La Fiorita Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2004
Thanks to Oliver. Served blind, we remarked on the quasi-French elegance and wine-making style, but felt it must be some exceptional Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Instead, it was the stylistically most attractive Brunello we have had in a long time. Purple-ruby colour. Elegant and floral, clean and pure. Nobly and tenderly fruity rather than impressing with power. Soft earth and minerals, touch of graphite. Sappy, mouth-watering. Some lightly spicy oak. Initially a faint dustiness and dryness to the tannin, which opened up very nice subtlety with airing. Quite ripe, nice and lively acidity. Quite long on the finesseful finish. Extremely well integrated 14% alcohol (unnoticeable). This is all tenderness and grace, and yet, it must be very well concentrated, or else harmony on this level is unthinkable. What gave us perhaps most food for thought is that finally, we utterly loved a wine that stylistically is undeniably modern – albeit in a sense that few modern wines are. Rating: 91+/92(+?)
Pape Clément Pessac-Léognan 2003
Thanks to Oliver. Plummy, virtually opaque ruby. Nutty-oaky. Some coffee and cocoa dust. Oliver finds this quite roasted and oaky. Tiny mintiness to some surmaturité. Fairly meaty. Lightly warming alcohol. Soft forest floor and faint brick clay minerality. Oak-induced tannin that in my opinion stands no chance of ever revealing more finesse and subtlety. Fairly long. Earthier with airing, showcasing a strong dried tomato note accented by some faint eucalyptus. Later definitely a bit smokier, too. Also, I would not be surprised if this developed a soft leather note with bottle age. Improved with 12 hours’ airing: very oaky indeed, but smoother and more harmonious, and with greater transparency (almost some “freshness”) to the no doubt slightly overripe fruit. Rating: 89+/90?
Graham's Vintage Port Malvedos 1987
Another perfectly stored half bottle from the same case. Cork looked perfect again. Same healthy, full ruby-black colour, soft watery amber at the rim. Sweeter than the bottle I had opened the day before, not volatile at all, more fruit density to the cedar cigar box top note, so to speak, plummier, a bit longer perhaps, portraying more of that lovely sugary viscosity of mature Port. Rating: ~90
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