Thursday 19 April 2018

A Friend Turns 50 & Opens Some Nice Bottles - Selosse, Guigal, SQN, Grange & More

Although the Grange wasn´t nice at all. But the rest was - thanks R!
All wines tasted double blind.

We were welcomed with a glass of bubbly.
NV Initial, Selosse
This bottle was degorced 25th of July 2012. The nose is creamy and stony at the same time with fine notes of ripe yellow apples with some maturity, hay, lemon candy and minerals. Very racy. A tad mature. Very, very good.
The taste is crisp, stony and salivating with notes of lemon cream, white currants, cap gun smoke and some grassy notes. Long and fine. A very good acidity. Lovely. 5+ years.
93p   (tasted 2018/03)



1968 Barolo, Mauro Chiado
As a interlude before the first flight we were poured this aged Nebbiolo - that was a given when I put my nose in the glass. Beautiful aromas of a damp forest floor, roses, dry licorice and violets. A really fine maturity. Had been opened and decanted for three hours but it kept on gaining weight and intensity for the hours I had in in the glass.
The taste is mature and dry with notes of dried red currants and cherries, autumn leaves, dried mushrooms and coffee powder. Medium long. Doesn´t end dry at all. A fine 50 year old.
90p   (tasted 2018/03)

First Flight
1995 Côte-Rôtie d´Ampuis, Guigal
This shows some maturity with fine notes of tobacco, dried blueberries, driet meat and a hint of white pepper. A fine depth and maturity.  Very, very good.
The taste is warm and welcoming with notes of dried raspberries, bay leaves, moist earth and violets. Long and rewarding. Drinking beautifully now and the coming 6+ years. Lovely.
93p   (tasted 2018/03)

1999 Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde, Guigal
There is something not ok with this bottle. Start´s out very open and VA like with notes of bonfire, scorched earth and rubber. Wit air it becomes flat.
The taste is tight and dry with notes of salmiak, dark raspberries and lots of smoke and plastics. Very dry. Again, with air, it falls together. Judgement reserved.
80p?   (tasted 2018/03)


1999 Côte-Rôtie d´Ampuis, Guigal
A deep, dark, complex nose with notes of ripe blackberries, chocolate biscuits, roasted coffee, dark flowers and meat stock. A lovely depth and concentration.
The taste is sandy and focused with notes of ripe black cherries, blueberries, moist earth, leather and violets. Very finely polished tannins. Lovely mouthfeel. Very, very long.
94p   (tasted 2018/03)

1999 Côte-Rôtie La Mouline, Guigal
A deep, handsome, perfumed nose with notes of ripe blueberries, dark chocolate, expensive leather, iron and a hint of band aid, which ads complexity and depth. This is what dreams are made of.
The taste is concentrated and massive, yet light and refined, with notes of ripe blueberries, moccha, leather, violets and black pepper. Pure and balanced. Just lovely. Just entering the first stages of maturity. Great wine.
97p   (tasted 2018/03)



2003 Côte-Rôtie d´Ampuis, Guigal
Still young, racy and upfront nose with notes of blueberries, bay leaves, a hint of fresh stables, forest floor and white pepper. Very, very deep and concentrated.
The taste is very pure, very tight, very racy and just gorgeous with notes of lovely black fruits, bakelite, dark bread, black pepper and new leather. Very, very long. Soooo promising. 10 years.
97p   (tasted 2018/03)

Second Flight
1999 Shiraz Winemakers Guild, Neil Ellis
A different kind of nose with notes of green peppers, red currants, gravel, fir wood and Christmas spices. Very, very good in a refined way.
The taste is pure and fine with intense red fruits and additional notes of white flowers, sand and spices. Long and lingering. Very fine.
92p   (tasted 2018/03)


1988 Côte-Rôtie La Turque, Guigal
Almost perfect. I guess that this bottle was a perfect specimen 5-8 years ago, and entering 30 years it is (at least this bottle) slowly on the way down. But the nose, ooh the nose, with its complexity and gorgeous notes of white peppered meat, fresh stables, ripe red currants, old leather and forest floor. Truly fine.
The taste is concentrated, soft yet focused with notes of dried blueberries, coffee powder, meat stock, forest floor, dried flowers and beet roots. The finish goes on for 2 minutes. Absolutely stunning.
99p   (tasted 2018/03)



2002 Just For The Love Of It, Sine Qua Non
Tasted four years ago, this performs on the same high level on this night. Gorgeous deep, sweet, blackberry fruit with some high, intense VA scents and dark floral notes, sweet violets and dark chocolate. Ripe and lovely.
The taste is tight and concentrated with notes of ripe blueberries, iodine, balsa wood and violets. A long, sweet, intense finish. Mouthfilling in the best sense of the word. Will go on for 10+ years.
96p   (tasted 2018/03)

1998 Grange
Ooh dear. Tasted double blind, all the tasters had this as a bad bottle of wine. There is soya sauce, ink, sugared coffee and dill in a deep, very concentrated style. Ungainly and all over the place.
The taste is very intense, overripe amd overly sweet with notes of violets, rotten flowers, Cherry Heering and scorched earth. Long, long and hot. One could think that this would be a bad bottle, but alas, exactly the same as a bottle tasted 5 years ago...
78p   (tasted 2018/03)


1997 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese, Joh. Jos. Prüm
This was exactly what we needed to wind down after all these structured, ripe Syrah´s. A cool, refreshing nose with notes of dried orange peel, wet asphalt, grass and a hint of ginger. Very, very good.
The taste is dry and fresh with notes of dried apricots, grass, chrushed rocks and lemon grass. A very fine acidity. Handsome. Drinking perfect today.
92p   (tasted 2018/03)



1997 Coteaux du Layon Marie Juby Grain Nobles, Patrick Baudouin
A very deep, concentrated, complex nose with notes of ripe apricots, wet hay, iodine, warm gravel and that rubber carpet you had in gym class. Lovely!
The taste is very concentrated and viscous with notes of dried honey, apriocts, sugared orange juice and hay. Very, very long. A very fine acidity, starts out extremely sweet but ends semi dry. Will probably live forever.
94p   (tasted 2018/03)

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