Blind tasting notes
2009 Descombes Beaujolais Brouilly – a disappointment after tasting another of this producers wines recently. Purple wine with basically no nose to speak of no fruit and a ton of acidity.
2005 Doudet Naudin Savigny les Beaunes Les Guettes – medium red, nice nose of red fruit, pleasant but no more.
1986 Nederburg Auction Bin R163 Cabernet – this Cape wine offered much pleasure. Mature with good colour and pale edges, it had vanilla spice nose, very soft tannin and good acidity, with decent fruit and length, and sour cherry in the finish.
1999 Stellenzicht Estate Wine – sweet woody nose, medium dark, sweet mature fruit on palate and good length. Showing well now.
2002 De Waal Top of the Hill – I am not a fan of Pinotage and recently found myself relating the increase in that varietal to my increasing dislike of the Beyerskloof Synergy, but this was one of the all too rare good ones! Medium colour, with a mellow vanilla cabernet sort of nose with black fruit, not a trace of the animal notes often detected in this varietal, and not a hint of bitterness (also sometimes seen with pinotage) just good balance, length and quality. Wish we got this here!
1994 Ch. St. Jean Cinq Cepages – this Bordeaux blend was at the top of its form. Good colour, sweet entry, smooth and long, lacking just that extra bit of stuffing to be really good.
2000 Torres Manso de Velasco – this Chilean cabernet had a meaty leathery nose, big legs, good acid and soft tannin, but needs time. A noted green pepper component in the nose.
1998 Ch. La Pointe Pomerol – light colour, a hint of spice in the nose, but otherwise a simple short wine, no more than pleasant.
2003 Hogue Reserve Cabernet – big dark wine with a sweet toasty oak and currant nose, big mouth presence and slightly hot finish. Not bad.
1983 Clos Haut Peyraguay – showing a lot of amber, sweet candied orange on palate, lacked much in the nose. Haven’t had this Sauternes before. Won’t lose sleep over not having it in future.