Past Glory´s - Tasting Dinner with 1970´s Fontanafredda Barolo

For some time I have hoarded a lot of vintages from Fontanafredda. I realized that I especially had quite a selection on vineyard designated Barolos from the 70´s. What to do? Organize a dinner around them of course!
This dinner was held in October 2008.

We started with some crostini and toppings of Serrano with caramelized onions, foie gras and lump crab salad. With these starters we had a bottle of
1983 Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Auslese, von Schubert
The nose is wide open with lovely, semi-dry, yellow fruit, lots of petrol notes, rubber and sweet minerals. Very deep. Nice tone of dried peaches. Lovely maturity.
The taste is noble, elegant and very, very good with lote of sweet lemons, minerals and acidity. This is in a perfect stage of maturity. Just lovely.
92p   (tasted 2008/10)

We went on with grilled scallops with a red beet ragu. I have made this dish before and the beet ragu normally fits very well with Burgundy with some bottle age. So I opened these two bottles, both decanted for one hour.

1994 Chassagme-Montrachet Les Caillerets, Domaine Ramonet
An open nose qith lots of warm fudge, crushed hazelnuts and minerals. Very good. Deep. A little touch of mushrooms soup but nothing that disturbs the overall picture.
The taste is tighter, with notes of chalk, dry lemons, minerals and a touch of wood. A long and interesting finish. Not the greatest vintage but a solid effort from Ramonet.
90p   (tasted 2008/10)

1992 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Ruchottes, Domaine Ramonet
This is something else! A big, intense, fresh and just great nose with lots of minerals, sweet lemon, lemon zest and rosemary. Very, very deep. A lot of nerve. A beautiful smoky note after a while. Great all around!
The taste is as impressive, with tightly focused fruit, lovely acidity and a long, long intense finish that goes on for over a minute. This has barely entered its drinking window, but for now I´ll drink it anytime!
96p   (tasted 2008/10)

Then it was time for the Fontanafredda´s.
Flight I consisted of four 1971´s, flight II of four 1974´s and flight III of four 1978´s. I had the Barolo normale in every flight and then three vineyard wines. We tasted a total of different vineyards, all from Serralunga.
The overall quality was very good with the 1978´s in top, still on the young side. The 1974´s in generel were more mature than both the 1978 and 1971, and the 1971´s were very fresh and just about resdy to drink.
All wines were decanted two hours before the first pour.
To accompany the first flight we had a terrine of veal sweetbreads.

Flight I
1971 Barolo, Fontanafredda
A mature, somewhat barnyardy nose with some dark cherries, licorice and undergrowth. Good, cool fruit. A lot of autumn leaves. Very good.
The taste is nice and tight with good tannins and sweet red cherry fruit. A long, dry finish. Good. Holding well but will not get any better.
88p   (tasted 2008/10)

1971 Barolo Vigna La Delizia, Fontanafredda
A deep, warm, mature nose with notes of sweet tobacco, black cherries, strawberries, and warm undergrowth. very good. Deep and sweet fruit. Sandelwood. Great nose!
The taste is intense, tight and sweet with lots of dark fruit, tight tannins and a long gripping finish. A lovely dry note at the end. Very long. This is still young. Lots of power still.
93p   (tasted 2008/10)

1971 Barolo Vigna Garil, Fontanafredda
Corked! #¤"&%¤#

1971 Barolo Vigna Lazzarito, Fontanafredda
This has a deep, tight, still primary nose with dark, powerful, sweet fruit. Lots of licorice, earth, black cherries and roses. very deep. backwards. layer upon layer of dark fruit. Darker than the others.
The taste is young, tight and potent, with sour/sweet black cherries, undergrowth, licorice and some tobacco. Big and brawny but with great concentration and intensity. This is great!
95p   (tasted 2008/10)

With flight II we had potato tortelli with wild mushrooms. I had infused the potato filling with rosemary butter and the combination of the potato, mushrooms and the 74 Lazzarito was to die for!

Flight II
1974 Barolo, Fontanafredda
A warm, mature, rounded nose with red, sweet fruit, especially rasberries. A touch of kerosene. Very flirty with plump fruit and mature notes. Very good.
The taste is more restrained than the nose with soft tannins, sweet and sour cherries, some undergrowth and dry tobacco. Somewhat dry tannins, but this is a charmer none the less. A nice warm feeling about it.
91p   (tasted 2008/10)

1974 Barolo Vigna Bianca, Fontanafredda
A mature and a touch dry nose with notes of dried red fruits, gravel and dry autumn leaves. Somewhat hollow, lacks middle. Dry.
The taste is tight and dry with dried red fruits, hard fudge and a touch of sherry. This is a little past its best. But I think it´s the bottle, the 78 Vigna Bianca was a solid 93p wine a while back, and its hard to believe that the 74 should be much less good. It went very well with the food though.
84p   (tasted 2008/10)

1974 Barolo Vigna Lazzarito, Fontanafredda
A very deep, concentrated, dense nose with notes of sweet tobacco, dried roses, dark chocolate and layer upon layer of the sweetest black cherries. Semi-mature. Very, very deep. Again, darker than the others.
The taste is massive, intense and black with black cherries soaked in brandy, sweet tobacco and undergrowth. Very long and focused finish with lovely tannins, just beginning to melt. Great wine!
96p   (tasted 2008/10)

1974 Barolo Vigna La Rosa, Fontanafredda
A tight and restrained nose, with notes of tar, gravel, undergrowth and cool red fruit. This needs even more time than the Lazzarito to open up, but when it does it has a lot of sweet red fruit and a nice warm feeling about it, although it´s not as intense as the Lazzarito.
The taste is tight and concentrated with nice cool red fruit. A lot of structure. The tannins are more noticeable but overall a very good wine. Long finish. Just reaching its first steps of maturity.
93p   (tasted 2008/10)

With the third flight we had a oven roasted duck with a cherry sauce and a Jerusalem artichoke terrine.

Flight III
1978 Barolo, Fontanafredda
A very deep, still young nose with notes of sweet black fruits and plenty of fresh autumn leaves. Some dried flowers as well. Very deep. Thick fruit.
The taste is tightly knit around a young, black, sweet fruit. The tannins are very noticeable in the mouth, but they are focused and sweet. Very, very good. This has a nice future.
92p   (tasted 2008/10)

1978 Barolo Vigna Gallaretto, Fontanafredda
A dark, concentrated, young nose with notes of sweet pipe tobacco, black cherries en massé, and a great deal of freshly roasted coffee. Great fruit. Very deep and intense. Still very primary flavours. Beautiful.
The taste is almost severe when the wine enter your mouth. Big loads of sweet fruit and big loads of young, sweet tannins. A very long, intense finish. This is a great Barolo! Give it another 8-10 years though.
95p   (tasted 2008/10)

1978 Barolo Vigna Lazzarito, Fontanafredda
Corked!!! #¤)/&%¤"#? But I could sense a great wine under the TCA...:-(

1978 Barolo Vigna San Pietro, Fontanafredda
A deep, powerful, young nose with lovely black sweet fruit, worn leather, warm brick tiles and sweet undergrowth. Very, very nice. It´s not a blockbuster as the Gallaretto, but it´s just as intense and actually, even more so. Just great!
The taste is focused, intense and sweet with gorgepus black and red fruits, dried flowers, gravel and melted chocolate. A very long and lingering finish. It is very elegant in its way. I like this very, very much. Still needs another 4-6 years.
96p   (tasted 2008/10)

We finished the evening with some cantuccini and this sweetie
1972 Tokaji Aszu 6 puttonyos, Oresmus
A deep, elegant, semi-sweet nose with notes of dried red apples, muscovado sugar, raisins and assorted nuts. Deep and yummy.
The taste is deep. mature and velvety with yellow fruits sprinkled with sugar. Nice intensity, long and fresh. Ends with an almost dry twist. Very, very good.
91p   (tasted 2008/10)

The Perfect Ones - Part 5

Up until this tasting I hadn´t tasted anything from Pierre Ponnelle, but after, I have tried to locate old bottles from this producer, but no one have lived up to this perfect specimen.

1961 Musigny, Pierre Ponnelle
The nose is spectacular fresh for its age, with notes of sweet mature strawberrys, warm spices, wet undergrowth, and a gorgeous perfumed, deep note. Layer upon layer of the sweetest red fruit imaginable, paired with pine wood, mushrooms, and a interesting coca cola note. Soooooo stunning!
The taste is complexity and intensity personified, with the most perfect sweet fruit ever, with an impeccable structure. The fruit is fresh, sweet and just perfect! The finish goes on and on and on, and ends with a lovely dry twist. This is to kill and die for...
100p   (tasted 2003/05)

The other wines at this tasting:
1990 Guy Charlemagne Cuvée Charlemagne (magnum)   (91p)
1991 Musigny Blanc, Comtes de Vogüé   (94p)
1994 Musigny V.V., Comtes de Vogüé   (90p)
1989 Musigny V.V., Comtes de Vogüé   (93p)
1986 Musigny V.V., J-F Mugnier   (96p)
1978 Musigny, Jacques Prieur   (91p)
1976 Musigny, Faiveley   (82p)
1969 Musigny, Drouhin   (92p)
25 year old Setubal (bottled 1973), J.M. da Fonseca   (91p)

Drinking Tonight

With garlic and thyme filled chicken fillets, pan fried mushrooms and pappardelle pasta I opened this mature Burgundy. Bought a mixed case with different Burgundys, all 10-20 years old. One have been corked so far, but the rest have been good to great. This is the seventh bottle from that case. It paired very well with the dish, especially the mushrooms.

1996 Chambolle-Musigny, Philippe Amiot
A mature, velvety nose with notes of rosehips, sweet lingonberries, beetroots and dry chocolate. A nice maturity. The fruit becomes sweeter with air. A lovely, fresh note of wet undergrowth. Very good.
The taste is round, mature and fresh with notes of lingonberries, dry leather, earthy notes and a nice, high acidity that cleans up the palate. I think I got this when it just beginning its downward slope. But very nice all the same.
85p   (tasted 2011/12)

Just Bought

In april of 2008 I visited Piedmont with two friends. We visited a bunch of producers - Saffirio, Revello, R Voerzio, Abbona, Marengo, Cappellano, Cavallotto, Sottimano, Scavino, Azelia, Conterno Fantino, L Pira and lastly G Conterno - hard work - 92 wines tasted and drunk in just 3 days...but I wasn´t complaining!
All these visits together with three great dinners at Le Torri, Osteria di Vignasolo and Trattoria della Posta, was as closest to heaven I could get.

At Conterno Fantino we tasted through almost the whole range before Fabio presented a large decanter with a barrel sample of the 2007 Sori Ginestra. While one of us was busy discussing vintages, clones, barrel treatment, pesticides, and other important subjets, Miran and I was gulping down that barrel sample like there were no tomorrow! :-)

In some stiff company, this was the greatest wine (even if one could argue it wasn´t a finished wine yet) of all 92 tasted during these intense days. And now I have two magnums resting in the cellar...

2007 Vigna del Sorbo & Rancia - the final verdict

Sunday evening - the bottles have been standing in the cellar since friday whith about 5 cm left in each one. Now its time to finally evaluate these bottles.

2007 Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo, Fontodi
The Vigna del Sorbo has a more rounded, warm nose with the same nice red fruit, and notes of matchboxes, vanilla oak, and wait - what is this? A dry wood element creeps up with air. Still a very good wine but the wood is not integrated yet, and by the nose on the fourth day, it could become dry with time.
The taste is fresh and tight, maybe a tad more withdrawn than day two. The tannins is young and more highlighted now. A long and warm finish. A very good wine all put together, but not enough to warrant a buy.
89p   (tasted 2011/12)

2007 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia, Felsina
This goes from clarity to clarity. On the fourth day this is even more complex, deep and harmonius, despite its young age. Scents of expensive leather, black cherries, rasberries, cookie dough and some warm road dust. Stunning wine!
The taste is big, broad over its shoulder, but at the same time flows elegantly over the tongue. Very sweet tannins. A long, intense finish with great purity. A beautiful wine that will become even better with 5+ years in the cellar. This will definitely go on the must-buy-list.
94p   (tasted 2011/12)

Dinner last night

Had a really nice dinner last night, with some great food and gorgeous wines. We started of with a salmon tartar and a toast Skagen (a Swedish dish with prawns in a mayonnaise). To go along I opened a 99 Diebolt- Vallois, which complimated the starter nicely.



1999 Diebolt-Vallois
An open, fine, mature nose with notes of mature yellow apples, toasted bread with melting butter on it, and a lovely chocolate note. Medium deep, round and fine.
The taste is soft, mature and fresh with nice yellow fruit. The acidity creeps up on you in the finish and it ends very nicely. A fine, mature Champagne.
90p   (tasted 2011/12)

For main course I had prepared a Beef Wellington - that old time classic! It was as good as ever! With that melting meat I had earlier opened and decanted - 1 hour before the first sip - two bottles of 1964 Barolo.

1964 Barolo, Franco & Fiorina
A big, expressive, sweet nose with notes of cold coffee, fresh stables, cooked red cherries and autumn leaves. Deep and fine. A lovely maturity. Touch of banana skin. And a lot of cold coffee. Very, very good.
The taste is big and steady with notes of dried red fruits, dark chocolate and sweet red apples. Very long and fresh finish. This is in a great state of maturity. Lovely to drink right now, but will hold for some years to come.
90p   (tasted 2012/12)

1964 Barolo, F. Pittatore
A deep, mature, sweet nose with notes of licorice, dried flowers, dry rasberries and a hint of coconut. Not as multidimensionell as the Franco & Fiorina, but sweet and nice.
The taste is round, sweet and mature with lots of rasberries, lingonberries and licorice. Som mushrooms after a while. Ends very dry with a good warmth. On its own a tad too dry, but great with the food.
85p   (tasted 2012/12)

For dessert we had a chocolate cheese cake with a rasberry coulis - yummu! And what also was yummy was the bottle of port I opened. Bought from a contact in Portugal, that says that this bottle have been in their cellar since the 50`s.

NV Revinor Port, Real Companhia Vinicola
A light, fluffy, sweet nose with notes of white raisins, sugared water, coffee and a touch of detergent (in a positive way). Very mature but not overly so. Good.
The taste is fresher than the nose with notes of nuts, figs, raisins and lots of milk chocolate. A long, warm finish that ends semi sweet. Very good. Almost like drinking melted milk choclate! :-)
86p   (tasted 2012/12)

Right here, right now - the second day...

Well, these two Chianti bottles have now spent 24 hours open, with just the corks inserted back. But they have been standing cold, my cellar is 11 degrees Celsius all year round.

Tasting notes - day two:

2007 Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo, Fontodi
The Vigna del Sorbo is thicker and warmer in the fruit day two. Lovely chocolate covered cherries and more smoke than day one. The oak is a touch more pronounced now, but not in a dominant way. Still fresh, sweet red fruit. Very good.
The taste is fresh, and a touch bigger with a good warm feeling, and the tannins in the finish is a bit more softer and more polished. This is drinking very well day two.
89-91p   (tasted 2011/12/09)

2007 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia, Felsina
The Rancia has added another layer of complexity with air. The structure is more refined and the fruit is sweeter with a lovely note of sweet licorice, blueberry yougurt and new, expensive leather. This is one great Chianti!
The taste is also more concentrated and intense, with more silky fruit, and the tannins is more rounded, although still young and powerful, and they still leave quite a mark in the finish. Stunning!
93-94p   (tasted 2011/12/09)

Looking forward to day three, which will be day four......confused......well, tomorrow is destined for  a special dinner, so the remains will settle in the cellar until sunday. Will be back with a report how they are then.

Right here, right now...

Have just opened two 2007 Chianti Classico Riservas, and making my first assesment. This will be a live tasting note for three days running, too se how they are doing when first opened, and how they evolve in the bottle for some time.

Tasting notes - popped and poured:

2007 Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo, Fontodi
A fine, somewhat restrained nose right out of the gate, with notes of red cherries, ginger bread, milk chocolate and a finely perfumed note. Very elegant and refined. A touch of matchboxes.
The taste is young, tight and pure with sandy tannins and a long, fresh finish that ends dry. Cool red fruit in the core of the taste. This needs air. But it definitely have qualities.
88-90p   (tasted 2011/12/08)

2007 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia, Felsina
A perennial favourite of mine, I have found memorys of the 1990 and 1997. The nose is deeper and darker with notes of black rather than red cherries, blueberries, a warm gravel road, dark chocolate and freshly sawn wood. Has more prescense. Very, very good.
The taste is tight and concentrated with lots of young, finely grained tannins and great dark fruit that take the backseat right now. Longer, darker and warmer than the Vigna del Sorbo. Great raw material.
90-92p   (tasted 2011/12/08)

Will be back tomorrow with a follow up tasting. Have inserted the corks in the bottles and put them in the cellar.

The Perfect Ones - Part 4

In a dinner tasting with 13 vintages of Mouton-Rotschild, this was the shining star. Many of the other vintages was good to gorgeous, see the others vintages below, but this was in another leauge. Perfect from the first sniff and sip to the last one. I had the empty bottle sealed with a cork for a while, and every time I checked, there was still a marvellous scent from the empty bottle.

1959 Château Mouton-Rothschild
A big, strapping nose with lots of chocolate covered cherris, autumn leaves, pine nuts, fresh stables, and that unmistakable eukaluptys note in old (good) Mouton-Rotschilds. The purity is magnificent, and you would never in a million years guess that this beaty is 48 years old. The scent of a perfect, warm autum walk in a forest.
The taste is the perfect liquid, with the sweetest black currants imaginable, paired with notes of smoke, old leather, cold coffee and the same chocolate covered cherries as on the nose. The finish goes on for two minutes. The tannins have melted to a perfectly integrated part of the wine. I could imagine me drinking this nectar every day...:-)
100p   (tasted 2007/03)

The other vintages tasted:
1999 Château Mouton-Rotschild   (92p)
1988 Château Mouton-Rotschild   (90p)
1987 Château Mouton-Rotschild   (82p)
1975 Château Mouton-Rotschild   (88p)
1970 Château Mouton-Rotschild   (93p)
1964 Château Mouton-Rotschild   (82p)
1998 Château Mouton-Rotschild   (96p)
1996 Château Mouton-Rotschild   (93p)
1995 Château Mouton-Rotschild   (96p)
1986 Château Mouton-Rotschild   (98p)
1982 Château Mouton-Rotschild   (96p)
1961 Château Mouton-Rotschild   (97p)

Past Glory´s - 1990 Barolo Tasting Dinner

In this serie I will recollect some prevoius tasting dinners I have arranged over the years. I simply love planning, arranging and executing these kind of dinners, collecting the wines over, sometimes, severel years (rigth now I have about 5-6 dinners in the planning process...), choosing the right dishes with the separat flight of wines, and planning the order of the flights etc etc.

The first one out is a 1990 Barolo dinner from january this year. It had been a couple of years since the last checkup on these bottles, and I thought the time was ready. The 90 Arborina, Altare and the Sori Ginestra, Conterno-Fantino arrived just two days before the tasting, and had no chance to rest, but both showed spectaculary. The others I have had in the cellar for years.

We started things of with two semi dry Rieslings. To go with them I had made a cake of minced praws with asian spices, served with some balsamic dressing and a sweet chili sauce.

1990 Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese Fuder 23, Karthäuserhof
A finely tuned, mature nose with notes of saffron, petrol. sweet slate, gravel and mineral. A very elegant sweetness. A fine, oily character. Deep and fine.
The taste is fine, mature, semi dry with notes of dried apricots, mature pears and lemons. Dances over the tongue. Lovely maturity. Very enjoyable right now.
93p   (tasted 2011/01)

1990 Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Riesling Auslese, von Schubert
The nose on this one is more withdramn, but very elegant, with notes of dry lemoncello, wet rocks and a touch of ginger. Racy and fine.
The taste is tight, cool and elegant with some maturity and a tingly acidity. Notes of dry lemons, apricots and a asian spicy twist. Very, very good.
92p   (tasted 2011/01)



We continued with three dry, different wines. With these bottles we had a selection of dried hams - serrano, pata negra and procsiutto.
1990 Rüdesheim Berg Schlossberg Riesling Spätlese Trocken, Georg Breuer
A dry, mature, somewhat one dimensionell nose with notes of sea shells, lemon peel and slate. Nice enough but it doesn´t have weight or substance.
The taste is fresh, medium long and very dry with notes of lemons, gravel and balsa wood. It is a touch too dry for its own good.
83p   (tasted 2011/01)

1990 Cuvée Fréderick Émile, Trimbach
CFE is always a favourite of mine, and this one was a stunning examplel. The nose is very open for business with gorgeous aromas of yellow apples, late, grey pears and a cool earthy note. Deep and enticing. Perfectly mature. This is very, very good.
The tasts is elegant, focused and precise with gorgeous fruit flowing over my tongue. The acidity is perfectly cleansing and the finish is almost a minute long. This is lovely to drink now.
95p   (tasted 2011/01)

1990 R de Rieussec
The dry wine from Château Riesussec. The nose is big, browsy and a little over the top with sherry infused fruit, and notes of saffron, wet autumn leaves and soap. If the CFE was focused, this isn´t.
The taste is also big with lots of dried fruit, some burned butter and a warm feeling in the finish. Somewhat foursquare. A rather long finish. Its not bad, but it can´t get me going.
80p   (tasted 2011/01)



Well, now it was time for the first flight of the Barolo´s. All Barolo´s were decanted two hours before the first sip.
The first flight was two wines each from Bersano and Marchesi di Barolo. With this flight we had a terrine - pigs meat and sweetbreads mixed with herbs and cream, and then melted together for some time in the owen - pure heaven to these Barolo´s!

1990 Barolo Riserva, Bersano
A mature, rounded, smewhat foursquare nose with notes od dried figs, undergrowth, lingonberries and rosehips. Very traditionally, but on the dry side. Some dry wood. Beetrotsw after a while. Not bad though.
The taste is better with a tight, mature structure and good red fruit althrough the taste. The tannins are still there in the background. A long and dry finish. Not a fruitbomb by any means, but an good, old styled Barolo that is reaching maturity.
88p   (tasted 2011/01)

1990 Barolo Cascina Badarina, Bersano
Badarina is a vineyard in Serralunga, and this is a few notch up the qaulity ladder. The nose opens with a tight, still young nose with fresh, red fruit - a mix of lingonberries, cherries and not so ripe rasberries. An almost meaty character. Very good. Rosehips and licorice after some time in the glass. Very structured.
The taste is big and tight with still young tannins that coats the good red fruit in a fine way. Long and structured with a dry finish. The fruit is somewhat muddled today, but it is there, it just needs another 5-8 years to show itself properly.
90p   (2011/01)

1990 Barolo Coste di Rose, Marchesi di Barolo
A deep, sweet, open nose with notes of sweet lingonberries, dried flowers, rosehips and warm autumn leaves. Very, very good. A lovely sweet fruit. Perfectly mature on the nose. Deep and fine.
The taste is fresh, tight and almost creamy with lovely rosehips- and lingonberries fruit. Long, fine finish with balsamic notes. Lots of licorice in the finish. On its peak now, but will surely stay there for a number of years.
93p   (tasted 2011/01)

1990 Barolo Cannubi, Marchesi di Barolo
A deep, complex, fine nose with notes of pipe tobacco, sweet lingonberries, forest floor and cold coffe. A very fine oak note. The fruit is mature and sweet. Lovely maturity. Very, very good.
The taste is big, round and full of sweet fruit paired with still strappy tannins and more black then red fruit. Very long, structured finish. More outgoing than the previous ones but very, very good on its own merits.
90p   (tasted 2011/01)


With the next flight we had Barolo braised pig cheeks with mashed potatoes with enough cream an butter to cause a coronary...

This flight also consisted of two wines each from two producers - Domenico Clerico and Roberto Voerzio.
1990 Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra, Domenico Clerico
A lovely, deep, complex nose with notes of licorice, sweet red cherries, forest floor and dried summer flowers. Very intense. Just a gorgeous sweetness of the fruit. I would say that this is, on the nose, almost perfectly mature.
The taste is seamsless,, with sweet red fruit and notes of leather, sandel wood, licorice and some smoky notes. A long, long finish with fresh tannins and a dry ending. Just stunning! Still have many years to come.
96p   (tasted 2011/01)

1990 Barolo Pajana, Domenico Clerico
This in an almost perfect bottle of the debut vintage of Pajana. The nose is so pure, so intense, so sweet and so concentrated that it is almost hard to believe. Waves of the sweetest cherries just exploders from the glass, with notes of old balsamic vinegar, rosehips, licorice and saddle leather. Breathtakingly beautiful! Porcini after a while.
The taste is like pouring liqued velvet over the tongue, with perfect sweetness, acidity and melted tannins. A very long, fresh and captivating finish. This is heaven to drink, and perfectly mature right now. I think the CMG still has some evolving to do, this hasn´t.
98p   (tasted 2011/01)

1990 Barolo Brunate, Roberto Voerzio
Íf the Pajana was "almost perfect", belive it or not, but this one is even better! The nose is to die for with oceans of crushed rose petals, cherry heering infused licorice, muscovado sugar, new leather and a perfect autumn walk in a damp forest. I tried to push all of my nose into the glass...
The taste is equally stunning, with tight, explosive, sweet and massive fruit with perfect weight and balance. The finish is over one minute long. The fruit is more structured then the Pajana, and the tannins are younger, but the balance is just awesome in this one. This one still have places to go!
99p   (tasted 2011/01)

1990 Barolo Cerequio, Roberto Voerzio
A big, open, fruity nose with notes of sugared coffe, leather, wet forest and very sweet red currants. A little over the top on the nose, not so balanced as the others. Sandelwood and dried figs after a while. Sweet. Very yummy all the same.
The taste is big and broad with lots of sweet red fruit - red currants, cherries and rasberries, with notes of licorice, milk chocolate and leather. The tannins in the finish are somewhat rugged. A very good wine, but on this night it is outshined by the others in this flight. And I have had better, more coherent bottles.
89p   (tasted 2011/01)


For the last flight of Barolo´s we had an assortment of cheeses, can´t remember which ones now....:-)
1990 Barolo Vigneto Arborina, Elio Altare
The most hedonistic, erotic, sensual nose of the evening! Hard to describe the depth, purity and intensity of the fruit. The sweetest and finest red cherries imaginable, paired with rosehips, violets, licorice and a touch of vanilla oak. This is a nose to kill and die for...
The taste is almost as good as the nose, with multitudes of sweet red and black cherries, leather, sugared coffee and a touch of oak. The reason why this beauty doesn´t get a perfect score, is that the tannins still are on rowdy side, peeping up in the finish and making a touch coarse. But in 5-7 years time, this is going to be perfect, mark my words.
97p   (tasted 2011/01)

1990 Barolo Sori Ginestra, Conterno-Fantino
A deep, mature, sweet nose with notes of sugar coated red cherries, autumn leaves, fresh stables and matchbooks. Very fine, sweet, mature fruit. Round and appealing. Very, very good.
The taste is fine, elegant and mature with lots of creamy red fruit, soft tannins and a long, dry finish. Cool structure. Very long. This is drinking perfectly right now.
93p   (tasted 2011/01)

1990 Barolo, Bartolo Mascarello
This is so pure and fresh on the nose! Masses of roses, rosehips, dry licorice, autumn leaves and candied orange peels. Very, very elegant. Soooo fresh! A touch of barnyard after a while. Impressive!
The taste is tight, pure and racy, with notes of dry leather, red currants, licorice and blood oranges. A very, very long and tight finish. Still on the young side, this is not yet firing on all cylinders, needs another 3-5 years.
94p   (tasted 2011/01)

1990 Barolo Cascina Francia, Giacomo Conterno
Resistence is futile - just surrender to this extraordinary specimen! The nose is captivating in its purity, density and beaty. The fruit just oozes up from the glass - sweet red currants, rasberries and the most sexy red and black cherries that ever has been picked. Loads of truffels, porcini, undergrowth, leather and spice. Multidimensionell in every sense of the word.
The taste is breathtakingly beautiful, with stunning red and black fruit, still some racy tannins that feels young in the finish. Very, very fresh, you couldn´t sense that you´re drinking a 21 year old wine. Impressive notes of leather, roses, porcini amd fresh stables. Sooo close to perfection, but the tannins have to melt a little more before the three digit score is rewarded, but its gonna get there in 5-8 years time.
99p   (tasted 2011/01)

To end this extraordinay night we slowly chewed on some Cantuccini and sipped this nectar.
1990 Château Rieussec
A deep, mature, dense nose with notes of glue, dried apricots, pineapple juice, and a big dollop of botrytis. Big and sweet, but fresh at the same time. Very, very good.
The taste is mature, intense and very sweet, with great layers of apriocts, tangerines, blood oranges and pineapple. Very long and intense in the finish. Just about mature but surely with a long life ahead.
93p   (tasted 2011/01)

Wines during the weekend

Last week was grim at work and I had to have some nice wine to relaxe with during the weekend. I ended up opening these bottles.

10 Year Old Sercial, Blandy´s
A fresh, pure and moderate nose with notes of salty biscuits, seaweed, sea shells and roasted pine nuts. Very, very good. Very pure. Warm grass and some cleaning fluid (in a positive way) after a while. Just a gorgeous purity.
The taste is so pure, racy and fresh, that it is hard to describe other than - "fill up my glass again". But forced too, notes of salty biscuits, pickled lemons, seaweed and a touch of rubber goes through the flavour. So darn good sipping on throughout the afternoon!
93p   (tasted 2011/12)

2004 Chablis Les Pierres Blanches, William Fevre
A cool, fresh nose with notes of chalk crayons, lemon peel, sea shells, dry fudge and a touch of rubber/plastic. Very good. Somewhat restrained, but in a nice way.
The taste is clean, fresh and dry with notes of lemon and orange peel, cold butter, road dust and lots of sweet minerals. A long and fresh finish. This ís almost mature, and its in a perfect drinking right now.
87p   (tasted 2011/12

2004 Beaune Premier Cru, Louis Jadot
A fine, somewhat mature nose with notes of autumn leaves, red currants, dry licorice and a touch of forest fire. Fine, sturdy but very nice. Lingonberries and dry chocolate.
The taste is mature, fresh and sturdy with notes of dry red fruits, fresh acidity and dry chocolate. Initiallly it is on the dry side but with air it becomes sweeter amd deeper. Very, very good.
89p   (tasted 2011/12)

2007 Barolo Zecco Collezione, Terre del Barolo
A young, medium deep, kind-hearted nose with notes of lingonberries, dried flowers, dry red cherries and a touch of dry cookie dough. Pleasent enough, although a touch one dimensionell.
The taste is young, tight and fresh with white peppar powdered red fruit, lingon berries, dry chocolate and some dry tannins, Very food friendly but a tad too dry and liniar on its own.
83p   (tasted 2011/12)

The Perfect Ones - Part 3

I bought this in the middle of the 90´s in London for a bargain price, and didn´t have great expactions on it, although it was impressive with a wine from 1900. Well, in 2000 I arranged a tasting - calling it Old & Rare No III on the invitation card, and since this bottle now was 100 years old and hopefully rare, I included it in the tasting. It was the best wine of the evening...
For the rest of the bottles at the tasting, see below.

1900 Moscatel de Setubal. J.M. da Fonseca
Enourmous scents just explodes from the glass, with notes of sugared coffe, dried apricots, assorted nuts and gingerbread. Very, very complex. Muscovado sugar and white raisins after a while. A depth deeper than the Marianer grave - a hedonists dream!
That taste is just as magnificent with every dried fruit on earth, combined with cold coffee, orange peel, dry licorice and old barrels, in a positive sense. The acidity is pure and fresh and matches the swetness perfectly. The finish just goes on and on and on and on...
100p   (tasted 2000/03)

The other wines at the tasting were:

1988 Comtes de Champagne, Taittinger   (93p)

1986 Côte-Rôtie La Landonne, Guigal   (93p)

1989 Orion Old Vines, Sean Thackrey   (90p)

1981 Grange Hermitage, Penfolds   (95p) 

1981 Côte-Rôtie La Mouline, Guigal   (97p)

1970 Château d´Yquem   (93p)

1953 Château Rieussec   (94p)

1937 Château Suduiraut   (88p)

Tasting dinner

Last weekend, one of the two tasting group that I´m a member of, gathered to one of our semi annual tasting dinner. We take turns what our responsibilites are in creating the dinner. This time, a friend and I had to come up with and created the main course.
As usual it was a great dinner, with lots of tasty dishes, stunning wines, and great atmosphere - thanks all!
All wines tasted blind, except the ones we brought ourself.

With some foie gras with Swedish truffels (can be found on Gotland), truffel omelett and a cheese cream with salmon roe. we had three champagnes.

2000 Gosset
A fine, elegant nose with lots of freshly baked bread, orange ice cream and some cookie dough. Very nice. Dry caramel. But it lost some of its nerve when it got warm. Very good though.
The taste is fresh and fine with a medium sized mousse and notes of grey pears, oyster shells and sweet minerals. More liniar in the mouth. Medium long finish. The taste faired better than the nose when it got warm. Very good.
89p   (tasted 2011/11)

1996 R.L. Legras Cuvée St. Vincent
A cool, elegant nose with notes of  white peaches, lime peel, grapefruit and wet slate. A deep, impressive nose that just kept on going, even when it got warm in the glass. Pistachio and grey pears after a while. Just stunning!
The taste is like drinkink silk, with gorgeously sweet fruit, perfect acidity and tiny, tiny bubbles that flows over my tongue. Mature yellow apples, lime, and a fine buttery note ends the long finish. This is one spectacular Blanc de Blancs. Just about ready but there is no hurry to do the dee.
96p   (tasted 2011/11)

1996 Charles de Cazanove Stradivarius
A deep, fine, steady nose with notes of lemons, summer flowers, pears, wet rocks and oilcloth. Very, very yummy. Doesn´t have the depth or structure as the previous one, but this has a hedonistic feel about it. Very, very good.
The taste is big and broad with some maturity and lovely sweet fruit - red apples, grapefruit and peaches. The finish ends with some chocolaty notes. A lovely champagne for drinking in big mouthfulls...
92p   (tasted 2011/11)

The next course was seared scallops on a cauliflower purée with a sauce made on zucchini - I love scallops in every shape and form!
And the wines that were served - pure heaven!

2000 Criots-Batard-Montrachet, Roger Belland
A medium big, tight nose with notes of forest fire, bakelite, mature red apples and pine apple candy. Some maturity. Very, very good in its own way. Lots of character.
The taste is semi mature with nice, sweet, yellow fruit in form of grapefruit, lemons, mango and papay. Very drinkable at this stage. Long, dry finish. I guess, at top of its game.
92p   (tasted 2011/11)

2000 Montrachet, Domaine Lamy-Pillot
Well, well, its not that often I get to drink Montrachet, and this beaty showed why certains plots of land is different than others...
A big, fat, oily nose with gorgeous scents of melted butter, cookie dough, fudge, dry honey and a touch of rubber, in a positive way. Very deep and intense. Some oak vanilla. And through all the scents there is a pure elegance about it. A stunner!
The taste is as multi layored as the nose with a tight, sweet fruit, a tingling acidity and a long, intense finish, that last for over a minute. There is a touch of maturity, but this have places to go. Lip smacking good!
97p   (tasted 2011/11)

2000 Corton-Charlemagne, Domaine Rapet
This one has a deep and, at first, withdrawn nose with notes of sweet lime, anise, sea shells and para nuts. It evolves nicely in the glass and more exotic fruits emerge - papay, pineapple and mango. A stunning nose, both initially and when it has blossomed. Ver, very deep.
The taste is very, very elegant and precise with a stunning structure and sweet, sweet fruit. Yellow plums, lemons and a touch of wood. The finish is almost as long as the Montrachet. Beautiful! Don´t normally like the wines from Rapet, but this one is the real deal.
95p   (tasted 2011/11)

2000 Corton-Charlemagne, Bertrand Ambroise
A big, powerful nose with lots of oak, coconut oil, melted butter and cookie dough. Opulent. I have a very high tolerande for oak treatment, but this pushes even my tolerance. There is good fruit here, but the oak (almost) overwhelmes it. Very broadshouldered.
The tasete is better, with the fruit and the oak in harmony. Still, it is a big wine, with notes of butter fried nuts, cookie dough, pineapple and a touch of alcohol warmth. Very long. A very good wine, but it could have been better, the raw material is there. I remember the 1990 CC, Ambroise as much better.
90p   (tasted 2011/11)

Time for the main course - we served deer filets with oven potatoes, a chanterelle soufflée and a red wine sauce.
Time to go back in time...

1953 Chambolle-Musigny, A.R. Barriére
A deep, very sweet nose with notes of mucovado sugar, overripe strawberrys, stables and wet earth. Big and brawny. Is this all Pinot? It feels like something darker and meatier have been added...
The taste is big and concentrated with sweet, sturdy red fruit and the same muscovado sugar taste as on the nose. Very much alive. Medium long finish that ends dry and fresh for its age.
85p   (tasted 2011/11)

1953 Chambolle-Musigny, Calvet
A much more withdrawn nose than the previous one. With air fresh rasberries, earth and forest fire emerges. This is very nice in its low keyed way. Very much alive.
The taste is tight, mature and pure with notes of lingonberries, rasberries and a fresh acidity. Medium long finish. Very, very nice, and very drinkable.
88p   (tasted 2011/11)

1976 Chambolle-Musigny, Pierre Julien-Hudelot
A cool, fine nose with notes of lingonberries, sweet spicies, licorice and dried summer flowers. Elegant and nice. Medium deep. Very good.
The taste is tight, fresh and good with lingonberries, rasberries, rosehips and a nice earthy note. Very elegant finish. Perfectly mature. Very, very good.
89p   (tasted 2011/11)

1976 Chambolle-Musigny, Noémie Vernaux
A big, mature, sweet nose with notes of beetroots, licorice, rasberries and wet earth. Complex and fine. Violets and smoke after a while. Just great to sit and sniff on this fine, mature Burgundy!
The taste is velvety, with lots of sweet red fruit, fresh acidity and a long, dry finish. Notes of red cherries, rasberries, licorice and violets. A lovely example of mature Pinot Noir.
92p   (tasted 2011/11)

For dessert there was a mighty chocolate cake with two fortified wines - one of them the wine of the evening...

1945 Riversaltes, Domaine Sarrat
A fine, low keyed, fairly elegant nose with notes of wild strawberries, sugared water and dried herbs. A tad to low keyed for my liking. But fresh.
The taste is bigger, with lots of pressed rasberries, sweet licorice and milk chocolate. Fine sweetness. But the finish is somewhat short, it ends fairly abruptly. Nice enough though.
85p   (tasted 2011/11)

1968 Bual Reserva, D´Oliveiras
This elixir was bottled 2010. The nose is bottomless deep with hauntingly notes of pan rosted nuts, dark chocolate, band aid, cane sugar and assorted dried fruit. Layer upon layer of greatness. Ginger cake bread, molasses, autumn leaves - the scents just alters with every sniff. Breathtakingly beautiful!
The taste is intense, so powerful, so stunning, that tears comes to my eyes. The concentration is awesome. Notes of roasted nuts, raisins, chocolate and dried apricots dominates the flavour. The acidity is through the roof, but so nicely integrated. Lots of salted biscuits in the finish, that seemingly never ends.
98p   (tasted 2011/11)

And so ends another tasting dinner, already looking forward to the next one...