Terrific dinner prepared by Albino and Christoph, on occasion of another of our friend and Tokaj vintner Márta Wille-Baumkauff’s visits to Switzerland. Thanks so much Albino for the delicious cuisine and the great, great wines!
The four Solderas that Márta brought along were a present from winemerchant Max Gerstl, by the way, virtually full bottles opened on Saturday afternoon at the tasting we had attended the day before. Wow! Thanks so much Max!
Úri Borok (Vince Gergely) Tokaji Eszencia 2003
Thanks to Albino. Freshly uncorked to welcome Márta, Christoph and me. Precisely the same as last time of course, so jellied and thick, with acidity so hyper-aromatic, one could choke on it. Extremely concentrated, complex and deep quince jelly, minerals, pollen, green tea, dried apricot, spice notes of mace and sweet paprika, palate-coating grip, as long as one can wait to take another sip of this drug-like foodstuff. Rating: 100
Case Basse di Gianfranco Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 1999
Thanks to Max Gerstl. How happy I was to be able to taste this from the mouth-blown Riedel Bordeaux Grand Cru, and observe its evolution with airing during a couple of days (plus show it to my parents, Dani and Remo). Seemingly thicker, more glyceric and smoother from the Riedel, showing an emphasis on complex rose petals, plummier (also with damson plum), and definitely darker fruit than the “normale”. The tannic (and light appley acid) backbone seemed both more youthful and more integrated, seemingly giving the wine more attractive tension (there is a lot to be said in favour of good stemware, as well as making it a habit to always compare wine using identical stemware). Finesse note of mixed Oriental spices (Garam Masala), scorched earth, graphite dust. Lovely sweetness to the fruit. Even better with 24 hours’ airing, when I showed this to Dani, Remo and my parents. Most spicy-complex. My mother loved this, my dad finding the style surprisingly archaic Rhône Grenache-like (true, and not just due to the here only slight volatile acidity that gives additional lift to the perfumy nose). Long, complex, finesseful, most grip on the finish of these Solderas today. Nicely structured, with real depth to the tannin. The longer this sat in my glass, the more I liked it. Deserves more bottle age. Worth owning, but in the league of the 1983 Riserva, as some of us had secretly hoped, it is not. Rating: 95+?
Case Basse di Gianfranco Soldera Brunello di Montalcino 1999
Thanks to Max Gerstl. Cork-tainted, with the TCA just barely showing on the nose, the only possible explanation that it eluded the staff pouring at the tasting. Rating: N/R
Case Basse di Gianfranco Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2000
Thanks to Max Gerstl. Medium-deep brilliant raspberry-ruby-red, black hue. More cranberry-tinged strawberry, even more cleanly Burgundian red fruit character than the bottle at the tasting the day before, very nicely pure. Softer minerality, lesser complexity, and significantly less depth than the 1999. Even if this is a standout of the vintage at least in terms of personality, by Soldera’s qualitative standards this and the 1996 should perhaps not wear a Riserva label (but then, we are talking about a producer who had no qualms bottling a Riserva in 1991 and 1994, too, all very nice wines and no doubt success stories in the context of the respective vintages – even so, it is not the policy I would adopt). More cranberry-syrupy fruit character without being sweeter, an even less volatile bottle than the one at the tasting. Finesse notes of potato skin, coriander seed, ginger. Just a youthful little bitterness to the tannin. Pretty, if a bit simple for Soldera Riserva. Very little change after 24 hours, when I showed this to Dani, Remo and my parents. Rating: 91-/90
Case Basse di Gianfranco Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 1996
Thanks to Max Gerstl. More deeply coloured than the 2000, exhibiting fairly wide orange at the rim. Orangey-truffley mussels (the minerality being strangely reminiscent of an Alsatian white), a bit smokier and leafier with green but pretty tobacco than the bottle the day before. Lemony acids after 24 hours, when I showed this to Dani, Remo and my parents, white Alba truffle, half-dried herbs, a little Malaga oxidation, stronger volatile acidity than the bottle at the tasting the day before, leather polish. More drying tannin on the shorter finish. Remo does not like it at all, Dani appreciates that it is mature, even if almost devoid of fruit, and I am still wondering why this was bottled as Riserva. Rating: 90-/89-?
Gaja Langhe Sorì Tildìn 1996
Thanks to Albino. A Sorì San Lorenzo 1997 one night, then this the following – how lucky can a wine lover get? The short version is that the 1996 is less fresh, precise and stylish than the 1997 ST I last tasted in May, if not bigger then certainly more of a brute, more rustic, austere and overtly tannic, possibly ageworthier, likely less able to integrate its barrique note quite as perfectly. Altogether more 1978-like (not necessarily Gaja’s only), which is what I have always liked about the 1996 vintage. Baffling opaque garnet-black, a little garnet ruby at the rim. Smokier and tarrier than any of the 1997 Crus, albeit not necessarily due to the influence of new oak only, the fruit being note only more aromatically evolved, but more roasted, with a mocha top note and gamy animality. Hard to tell if this is really more glyceric or just meatier. Dried, jammy and coulis-like black cherry. Oven- rather than sun-dried blood orange. Huge body and concentration. Finesse notes of caper and leather. Persistent, powerful finish. Hard to tell if the 1996 is at all higher-acid, but the prominent tannin is certainly less finely grained and tougher, albeit very flavourful as well. I do not expect the finesse of the 1997 to develop here, but what a potentially complex and intense monster this is. Can use six hours of airing in the decanter if uncorked now – which cannot seriously be recommended. Even so, I am ever so grateful for the experience and would like to add that everyone loved this wine, including Márta, who had just mentioned, shortly before this was being poured, that she does not particularly like tannic Italian reds. Rating: 95+/96?
Fonseca Vintage Port 1977
There appear to be (too) many miss-stored bottles of this wine out there, so it is a privilege to be able and share a pristine one. One of Albino’s Mentzendorff & Co. Ltd. London import bottles. Full ruby-black, black-garnet hue. Sweet yet tannic and firm plum and cherry coulis, beautiful dried mushroom top note, pepper, licorice, cedar. Full body. With airing some caramelized sugar, more sugary-viscous strawberry. Faint walnut finesse note. Persistent, quite powerful finish. While I do not think the 1977 is the greatest Fonseca of all time, at its best it is a treat! Rating: 97
Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume 1996
From half bottle thanks to Albino, a wine I had not retasted since shortly after release. Still youthful, deserves (much) more bottle age, but not drinking badly at all. Full golden colour with a faint green hue. Cleanly botrytised sweaty chalk, as is typical of the minerality here, fat, oily-creamy melted butter, acacia honey, fresh quince, buttery pineapple, a red-fruity strawberry or rather raspberry top note. Sweet corn and straw, some white chocolate. Good body and alcohol. Seemingly thicker, sweeter and richer than at release. So well-balanced and potentially harmonious, this may age forever. There seems to be absolutely no medicinality to the white glue-scented and -flavoured botrytis, this seems to offer greater purity in this regard than the 1989, perhaps even the 1990. The 1996 also seems to surpass either in its quasi-tropical freshness. But such things are never easy to tell with wines that evolve as slowly as these. Rating: 95+/96?
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
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„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti