Then & Now - Château Fonroque

Since the last attempt to get to taste some mature Bordeaux didn´t work out well, I thought I´ll have another go at it.
Info about the châteaux here and here.

1959 Château Fonroque
Right out of the bottle this old gentleman shows a rather big, warm, upfront nose with notes of red currants, lingonberries, pipe tobacco, undergrowth and clean stables. With air it becomes a bit more murky with notes of resin and sweet beets. But this is holding up well and you can feel the warmth from this great vintage.
The taste is tight, mature and dry with lots of red berries and additional notes of autumn leaves, dry tobacco, warm road dust and a touch of bonfire. Medium long, fresh finish. It is not in the least to dry in the finish, which lots of wine this age tends to be. Soft and fine without heaps of complexity.
86p   (tasted 2012/12)

2009 Château Fonroque
50 years really makes a difference...:-) When poured it has a high octane, warm, outwardly nose but after a few hours in a decanter it is performing great. The nose is all about finesse and concentration with notes of sweet red currants, lingonberries and cherries with some new leather, saw dust (in a positive way), cold coffee and luxury soap thrown in. Also some sweet licorice and a touch of a Cohiba cigarr. This is really fine, but still very, very young.
The taste is young, fresh and concentrated with gorgeous notes of red currants, corinthians, lingonberries, Valrhona chocolate and really expensive leather. A long, pure and intense finish. This is really promising. I need to get some of this for the cellar! And wait 3-5 years, if I can...
92p   (tasted 2012/12)


1959 Château Fonroque

 

New Years Eve Dinner

Some friends came over to our place, we ate some nice food and opened some great wines, and most important - had fun! :-)

2001 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese Fuder 7, Fritz Haag
As a starter, while prepearing the food, this nice Riesling was opened. A fine, elegant, racy, somewhat mature nose with notes of white peaches, lemon curd, fennel, grass and white chocolate. Very fine. The hint of maturity adds to the complexity.
The taste is tight, elegant and fresh with notes of dried apricots, lemon cream, summer flowers and some gas stations notes. A fresh acidity. Long, fine and ends semi dry. Very, very good.
89p   (tasted 2012/12)

With the starter -  fried ricotta balls - tasting even better second time around, we opened a bottle of bubbly.
1999 Gosset Grand Millésime
A fine, fresh, deep nose with lovely notes of freshly baked bread, orange peel, cap gun smoke and lots of sweet red apples. Very yummy.
The taste is pure, deep and still young with persistent bubbles and notes of red apples, toasted bread, slate and gravel. Very long and fine. This is drinking great now but will keep for 8+ years.
92p   (tasted 2012/12)

We put forward four bottles of white wines to go with a Canapée Charlemagne. Since we bring the wines we are keen to drink, and not a set theme, it becomes a interesting array of combinations and flavours.

2001 Schönenburg Riesling, Bott-Geyl
A cool, fine, elegant nose with notes of lemon peel, dried tropical fruit, almonds and lots of sweet minerals. A laid back elegance. Very, very good.
The taste is pure, fresh and dry with notes of tangerines, lemon peel and crushed rocks. Cool and fine. A refreshing acidity. Drinking perfect now, I think, and won´t get any better.
90p   (tasted 2012/12)

2002 Clos de Coulée de Serrant, N. Joly
This is the reason why I wait to compose my list of the most memorable wines of the year to after new years eve. If I had done so before, I would have missed to add this masterpiece.
As with Coulée de Serrant it opens a bit funky and we even, for a short time, suspected it was slightly corked. But no, no, when the evening was over we has shared one of the best wines of the year.
When the nose evolves it displays notes of white pears, smoke, lobster shells, nutmeg, dried honey, minerals, just to name some of the scents. The intensity and complexity is off the charts. This is just breathtaking. So, so deep.
Could the taste match that divine nose? Oh yes! It is so intense, so pure, so perfectly composed, that I get tears in my eyes. Fascinating and intoxicating. Gorgeous notes of grilled lemons, smoke, pears, almond paste and freshly cut grass. The finish is counted in several minutes. It is still young, but boy, would I like to drink this in about 5 years time, and 10, and 15... This is what dreams, mine anyway..., are made of.
98p   (tasted 2012/12)

1996 Clos Ste Hune, Trimbach
I started to salivate when I saw this bottle hit the table. But, alas, although a fine bottle of wine, it didn´t reach the height of other vintages of Clos Ste Hune, like the 1983 or 1979, which are almost perfect wines in my view.
A deep, elegant, pure nose with notes of tangerines, almond paste, clam shells and lots of minerals. Cool and withdrawn, a bit too much I would say.
The taste is intense, tight and focused with lots of nice things going on. Notes of lemon peel, minced almonds, clams and minerals. A long, tight finish with lots of acidity. Still young. It has finesse, it has breed, but it doesn´t have much charm. Not now anyway. Maybe in 10 years time?
90p   (tasted 2012/12)

1996 Corton-Charlemagne, Bruno Clair
And you can´t eat a Canapée Charlemagne without a Charlemagne to go with it, right? A very deep, mature, lovely nose with notes of butter fried yellow apples, melted butter, pine nuts, mushroom cream and dried flowers. Very open, outwardly and luscious.
The taste is big, fresh although voluptuous and mature with notes of yellow apples, butter cookies, smoke and lobster broth. A lovely sweetness to the fruit. This is perfectly mature. After a (big) sip you just want to take another one.
94p   (tasted 2012/12)

Before the main course we had a small interlude with a Jerusalem artichoke cream with a brunoise of serrano and carrots. This dish needed some power and acidity, and the perfect match turned out to be a bottle of
1951 Fine Sercial, H. M. Borges
A deep, intense, penetrating nose with notes of salted nuts, cured ham, tea leaves, dry hay and some fine leathary notes. Very, very good.
The taste is tight, pure and semi dry with notes of dried orange peel, minced almonds, mushrooms and dry butter fudge. The finish is long and persistent. With the artichoke cream one and one became three!
89p   (tasted 2012/12)

For main course we had whole reindeer filets in a mushroom coating with oven potatoes and a red wine sauce with a hint of orange and peppar flavour. A stunning dish, if I might say so myself...:-)
We had beforehand agreed on Tuscan wines for the main course and four great bottles was suddenly on the table.

1993 Le Pergole Torte, Montevertine
A lovely, deep, mature nose with notes of chocolate covered cherries, licorice, old leather, dried flowers and a fine bonfire note. This is lovingly mature, sweet and fine.
The taste is round, mature and ripe with lots of sweet cherries and notes of autumn leaves, chocolate, dried flowers and leather. The tannins are soft but noticable. Drinking perfect now.
91p   (tasted 2012/12)

1993 Flaccianello, Fontodi
It is no surprise that one of my favourite Super Tuscans is Flaccianello, and this was my debut with the 1993 vintage. And what a wine! The nose is stunningly deep, fresh and sweet with notes of cherries, lingonberries, pipe tobacco, moist undergrowth and a Tuscan gravel road. Incredibly fresh for its age and vintage. Really stunning.
The taste is tight, intense and just lovely with sweet cherry fruit, still perky tannins and a minute long finish. Notes of black cherries, tobacco, autumn leaves, violets and letaher. So, so fresh. This is on top of its game but you could drink this with enjoyment over the next 8-10 years. Great wine!
95p   (tasted 2012/12)

2004 Saffredi, Le Pupille
A young, upfront, intense nose with notes of cherry candy, rosemary, dark chocolate, new leather and violets. Very sweet and fine, almost a caramelly tone to the fruit. Still very young.
The taste is big, sturdy and intense with notes of sweet cherries, chocolate, almond paste, licorice and new leather. A very long, tight finish that ends a bit foursquare. A very good wine that needs to settle for some years in the cellar.
90p   (tasted 2012/12)

2006 Dedicato a Walter, Poggio Al Tesoro
This 100% Cabernet Franc opens with a deep, warm, fine nose with notes of cherry pie, tobacco, warm herbs and a green peppar note, that is really nice. Fresh and fine.
The taste is tight and young and with a real grip. Notes of lingonberries, red cherries, tobacco, herbs and some mushroom notes. Still very young. It has a really likeable character with that green note that goes through the wine. This could turn out really fine 5-7 years down the line.
91p   (tasted 2012/12)

We ended the dinner part of the evening with an assortment of cheese and a bottle of port.
1964 Taylor´s Quinta de Vargellas
A mature, sweet, open and yummy nose with notes of raisins, nuts, chocolate cake and cloves. Upfront, sweet and good, but not that deep. Fully mature.
The taste is warm, seedy and sweet with notes of chocolate covered cherries, raisins, dry leather and figs. The finish is medium long and it ends semi sweet. This is nice to drink to end such an evening but it lacks in complexity, which many of the other vintages of de Vargellas have.
86p   (tasted 2012/12)

The evening ended with fireworks and the rest of the Gosset.

A Happy New Year to everyone!

Just Bought

Santa was a little late with one of my presents... But he is forgiven, since it was a bottle from the greatest Barolo vintage ever, :-), and from one of my favourite producers.
And one of the most beautiful labels I have seen in a long time!

 

 

Some More Christmas Bottles

I also managed to open some bottles of Chardonnay´s from all around the world during the christmas holiday.

2010 Ridge Estate Chardonnay
A cool, somewhat withdrawn but fine nose with nice notes of white peaches, cold butter, wet rocks, dry fudge and a fine smoky scent. Very good in a restrained way.
The taste is fuller, bigger and sweeter than the nose leads on, but not in a negative way. There is lots of good stuff going on here - ripe pears, summerflowers, melted butter and crushed rocks. The finish is long and have a nice grip. The 14% alcohol isn´t noticable at all.
90p   (tasted 2012/12)

2011 Baracca Chardonnay, Miani
I haven´t tasted anything from this Italian cult producer before and this Chardonnay was a stunner. The nose is so pure and elegant with the most lovely notes of white currants, cucumber, peach skin, warm grass and lots of sweet minerals. Cool and racy. This is great.
The taste is elegant, tight and young with lots of smoky yellow fruit, fresh herbs, lemon peel, white currants and some fudge aromas. The acidity is almost teeth gripping. This needs time. What a great structure this wine have!
93p   (tasted 2012/12)

2011 Felton Road Block 2 Chardonnay
An open, fruity, fine nose with notes of grilled lemons, grapefruit peel, grey pears, lemon candy and kaffir lime leaves. Very good. Still young though.
The taste is fresh, tight and juicy with lots of ripe lemons and limes with a nice acidity and notes of grey pears, grass, fennel and a nice smoky ending. Good acidity. A fresh finish. This could need a year or two in the cellar.
90p   (tasted 2012/12)

1996 Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseignères, Verget
A deep, mature, excellent wine with breed, harmony and hedonism in one glass. The nose explodes from the glass with stunning notes of lemon cream, para nuts, butter crackers, dry fudge, tarragon butter, dry honey and chalky notes. Very intense and complex. Layer upon layer of mature yellow fruit. Stunning!
The taste is as good as the nose with ripe, mature yellow fruit paired with a caramelly sweetness and fresh acidity. Lots of notes of dried summer flowers, fudge, lemon cream, pan fried nuts and crushed slate. Long, long, long finish that ends very fresh. Another winner from Verget and the 1996 vintage.
95p   (tasted 2012/12)

Some Christmas Bottles

With friends, relatives, too much food and not enough wine, there hasn´t been time to make any updates. But I have managed to open some nice bottles. Here are the red ones...so far...

2004 Barolo Bricco Viole, M. Marengo
This opens more backward than I had thought. It needed several hours in the decanter and some heavy swirling to expose a fine nose with notes of red cherries, rosehip, sweet undergrowth, tobacco and lots of rose petals. Very young and fine.
The taste is young, cool and full of extract, young frisky tannins and a fine, sweet fruit that takes the backseat day one and two, but on day three it is in full bloom. This needs another 7+ years in the cellar. Very good potential and on day three it was a really fine mouthful of young Barolo.
90p   (tasted 2012/12)

1999 Montevetrano
An almost fully mature, round nose with sweet notes of ripe black currants, bluberries, some stable notes and old leather. Round and fine but without real depth.
The taste is big, sweet and mature with lots of ripe black currant fruit intermingled with bluberry jam, leather, wet earth, tobacco ashes and a hint of wood. The finish is long, warm and gulpable. This is for drinking now and together with a bit of seared meat, this is really good.
87p   (tasted 2012/12)

2001 Montevetrano
This is another creature all together - younger, fresher, and with more character and backbone. The nose is gorgeous with notes of sweet black currants with just a tiny amount of vanilla powder over them, meat stock, expensive leather, bluberry pie and hot earth. Very deep and fine.
The taste is young, big and sturdy with notes of ripe red and black currants, leather, tobacco, pencil shavings and balsa wood. Lots of fine grained tannins that cleans the finish effectively. This has a lot to offer now and for the coming 5+ years.
93p   (tasted 2012/12)

2007 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Corbeaux, Domaine Heresztyn
This was a kind gift and I was very curious since I haven´t tasted anything from this producer. And what a wine! I just adore these spicy, light on their feet, but still penetrating kind of Pinot´s. The nose is pure hedonism, with stunning notes of almost ripe rasberries, sloe berries, asian spices and a touch of paint. A very fine warmth. Gorgeous stuff!
The taste is fresh, cool and intense with lovely notes of lingonberries, rasberries, spices, fennel and a fine earthy note. A long, fine, vivid finish that ends with a dry twist. Really, really fine. I have to look for more wines from this producer.
94p   (tasted 2012/12)

Live From Eriks Winebar - Part 2

Guessing from the previous post, one could think it was a big glass, but it is my Ipad acting up...
Next up, with a grilled steak, is a glass of another new producer for me.

2010 Mica, Buccella
This is the second wine from this producer when it comes to their Cabernet. Mostly Cabernet with some Petit Verdot and Malbec. The nose is deep, upfront and beautiful with notes of ripe black currants, black cherries, bluberries, new expensive leather, freshly grounded coffee, clotted blood (!), saw dust and a touch of asphalt.
The taste is big, powerful and seamsless with sweet, beautiful black currant fruit with some added notes of new leather, cherry jam, asphalt and dried figs. A long, fine, seedy finish. Drinking fine but need some more years in the cellar.
90p (tasted 2012/12)

Live From Eriks Winebar - Part 1

I'm here again - drinking lunch...:-) Snow and cold outside, I need something big to get warm again. First out, while waiting for the food, a glass of

2008 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay, Chateau Boswell
A new producer for me, the nose is big, warm, sweet and yummy with notes of tropical fruit, melted butter, pan fried nuts and some lovely smoky notes. Big, yes, over the top, no, no. This is very fresh in its opulent way.
The taste is tight, big, opulent and fresh, with gorgeous sweet fruit, fine acidity and a great length, which ends bone dry. Notes of lemon cream, summer flowers, dried apricots and cold butter. Very, very good.
92p (tasted 2012/12)

In Search of Brunello di Montalcino´s Soul - Chapter IX

Time again for another then-and-now Brunello comparison, this time with two vintages from Il Poggione. Funny enough the same vintages as when I tasted two bottles of  CastelGiocondo.

1994 Brunello di Montalcino, Il Poggione
A rather big, mature, deep nose with notes of red currants, tobacco, dried flowers, old leather and some paint box aromas. A lovely autumnal feeling about the nose, round, sweet and fine. Perfectly mature. Very, very good.
The taste is mature, tight and fine with notes of dried red fruits, dry chocolate, rosehips and old leather. Good structure. A fine warmth in the medium long finish. This is fully mature and drinking nicely. And with some food it was a great palate cleaner.
89p   (tasted 2012/12)

2006 Brunello di Montalcino, Il Poggione
A young, vigorous, seedy nose with notes of just picked red cherries, pine nuts, gravel and some fine floral scents. Very fresh, deep and fine. This has a great future.
The taste is young, tight and creamy with all the right parts - fresh, sweet fruit, finely tuned tannins and a refreshing acidity. Lovely notes of red cherries and currants, violets, balsa wood and a warm Tuscan gravel road. A long, pure finish with a fine warmth. Still very young, but I would love to have plenty of this in the cellar for the coming 10+ years.
92p   (tasted 2012/12)

A Bottle of Bubbly - 2004 De Saint Gall

In the midst of all the hectic christmas preparations, you really need to wind down with a glass (or two...) of bubbly.

2004 De Saint Gall Brut
This Blanc de Blancs opens very nicely on the nose, full of fresh red apples, newly baked bread, blood oranges, elder berries and hard lemon candy. Upfront and ready. Very good.
The taste is crisp, lively and rather elegant with nice notes of oranges, red apples, almond crust and dry fudge. A medium long, light, fine finish with a nice orange bitterness. This is drinking nicely now but could surely be kept for 5+ years.
88p   (tasted 2012/12)

Tasting Notes From Last Night

It became a great dinner with the closest family to highlight my 48th birthday. Nothing really to celebrate, but a nice excuse to open some bottles of wine. :-)

NV Antique Palo Cortado, Fernando de Castilla
Every time I taste a great sherry, I ask myself - "why don´t I drink this more often"? And I should! This nectar has a deep, fine, nutty nose with lots of character and notes of pan fried nuts, nougat, old leather, dried apricots, fine sherry vinegar and overripe apples. Very deep and interesting.
The taste is just profound with its silky feeling at first, and then the acidity and alcohol warmth (in a good way) kicks in and cleans the palate. Lovely notes of assorted nuts, leather, dry hay, dried fruits and lots of mushrooms. Long and persistent. This is lovely just to sip while working in the kitchen but I imagine it would create magic with a mushrooms soup. Great stuff.
93p   (tasted 2012/12)

NV Pierre Peters Cuvéee de Réserve Blanc de Blancs
I found an interesting recipe from a fellow Swedish blogger, which I thought would work with this Blanc de Blancs. And it did. The flavours from the fried cheese balls with the crisp Chardonnay fruit really made my taste buds happy. Th nose is young, fresh and crisp with notes of lemon peel, elder berries, summer flowers, gooseberries, white currants and yellow apples. Very fine.
The taste is light, creamy and really fine with notes of lemon cream, hyacinth, lime juice, milk chocolate fudge and yellow apples. A fine cleansing acidity. Still young but drinking beautifully. A bargain for 32 Euro.
90p   (tasted 2012/12)

1964 Château Petit Faurie de Souchard
A mature, round, fine nose with notes of ripe plums, dry chocolate, autumn leaves and some stable notes. A fine, sweet maturity. Not that deep though.
The taste doesn´t however follow up the fine nose. The fruit is there, and the sweetness, but there is a band aid note that lies like a coating over the rest of the taste. Too bad.
68p   (tasted 2012/12)

1964 Château Grand-Corbin-Despagne
This is a tad restrained right out of the bottle but as the night evolves this spread out like a peacock feather. A deep, fine, mature nose with sweet notes of red cherries, red currants, plums and pipe tobacco. Some burning autumn leaves in the background along with a fine chocolaty note. A really fine maturity.
The taste is medium big with fully integrated tannins and sweet, powerful fruit which leads to a long, fine finish that ends with a dry twist. Nice notes of plums, red currants, tobacco, undergrowth and some stable notes. This is drinking really nice, and I don´t have to run to the cellar and opening the remaining bottles (this had a level just below neck).
91p   (tasted 2012/12)

For the chocolate mousee we skipped port this time and went for a 15 year old Bual from Cossart Gordon, and my impressions from last year- my first post! - is still spot on.

Preparing For Dinner

There is a birthday dinner at home later tonight - so far this is on its way...

The cook need something to get things going...

Chocolate mousse with mini marshmallos - and some Port later

For starters we will have...

 

And for the main course...



Coeur the filet Provencele minus the meat and garlic butter...

Then & Now - Château Poujeaux

I had a craving for a mature Bordeaux, and why not at the same time try a new version of the same wine? Ok then, a bottle of 1975 Château Poujeaux is collected from the cellar and the 2009 is bought from the state monopoly.
But unfortunately there was no head to head match, which I had looked forward too.

1975 Château Poujeaux
Dead on arrival, the cork was dry and fell to pieces. That is not automatically a sign that the wine will be bad, but when I poured the wine I could almost feel the TCA from a distance...:-(
50p   (tasted 2012/12)

2009 Château Poujeaux
A medium sized, finely structured, young nose with notes of sweet black currants, blueberries, balsa wood, coffee, leather and a fine cigarr aroma. This has one foot firmly placed in the Bordeuax tradition and one foot is lightly treading into the more modern style. I like this.
The taste is leaner, fimer and even better than the nose with ripe red and black currants, pencil shavings, leather, fresh stables and a fine dusting of vanilla powder. A medium long, fine finish. I would guess that this will be drinking stunningly in 5-8+ years.
88p   (tasted 2012/12)

Better luck tomorrow...:-)

Keller Magic

How does he do it? Every bottle from this producer is liquefied gold, if you are a Riesling junkie like yours truly.
These two bottles were opened and enjoyed over the last two weeks. They keep forever in the fridge, and often gets better and better with time, that is if you can keep your hands of them...
Klaus Peter is, with Helmut Dönnhoff, The Wizard when it comes to Riesling.

2009 Westhofen Kirchspiel Riesling Trocken, Keller
A penetrating, deep, extrovert, lovely nose with notes of lemon curd, buttercup flowers, white pears, hay and some rubber notes. After some time in the glass notes of nutmeg and sweet minerals emerge. Very young, very deep and very, very good.
The taste is purity itself with a brilliant acidity and young, tight, sweet fruit in the shape of lemon, lime and apricots, with additional notes of freshly cut grass, summer flowers, hard lemon candy and lots and lots of minerals. The finish goes on for over a minute. So, so young, but impossible to resist at this stage.
94p (tasted 2012/11)

2008 Westhofen Kirchspiel Riesling Trocken, Keller
Even though very deep and intense on the nose, this is a bit more restrained than the 09 on the nose. But there is lots of good stuff going on here all the same - fine notes of dried apricots, grass, candied lemons and a touch of furniture polish. Deep and fine.
The taste tight, fresh and intense with lovely notes of sweet lemons, grey pears, summer flowers and masses of crushed slate. Very long and fine. A gorgeous sweet/sour/salty note in the finish. The taste is firing on all cylinders. Gorgeous stuff.
93p (tasted 2012/11)

Thank god I have more bottles of this nectar!

Live From Prime Winebar

Since I didn' t get a Nobel price this year either (the award ceremony is here in Stockholm today), I have to console myself...
And what better way is there than tasting two vintage champagnes from one of my favourite houses - Billecart-Salmon?

2004 Billecart-Salmon Brut
A young, pure, racy nose with lots of freshly baked bread, lavender, lemon peel, hyachint and newly washed clothes. Very fine. Not a blockbuster, more the elegant, feminine character. Lovely.
The taste is young, tight and fresh like a daisy with lemons in all sorts of ways - lemon peel, lemon cream and candied lemons, with additional notes of dry grass, gravel and lavender. The finish is medium long and steely dry. This needs a couple of years to unfold, and should turn out really fine.
91p (tasted 2012/12)

1998 Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois
A gorgeous, deep, intense nose with sweet, sweet notes of sugared lime juice, dried summer flowers, dark bread, some smoky notes and a lovely perfumed scent. I could spend hours with my nose in this glass, but, alas, I suppose I have taste it as well...
Aaaaaaah, this is good! Firmness, luscious, sweet fruit and a finish that goes on forever. There are notes of dark bread, dried rasberries, dried flowers, smoke and sweet minerals. The acidity is just perfect. It feels like its fully matured and perfect to drink now (and it is) but I wouldn't be surprised if it has that one extra gear to shift up too, in 5+ years time. Really stunning juice!
96p (tasted 2012/12)

In Search of Brunello di Montalcino´s Soul - Chapter VIII

Time again to do some soul searching - this time in the form of three bottles from the 1995 vintage. As you can see from the notes below I really enjoyed these bottles, and if they are representative for the 1995 vintage, I have to get more! They all have a lovely combination of structure, opulence and maturity.

1995 Brunello di Montalcino Ugolaia, Lisini
An almost ethereal, complex, lovely nose with notes of ripe cherries, violets, tea, forest floor and some sweet saw dust. Very, very deep and fine. This has a lovely mature fruit feeling combined with still a youngish structure. Just gorgeous.
The taste is tight, firm yet silky with delicious sweet cherry fruit, perfectly ripe tannins and notes of dried flowers, leather, tea and that luscious Italian gravel road note. The finish is long, steady and aristocratic. I would say that this has hit its summit, but it will stay like this for another 5+ years. Great stuff.
95p   (tasted 2012/12)

1995 Brunello di Montalcino CastelGiocondo, Marchesi dè Frescobaldi
A deep, warm, round and fine nose with notes of creamy cherry fruit, forest floor, tobacco, hard cherry candy and a touch of band-aid (in a positive way). Very, very good. On its way to full maturity, but not really there yet.
The taste is pure, tight and warm with a lovely sweet and sour cherry fruit intermingled with notes of violets, licorice, tobacco and balsa wood. This has a very nice upright structure. The finish is long, warm and ends with a nice dry twist. Drinking beautifully, and will do for the coming 6-8 years.
92p   (tasted 2012/12)

1995 Brunello di Montalcino, Valdicava
Right out of the bottle this has a big, warm, sturdy nose with deep notes of sugared black cherries, warm earth, tea leaves, dried flowers and leather. With air it becomes cooler with a lovely rosehip notes and later it reminds me of a semi mature Bordeaux. Complex and fine. Just entering its maturrity phase.
The taste is big, pure and just stunning with its splendid combination of sweet fruit and a taut structure. Notes of ripe cherries, red currants, rosehips, dried flowers. leather and a hint of coffee. The acidity cleans the mouth in a great way. The finish is long, pure and ends with some still young tannins. This should hit its prime in 3-5 years. Great wine!
94p   (tasted 2012/12)

Just Bought

One can never have to much mature Sangiovese in the cellar, as the 1997 tasting well and truly proved. This was a fine example of the 1993 vintage, as I hope these also will turn out to be.
These bottles arrived today, notes to follow soon!