Short notes from a tasting from Southern Rhone style wines.
Truchard Rousanne 2002 - Yellowish color. Very dry but smooth. Hot. Heavy. Long, bitter finish. Others liked it. I didn't
Domaine Richaud Cairanne Cotes du Rhone Villages 1998 - Herby, peppery, smooth, earth. Subdued fruit. Very dry. Finishes long. Still OK but needs drinking up. Better with food.
Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape 2001 - Herby. Still tannic. Good amount of fruit. New worldy. Will more time improve this? Good wine but not exciting or distinctive. Boring.
Pierre Usseglio Chateauneuf du Pape 2003 - Full bodied. Lots of fruit. Complete; with excellent balance of all components. Drinking very well now. My favorite wine of the tasting.
Les Jamelles Grenache Syrah Vin de Pay d'Oc 2003 - Sweet, strawberry fruit. Some coffee. Very New World in style. Nothing complicated but a good quaffer.
Rosemount GSM 2000 - Very spicy. Full bodied. Long finish. Fat. Over the top style. Oaky. Not my type.
Rosemount GSM 2001 - Like the 2000 but more so! Sweeter and smoother than the 2000. Again, not for me.
Yalumba Hand Picked M/G/S (Mourvedre / Grenache / Syrah) 2003 - Cherry brandy nose. Coffee. Oak. Tannic. Lots of fruit. Sweet but has good acidity to balance it. Has good potential to improve. It would be interesting to try this again after 3 years.
Kilikanoon Medley 2002 - GSM blend. Spicy, very oaky. Chocolate flavors and finish. Good to drink now. Enjoyable enough.
Portal Fine Tawny Port - Not too sweet. Rather simple. Dry, nutty finish. OK.
Morris Old Premium Liqueur Muscat - Dark, green-brown color. Explosive flavors of prunes, raisins, figs, coffee, caramel etc etc. Extremely thick. Someone said brake fluid like consistency. Impossibly long finish. Excellent stuff!
Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d'Or Champagne 1992 - I got this from the bargain bin at one of the shops here having a sale at less than $ 30.00 so I thought it was worth the gamble. Still rather pale. Bready nose. Fine bubbles although they faded quickly. Medium bodied, Lemony, lemon rind flavors dominant. It won't get any better but is drinking OK now. Probably won't last much longer, though.
