2015 Les Quéradières Côtes du Rhône Villages Sablet - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Sablet (8/9/2016)
This continues to be a very satisfying, fruity, spicy and good QPR Rhône Villages.
2014 Branger Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Grande Réserve Grand Fief - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine (8/11/2016)
Excellent last night with oysters and good with mussels and cockles. I have a private note indicating that another bottle became excessively acidic with lobster, so very much pairing sensitive.
2005 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Le Haut-Lieu - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (8/13/2016)
Lovely Vouvray. Paler colour than much 10+ year old dry. Expressive nose full of pineapple, quince, wax and minerals. Medium+ bodied palate with a hint of sweetness perfectly balanced by lively mouth-watering acidity, fine white fruit, silky texture, good underlying "gras" and replay of the aromas from the nose culminating in a decently long finish. With a touch more nervous tension and backbone, this would be perfect.
2014 Château de Fesles Anjou "La Chapelle" Vieilles Vignes - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Anjou (8/15/2016)
This responded well to a couple of degrees above cellar temperature revealing more amplitude on its medium body as well as attractive fresh red fruit impregnated with a small amount of typically Loire noble greenness and hints of bell pepper without quite the finesse of Chinon and Saumur-Champigny or its white stable mate.
2012 Château de Pennautier Cabardès Terroirs d'Altitude - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Cabardès (8/19/2016)
A sturdy medium/full bodied and dark coloured red made from a blend of Bordeaux and Languedoc grapes at the watershed between Atlantic and Mediterranean river systems. There was a lot of brambly dark fruit, polished texture with a slightly ointment like overlay, some minerals, decent acidity and a firm tangy tannic backbone. Should be capable of medium term ageing and hopefully of shedding those ointment notes. I paid c.€12 at a caviste but it is available elsewhere at <€10, at which price point it would be quite good value.
2014 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC (8/21/2016)
Tasting the Terre Nere range about 7/8 years ago was a revelation; I did not realise that Sicily was capable of producing wines of such elegance and harmony. I described this quality in a TN as quasi-Burgundian, which I have subsequently discovered to be an unoriginal comment. This young bottle of the entry level cuvée was in the same mould. The nose was the most Burgundian feature here with some elegant savoury cherry tinged fruit aromas seasoned with a little spice of a sort unusual on the Côte d'Or. On the medium+ bodied and already quite velvety palate, the spice elements became more prominent together with earthy minerals and fresh acidity leading to a quite long finish supported by firm tannins. The whole was harmonious and already drinking well with a fine rare steak but I feel that a few more years could be bring out more integration and complexity. Very good.
1997 Domaine Tempier Bandol Cuvée Spéciale Cabassaou - France, Provence, Bandol (8/24/2016)
This is a outstanding Bandol which demonstrates my contention that it can be one of the world's great wines. Really singing, medium+ bodied with seamless harmony integrating rose infused mature fruit, hints of tar and leather, tangy acidity and a still firm finish. Even better than my last bottle of Tourtine '97. Excellent.
2001 Azienda Bricco Asili (Ceretto) Barbaresco Bricco Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco (8/24/2016)
This followed an outstanding Bandol Cabassou and suffered initally from being more reserved, even a bit closed. With air and rapid warming in a torrid temperature, it opening up and showed medium body, linear shape, elegant raspberry tinged fruit with underlying warmth and "gras", minerals and moreish acidity. Three out of four voted for the Bandol with the fourth finding the Barbaresco more classy and elegant. Very good.
1997 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG (8/26/2016)
My three bottles have been variable. The previous, a year ago was somewhat dumb, but this bottle is perhaps even better than the one two years ago but I repeat the then TN. Colour showed little sign of age. The nose was rich and complex with notes of red and dry fruit, minerals and some leather, yet fresh. The palate was medium/full with good depth and fruit sweeter than often but still with plenty of tangy mouth-watering acidity and a good long finish supported by ripe resolved tannins. Very good.
1995 Casisano-Colombaio Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino (8/26/2016)
Served after the Rancia '97, this was very different. It was marked by rich malty English fruit cake flavours which, for me, seemed to carry notes of incipient oxidation. It divided opinion round the table. One other and I myself preferred the greater purity of the Rancia but the two others liked the depth and dark complexity of this one. Good in its way.
2015 Domaine Filliatreau Saumur Blanc (Linnea) - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur (8/27/2016)
Drunk with seafood at the Mermoz restaurant at Villers-sur-Mer. Refreshing showing citrus and other white fruit, a hint of RS (I guess c.3g/l so no clash with oysters), mouth-watering acidity and some underlying gras. Very nice.
2013 Domaine de Torraccia Vin de Corse Porto Vecchio Christian Imbert & fils, Lecci, 20137 Porto-Vecc - France, Corsica, Vin de Corse Porto Vecchio (8/28/2016)
This is an unusual wine which requires some adjustment in expectations. Medium+plus bodied and quite mouth filling and long, it shows more spice than fruit, which is of a dark complexion, but there is some tangy acidity with earthy minerals which livens it up. It is Mediterranean in character, but not the gracious Med of, say, Ravello, but more the harsh Med of Calabria. I have another bottle to confirm whether I really like this style but definitely an interesting wine of character.
2008 Château Simone Palette Blanc - France, Provence, Palette (8/29/2016)
Not quite so good as my memory and notes of the 2005 but maybe it will get there. The breed and suave fruit and texture were there but the wax, discreet exotic fruit and acacia and minerals were less evident. Good length, smooth acidity and some backbone are present. Very good
1990 Château Haut-Bailly - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (8/30/2016)
I had a dozen of this wine and they took a long time to come round but the previous in 2012 was really excellent. However, this bottle was more evolved both in colour and aroma than I was expecting. There was a distinct brown tint during pour and the aromas had a metallic edge, particularly on the nose. The palate was medium plus bodied with attractive mature but fading fruit, lots of forest floor and other secondary aromas, 1990 generosity and graciousness and good length with resolved tannins. Are all bottles now heading downhill in this way or was it just this one (still good level but beginning to leak)? I have two left and won't hang around before opening another. Still classy and good, though.
2005 René Noël Legrand Saumur-Champigny Les Rogelins - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny (8/30/2016)
When I visited the estate in 2008, I found this wine difficult to taste because of harsh dry caramel notes on the finish from new oak barrels. However, such was my confidence in the ageing ability of most of Legrand's cuvées that I bought some and, having waited till 11 years from the vintage, my confidence has been proved justified. Colour was a deep vigorous red; the nose was still a bit shy but showed polished complexity of ripe CabFranc fruit, earthy minerals and faint leather. The medium/full bodied palate developed the aromas from the nose with good depth of fine fruit, generosity from the warm vintage, fresh acidity and still firm tannins supporting the decently long finish. The once obtrusive oak was now no more than a well integrated patina. I feel that there is more development potential here. It batted in the same league of class as the preceding elderly Haut-Bailly with naturally a lot more vigour and some of us preferred it. Very good.
2010 Domaine Treloar Motus - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon (9/1/2016)
When I tasted this wine in the grower's presence in its third year, evidence of its oak ageing on the nose and finish was very clear but such was the wine's rich youthful substance that it didn't trouble me and I was confident that it would integrate with time. Three years on oak traces in the form of bitter caramel touches on the finish are still more marked than ideal for me but were not enough to spoil the concentrated, deep and complex palate showing velvety texture, rich brambly fruit, leather, spice and pepper with enough balancing acidity and firm tannic structure supporting a decently long finish. The last glass was the best indicating that decanting might have been beneficial. I have one bottle left and I will give it a couple more years to see if the wood traces will completely integrate. Very good.
2012 Château Courac Côtes du Rhône Empreinte - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône (9/2/2016)
This is a very pretty entry level S.Rhône. Medium body with lots of sweet cherry tinged fruit, spice, decent acidity and grip on the finish. Good+wine and great QPR c.€5-6.
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