A Tasting Session In Our Tasting Group - Sherry!

I have said it before and will probably say it again, and again - I drink way to little Sherry. Mikke poured these six examples a couple of weeks ago. Thanks for the reminder!
Four bottles were from Bodegas Tradicion, one was from Lustau and the last one was a auction find.

NV Fino Tradicion, Bodegas Tradicion
A young, upfront, nutty nose with notes of tangerines, birch leaves, pine nuts and green tea. Very fresh and salivating.
The taste is cool and a touch linear with notes of detergent, nuts, lemon candy and dry grass. Good but a bit angular. The nose is better. (Bottle no 2.844 out of 3.000 made).
85p   (tasted 2015/09)

NV Amontillado Tradicion 30 Anos, Bodegas Tradicion
A deep, intriguing nose with lovely notes of dried apricots, smoke, diesel oil, assorted nuts and band aid. Complex and fine.
The taste is big and steady with a fine dry character and notes of dried plums, band aid, sake and smoke. Long and refined. Very, very good. (Bottle no 5 out of 1.750 made).
91p   (tasted 2015/09)

NV Palo Cortado Tradicion 30 Anos, Bodegas Tradicion
A deep, ethereal nose with fantastic notes of decaying leaves, iodine, dry milk chocolate, nut cream and moist earth. Very complex and fine.
The taste is intense and multi layered with notes of dried orange peel, milk chocolate covered nuts, band aid and autumn leaves. A lovely balance between power and lightness. Very long and very, very fine. (Bottle no 681 out of 1.400 made).
93p   (tasted 2015/09)

NV Oloroso Tradicion 30 Anos, Bodegas Tradicion
A big, outgoing, intense nose with notes of ski wax, nougat, detergent, stale nuts and a hint of tar. Very complex and utterly gorgeous.
The taste is forceful yet light on its feet with a stunning balance and notes of dried apricots, linoleum, pan fried nuts, soap and dried flowers. The finish is counted in minutes. A beautiful wine, I got the get me some of these. (Bottle no 884 out of 1.650 made).
94p   (tasted 2015/09)

NV Amontillado El Carro Single Cask, Lustau
A mature and a touch foursquare nose with notes of dried yellow fruit, hay, soaked wood in a kind of Grappa way. Some thought is was lightly corked, but I didn´t, it is just not that good.
The taste is better than the nose with a nice intensity and notes of dried apricots, old chocolate, fire smoke and tar. Very, very long finish. A very good taste but not so good on the nose. (Bottle no 311 out of 600 made).
86p   (tasted 2015/09)

NV Old Sherry, Williams & Humbert
Believed to be from the 1930´s. The nose is big, deep and sweet with notes of plum liquor, ripe apricots, smoke, oilcloth, dried honey and hay. Very, very deep. A lovely maturity. Good!
The taste is sweet, long and concentrated with notes of plum jam, nougat, moist earth, ripe oranges and a touch of detergent. Very, very good.
90p   (tasted 2015/09)

Cleaning Out My Closet - Those Empties Has To Go!

Have you ever got that question - "why do keep those empty bottles"? Because I can! And because they are reminders of great dinners, tastings and friendship.

But now we had to make room for other (less important...) stuff, so today I emptied a great portion of my saved bottles. 28 bottles of Mouton... I could have filled them up, Rudy Kurniawan style and made a fortune! :-)

Friday Dinner Barolo - 1993 Barolo, Valfieri

It was quite some time since I opened a Barolo for Friday dinner. That sort of ignorance can´t go on forever, so here is a Barolo for Friday dinner!

1993 Barolo, Valfieri
Popped and poured, and it needed some time in the glass to come around. But when it did, fine notes of sweet/sour cherries, hard cherry candy, dry liquorice, birch sap and a moist forest floor emerges from the glass. Mature but not overly so. Medium deep and fine.
The taste is dry, mature and structured with notes of dried cherries, bonfire, rosehips, dried flowers and undergrowth. Some dry tannins that effectively cleans the palate. Long and with a fine warmth. This I like.
88p   (tasted 2015/10)

Some previous Friday Dinner Baroli:
http://barolista.blogspot.se/2013/01/the-friday-dinner-barolo-1997-vigna.html
http://barolista.blogspot.se/2013/02/friday-dinner-barolo-1978-moscone.html
http://barolista.blogspot.se/2013/02/friday-dinner-barolo-19-giuseppe.html

Two More 1997´s From Tuscany

I keep diminishing my stash of bottles from this fine vintage. These went well with a grilled steak, owen roasted root vegetables and a red wine sauce.

1997 Chianti Classico Riserva, San Giusto a Rentennano
An ample, mature, round nose with notes of boiled black cherries, undergrowth, old leather and heaps of pipe tobacco. Very good but a bit in-your-face. A fine warmth though.
The taste is spicy, warm and mature with notes of ripe black cherries, mushrooms, liquorice and sweet tobacco. A long, warm finish. A bit loose around the edges but holds up nicely over the evening.
87p   (tasted 2015/09)

1997 Vigneto Le Contessine, Le Macchiole
This Bolgheri bottle displays all the great things that I associate with the 1997 vintage (that so many have wrongly labeled as fast maturing, over the top wines, see links below for an array of great 97´s).
The nose is deep, pure and fascinating with its still vibrant cherry fruit and additional notes of rosemary, violets, Tuscan gravel and a tiny, complex scent of cow feces in a distance... Very, very fine. Some maturity but this has a long way to go.
The taste is tight, warm and inviting with notes of perfectly ripe cherries, violets, dried herbs, raspberry liquorice and sunwarm gravel. A long, velvety finish with a fine acidity and a lovely dry ending. A very fine wine indeed.
94p   (tasted 2015/09)

Brunello´s from 1997
Tuscan greats from 1997

Exploring The Forgotten Side Of Bordeaux - Chapter XII

Well, this was not much fun. Carbonnieux can be very good, as the 1982 showed a while back. But this...

1979 Chateau Carbonnieux
Corked!

1989 Chateau Carbonnieux
A ripe, over mature nose with notes of old wrinkled red apples, dusty earth, a touch of sherry and some plastic. A bit flat. Alive, but not good.
The taste is better than the nose with more structure and cleaner, with notes of a dry apple pie, autumn leaves, balsa wood and lemon cream. A medium long, good finish.
76p   (tasted 2015/10)

1999 Chateau Carbonnieux
The 99 is by far the best and even very good, but it is not a great wine. The nose is medium deep and slightly mature with notes of lanolin, sweet lemons, dry honey and some glue. Very good.
The taste is youngish and tight with notes of oilcloth, candied lemons, gravel and a hint of oyster shells. A medium long, dry finish. Very good.
86p  (tasted 2015/10)

This Is What A Dinner Should Be Like - The Follow Up

This was a follow up dinner to this fantastic dinner. Same guests, a few (hopefully) fine wines and some nice things to eat.

1989 Rüdesheimer Berg Schlossberg Riesling Trocken, Georg Breuer
A cool, mature, slate dominated nose with some additional notes of dried apricots, wet suit and dry grass. Good.
The taste is mature, dry and nicely salty with notes of dried yellow apples, rubber and crushed rocks. A fine acidity. Fine with the food but a tad too dry on its own.
86p   (tasted 2015/09)

1999 Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Tocken, Robert Weil
#¤%&!#!%&¤ Corked!

1997 Dürnsteiner Kellerberg Riesling, F.X. Pichler
This was a replacement for the corked Weil bottle. And what a replacement! The nose is deep, hauntingly beautiful with a hint of maturity and notes of dry mango, spices, yellow plums, candied lemon peel, matchbox and lavender. Very complex and fine. Great wine.
The taste is big and steady yet with a ballerinas balance and refinement. Lovely notes of sweet/sour lemons, spices, banana peel, summer flowers and chalk. Very long and intense. A great cleansing acidity. The guesses were on a 10 year younger wine. I need to find more of Pichlers wines.
93p   (tasted 2015/09)

1989 Meursault Le Clos de Tavaux, Francois Gaunoux
A mature, rich, fine nose with notes of old wrinkled yellow apples, melted butter, plastic, hay and some smoke. A ripe, interesting nose with a fine maturity.
The taste is big, round and warm with notes of dried yellow plums, lemon candy earth and smoke. A medium long finish with a nice balance and warmth. In a perfect state of maturity.
90p   (tasted 2015/09)

1985 Pommard Les Epenots, Francois Gaunoux
"=%¤(&!%¤#" Corked! A second bottle! Well, another replacement hits the table...

1993 Gevrey-Chambertin La Perrière, Domaine Heresztyn
And yet again, what a replacement! This Gevrey dispalys a cool, refined nose with some maturity and fine notes of raspberries, sweet lingonberries, forest floor and perfume. Very fine. A restrained beauty.
The taste is tight and finely tuned with notes of lingonberries, forest floor, dried flowers, herbs and a touch of liquorice. A very fine acidity. Long and eleagnt. Really, really good and on top of its game. A handsome wine.
92p   (tasted 2015/09)

1989 Pommard Les Rugiens, Francois Gaunoux
The other Pommard from Gaunoux is luckily not corked. A deep, sweet, somewhat murky nose arises from the glass with notes of dried raspberries, cooked root vegetables, stale Coca-Cola, rosehip and meat stock. A nice complexity but it feels older than a 89. Very good though.
The taste is big and earthy with lots of dried up raspberry sweetness and notes of old chocolate, forest floor and beet root. A old fashioned structure. I like it, although I imagine that other bottles could be more in line with a 26 year old Pommard. I have more, so I will find out in due course.
89p   (tasted 2015/09)

1989 Château Lafleur
Well, well, the second Lafleur in a months time - life is good! Especially since this bottle rocked the world. The last bottle of 89 Lafleur I opened was corked...:-(
This fantastic creature has a deep, profound, still tight nose with notes of dark plums, corinthians, graphite, black currants, moist earth and sunwarm rocks. Ethereal in the purest sense of the word. Just beautiful and stunningly great. And still on the young side of things.
The taste is tight, concentrated and pure with notes of red and black currants, plums, charcoal, earth and a hint of veal stock. The finish is counted in minutes and every molecule is in the right place. There are some velvety tannins that pokes through in the end of the finish. In a perfect world, wait another 6-8 years, but hey, it is almost perfect now.
98p   (tasted 2015/09)

1989 Château de Sales
1964 de Sales was in fine shape earlier this year. Lets see what the 89 delivers. The nose is big, warm and mature with notes of ripe black plums, smoke, Christmas spices and earth. Very good. A bit rustic but in a good way.
The taste is big and creamy with ripe black fruit, soft tannins and a long, warm finish. Some black plums, some asphalt and some dusty chocolate. A very good mouth ful of mature Pomerol.
90p   (tasted 2015/09)

1989 Vieux Château Certan
Aaaaah, what a hedonistic, gorgeous nose, full to the brim with notes of mucovado sugar dusted plums, moist undergrowth, leather and pipe tobacco. In style, just between the two wines above, but with the concentration turned up to eleven. Stunning wine and in a perfectly mature stage.
The taste is very deep, warm and concentrated with notes of ripe black plums, candle grease, some barnyardy notes, tobacco and liquorice. Very, very long and focused. Great wine!
96p   (tasted 2015/09)

1989 Quarts de Chaume, Domaine des Baumard
A wonderful, deep, concentrated nose with notes of lavender honey, sweet/sour yellow plums, smoke, olicloth and a touch of hay. Layers upon layers. Very complex. Utterly gorgeous.
The taste delivers what the nose promises, with stunning notes of candied orange peels, oilcloth, honey and a sliver of iron. The acidity is perfect. Long, long finish with a lovely intensity. Verging on mature, this has a long way to go. Impressive!
95p   (tasted 2015/09)

Two Bottles Of 2010 Brunello

Is this really the heralded great vintage everyone is talking about? 

Lets find out by taking two bottles for a test drive. More bottles to follow.
Both popped and poured and followed for an evening and the day after.

2010 Brunello di Montalcino Val di Suga, Tenimenti Angelini
Val di Suga usually delivers a nice Brunello in the more affordable price segment. 

The nose is open, warm and spicy with notes of cherries, asphalt, violets and sweet minerals. Some wood in the background. Medium deep. Very good. A touch warmer and denser the second day. Should develop nicely with 3-5 years in the cellar.
The taste is young, tight and warm with notes of sweet/sour cherries, gravel, dried herbs and violets. Lots of firm tannins in the long, warm finish. On the following day it is a tad more restrained. Very good.
89p   (tasted 2015/10)

2010 Brunello di Montalcino, Uccelliera
This beauty has a deep, refined nose with notes of ripe cherries, raspberry liquorice, damp earth, expensive leather and a gorgeously perfumed scent. Really, really fine. But you can sense that there is a firm structure behind all the sweet fruit.
The taste is young, tight and pure with lovely notes of black cherries mixed with rosemary and a touch of balsamic vinegar. Sweet gravel and leather is also present. The finish goes on for minutes and the tannin structure peeks through at the very end. Very, very fine. This is a keeper, great now but will be brilliant in 5-7 years time. I´m buying.
94p   (tasted 2015/10)

A Bottle Of Bubbly - NV Instant Brut Blanc de Blancs, Pertois-Lebrun

A tasting sample from Selected Champagne. Pertois-Lebrun is a small (15.000 bt/year) producer based in Cramant. They own land in five Grand Cru villages - Cramant, Choilly, Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger, Oiry and Oger.
This wine is made from grapes from Choilly, Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger and Oger. The base is 2008 - a great vintage! - and was bottled in July 2009 after malo. It was degorced in December 2014 and has a 6 gr dosage.
More info here.

NV Instant Brut Blanc de Blancs, Pertois-Lebrun
A young, fresh, distinct nose with notes of yellow apples, lemon zest, white flowers, fudge and a hint of coffee latte. A salivating nose. Crushed rocks. Very, very good.
The taste is young and focused with notes of white currants, lemon cream, mineral, dry fudge and warm grass. A long and fresh finish. A fine acidity. This is good. For drinking now and the upcoming 6+ years. I will be ordering some. It works great with some truffle potato chips before dinner.
91p   (tasted 2015/10)

Another point of view (in Swedish)

 

Drinking Tonight - 1996 Pommard Les Perrières, Domaine Raymond Launay

To go along a pasta dish with chicken, tarragon, mushrooms, mustard and a generous amount of cream and parmesan cheese, I opened this (hopefully) mature Pommard.

1996 Pommard Les Perrières, Domaine Raymond Launay
Popped and poured. A bit funky at first, but it opens up nicely in the glass, with notes of dried strawberries, warm herbs, tobacco and the fine aroma of a forest floor after a autumn rain. Medium deep. A hint of bonfire and veal meat. A fine sweetness to the fruit. Very good.
The taste is warm, dry and mature with notes of dried red berries, dry tobacco, herbs, tobacco and earth. A bit rustic in the end, in a good way. A very good acidity. Worked really well with the food. A fine maturity. A nicely aged Pommard on this Friday evening. Too bad this was the only bottle I had.
88p   (tasted 2015/10)

 

 

Drinking Tonight - 2002 Volnay Les Petits Poisots, Patrick Clémencet

Work has been hell lately, so tasting notes have been piling up. But here is a quick note of what I opened tonight.

2002 Volnay Les Petits Poisots, Patrick Clémencet
A nicely matured nose with notes of a damp forest floor, dried raspberries, rhubarb, smoke and a touch of veal stock. A bit old fashioned in a nice style. Very good.
The taste is velvety and mature with a fine acidity and notes of lingonberries, dried raspberries, smoke, Christmas spices and dry chocolate. A medium long, dry, fine finish. Not heaps of complexity but a very nice aged Burgundy for a Thursday evening.
87p   (tasted 2015/10)

Preparing For Tonight

The pigeons are in the owen, the sweetbreads are picked into small pieces and the chanterelles are up for cleaning. A few more things are waiting to be dealt with.

And here are the backsides of an eclectic selection that we hopefully will be enjoying in a couple of hours. Notes to follow.

Some Miscellaneous Bottles

All Chardonnay as it happens! All drunk over the last couple of weeks.

1995 Pouilly-Fuissé, Château Fuissé
A fine, somewhat restrained, still youngish nose with notes of lemon cream, almond paste, cold cream and a touch of matchbox. Some sweet minerals. Very good. Deep and fine.
The taste is tight and focused with notes of lemon peel, rhubarb, flint and hard lemon candy. A fine laid back creamy feeling. A fine acidity. This still needs a couple of years until it is fully mature.
The 2013 Les Brulés tasted here.
90p   (tasted 2015/09)

1996 Jacob´s Creek Chardonnay
Could a relatively simple Chardonnay from down under have survived for 19 years?

It seems so. The nose is big, mature and creamy with notes of dry honey, decaying flowers, wrinkled yellow apples and moist earth. Some dry toothpaste in the background. Definitely hanging in there.
The taste is big, warm and dry with notes of dried yellow fruit, gravel, dried flowers and earth. A little low on acidity and the mid palate is a tad hollow, but it is still very drinkable.
78p   (tasted 2015/09)

 

1996 Bourgogne Cuvée Des Coutures, Sylvain Dussort
The surprise is lesser that this 96 Bourgogne has survived. Not only survived, it delivers some pleasure until the bottle is finished. The nose is medium deep, steely and sleek with notes of assorted nuts, spices, dried flowers, matchbox and lemon peel. A salty touch. Very good.
The taste is cool, somewhat mature and dry with notes of lemon cream, minerals, grapefruit and matchbox. A salty note on the palate as well. A medium long finish with a fresh acidity. Very good.
86p   (tasted 2015/09)

2012 Old Stones Chardonnay, Bergström
This has a fine, spicy, flowery nose with notes of crushed rocks, lemon peel and candle grease. A bit withdrawn but in a good way. Very good.
The taste is young, tight and dry with notes of ripening yellow apples, some white pepper, dry fudge and a hint of butter. A medium long finish with a earthy character. Very good. Still young.
88p   (tasted 2015/09)

2013 Piodilei, Pio Cesare
This Langhe Chardonnay didn´t convince. The nose is big, outgoing and a bit clumpsy with notes of ripe oranges, cream, rhubarb and matchbox. Lack a bit of energy. Not bad but not anything to write home about.
The taste is big and steady with notes of sweet lemons, earth and stale nuts. A high acidity but not the body to absorb it, which gives it a unbalanced character. Maybe time will help?
76p   (tasted 2015/09)

Two 1992 Sweeties

These were tasted a couple of weeks ago. Unknown producers for me, but these 23 year old Chenin Blanc´s have held up well and delivered a lot of pleasure at the end of dinner.

1992 Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu Les Quarts, Domaine de la Closerie
This has a nice, semi sweet nose with notes of almond paste, hay, asphalt and some pine apple juice. A touch of botrytis. Medium deep and good. A fine maturity.
The taste is big and semi sweet with notes of dried peaches, oilcloth, flower water and asphalt. A medium long finish with a fine acidity. Very good and fully mature.
87p   (tasted 2015/08)

1992 Quarts de Chaume, Château de L´Echarderie
The Quarts de Chaume displays a deeper and more concentrated nose with notes of dried tropical fruits, detergent, almond cookies and a touch of saffron. A little muted though. Fully mature.
The taste is tight and focused with notes of candied orange peel, detergent, saffron dusted tropical fruit and gravel. A long, intense, sweet finish. The acidity doesn't come through as in the wine above, which makes the taste a tad heavy. Good though.
85p   (tasted 2015/08)

2004 Barbaresco Vigna Rongallo, Orlando Abrigo

I had never tasted anything from Orlando Abrigo when this Barbaresco passed my way. I bought a couple and also some of their Barbaresco Montersino.
But I start with the best! The Rongalio is only produced in the best vintages and the grapes come from the oldest vine from the vineyard Rocche Meruzzano. It is aged in large Slavonian oak casks for between 18 and 24 months.

2004 Barbaresco Vigna Rongallo, Orlando Abrigo
It need some time to open in the glass but soon fine aromas of red cherries, violets, forest floor, dried mushrooms and a touch of mint oozes from the glass. Very, very good. A bit laid back with a refined character and a nice structure.
The taste is still young and tight with notes of  cherry pips, liquorice, hard cherry candy, rosehips and the same touch of mint as on the nose. Sandy tannins comes through in the long finish. Very fine. This is goood. Should evolve nicely the upcoming 4-6 years. For the asking price, I gonna get me some more bottles of this!
91p   (tasted 2015/09)

 

Drinking Tonight - 2014 Pouilly Fumé, Jonathan Didier Pabiot

I tasted the 2013 recently and when I decided to buy even more of it, the vintage had changed to 2014. Lets find out if this equally good.

2014 Pouilly Fumé, Jonathan Didier Pabiot
Not quite. The one year younger version has a very stony, dusty, earthy nose that with air and some vigorous swirling expose notes of grass, matchbox, goose berries and a hint of green peppers. Very young, very green and even a touch anemic.
The taste is young, cool and fresh with notes of crushed rocks, not yet ripe pears, grass and lime peel. A high, pure acidity. A green streak. Medium long and fine. Very fresh and drinking well, but it is more grassy and greener than the 2013.
88p   (tasted 2015/09)

Eight Vintages & One Old Multivintage Of Moulin Touchais

Vinunic invited, Frederik Willbrenninck told us about the history of the estate and the current state of affairs and yours truly enjoyed the wines!

1999 Moulin Touchais
A cool, fine nose with notes of pine apple juice, some rubber, honey and some botrytis. A bit on the light side but very nice.
The taste feels fatter and broader than the nose with notes of ripe pine apples, peach, lanolin and moist earth. Good but lacks a bit of depth.
85p   (tasted 2015/09)

1997 Moulin Touchais
The 07 is a winner. The nose is deep and refined with notes of peach, smoke, detergent and sweet flowers. Very, very good. A bit restrained. This is going to age well.
The taste is concentrated, long and intense with a wonderful sweetness balanced with a fine acidity. Notes of ripe peaches, apricots, soap and flowers. Complex and fine. Has a long life ahead of it.
93p   (tasted 2015/09)

1983 Moulin Touchais
This has an overripe, somewhat oxidized nose with notes of (over)ripe yellow plums, matchbox, moist earth and a hint of an old cellar. Not bad but there is no nerve here.
The taste is big, semi sweet and foursquare with notes of dried plums, forest floor, paint and dried flowers. The finish is medium long and ends semi dry.
Frederik told us that way back the estate decided not to release the 1983 as a Moulin Touchais, but some was released as a Anjou Blanc in Sweden. Seems like I have one left, gonna try it soon. But after many years in their cellar they tasted the 1983 again and now deemed it good enough to release as Moulin Touchais. Based on this sample, I´m not sure it was the best decision.
79p   (tasted 2015/09)

1981 Moulin Touchais
The 81 is fresher and feels younger than the 83. The nose is a little low keyed but shows nice scents of plums, flowers, moist earth and tangerines. Very fresh.
The taste is bigger than the nose leads you to believe with fine notes of dried apricots, crumbled vanilla cookies, dried flowers and caramel. A medium long finis that ends medium dry. Very, very good.
89p   (tasted 2015/09)

1985 Moulin Touchais
This is a perennial favourite of mine. After the tasting in 1992 (see below) I went out and bought a case, and still have 5 bottles left. When I tasted it in 1992 with the 1885 beside I wrote - "this will rival the 1885 in due course". But sadly I won´t be around to see if that prediction will be fulfilled.
The nose is just wonderful with its concentration, focus and lightness. Lovely notes of yellow plums, wet asphalt, flowers, oilcloth and dry vanilla ice cream oozes up from the glass.
The taste is beautifully clean and radiant with notes of ripe yellow apples, resin, flowers and oilcloth. The finish goes on for a minute. This has the stuffing to outlive me by many years. Buy some, you won´t regret it.
94p   (tasted 2015/09)

1975 Moulin Touchais
The ten year older version has an interesting nose with notes of sweet/sour lemons, rubber, cigarette smoke, dry vanilla, caramel and earth. There are lots going on here, and it is good!
The taste is tight and on its way to maturity with notes of dried plums, apricots, earth and dry caramel. A high, fine acidity. Very long and ends semi dry. Very, very fine.
92p   (tasted 2015/09)

2001 Moulin Touchais
This youngster sports a deep, concentrated nose with notes of quince, tangerines, plums, oilcloth and summer flowers. A very young, upfront nose with lots of character. A fine nerve to it. Very fine.
The taste is refined and pure with notes of plums, oilcloth, flowers, ski wax and a touch of smoke. A creamy finish with some botrytis. Long and fine. This has a splendid future ahead of itself.
92p   (tasted 2015/09)

2000 Moulin Touchais
A young, tight, semi dry nose with notes of lemon cream, apricots, band aid and some green scents. Not much sweetness and no botrytis. Good though.
The taste is medium bodied and semi dry with notes of lemon peel, yellow plums, moist earth and oilcloth. Some warm grass. The acidity is high and there is not enough sweetness to balance it. Wait and see.
82p   (tasted 2015/09)

NV Moulin Touchais Century Reserve
Now for something completely different. In a rare sense. It is Moulin Touchais alright. "A illegal one" as Frederic said. In the 50´s when recorking all 19th century bottles they found a bunch of bottles with low fills. They blended all of them in barrels and in 1955 they rebottled the blended wine in the original bottles. The average vintage of the blend is 1875...
The nose is a bit low keyed yet intense, with notes of dry peach, detergent, burnt caramel, cigarette smoke in a distance and forest floor. A fine depth and multi-layered in a way only really old, great wines can achieve.
The taste is fine and elegant with a touch of sweetness and notes of dried apricots, detergent, blood orange peel, old red apples and moist earth. A very long, dry, intense finish. Really fine and a testament to the longevity of Moulin Touchais.
92p   (tasted 2015/09)

I have attended two major tastings of Moulin Touchais over the years, apart from the odd bottle here and there.
The first one was in September 1992 and interesting enough that one was hosted by Alex Willbrenninck, Frederiks father! The following vintages was poured:

1885 Moulin Touchais   (100p)
1892 Moulin Touchais   (82p)
1921 Moulin Touchais   (89p)
1937 Moulin Touchais   (92p)
1955 Moulin Touchais   (84p)
1964 Moulin Touchais   (96p)
1971 Moulin Touchais   (86p)
1981 Moulin Touchais   (82p)
1985 Moulin Touchais   (94p)

Ten years later, in September (this month seems to be the Moulin Touchais month!) 2002 I arranged a tasting with the following vintages:

1947 Moulin Touchais   (92p)
1959 Moulin Touchais   (96p)
1964 Moulin Touchais   (98p)
1969 Moulin Touchais   (95p)
1971 Moulin Touchais   (86p)
1979 Moulin Touchais   (90p)
1982 Moulin Touchais   (84p)
1985 Moulin Touchais   (92p)
1990 Moulin Touchais   (89p)

 

Two Bottles Of Brunello di Montalcino

After my Brunello project, I find myself from time to time urging a bottle (or two) of Sangiovese from the Montalcino hills. These two were drunk with dinner in the last couple of weeks.

2004 Brunello di Montalcino, Cassiano
A new acquaintance for me. The nose is medium deep with a hint of maturity and notes of meaty cherries, violets, gravel and dry tobacco. Well structured, a bit withdrawn and good.
The taste is fine and earthy with a nice warmth and notes of dried cherries, liquorice, tobacco and dried rosemary. A medium long finish a nice dry ending. Very good with the food. You could surely keep any remaining bottles for 5+ years but I don´t think they will get better than this.
86p   (tasted 2015/08)

1993 Brunello di Montalcino, Tenuta Caparzo
I tasted a bunch of Brunello´s from Caparzo during my project and liked them a lot. But this vintage from them is new to me. And as I have said before, I think that 1993 is a underrated vintage in both Tuscany and Piemonte.
A open, finely tuned, perfectly mature greats the nose. Fine notes of ripe red cherries, cigarette smoke, hard cherry candy, pork rinds and dried rosemary. Medium deep. A lovely nose of a mature Brunello.
The taste is mature, tight and dry with notes of red cherries, rowanberries, dried herbs and undergrowth. A fine finish that ends dry. The nose promised more cherry sweetness than the taste delivered, but this still is a fine mature Brunello. And it worked wonders with the home made truffle pizza!
89p   (tasted 2015/09)