Ventured down below the border to visit chez Stone and view all the wondrous renos I have been hearing about for many months. The house is in great shape now!
1998 Henriot Champagne Rose – a favourite house for me, and a young bubbly with lovely colour, but still fairly primary in terms of development – needs time.
1995 Seppelts Great Western Sparkling Shiraz – this has held up very well, showing a sweet nose, dark colour and much less sweetness on palate. I thought that it faded a bit with time in the glass, so drink up.
1999 Jakoby-Methy Kinheimer Rosenberg Kabinett – pale wine with a big diesel nose with some lemon lime, slightly low acid, pleasant and mature.
2007 Groth Napa Chardonnay – I haven’t had this chard for several years. Not an over the top style, more a limit pusher as far as oak etc. Good toast, and an interesting aroma of peanuts in the nose! Smooth and with decent length.
2001 Tardieu Laurent Cornas – I approached this with trepidation having tasted/endured many TD wines and endlessly waited for them to shed tannins and oaken aromas and come into focus. This one was decent though, with medium fruit, slight astringency at the end. A decent but not exceptional Cornas.
2005 Pierre Bise Quarts de Chaume – for me, undoubtedly the wine of the night. Just a lovely showing with a nose of bright apricot and pineapple, fairly sweet in the mouth but with excellent acid levels so very good balance, long with botrytis showing up more in the lengthy finish. Excellent wine.
Great meal, Thanks J!