Thursday 30 September 2021

A Bottle Of Bubbly - NV Cuvee Prestige, Regis Fliniaux


A Bottle Of Bubbly - NV Cuvee Prestige, Regis Fliniaux
A creamy, full, lovely nose with notes of ripe oranges, dry mango, matchbox and yellow flowers. Very, very good.
The taste is young, tight and dry with notes of lemon cream, oranges, smoke and gravel. A fine acidity. For drinking now and the coming 8+ years.
91p   (tasted 2021/09)

Wednesday 29 September 2021

2016 Barolo Massara, Gian Carlo Burlotto


2016 Barolo Massara, Gian Carlo Burlotto
Needed some time in the glass but opened up with fine notes of red currants, Christmas spices, shoe polish, warm rocks and hints of tar. Very, very good. High, almost ethereal.
The taste is tighter with a fine structure and notes of spices, assorted red fruits, rosehips and linseed oil. The finish is like chewing on a cherry pip. Long. Drink now or in 8+years.
91p   (tasted 2021/09)

Friday 24 September 2021

Château Montus Lunch Tasting


Vinunic invited to a tasting with wines from Château Montus & Château Bouscassé. Marie Pinceloup presented the wines with charm and humour.

2017 Les Jardins Philosophiques, Château Bouscassé
A light, fine, floral nose with notes of grass, ripe peach and spices. Very good.
The taste is cool and fresh with nice fruit, acidity and balance. A very good every day wine.
87p   (tasted 2021/09)


2014 Blanc, Château Montus
Almost as great as the 2012. The nose soars up from the glass with notes of apricots, matchbox, wet cement and lemon cream. A Burgundy feeling to it. Very fine.
The taste is broad and tight with notes of yellow plums, apricots, dry caramel and minerals. Very long and fine.
93p   (tasted 2021/09)

2017 Château Bouscassé
The 17 Bouscassé has an elegant, finely tuned nose with notes of black currants, damsons, road dust and tiles. Very, very good.
The taste is medium bodied and balanced with notes of plums, black currants and gravel. A fine length. Lovely to drink now but culd be cellared for 8+ years.
90p   (tasted 2021/09)

2017 Château Montus
A deep, laid back nose with notes of dried black fruits, earth, violets and sweet minerals. Very, very good.
The taste is tight and structured with notes of black currants, smoke, Christmas spices and gravel. Long and fine. 6+ years.
90p   (tasted 2021/09)


2017 Château Bouscassé Vieilles Vignes
The 2017 VV is a must buy. The nose is beautiful with notes of spices, ripe black currants, plums,sun warm rocks and earth. Very fine.
The taste is tight and focused with power and elegande. Boatloads of black currants, asphalt, herbs and some tobacco. Very long. 6+ years, From 50 - 100 year old vines.
93p   (tasted 2021/09)

2016 Château Montus
Tasted recently - Barolista: Then & Now - 1993 & 2016 Chàteau Montus - with almost identical notes on this occasion.
91p   (tasted 2021/09)

2010 Le Tyre
The 2010 Le Tyre is a single vineyard wine. The vineyard is 10 ha but only about 2 ha is used for the wine. The nose explodes from the glass with stunning notes of plums, scorched earth, black currants, tar and iron. Very deep and complex.
The taste is taut and concentrated with great black fruit, still firm tannins and a finish that goes on for minutes. Great wine. 5+ years. Served from magnum.
95p   (tasted 2021/09)


2012 Brumaire November
A very deep and rich nose with notes of apricots, ripe oranges, detergents and warm grass. Ver, very good.
The taste is creamy and sweet with a cleansing acidity and notes of apricots, quince, orange peel and sweet mineral. Very, very long. Lovely. 
92p   (tasted 2021/09)


Earlier Tasting of Château Montus etc:

Thursday 23 September 2021

Digital Tasting Of The Rare & Fine Wines Of Yalumba

These notes comes from a digital tasting with Louisa Rose, chief winemaker and Jessica Hill-Smith, sixth generation of the owners of Yalumba. Vinunic arranged and send the lovely 10 cl bottles for the tasting.


2018 The Virgilius Eden Valley Viognier 
A deep, restrained nose with notes of dry passionfruit, lemon cream, a hint of smoke and grass. Very, very good.
The taste is deep and velvety with notes of yellow apples, almonds and smoke. A fine acidity. Drinking great today. Several Viognier´s in the last couple of weeks, what´s happening?!
90p   (tasted 2021/09)

2017 The Tri-Centenary Grenache
Planted in 1889, the grapes comes from 820 old bush vines. The nose soars from the glass with gorgeous notes of raspberries, herbs, smoke and Christmas spices. A lovely low keyed sweetness.
The taste is warm and concentrated with notes of rhubarb licorice, raspberries, fried herbs and bonfire smoke. Very long with a fine intensity. Great.
93p   (tasted 2021/09)


2016 The Signature
A big, open, yummy nose with notes of asphalt, ripe black fruits, mint and iron. Very deep and complex.
The taste is tight and concentrated with notes of ripe plums, leather, asphalt and fir wood. More structured on the palate. Very, very long. 53% Cabernet Sauvignon & 47% Shiraz.
93p   (tasted 2021/09)

2016 The Menzies
100% Cabernet Sauvignon. A deep, tight, focused nose with notes of ripe black currants, charcoal, dark chocolate and a hint of mint. A interesting note of fried basil (!) after a while. Very fine.
The taste is taut and concentrated with notes of dried up black currant jam, iron, leather and earth. Very, very long. Intense. Finely polished tannins. Very fine. 6+ years.
94p   (tasted 2021/09)

2016 The Octavius
From vines with an average age of 80 years, the oldest parcel planted in 1854. The nose is rich, dense and focused with notes of iron, violets, dark flowers, grilled meat and blood. Very complex. Brilliant.
The taste is intense and concentrated with notes of ripe blueberries, iron, damsons, earth and rubber. Very, very long. Power and elegance. Great wine, 8+ years.
96p   (tasted 2021/09)




Friday 17 September 2021

2019 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling GG Alte Reben, Dr Loosen

 
2019 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling GG Alte Reben, Dr Loosen
A crisp, stony, finely tuned nose with notes of chalk, gravel, dry passion fruit, grass and concrete. Very young, taut and fine.
The taste is dry, seedy and fine with notes of lemon peel, dry passion fruit, chrushed rock and a hint of rubber. Complex and fine. Very long. Very, very good. A tasting sample from Vinunic.
91p   (tasted 2021/09)

Saturday 11 September 2021

A Bottle Of Bubbly - NV Cuvée Vive Grand Cru, Claude Cazals


NV Cuvée Vive Grand Cru, Claude Cazals
A high, fine nose with notes of freshly baked bread, flint, tangerines, dry fudge and gravel on a warm summer day. A finely tuned elegance.
The taste is young, tight and refined with notes of grilled lemons, tangerines, flint and dry grass. A very fine acidity. Needs 6+ years in the cellar.
91p   (tasted 2021/09)

Friday 10 September 2021

Three Wines From Chateau Pesquié

Today I had the opportunity to attend a Zoom tasting with Frédéric Chaudière, owner of Château Pesquié in Ventoux. Vinunic arranged and provided tasting samples. I cheated and opened the bottles yesterday, so the notes below are from two days.



2020 Terrasses Blanc, Château Pesquié
Young, fresh and floral on the nose with notes of yellow plums, grilled lemons, grass and gravel. A salivating nose. The same on day two.
The taste is cool and fine with notes of grilled lemons, dried flowers and grass. A fine saline touch in the finish. Very, very good. Better on day two. 40% Viognier and 20% each of white Grenache, Roussanne and Clairette. Available at the monopoly.
88p   (tasted 2021/09)


2019 Terrasses Rouge, Château Pesquié
This Grenache dominated wine displays a young, strappy nose with notes of herbs from Provence, blueberries, bakelite and warn gravel.  A tad better, more harmonious on day two.
The taste is seedy and structured with notes of black pepper sprinkled blueberries, fried herbs and earth. Some juicy tannins. Again, better on day two. 4+ years. Available at the monopoly.
88p   (tasted 2021/09)


2019 Quintessence Rouge, Château Pesquié
A deep, peppery, structured nose with notes of violets, blackberries, herbs and scorched earth. Very fine. Also here, better on day two. These wines needs time.
The taste is tight and finely focused with notes of blue- and blackberries, earth, black pepper and violets en masse. A very fine laid back warmth. 8+ years. Will be released on the monopoly on the 14th of September. For 20 Euro, a bargain with a fine aging potential.
91p   (tasted 2021/09)

Tuesday 7 September 2021

Vingruppens Sortiment Tasting



A couple of days ago I had the chance to taste through the sortiment of Vingruppen. Due to other commitments I didn´t had much time so I had to focus on what to taste from several hundreds of bottles. These is the ones that caugth my taste buds attention.

From USA, these Chardonnay´s I really liked - the 2015 Seven Springs, Evening Land shows a tad maturity with lovely notes of ripe apples, melon and lots of refinement (93p). The 2019 Sonoma Coast, Kutch is young, vibrant and spicy with a long lingering fnish (92p).
Patz & Hall has bottled a buttery, vibrant 2016 Dutton Ranch with a fine acidity and a firm body (91p). The 2018 Santa Rita Hills, Sandhi is very stony, tight and restrained; needs to flesh out with bottle age (89p). The 2018 Sonoma Coast, Failla is stony, smoky and elegant with a medium, finely tuned body (90p).
Lastly, the 2016 Maycamas is all about structure, finesse and gorgeous upfront fruit. Built to last (93p).

Moving on to the reds and from Italy I found these gems. The 2016 Barolo Brunate and the 2018 Barbaresco Gallina, Ceretto are equally great with the haunting perfumes from Langhe and the firm tannins that will keep them going for 10+ years (93p).
From Arnaldo Rivera, the 2015 Barolo Undicicomuni is a fine Barolo blend from all comunes in Langhe (90p) while the 2018 Barolo Monvigliero shows a high, light yet focused Verduno character (92p).
From Vietti I tasted the 2018 Barbera d´Alba Tre Vigne which is a fruity, open, lovely Barbera with a fine acidity and really nice grip (91p). The 2017 Barolo Castiglione offers up a handsome nose with roses, cherries and asphalt followed by a young, focused taste with a fine future (92p).

From Tuscany, the 2016 Castello di Brolio, Ricasoli displayed everything that is great with a young Sangiovese (92p) while the 2014 Brunello di Montalcino, Mastrojanni showed the same but with a beginning maturity (92p). 
The 2018 Saffredi, Fattoria Le Pupille is a stunner with brilliant cherry fruit, a structure for ages and every knot and bolt in the right places (96p).





Just one Burgundy and what a wine! The 2015 Bonnes Mares from Lucien le Moine is a three digit score wine in due course. A deep, hedonistic, utterly gorgeous nose and palate with everything in place. A treat to taste and just imagining a whole bottle for yours truly... (97p).


I then tasted some goodies from USA. The 2016 Estate Pinot Noir, Walter Hansel is such a goodie, with lovely raspberry fruit, a fresh acidity and a long finish (93p). More Pinot followed - the 2016 Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir, Failla has a deep, smoky, finely tuned body and a high, uplifting nose (92p). The 2017 Bloom´s Field Pinot Noir from Domaine de la Côte is a finely tuned creature with ripe raspberries, licorice, smoke and herbs. Complex and very fine (93p).
One of the best wines that I tasted was the 2015 Fay Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag´s Leap with a gorgeous black currant fruit, a taut structure, silky tannins and just class (96p). The Maycamas Cabernet Sauvignon from the same vintage display a tight, charcoal, tobacco character with lenght and finesse (94p).




Lastly, two bottles from down under and from Giaconda. The 2018 Estate Shiraz has a deep, inky nose and a tight, intense palate with lots going on (93p). The 2018 Estate Pinot Noir is a killer, with perfect ripe strawberries, moist earth, fresh herbs and bay leaves. Just great (96p).


Saturday 4 September 2021

2001 Desiderio, Avignonesi


2001 Desiderio, Avignonesi
A deep, warm, somewhat mature and yummy nose with notes of ripe plums, licorice, fried herbs and dark chocolate. A very fine warmth. Very, very good.
The taste is round, velvety and lip smacking good with lots of plums, tobacco, hot gravel and nougat. A long finish with silky tannins. A great drinking Merlot for now and the coming 5+ years.
92p   (tasted 2021/09)

Friday 3 September 2021

2012 Grand Cru Cuvee Rive Gauche/Rive Droite, Marc Hebrart


2012 Grand Cru Cuvee Rive Gauche/Rive Droite, Marc Hebrart
A deep, open and complex nose with notes of orange peel, dry caramel, fennel, red apples and gravel on a warm summer night. Full of finesse. Just lovely. 
The taste is pure as a mountain river, tight and concentrated with notes of grilled lemons, red apples, candied orange peels and wet rocks. A very fine acidity. Long and lingering. Great wine. 50% Pinot Noir & 50% Chardonnay.
95p   (tasted 2021/09)

Thursday 2 September 2021

2006 Barolo Vigneto Rocche, Andrea Oberto


2006 Barolo Vigneto Rocche, Andrea Oberto
An open, beautiful, perfumed nose with notes of roses, polished mahogany, dried strawberries, forest floor and tarred boats in a distance. Very complex. Just lovely.
The taste is tight and concentrated with notes of dried strawberries, asphalt, tobacco and earth. Very structured. Perky tannins. Very, very long. A lovely balance. Drinking great now and will stay on this level for another 8+ years.
95p   (tasted 2021/09)