! :-)).
The taste is creamy and rich with notes of fried bread, candied lemons, minerals and a hint of raspberry licorice. Long and rewarding with a fine acidity. A tad more round and mature compared to four years ago but this still needs a couple of years in the cellar. Lovely.
93p   (tasted 2018/07)

2006 Barbaresco Martinenga, Tenuta Cisa Asinari Dei Marchesi Di Gresy
Which is the full name of the estate... Anyway - the nose when popped and poured is a joy, with notes of sweet/sour cherries, rosehips, fennel and a cool minty scent. Some maturity. When it settles in the glass aromas of  a autumn forest walk and some worn leather arises. Very, very good.
The taste is cool seedy and fine with notes of mushrooms, red cherries, gravel and paint. A long, graceful finish. A fine, light balance. A hint of dryness at the very end. Almost at its peak (according to this bottle) and should be drunk within 5-7 years. A very fine mouthful of Nebbiolo at this stage.
92p   (tasted 2018/07)s

2016 Langhe Nebbiolo Gavarini, Elio Grasso

2016 Langhe Nebbiolo Gavarini, Elio Grasso
If the Langhe Nebbiolo´s says something about the coming Barolo vintage, then 2016 is a complete washout! Don´t believe anything thas is written or that you hear stating otherwise, just forget about this vintage (so I can buy everything....!).

2016 is going to be a stellar Barolo vintage. By now I have tasted 30+ Langhe Nebbiolo´s and some Baroli from cask - at home and from the two latest trips to Piedmont - and virtually all have been great.
Here is another.

The nose is a bit shy at first and needs an hour or so in the decanter to open up, and then lovely aromas of rosehips, rose petals, dark cherries, chrushed rocks, paint and Christmas spices arises from the glass. A gorgeous perfumed scent from the empty glass.
The taste is structured and precise with notes of hard cherry candy, chrushed rocks, asphalt and some mushrooms. Firm, salivating tannins. Very, very good. Given this blind, I would have guessed a very fine 2013 Barolo. This will age beautifully for 10+ years.
92p   (tasted 2018/07)

Eight Bottles Of Pierre Péters Champagne

I was invited by The Wineagency for a leisure tasting of Pierre Péters Champagne´s yesterday. I tasted through almost the same lineup two years ago at a great dinner, and had pretty much the same impressions. These are really fine wines.

NV Extra Brut
Better than last time, more crisp and racy.
89p   (tasted 2018/07)

NV Cuvée de Réserve
Also better than two years ago, a very fine - especially from magnum - a nose with grilled lemons, oyster shells and clay.
The taste is young, tight and finely tuned with a fine acidity and notes of freshly cut lemons, flint and grapefruit. The score reflects the magnum version, more complex than from the regular bottle.
91p   (tasted 2018/07

2012 Cuvée L´Esprit
The new great vintage, after the 2008. And the 12 doesn´t disappoint. The nose is steely and vibrant with notes of passionfruit, lime and cap gun smoke. Very fine.
The taste is racy and refined with a searing acidity and lovely ripe yellow fruit. Very, very promising.
93p   (tasted 2018/07)

2010 Cuvée L´Esprit
The 10 behaved more or less the same as two years ago, maybe with an added depth.
92p   (tasted 2018/07)

2009 Cuvée L´Esprit
I wasn´t impressed with the 09 two years ago. This is much better but the other way around, meaning that two years ago I thought that the nose was rather dull but the taste was better. This time the other way around. The nose is ripe and rich with notes of birch sap, white currants, lemon cream and a hint of seafood stock. Very, very fine.
The taste is more seedy and withdrawn with notes of almonds, dry lemon and chrushed rocks. The acidity is high and not perfectly integrated. Even a touch anemic at the end. The wine in the lineup that has changed the most.
90p   (tasted 2018/07)

2010 Les Chétillons
A deep, complex nose with notes of lemon cream, grilled lemons and dried up lemon curd - lots of lemons here! Chrushed rocks, smoke and white currants compliments the lemons. Really fine.
The taste is layered and refined with notes of passionfruit, lemon candy, salted almonds and minerals. Very long, very fine.
93p   (tasted 2018/07)

NV Réserve Oubliée
A cuvée made from Pierre Peters Perpetual Reserve with vintages down to 1988. I don´t know the base vintage for this one, the one tasted two years ago had 2008 as the base vintage. This one has a round, somewhat mature nose with notes of sun warm rocks, yellow apples and chalk. Deep and fine.
The taste is creamy and balanced with fruit, acidity and structure in a nice, maturing kind of way. A really nice Champagne for drinking now.
91p   (tasted 2018/07)

NV Rosé for Albane
This Rosé didn´t do it for me two years ago, and sorry to say, not yesterday either. My take is that the red fruit aromas are muted in favour of gravel, mineral and earthy notes. In the mouth, again, the earthy, dusty character lies in front of the red fruit. There is some lingonberries here and if I try hard, some dried raspberries. No joy and not a Rosé for me.
85p   (tasted 2018/07)

Two Bottles Of 2001 Saint Emilion

2001 Chàteau Fombrauge
Tasted two years ago, this behaved exactly the same on this evening - the plums were there, also the spices and the warm, sandy feeling. In the same state of maturity, this would surely go on for another 5+ years before starting to decline. Delicious to drink now.
90p   (tasted 2018/07)

2001 Château Fonroque
The Fonroque is a more serious wine, feels younger and needs more time in the glass to open up. The nose is sandy and cool with notes of red and black currants, pencil shavings, bakelite and sun warm rocks. A good balance.
The taste is dry and tight with notes of ripe red currants, dried plums, warm sand and some tobacco. Medium long and nicely structured. A more serious wine, but not as joyful as the Fombrauge, at this stage at least. 8+ years.
91p   (tasted 2018/07)

Three Bottles Of Barbaresco

2004 Barbaresco, Comm. Armando Piazzo
A warm, round, mature nose with notes of roasted beets, undergrowth, red apples and rosehips. Soft and fine. A fine dried up warmth.
The taste is tight and fine with dry tannins and nice red fruit in the shape of red currants, red cherries and some cranberries. A medium long, dry finish. Fully mature and drinking fine now.
87p   (tasted 2018/05)

2012 Barbaresco Albesani Vigna Borgese, Piero Busso
An open, inviting, complex nose with notes of dried raspberries, paint, red tea, sealing wax and .licorice. High, handsome and fine.
The taste is finely structured and refined with notes of rosehips, dried cherries, licorice and some tobacco notes. Silky tannins. Still young but very enjoyable. 5+ years.
92p   (tasted 2018/06)

1995 Barbaresco, Produttori dei Barbaresco
A mature, deep, rusty nose with notes of dried red currants, mushrooms, gravel and leather. A fine maturity in a taut kind of way.
The taste is dry and mature with notes of dried cherries, forest floor, gravel and dried flowers. Medium long with some drying out tannins at the end. To be drunk sooner than later. Went very well with a chicken pasta dish.
86p   (tasted 2018/06)