WTN: Assorted stuff from last week

Very short notes from last Friday afternoon at Jojo's shop.

Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio 2008 - Pleasant but not really interesting.

Bahans Haut Brion 1995 - Beefy nose. Graphite. Fully mature and very dry. OK but nothing great. Probably would have made a better impression if we had a steak with it.

Chateau Pontet Canet 2005 - Ripe, heavy and rich. Surprisingly approachable, though. Quite modern. Best to leave alone for at least another 5 years to develop more complexity as it's pretty primary at this stage.

John Duval Sequel Syrah 2005 - From Columbia Valley, Washington. Coffee and oak. Rich and soft. The acidity seems somehow out of joint with the wine. Not really my type.

Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel 2006 - Very strong chocolate on the nose. Some cherry. Avoids the stinkiness of the 2005. Good wine but the previous vintage had more character.

Chateau Pontet Canet 2005 - Ripe, heavy and rich. Surprisingly approachable, though. Quite modern. Best to leave alone for at least another 5 years to develop more complexity as it's pretty primary at this stage.

The 2005 Pontet Canet was very good when I tasted during a 2005 release horizontal a few years ago. It was tight then, as most of the other 2005s, and I figured that these 2005's may take a lot more time than usual to come around. I didn't expect this wine to be approachable so soon.