Tasting Notes From Last Night

It became a great dinner with the closest family to highlight my 48th birthday. Nothing really to celebrate, but a nice excuse to open some bottles of wine. :-)

NV Antique Palo Cortado, Fernando de Castilla
Every time I taste a great sherry, I ask myself - "why don´t I drink this more often"? And I should! This nectar has a deep, fine, nutty nose with lots of character and notes of pan fried nuts, nougat, old leather, dried apricots, fine sherry vinegar and overripe apples. Very deep and interesting.
The taste is just profound with its silky feeling at first, and then the acidity and alcohol warmth (in a good way) kicks in and cleans the palate. Lovely notes of assorted nuts, leather, dry hay, dried fruits and lots of mushrooms. Long and persistent. This is lovely just to sip while working in the kitchen but I imagine it would create magic with a mushrooms soup. Great stuff.
93p   (tasted 2012/12)

NV Pierre Peters Cuvéee de Réserve Blanc de Blancs
I found an interesting recipe from a fellow Swedish blogger, which I thought would work with this Blanc de Blancs. And it did. The flavours from the fried cheese balls with the crisp Chardonnay fruit really made my taste buds happy. Th nose is young, fresh and crisp with notes of lemon peel, elder berries, summer flowers, gooseberries, white currants and yellow apples. Very fine.
The taste is light, creamy and really fine with notes of lemon cream, hyacinth, lime juice, milk chocolate fudge and yellow apples. A fine cleansing acidity. Still young but drinking beautifully. A bargain for 32 Euro.
90p   (tasted 2012/12)

1964 Château Petit Faurie de Souchard
A mature, round, fine nose with notes of ripe plums, dry chocolate, autumn leaves and some stable notes. A fine, sweet maturity. Not that deep though.
The taste doesn´t however follow up the fine nose. The fruit is there, and the sweetness, but there is a band aid note that lies like a coating over the rest of the taste. Too bad.
68p   (tasted 2012/12)

1964 Château Grand-Corbin-Despagne
This is a tad restrained right out of the bottle but as the night evolves this spread out like a peacock feather. A deep, fine, mature nose with sweet notes of red cherries, red currants, plums and pipe tobacco. Some burning autumn leaves in the background along with a fine chocolaty note. A really fine maturity.
The taste is medium big with fully integrated tannins and sweet, powerful fruit which leads to a long, fine finish that ends with a dry twist. Nice notes of plums, red currants, tobacco, undergrowth and some stable notes. This is drinking really nice, and I don´t have to run to the cellar and opening the remaining bottles (this had a level just below neck).
91p   (tasted 2012/12)

For the chocolate mousee we skipped port this time and went for a 15 year old Bual from Cossart Gordon, and my impressions from last year- my first post! - is still spot on.