Notes from a blind tasting:
2006 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay – medium oak, some good floral stuff happening in the nose, nice concentration, drinks well now.
1998 Lopes Heredia Vina Tondonia Rioja Rosado – a very interesting wine with a colour more in the orange/amber than the pink, not much fruit left, an odd oily sort of nose, and long finish. I liked this a lot. 20% Tempranillo, 60% Garnacha, 20% Viura
2001 Vieux Donjon – while this was a theme tasting, there was a communication problem. The state theme was ‘south of France’, but some took this to be ‘the south of France’. Medium red with a touch of ripeness in the nose, mellow tannins, very tasty, toasty and with good length. No rush.
1995 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet – dark wine with a straightforward sweet nose of cassis fruit and vanilla, sweet entry, cocoa on palate, medium length, medium tannins. nice.
2001 Ceuso – a Sicilian wine made from cabernet, merlot and nero d’avola.. Dark colour, sweet ripe dark fruit nose, some cocoa and thyme at the end, with dry tannins. Has time.
2002 Boekenhoutskloof Syrah – dark wine with a very nice nose of cocoa, fruit and black pepper, but also some floral notes. An impressive syrah more in the French idiom than anything else and a perfect ringer for any Northern Rhone blind tastings!
2002 Cheval des Andes – Argentinian wine made as a joint venture with Cheval Blanc, blending 60% cab sauv, 40% Malbec grown in Mendoza. Slightly ripe nose, excellent concentration on palate with lots of fruit, the nose a little warm and a tad closed right now.
1998 Cape Mentelle Zinfandel – always a tough one to guess as one doesn’t think of this varietal from down under, and at the age of this example all the easy indicators you’d detect in a younger wine have toned down. Rhonish slightly funky fruit nose, a ton of acidity in the mouth reasonable fruit levels, good length and a bit of pitch in the nose after awhile. This one should be drunk up.
1977 Warres Port - good colour, paling a little at the edges, nice nose of plum and spice, not too hot, smooth on palate, with a fair bit of soft tannin. This one seems to be coming into prime drinking territory now.