The Rest of The Bottles - Aftermath to The Last Brunello Chapter

We didn´t just drink a lot of great Brunello´s on this night. We managed to empty these bottles as well...

1985 Dom Perignon, Moet & Chandon
This was a stunner 20 years ago and is still going strong. The nose is deep and laid back in a elegant way with notes of dried apricots, sweet lime, dried flowers, coffee powder and honeysuckle. Very, very fine. Perfectly mature. Round and sweet. Some dried mushrooms after a while. Stunning!
The taste is like drinking velvet with notes of lemon peel, dried flowers, dried honey, coffee fudge and some mushroomy notes. The finish is long and refined. Very elegant. Drinking absolutely perfect on this night.
96p   (tasted 2013/09)

The first course was a terrine of pork and duck liver and two mature bottles of Riesling.
1971 Schloss Johannisberger Grünlack Spätlese, Schloss Johannisberg
A mature (!), tight, medium deep nose with notes of dried pineapple, red apples, saffron, rubber and a touch of resin. An interesting nose albeit not that complex. Very good though.
The taste is dry, mature and medium long with notes of dried fruit, chalk, rose petals and a freshly used eraser. The acidity is high and the wine haven´t really got the fruit to interact with. The finish is dry and fine. Went very well with the terrine.
86p   (tasted 2013/09)

1971 Hattenheimer Wiselbrunnen Riesling Spätlese, Schloss Reinhartshausener
A rather big, open and deep nose with notes of dried fruits, candied orange peel, warm rocks and a scent that are common in a dental practice. Very deep and fine.
The taste is tight, focused and almost completely dry with notes of candied orange peel, dried apricots, dry honey and sweet minerals. Very long and fine. A fine, balancing acidity. Very, very good.
90p   (tasted 2013/09)

We then continued with 10 bottles of 2001 Brunello, see tasting notes here.
With the cheese something young and sturdy was needed. Several years ago when we visited Conterno Fantino we got, after tasting through the 2004´s from bottle, a big decanter with a barrel sample of the 2007 Sori Ginestra. It was so lip smacking good that we finished the whole decanter. So when I got the chance to buy a few magnums I jumped on it. And now it was time to open the first one...
2007 Barolo Sori Ginestra, Conterno Fantino
The nose oozes up from the glass with hedonistic aromas of sweet/sour cherries, fresh flowers, tar, rosehips and licorice. With air some black tea scents emerge. Very young still, this is a beauty in the making. Very, very deep.
The taste is young, tight and uncompromising with a great structure, a healthy dose of tough tannins and massive, sweet cherry fruit. The finish is very, very long and on its own it is a bit to hefty now but it complements the cheese perfectly. This brute needs at least 8 years in the cellar, but oh boy, this is going to be good! Somehow, the whole magnum just evaporated away...:-)
93p   (tasted 2013/09)

I then thought that we needed something old and contemplative too finish the night of.
1937 Château Coutet
This venerable old lady was a little fragile. I guess it hasn´t been stored properly all of its life. But even so, it was very enjoyable.
The nose is deep and utterly adorable as only really old wine can be. Notes of saffron cakes, dry honey, milk chocolate and moist earth fills the nose. Fragile but keep me interested until the bottle has gone.
The taste is big, semi dry and intense with notes of dry honey, autumn leaves, cold coffee and old saffron. The finish is long and ends with a dry sweetness. I guess that a pristine 37 Coutet could be a revelation, but this also manage to make a statement.
88p   (tasted 2013/09)

1860 Vinho Madeira Principe, F. F. Ferraz
The label doesn´t state which grape this old timer is made of. I opened and decanted it four days prior to the tasting, and on the first day - as most often with old Madeira - it smelled of detergent and very four squared. On day two some fine sweetness started to arrive on the nose. And then I didn´t check on it until the tasting.
Unfortunately didn´t this ugly duckling transform into a swan. It happens. The nose is a tad compressed with notes of stale nuts, old chocolate, gravel, old wood and a hint of detergent. It is medium deep but compared to the ones on this list, it seems shallow.
The taste is medium deep and semi dry with notes of pan fried nuts, old chocolate, old leather and tiles. The finish is rather long and ends fine, rescuing this wine somewhat.
But its always nice to drink history - for example - on November 6 1860 Abraham Lincoln wins the presidential election and becomes the first republican president! :-)
82p   (tasted 2013/09)