This lunch/dinner was almost a year ago, but these tasting notes were lost along the way -
Food -
Smoked trout in bechemel and watercress sauce on toasted sourdough
Homemade rillettes de porc
Boudin noir en croute
Veal wrapped in pancetta with asparagus and mushroom sauce
Roasted beetroot, cherve and spinach salad
Braised cauliflower and spinach salad
Spinach braised in beef stock with anise
Wagyu beef steak with potatos new potatos roasted in duck fat
Roast milk feed lamb with kifler potatos
Cheese plate with Roquefort, Epoisses and others
A quince and frangipani tart
Moet Rose NV -
Quite an appealing pink-tinged copper colour. Redcurrant and strawberry with a touch of a reductive character. The palate is light and has decent acid. There is no real complexity or depth, but there probably isn't supposed to be as it would defeat the purpose of this wine.
84/100
Lanson "Gold Label" 1996 -
Green apple, minerality and citrus peel on the nose. The palate shows off the trademark crisp, acid driven style of this house - some may like it and some may dislike it, but I think that for the intended style, this is a very good wine and I think it should get better with age.
89/100
Domaine Coteau de la Biche Sec 2002 -
Grapefruit, pears and just a light honey touch to the nose. A medium bodied wine with a tinge of sweetness giving the otherwise slightly one dimensional palate a point of interest. A good wine probably sacrificed a few years before its time had come.
87/100
Coolangatta Estate Semillon 1998 -
Was an aged golden colour. Honey, toast and nutty characters on the nose. Plenty of acid and fruit weight left on the palate, with good length - but didn't really have near the complexity that I saw in a previous bottle of this wine.
87/100
Laroche "Fourchaumes" 1er Chablis 2002 -
Mineral, citrus, seashells and floral scents. Striking purity and elegance with seamless balance on the palate resulting in a wine that is incredibly delicious to drink.
89/100
Craggy Range Les Beaux Cailloux 2001 -
A very nutty nose with toasty, caramel oak and some interesting wild, funky complexity. The palate shows the same caramel oak coming in over the top of any fruit - but there is lots of intensity here, it is a wine that intends to take no prisoners. An interesting contrast to the pure, focused Laroche that came before it. I thought the Laroche a better wine, but I liked aspects of this as well.
87/100
Tyrrells Vat 6 pinot 1991 -
Corked.
NR/100
Rockford Basket Press 1996 -
Meat and licorice on the nose. Palate has some sharp edges. Developed some oxidative notes after a short while. Probably a faulty bottle, others I've had have been much better.
NR/100
Joseph Drouhin Bourgogne Rouge 2003 -
Something wrong here - Very weedy, funky and harsh. Declared a faulty bottle. 60 odd points if that is how it is meant to taste.
NR/100
Pegau Reservee 2003 -
Cherry, garrigue/undergrowth, violet, five spice and white pepper. Palate shows off very deeply-set ripe fruit and has good length, also seems to hold its high alcohol content well. Much better than the last bottle (77 points), but still not up to the level that others have seen in it.
90/100
Pegau Cuvee Da Capo 2003 -
Concentrated and intense nose of earth, white pepper, bramble and cherry. The palate is also incredibly concentrated and layered with flavour that coats all corners of your mouth. Finishes warm and brilliantly long. I really wonder how this will age, but it is certainly something I hope to find out!
93/100
Vega Sicilia Valbuena 5 anos 1992 -
Sadly, it was swampy, vegetative and heading into oxidised territory. Palate had fairly harsh acid and was stripped of fruit. From the same batch as a bottle the owner had a few months ago that was excellent. This cork was soaked through. Damned cork variation.
NR/100
Sassicaia 2002 -
Cedar, milk chocolate, briar and redcurrants. Palate shows lovely balance, elegant and restrained savoury flavours. A lovely, stylish wine, but I think it is going to be best drunk early probably best over the next 5 years.
93/100
Standish "The Standish" 2001 -
I have tasted two bottles of this in a couple of weeks, and if they were representative, hopefully they will be the last two I taste. Iodine, brine, ink and raspberry nose. Palate is angular and struggling for focus.
82/100
Standish "The Relic" 2002 -
Floral and fragrant nose that also gives off apricot, blackberry and liquorice. The palate is soft and sweet, despite the fruit intensity it is easy to drink - just lacking the depth to be better than very good.
89/100
Noon Reserve Shiraz 2004 -
Tar, liquorice, chocolate and tobacco. Powerful, cheek punching flavour. Less obviously alcoholic and porty than the last bottle, but still didn't bring me any enjoyment.
86/100
Noon Reserve Cabernet 1999 -
Tobacco and ash aromas on the nose. The palate has strong intensity of flavour that was close to overwhelming the other characters of the wine. Drinking close to its peak I thought.
87/100
Star Lane Shiraz 2002 -
The nose shows tobacco, ash, wet earth and tomato leaf. The palate is one dimensional and couldn't be more awkward, balance and flow were practically non-existent. Had this twice and neither have been good which is a shame as I really liked their Merlot from this vintage.
80/100
Battely Shiraz 2002 -
Pepper, boot polish, apricot and tar. Palate seems disjointed and somewhat hot. Disappointing considering the excellent reviews from others.
82/100
Whistling Eagle Eagle's Blood 2004 -
A bold nose of chocolate, earth, blackcurrant and oak. Some alcoholic warmth to the palate, but if you don't mind that then the texture and length are very good. A nice wine, but I preferred the 2002 that I had a week earlier more.
88/100
Kalleske Greenock Shiraz 2004 -
Chocolate, graphite, blueberry and fragrant floral aromas. Palate is tightly wound, but shows obvious class. Balanced and long. Should be really singing around 2009 or so.
90/100
Rockford Home Block Cabernet 1999 magnum -
Rose petals, tobacco, blackberry and cassis. Medium bodied, showing restraint and flowing across the palate beautifully. A super wine for drinking right now and over the next 3-4 years.
90/100
Wilson Hippocrene 1996 -
The nose is entirely barnyardy, bandaidy and meaty. The palate is metallic, bitter and finishes very short. Genuinely dreadful. I see this in a shop from time to time and the memory of the taste of this causes me a great deal of pain on each occasion.
62/100
Neudorf Moutere Pinot Noir 2003 -
Stemmy, dark cherry and coconutty nose. The palate is plush with some spice and stem characters providing some points of interest. Tannin structure is good and this could develop well over 4-5 years.
87/100
Houghton Gladstone Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 -
Ash, briary characters, blackcurrant and blackberry nose. The balance of the palate is a standout feature. A very classy and enjoyable wine that I would like to see how it has progressed in another 5 years time.
91/100
Wendouree Shiraz 2003 -
Raspberry, lots of red cherry, spearmint and wafts of floral characters. Very approachable on the palate, nothing aggressive or out of place as winery reputation may have led me to expect. Excellent depth of fruit across the very good length of the palate. Already showing some texture and complexity. Very good now, but should also improve over the next 10 years.
91/100
Villa Maria Botrytis Selection 2003 -
Intense nose with toffee, honey and botrytis. Palate is slightly overly sweet, with a long finish. Drink now as I don't think it has the structure or acid to age.
87/100
Cascinetta Vietti Moscato d’asti 2005 -
Very lightly fizzy. Fresh aromas of grapes and flowers. The palate is light and slightly sweet but still doesn't really have the acid to bring the palate flavours into focus. Enjoyable for what it was anyway.
86/100
McWilliams Botrytis 2004 -
Corked.
NR/100
Seppelt Tawny Para "Port" 1983 -
Layered complexity on the nose with aromas of fruitcake, peaty spirits, ground coffee and raisins along with a slightly elusive rancio character. A rich and intense nutty palate with loads of depth and complexity. Superb length.
93/100
Valdespino Jerez Olorosso (Solera 1842)-
Rancid, cooked nose. Palate is all alcoholic heat. Horrible.
NR/100
Louis Roederer Cristal 1999 -
Not a half-bad way to finish the day, thanks Adam! An intriguing nose that draws you into the wine with forest floor, strawberry, toast and apples. The palate is elegant and there is a balanced vein of acidity along the length of the wine into a long finish, but it left me with a feeling that there was something missing in terms of intensity and depth of flavour. Perhaps it just needs more time but my first taste of Cristal didn't really live up to its lofty reputation.
91/100