Quite a lot of wines opened by/with friends/family last week or so, but as I can't drink much these days I only got to try a smidge of each, resulting in very vibish comments below as a result.
Marc Bredif Vouvray 1985 - standard offering - amazingly fresh, full of crisp waxy apples, acacia and honey, some sulphur that blew off, fantastically intact with just wonderful acid cut and great length. Will live for many years. 92
Leo Buring Special Release Eden Valley Riesling 1998 - at the peak of its powers, glorious bouquet and palate but needs to drunk over the next year. Lots of toast and honey over a core of developed limey fruit 90
Domaine Germain Beaune 1er cru "Les Cras" 1996 - opened with beautiful bright sweet cherry fruit, clean as a whistle, svelte and soft but a little simple. Transformed with some air into a sappy, slightly green, fruitless wine with lots of structure and not a lot of charm. 85
Chateau Cantemerle 1966 - mid-high shoulder but very well cellared. Cork split into several pieces on extraction but did not disintergrate. Solid colour, still quite deep with some dark red remaining in the core. Horrible pongy/barnyardy nose that only relented with a good airing, improving dramatically and revealing lovely earthy/cedar/plum/herby characters. Palate full of red plum and leathery fruit, smooth as, melted tannins, seamless, long. Terrific enjoyment had by all six people drinking this over dinner. A real treat! 92
Chateau Climens 1979 - not a great year for Sauternes but this wonderful Barsac looked absolutely spot on, served immediately after the '66 Cantemerle. The others enjoyed this with their desserts. The Climens was my dessert! Very much alive but mature and great to smell and drink. The colour was superb - light bright gold! The wine still tight but elegant and beautifully poised. Great line, length and balance. Wonderful fruit/oak/acid balance. No hurry to drink. 93
Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile Riesling 1997 - great level, infantile colour but opened very weird indeed! Pine needles and strange herby/lavendar characters. Could not work out what was going on here - PITM the palate was spiky, acid rich and quite tart, devoid of the unctious fruit I remember in the last bottle I opened. 78 points Couldn't ditch this, so into the fridge and next day this bottle does the big 180 and looks tight but with crisp minerally/lean citruss fruit/nice balance, good length .... but not better than very good to excellent - 89
Lindemans Limestone Ridge Shiraz Cabernet 1991 - In my book, probably one of the best ever Limestone's. Looks horribly good, nearing maturity but still fresh and virile. Bucketloads of plummy/curranty fruit that handles the cedary/vanillin/dill-infused American oak with aplomb. Lovely smooth palate - vibrant but wonderfully meshed with a refreshing acidty and very fine-grained meshed tannins. Excellent length. Drink over the next five years. Top Aussie red. 92