Lunch notes:
2000 Tyrells Vat 47 Chardonnay – a very European style with a slightly waxy citrus nose, lovely balance nice feel and good length
2004 Pieropan La Rocca Soave – a real stumper as to origin. Tropical mango nose , lower acid than the previous wine, sweeter than I’d expect but very good. No one guessed Garganega….
2002 Thibault Liger-Belair Vone Romanee Aux Reas – nice clear cherry nose with just a hint of pepper, showing mellow and mature, silky feel, very nice. We were guessing vintages up to a decade earlier.
2001 Rostaing Cote Rotie Cote Blonde – some nice syrah elements in the nose, and some cassis and cherry, but no violet or floral content that I could pick up. Slightly sweet entry, with a forward mellow presentation and soft tannins. Very good wine.
1997 Condado de Haza – I opined that this wine couldn’t be Condado (after we pegged it as Spanish) because it seemed too good. Having been put off by the antics of this producer in regard to this wine – a couple of good initial vintages and then it went to heck - dilute and uninteresting – I had avoided it ever since. Mistake if this is typical as it was showing big sweet American oak, and sweet in the mouth, medium long.
1999 Monasterio Ribera del Duero – warm fruit nose, excellent concentration, full and slightly sweet in the mouth. Very good. 70% Tempranillo, 15% CS 15% merlot
1996 Miguel Merino Rioja Gran Reserva – I had never heard of this producer. Another big sweet American ok nose told us we hadn’t moved far. Dark, medium to big frame
with lots of fruit and vanilla and decent length.
1998 Great Wall Cabernet, Area B – no idea where area B may be, nor did we have any idea that this wine could conceivably be made in China! Clarety mint nose, medium with wine, not too bad, although a tad dilute near the end. If someone told me this was North American I’d have believed them.
1994 Peterson Bradford Mountain Zinfandel – another of my experiments in aged Zinfandel – usually either interesting or disaster, depending what the wine retains after the first blush of fruit in youth is gone. This particular Zin was a monster when young and I wanted to see how it would age. This Dry Creek wine has mellowed considerably, but was initially a bit disappointing in the nose which showed some varnish character which did blow off. It was highly concentrated, slightly hot and had enough tannins left to indicate what it had once been. I dare say it is much better now than it was when released. I like some of these older Zins.
1989 Pichon Baron – this had bombed for the person that brought it on a previous occasion but it shone this time. We were guessing up into the 90s for vintage as it was showing very youthful. Great cabernet nose with a hint of green, big body, smooth and soft tannin, with long finish. Now heading into p[rime time but will last a very long time.
