Wednesday 30 December 2020

Just Bought - 1900 Barolo, Luigi Arnulfo

 Santa delivered a nice Christmas present this year. The question is - is it mature enough...? :-)



Monday 28 December 2020

2018 Scheurebe Kabinett, Keller


2018 Scheurebe Kabinett, Keller
A young, crisp, racy nose with notes of chalk, white peach, grass and that tell tale sign of Scheurebe - grapefruit. Very, very good.
The taste is high and fine with notes of ripe grey pear, grass, iron and grapefruit. A fine, palate cleansing acidity. Long and fine. Lovely to drink now but will age well. 
Drunk with a dish with grilled salmon, deep fried salmon balls with mustard and dill, a cauliflower and broccoli puree and a salmon roe sauce.
90p   (tasted 2020/12)


Saturday 26 December 2020

2017 Elgin Syrah Clonal Selection, Richard Kershaw



2017 Elgin Syrah Clonal Selection, Richard Kershaw
Reading the November 2020 issue of Decanter I noticed that from the article "Syrah vs Shiraz: 30 great buys from South Africa", the second highest scoring wine with a whopping 97p, was actually available on the sorry excuse of a wine purveyor that we have in Sweden, aka the state monopoly.
Popped and poured. Right out of the gate this is a charmer with a deep, spicy nose with notes of violets, ripe dark flowers, fried bacon, blueberry pie and sun warm rocks. High, floral and very fine.
The taste is young, tight and balanced with notes of ripe blueberries, damsons, veal stock, dried flowers and assorted spices. Silky tannins. Very long and fine. Well worth the 40 Euro tariff. 6+ years. But the Decanter score seems a bit steep. Great wine though.
94p   (tasted 2020/12)

Tuesday 22 December 2020

2015 Efferus, Ruggabellus


2015 Efferus, Ruggabellus
More than two years since the last bottle tasted. On this evening it shows a fine, spicy, hight toned nose with notes of green peppers, blueberries, damsons. gravel and birch sap. Very fine and interesting.
The taste is medium bodied with a fine intensity and notes of green peppers, olives, cinnamon and gravel. Very long. Salivating tannins. Very, very good. 
92p   (tasted 2020/12)

Saturday 19 December 2020

2010 Barbaresco Riserva Spezie, Vite Colte


2010 Barbaresco Riserva Spezie, Vite Colte
I tasted the 2008 Spezie at the estate last year and was impressed so when the 2010 showed up at the monopoly I boght some bottles. Time to test drive one.
It needed a couple of hours to open up and then it displays a finely perfumed nose with notes of ripe lingonberries, some wild strawberries, hard cherry candy, shoe polish and heaps of roses. Very fine.
The taste is structured and fine with notes of cold coffee, dried strawberries, mushrooms and fennel salami. Very, very good. Tannins for the medium haul, give it 5+ years. Great wine.
93p   (tasted 2020/12)

Thursday 17 December 2020

Two Cali Pinot


2018 Santa Barbara Pinot Noir, Au Bon Climat
The Santa Barbara Pinot opens with a cool, fresh nose with notes of ripe strawberries, herbs, rhubarb licorice and red beet juice. A fine sweetness to the fruit. Very, very good.
The taste is juicy and fine with notes of ripe red currants, dried strawberried, herbs and a hint of smoke. A very good acidity. For drinking now and the coming 5+ years.
88p   (tasted 2020/12)

2019 Caiden´s Vineyards Pinot Noir, Block Nine
The Pinot from Block Nine is deeper and more structured with a lovely nose with a fine mix of rhubarb and raspberries alongside notes of violets, sun warm rocks and incense. Very fine.
The taste is juicy and taut with a very fine backbone and acidity paired with notes of raspberry truffles, forest floor, smoke and violets. A very fine dryness at the end. Long. Highly likeable now but I would wait 4+ years to unfold even more greatness.
92p   (tasted 2020/12)

Tuesday 15 December 2020

2018 The Firs Vineyard Syrah, Craven Wines


2018 The Firs Vineyard Syrah, Craven Wines
This Stellenbosch Syrah offers up a delicate, lightly peppered nose with notes of ripening blueberries, violets, blue skiwax, smoked meat and geranium. Very, very good.
The taste is fine and elegant with notes of sandelwood, blueberries, dried flowers, candle grease and a fleeting bonfire smoke note. At 12,5% alcohol, light, persistent and very, very good.
91p   (tasted 2020/12)

Saturday 12 December 2020

Birthday Wines - Part Two - Three Bottles From The Greatest Vintage Ever


A small part of the closest family gathered yesterday for dinner. What to drink with my birthday classic - Coeur de filét Provencale? 
Doesn´t matter - as long as it is from The Greatest Vintage Ever!

1964 Beaujolais Grande Cuvée, Collin & Bourisset
I have had fine old bottles from this negociant before and this bottle was no exception. The nose is delicate and soft with notes of cranberries, dried raspberries, earth and herbs. Very good. Not that deep though.
The taste is dry and herbal with notes of red currants, dried nuts and forest floor. A tad short but still lively and with a good acidity.
85p   (tasted 2020/12)

1964 Château La Bécade
This Haut-Medoc has traveled to New York and back, ending up on my dinner table. The voyage doesn´t seem to have had a negative impact, since this is a fine bottle of mature Bordeaux.
The nose opens a tad shy but with air it displays fine notes of black currants, leather, tobacco and clean stables. Very, very good.
The taste is medium bodied, dry and fine with notes of red and black currants, tobacco, chocolate wafers and earth. A fine warmth. Has aged gracefully.
89p   (tasted 2020/12)


1964 Barolo, Prandi
From the old vineyards of Marchesi di Barolo - "Tenuta di vigneti proprii giá antichi Marchesi di Barolo", this bottle from Prandi hasn´t faired well ovef the years. The nose is full of cooked red berries, moist earth and VA.
The VA comes through in the taste alongside som murky red berries and moist cellar notes. Got worse with air. A 64 that gets 
64p   (tasted 2020/12)


Friday 11 December 2020

Birthday Wines - Part One - 2004 & 2010 Barolo Bricco Luciani, Silvio Grasso

Yesterday was my official birthday. What to drink on a Thursday? Barolo of course!

Bricco Luciani is a 16,09 ha big MGA in La Morra. Only three producers bottles a Barolo from this vineyard - Silvio Grasso (which I visited two years ago), Mauro Molino and Cascina del Monastero (both estated visited on the same day last year)

2004 Barolo Bricco Luciani, Silvio Grasso
After two hours in a decanter this 16 year old Baloro offers up a deep, balsamic mnose with notes of undergrowth, dried strawberries, rosehips and violets. A fine, dark perfumed aroma. Moist forest floor. Some maturity. Very fine.
The taste is tight and concentrated with notes of hard cherry candy, rosehips, asphalt and dry chocolate. Long and fine. Still some perky tannins. 6+ years.
92p   (tasted 2020/12)


2010 Barolo Bricco Luciani, Silvio Grasso
A very deep, tight, multi layered nose with notes of ripe cherries, tar, ginger bread, polished mahogany and mushrooms. Very complex, very young and very fine. 
The taste is seedy, polished and laid back with notes of pure cherry fruit, pomegranate, tar, dark flowers and salt licorice. Taut tannins, for those into this, I guess they are perfect. Wait at least 10 years. But what a wine! A very generous gift from Paolo Grasso.
94p   (tasted 2020/12)

Tonight we are having a small family dinner and of course there will some bottles from The Greatest Vintage Ever! :-) Notes to follow.



Wednesday 9 December 2020

2017 Mercurey 1er Cru Les Puillets, Château de Santenay



2017 Mercurey 1er Cru Les Puillets, Château de Santenay
A open, inviting nose with notes of spices, red cherries, raspberries, forest floor and a discreet scent of used oak. Very, very good.
The taste is soft and fresh with notes of dried raspberries, licorice, Christmas spices and clay. A good acidity. A tad short. For drinking now and the coming 5+ years.
87p   (tasted 2020/12)

Sunday 6 December 2020

2018 Pinot Noir, Argyle

 

2018 Pinot Noir, Argyle
An open, direct, highly likeable nose with notes of strawberries, fennel seeds, spices and dried oranges. Very, very good. A hint of sweet tobacco.
The taste is medium bodied, dry and herbal with fine notes of dried strawberries, rhubarb, spices and earth. A fine acidity. Maybe a tad, tad short in the finish, but a very good mouthful of Oregon Pinot. Interesting enough, cheaper on the Swedish monopoly than at the estate...
90p   (tasted 2020/12)

Friday 4 December 2020

2017 Sta Rita Hills Chardonnay, Racines Wine

 
2017 Sta Rita Hills Chardonnay, Racines Wine
I tasted this beauty a couple of weeks ago and was very impressed. I bought a couple of bottles and I thought it was time to test drive one.
The nose still is racy and spicy with lovely notes of ripe tangerines, smoke, lemon licorice and sand. Very deep and fine.
The taste is tight and structured with notes of grilled lemons, sand, smoke and tangerines. A very fine acidity. Long and lingering. Lovely now but I think it will be even better with 6+ years in the cellar.
94p   (tasted 2020/12)

Thursday 3 December 2020

2018 Roero, Giovanni Almondo


2018 Roero, Giovanni Almondo
This producer is mostly known for his great Arneis, my favourite alongside the ones from Bruno Giacosa and Vietti. Luckily for the Swedish market, a new importer, Budbreak, has started to import the wines from Almondo. I recently bought some bottles and this is the first bottle of red wine I taste from this producer.
The nose is fresh, fragrant and energetic with notes of red currants, rosehips, Langhe earth and dry licorice. Feels like a high altitude grown Nebbiolo. Light in the most positive sense. Very, very good.
The taste is cool and tight with salivating tannins and notes of red currants, dried strawberries, spices and fresh mushrooms. I would love to get some cellar time on this, say 3-5 years, but at the same time it is sooo easy to gulp down now.
89p   (2020/12)

Wednesday 2 December 2020

2015 Brunello di Montalcino, Il Marroneto


2015 Brunello di Montalcino, Il Marroneto
This youngster needed time to open up. Very light at first, it builds body and character with air. After two hours it shows of a deep, intense, layered nose with notes of perfectly ripe red cherries, chestnuts, fir wood, violets, rosemary and sun warm gravel. Very, very fine. Delicate.
The taste is young, tight and structured with notes of sour cherries, violets, gravel, salty minerals and flower water. This will need 6+ years in the cellar. Very balanced. Great wine in the making. I also loved the 2012 Il Marroneto two years ago.
For another view on this wine, check out John Fodera´s website, always interesting. He calls this wine "stately". I concur.
94p   (tasted 2020/11)