Gaja Langhe Sorì San Lorenzo 1998
Thanks to Oliver. Ruby-black, lighter at the rim. Tar and licorice, some smoky marzipan oak, but not too much. Tobacco leaf, mustard seed, soy sauce, mild white pepper and other subtle spices. Quite complex and finesseful. Lightly dry black cherry, not a fruity vintage. Quite tannic, flavourful enough (not the black-tea-like depth and finesse of the greatest vintages), but with an unfortunate little bitterness especially on the back end (camphor-like perhaps), which would not subside with airing. Much more accessible than the awesome 1997 I retasted a month earlier, not nearly as broad-shouldered and powerful, nor as dense, complex, and deep. My parents’ wine of the night. An otherwise impressive wine, I may be underestimating the 1998 because of the tannic bitterness – hard to believe it will miraculously melt away along with that tannin, but it may… Rating: 92+/93(-?)
Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins 2006
Thanks to Wolfgang. L 07.10, that is, bottled comparatively early for Célestins. Deep ruby-black, with a cherry-juice-like purple hue. Softly sweaty and animal only for Bonneau. Lovely vinosity. Meaty-subtle in quite an elegant way. Complex and deep. Perhaps best on the very long finish, tempting to say typically so of this bottling. Faint but nice metal, stronger mineral notes. Nobler tobacco with airing. A high-acid vintage and thus unusual wine for Bonneau. Nicely fruity acids, and despite them, almost surprising overall harmony at this early stage – a lovely wine from nose to finish, just hard to tell what will become of it with bottle age. Wolfgang and I prefer the 2006 to the easier-to-interpret 2004, and were glad to notice the 2006 lacks that clenching characteristic the 1999 exhibited at a similar stage in its development (and which stood in contrast to that wine’s slightly fruitless gamy-roasted ripeness). May well go through a closed phase, but more importantly, curious to see if the 2006 will tighten up with bottle age due to its high-acid character. No use decanting or airing it if tasted today, as it contains no sediment, and assumes a little too much youthful acid/tannic bitterness for comfort, even if the beautifully archaic Riserva-style nose and extremely long finish do not suffer in the least. Wolfgang’s wine of the night. Rating: 93+/94(-?)
Warre Vintage Port 2007
Thanks to Wolfgang. Deep, virtually opaque purple. Fruity-sweet, floral-violety, complex, minerally, tannic. Quite long. Wolfgang prefers the Warre to the Graham in this vintage, and indeed, perhaps it is the more interesting wine at least at this early stage in their development, but “better”? – I would not go that far. Less fruity-obvious for sure. With airing a bit hotter (on the whole less alcoholic than the Graham, even if such details are never easy to judge from memory), but no less sweet, complex and expressive. Oliver’s wine of the night. Just as good the following day. Rating: 93+/94
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
