The Ten Most Memorable Wines Of 2016

Here I am yet again! The yearly struggle to pinpoint the ten wines that have made the most lasting impression on me during the year. I force myself to think hard and go through all my notes, with a glass of 2006 Pol Roger in my hand - its a tough job...:-)
Here they are, in vintage order.
A toast to an equally great 2017!

1945 Château d´Armailhacq
Considered to be one of the best vintages ever, we were lucky to taste 11 bottles of Bordeaux from 1945. All were not up to par, but the best of the bunch was this one, the closest I will ever get to the 45 Mouton-Rothshild...
95p   (2016/11)

1986 Puligny-Montrachet Champ-Canet, Etienne Sauzet
White Burgundy can be pure magic when it gets some age and comes from on of the masters, in this case Etienne Sauzet and the great 1986 vintage. We had many fine bottles at this tasting dinner, but this shone the brightest.
97p   (tasted 2016/10)

1990 Barolo Granbussia Riserva, Aldo Conterno
The Barolo Boys had a planning dinner in October before our trip to Piedmont. Among other things we drank four bottles of Granbussia Riserva, and the 1990 was, on this night the shining star.
Other than these four Granbussia´s I had the good fortune to taste the 1999 and the 2006 and 2008 this year. I can´t complain...:-)
98p   (tasted 2016/12)

1999 Barolo Percristina, Domenico Clerico
I love the Percristina from Clerico. The 1996 is a perfect creature, and the 1999 is not far behind. There were many fine 99 Barolo´s at this tasting, but the Percristina was the best, alongside the Rupestris from Cappellano (but I never score the wines from Cappellano).
98p   (tasted 2016/01)

2002 Comtes de Champagne, Taittinger
Comtes de Champagne is a recurrent item on the-ten-most-memorable-list, and the 02 is a beaty. And this is why I don´t make my list until New Years Eve is over, because great bottles usually appears on that evening. Tasting note here.
97p   (tasted 2016/12)

2006 La Ricolma, San Giusto a Rentennano
A 100% Merlot from Tuscany makes the list with a stunning expression of this grape. I fell instantly in love and got hold of more bottles of this nectar. Tasting note here.
97p   (tasted 2016/08)

2010 Barolo Brunate Riserva, M. Marengo
Barolo. Brunate. Vintage 2010. In the hands of the capable hands of Marco Marengo. And the result? Just a stunning expression of a vibrant, in-ten-years-time-perfect Barolo specimen.
97p   (tasted 2016/08)

2010 Barolo Rocche dell´Annunziata, Paolo Scavino
As I wrote in this Barolo Boys report, when you are faced with perfection, words escapes you, or at least me. But trust me, this is a perfect wine.
100p   (tasted 2016/12)

2012 IX Estate, Colgin
As I wrote in February, this would make my most memorable list. And it did. Expensive - yes, worth the tariff - oh yes!
100p   (tasted 2016/12)

2012 G-Max, Keller
There is no tasting note to be read on this one, since I have lots of notes backed up. Miran had a dinner in November and this was the shining star of that evening, although lots of other fine bottles were poured, notes are on there way...
Is there a better Riesling out there? I doubt it.
98p   (tasted 2016/11)

The bottle in the background almost made the list...

The Ten Most Memorable Wines Of 2015
The Ten Most Memorable Wines Of 2014
The Ten Most Memorable Wines Of 2013
The Ten Most Memorable Wines Of 2012
The Ten Most Memorable Wines Of 2011

The Wines Of New Years Eve

New Years Eve with friends, good food and some nice wines. All drunk with food and non blind, but I jotted down some impressions of all wines non the less. The Barolo´s got some air time, all the other bottles were just popped and poured.

2002 Comtes de Champagne, Taittinger
We started of really well. One of my absolut favourite Champagne´s, the Comtes de Champagne always delivers the goods. The nose is deep and complex with notes of ripe oranges, white flowers, chalk and a beautiful smoky scent. Really, really fine.
The taste is young, tight and focused with notes of almond paste, hard lemon candy, chalk and minerals. A long, structured finish with a lovely acidity. This is stunning now but will surely get even better with 6+ years in the cellar.
We had this bottle with a apple- and foie gras capuccino and a seafood sallad.
97p   (tasted 2016/12)

2007 Meursault Genevrières, Bouchard
We drank the two following bottles with a lobster gratin, the most yummy dish of the evening. The Bouchard sports a deep, seedy nose with notes of sweet/sour lemons, rubber, elderberry soap and smoke. Very, very good.
The taste is forward and pure with notes of grilled lemons, gravel, dark fudge and dried up vanilla ice cream. Long and fine. Some maturity. From a half bottle.
92p   (tasted 2016/12)

2006 Corton Charlemagne, Faiveley
A wonderful, concentrated and pure nose with notes of lemon cream, tangerines, cap gun smoke and sweet minerals. Very handsome. Rich and refined. This is gooood!
The taste is just brilliant in its intensity, focus and concentration. The finish is very long and full of grapefruit, sweet/sour lemons and dried flowers. Great wine!
96p   (tasted 2016/12)

30 Años Oloroso, Victoria Regina
The next course was a celeriac soup and I opened this Sherry to go along. It was a fine match but I also had some left in a bottle of 1968 Verdelho, Blandy´s, which was opened almost a year ago, and that was an ever greater match with the soup.
The Sherry showed a deep, nutty nose with notes of dark liquorice, cooked wheat, nougat and masonite, Interesting and complex.
The taste is mature, broad and dry with notes of fried nuts, bakelit, candied orange peel and dried up coffee. Long and intense. Very, very good.
91p   (tasted 2016/12)

1964 Cuvée Speciale Rosé, Domaine Ott
How about throwing in a 52 year old Rosé? A spur of the moment buy and even if it comes from The Greatest Vintage ever this wine was not great...
The nose is old and wrinkled with notes of dusty mature red apples, undergrowth and gravel. Rather thin, but still hanging in there, which must be recognized.
The taste is dry and rather short but manage to show of some notes of old apples, dry tobacco and road dust. Still alive, but barely so.
70p   (tasted 2016/12)

1999 Morey-St-Denis 1er Cru Aux Cheseaux, Domaine Arlaud
Next up was a dish with pancetta, goat cheese and beet roots, and we drank two bottles of Burgundy with it.
The first one has a deep, dark, old fashioned nose with notes of plums, ripe strawberries, moist forest floor and even some meaty aromas. Very, very good. Deep and dark.
The taste is deep and ripe with notes of stables, wild raspberries, asphalt and warm rocks. Long and warm. An oldtime fashion of a wine. Drinking great today.
92p   (tasted 2016/12)

2002 Corton Clos du Roi, Domaine de la Pousse d´Or
The Corton opens a bit shy but keeps on evolving all night long. The nose is young and seedy with notes of ripe lingonberries, fresh herbs, forest floor and with a low keyed, yet intense perfumed aroma. Very, very fine.
The taste is tight and taut with notes of hard raspberry candy, gravel, beet root and rosehips. A long, stern, focused finish. A lovely acidity. A keeper.
95p   (tasted 2016/12)

1964 Barolo, Giuseppe Sordo
The three Barolo´s complimented a white truffle risotto and then a saddle of venison with salsify, mushrooms and a Madeira sauce.
The 64 from Giuseppe Sordo has a deep, round, mature nose with notes of dried cherries, manure, dried mushrooms and old wood. Some rosehips with more time in the glass. Very, very good. A fine maturity.
The taste is soft and mature with notes of dried cherries, fir wood, rosehips and warm tiles. A long, almost velvety finish, although the presence of some rugged tannins at the end of the finish. Has kept well over the years.
89p   (tasted 2016/12)

1978 Barolo Riserva, Giovanni Sordi
Giuseppes son, Giovanni is responsible for the 78, and he has done a great job, for this is a stunner. The nose is deep, racy and complex with notes of sweet/sour cherries, ceps, sweet root vegetables and lots of liquorice. Very deep, almost meaty, yet refined. Great!
The taste follows the taste with a combination of elegance and a deep, old fashioned farm feeling. Lots of dried cherries, undergrowth, tobacco, gravel and more. The finish is over a minute long with some still sturdy tannins. Would love to have more bottles if this. Could go on for 20 years.
94p   (tasted 2016/12)

1993 Barolo Vigna Rocche, Erbaluna/Severino e Andrea Oberto
There were some debate over which Barolo was the best on this night - the 78 Sordo or this one. I could not make my mind up, sip to sip they each had their own, fine virtues.
Here is another stunner from the overlooked vintage of 1993. But hey, more bottles for me! The nose is more lively than the Sordo wines and with lovely notes of ripe cherries, rose petals, warm hay, tobacco and a hint of dark caramel. Very, very good. A fine nerve to it. Some maturity.
The taste is focused, semi mature and pure with notes of red and black cherries, salmiak, hard cherry candy, rosehips and sunwarm rocks. A very long, fine finish. Again, wish I had more bottles.
94p   (tasted 2016/12)

2009 Grande Réserve Brut, Michel Genet
To end this evening we opened this bottle as a refresher and to watch 2016 turn into 2017. It has a fine, round, outgoing nose with notes of fudge, candied lemons, Lily of the Valley and a hint of tobacco. Very good.
The taste is fresh and dry with notes of dried up lemon curd, smoke, dried flowers and hard lemon candy. A fine acidity. Drinking good now and the coming 5+ years.
90p   (tasted 2016/12)

The Two First Barolos Of 2017

110 bottles of Barolo tasted and drunk during 2016. The third day into 2017 I thought it was time for the first bottles of Barolo for this new and shiny year. I opened these to go along a Salsiccia pasta dish.

1979 Barolo, Egidio Oberto
A lot of moist, rotten undergrowth, old cooked fruit, dusty gravel and it falls together in the glass rather rapidly. Not of too a good start...
54p   (tasted 2017/01)

2005 Barolo, La Loggia
This is better, thankfully. The nose is medium deep with notes of sour cherries, toasted almonds, dry liquorice and rosehips. A bit withdrawn but descent enough.
The taste is tight and dry with notes of dried cherries, warm asphalt, dry herbs and some high cocoa chocolate. A medium long finish with dusty tannins. Very good with the food but a tad anemic and soulless on its own.
84p   (tasted 2017/01)

I will hopefully drink a whole lot of better Barolos this year...

A Bottle Of Bubbly - 2008 Extra Brut, Damien Hugot

The day before New Years Eve, and I am preparing the food for tomorrow - we going to eat and drink well! :-)
Since there will be no post tomorrow I say Happy New Year to everybody and open a bottle of pre bubbly!

2008 Extra Brut, Damien Hugot
The nose is rich and lively with a spicy lemon scent and additional notes of butter cup flowers, melon, toasted bread and cap gun smoke. Very, very good. Young of course.
The taste is juicy and fresh with a supporting, high acidity and notes of grilled lemons, butter biscuits, smoke and lemon fudge. Yummy and fine, but not that complex. Good now, but should get better in 3-4 years time.
90p   (tasted 2016/12)

1973 Monte Real, Bodegas Riojanas

When Christmas is (almost) over, we relax with some ordinay food - chicken fillets, a Jerusalem artichoke puree and a tarragon sauce - and I open a mature Rioja - a great match!

1973 Monte Real, Bodegas Riojanas
From the get go, it reveals a fine, sweet, open and mature nose with notes of dried strawberries, old leather, pipe tobacco and roasted shellfish shells. A very fine warmth. A fine maturity. Round and rewarding. Very, very good.
The taste is mature, velvety and perfectly dry with notes of dried strawberries, potatoe water, old leather and warm grass. A long, lingering finish with a fine, high acidity. Drinking perfectly today.
The 1964 was a stunner two years ago.
91p   (tasted 2016/12)

A 1945 Bordeaux Dinner

A couple of weeks ago I arranged this tasting dinner att home. We were seven around the table. The theme and the bottles of 45 Bordeaux were known to the guests, but not the serving order.

We started the evening of with two bottles of bubbly.
2002 Brut, Henriot
This is a great Champagne, with a deep, racy nose with notes of lemon fudge, nuts, smoke and apples fried in butter. A hint of maturity. High and really fine.
The taste is creamy and rich with notes of butter cookies, dried flowers and crushed rocks. A very fine acidity. Long and velvety. Drinking great today, and probably for another 8+ years.
94p   (tasted 2016/11)

2002 Gentilhomme, AR Lenoble
A deep, spicy nose with lots of red apples and some additional notes of gravel, dry nuts and smoke. A tad restrained. Still quite young.
The taste is tight and focused with an almost hard acidity and mature red apples. Long and fine. Some smoky notes. Very, very good. Could still use some time in the cellar.
90p   (tasted 2016/11)

Flight I - which was served with a tartare of Wagayu beef with a variation of onions, parmesan and shaved truffle.
1945 Château Cantenac-Brown
A mature, medium deep nose with notes of freeze dried coffee, wet undergrowth, mushrooms and some dry chocolate biscuits. Nice enough.
The taste is compact and dry with notes of dried black currants, autumn leaves and old leather. A medium long, dry finish. Very good. Went very well with the food.
83p   (tasted 2016/11)

1945 Château La Tour-Marbuzet
A big, tight and open nose with notes of ripe red and black currant fruit, ash, dark earth and some stable aromas. Very, very good. Interesting enough, even better day two...
The taste is tight and focused with notes of dried black currants, warm gravel and a hint of mint. Long and dry. This has matured in a fine fashion.
90p   (tasted 2016/11)

1945 Barolo Riserva Della Castellana, Marchesi di Barolo
The dark horse in the line up... Could have been better, the bottle had leaked somewhat.
A restrained, acid nose with notes of dried rosehips, detergent and hard cherry candy. A touch of VA. Medium bodied.
The taste is dry and foursquare with notes of old spices, rubber and rosehips. Very acidic. One dimensional.
73p   (tasted 2016/11)

Flight II - a terrine of wild boar with a green salad and a garlic cream was served with this flight.
1945 Cru Cantemerle
A large scaled, mature nose with notes of sweet black currants, autumn leaves and sugared coffee. A very fine warmth. Round.
The taste is tight and mature with notes of dried black currants, a cool meaty note and old leather. Very good. There is still some tannins here.
86p   (tasted 2016/11)

1945 Château Senejac
Not corked, but this is not clean, rather the opposite...
53p   (tasted 2016/11)

1945 Château Belgrave
A deep, concentrated and sweet nose with notes of ripe black currants, asphalt, dry chocolate and some stables. Very deep and fine. A very fine warmth. A great maturity.
The taste is warm, tight and ripe with notes of hard black currant candy, tobacco, autumn leaves and a hint of metal. This is good. Still alive and kicking. Kept very well, almost identical on both the nose and palate on day two.
91p   (tasted 2016/11)

Flight III - which was served alongside a version of a Swedish classic - Beef Rydberg, but the beef was replaced with sweetbreads.
1945 Château Belair
A deep, somewhat meaty nose with notes of wet undergrowth, dried blueberries, tobacco and a hint of menthol. Very, very good. A fine warmth. Almost better on the nose day two but the taste is more dry and mute.
The taste is tight and concentrated with notes of seedy red and black currants, autumn leaves and dry tobacco. Still some sandy tannins. Very, very good. Really long.
92p   (tasted 2016/11)

1945 Château Cheval-Blanc
Lots of VA on the nose and dry and empty on the finish. Drinkable, but not in the least good. Too bad...
62p   (tasted 2016/11)

1945 Château Franc Maillet
A deep, intense, sweet nose with notes of corinthians, sugared coffee, forest floor and some wood. Very, very good. A very fine warmth.
The taste is seedy and warm with fine notes of dried red and black currants, raisins, gravel and tobacco. Medium bodied. This has kept very well over the years. Hadn´t budged at all day two.
88p   (tasted 2016/11)

Flight IV - with individual Beef Wellingtons with a truffle sauce
1945 Château Gruaud Larose
Hadn´t much hope for this one, the lowest level (low shoulder) of them all, but lo and behold! The nose rises from the glass with fine notes of dried up black currant jam, old leather, graphite and a hint of dried strawberries. Very, very fine. And again, as with most of the bottles, a very fine 1945 warmth. Day two - as good as day one with some added bonfire scents.
The taste is tight, mature and dry with a fine structure, dried black fruit and still some tannins lurking in the background. Dry, yes, but also has a velvety feeling. Really good. Day two it is like drinking cold coffee!
93p   (tasted 2016/11)

1945 Château Mouton d´Armailhacq
Well, this is probably as close as I get to the iconic 1945 Mouton Rothschild... But the quality most be close for this is a stunner! The nose oozes up from the glass with great aromas of compost, coffee powder, iron, wet autumn leaves and some animal notes. Very complex. Mature yes, but this still have places to go. Very fine.
The taste is big, steady and firm with notes of ripe black currants, warm tiles, graphite and some meaty notes. A long, aristocratic finish with some tannins shining through. Great wine! Held up well until day two.
95p   (tasted 2016/11)

1945 Château Lynch Bages
A deep, dark nose with notes of dried black currants, scorched earth, dry chocolate and old leather, A fine warmth. A tad hollow in the middle. Very good though.
The taste is tight, dry and mature with notes of dusty earth, dried black currants and blueberries, bakelite and dry tobacco. A medium long, warm finish. Held up well in to day two. Very good but has dried out some.
86p   (tasted 2016/11)

To finish the night of, I opened a bottle of Port, from the same vintage as the bottles above.
1945 Superior Port, Three Crowns
This old Port has a deep, sweet, multi layered nose with notes of white raisins, rubber, dades, sweet hay and a hint of malt Whisky. Interesting and good.
The taste is big and sweet with notes of white raisins, dried apricots, fried nuts and some sawdust. Ends on a half sweet note. Very good in a yummy sort of way but not a complex wine.
88p   (tasted 2016/11)

2014 Pouilly-Vinzelles, La Soufrandière

Chardonnay & our Christmas house - the London Bridge!

The night before Christmas Eve we wanted something light to eat, considering the amount of food that will be consumed tomorrow, so I made a fish soup with salmon, cod and shrimps. To go along a opened a bottle of

2014 Pouilly-Vinzelles, La Soufrandière
The Bret Brothers have turned out a fine effort in this vintage, with a young, sporty and fresh nose with notes of grilles lemons, almond paste, summerf flowers and a hint of vanilla pods. Very, very good.
The taste is young and tight with notes of assorted nuts, lemon fudge, sea shells and wet stones. A very good acidity. Long and fine. This is good!
90p   (tasted 2016/12)

1990 Château Gressier-Grand-Poujeaux

Last day of work before Christmas. Some last time shopping before going home.
What to eat this evening... - some nice fillets of veal, oven roasted root vegetables and a light Madeira sauce lands on the plate. I rummage through my small cellar (since I now have my bottles in a rented cellar) and found this bottle. Lets pull the cork!

1990 Château Gressier-Grand-Poujeaux
From the get go, this mature Bordeaux displays a nice, round nose with notes of fresh stables, dried red currants, autumn leaves, iron and green peppers. A very fine maturity. It gets a shade darker with air, and a tad sweeter. A very fine maturity.
The taste is mature, dry and sandy with notes of dry leather, red currants, herbs and dry tobacco. Medium bodied and very nice. A fine earthy note. Very, very good. Fully mature. These were the days that even in a warm vintage the wines landed on 12%, which now, 26 years later, I am rewarded with a balanced, easy drinking wine with character and fine Bordeaux attributes.
According to David Peppercorn the cepage in 1990 should have been 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. In 2003 Chasse-Spleen bought the property and reunited these properties which was a unit before 1822.
88p   (tasted 2016/12)

2010 Barbaresco, Lorenzo Alutto

After a really intense work day, what do I need to drink to wind down?

Nebbiolo!!

2010 Barbaresco, Lorenzo Alutto
According to my memory, I have never tasted anything from this estate. They have been around for some time, the estate have been in the Alutto family since 1700.
The nose is a bit shy at first but with an hour in a decanter fine notes of cool red cherries, shoe cream, gravel, dry tobacco and, to get into the season, some Christmas spices, emerges from the glass. Old fashioned and very good. Broadens with air and some veal meat scents comes through. Really good.
The taste is dry, tight and structured with notes of ripening red cherries, lingonberries, hard cherry candy and sun warm gravel. The tannins are sandy and very fine. Long and with a fine intensity in a old style fashion. Lovely to drink and follow for a couple of hours. Wish I had more. A gamble buy for 17 Euro - boy, did this pay of!
90p   (tasted 2016/12)