Valdeorras - Louro do Bolo - Godello lias finas - 2010 – Rafael Palacios – Alc.13.5% 2011 (€15), from Godello 92%, Treixadura 8% and used barrel aged for 6 months, is a discreetly rich and round Chardonnay substitute with creamy white fruit, a caressing texture, attractive minerality, good acidity and backbone. Each bottle seems more complex and appealing than the previous but, alas, this was my last; 16/20+++.
My affectionate respect for Godello from Valdeorras continues to increase but I still have no real fix on its ageing potential, some 5 years with positive evolution being the most which I have seen.
Touraine Gamay 2011 – Domaine de la Charmoise, Henry Marionnet – Alc.12% - (<€6). In November last year I wrote the following about the 2010 version of this entry level cuvée. It was fruity and delicious with medium body, lively tangy acidity, hints of spice and good grip; 15.5/20+++ QPR!!! I will be buying more.
The same applies to the 2011 with perhaps slightly less roundness of body and slightly grittier minerals at this stage; 15.5/20+ QPR!!!
Coteaux du Languedoc Les Cailloutis 1995 – Mas Jullien – Alc.13.5%, made from Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. I thought that I had finished my Mas Jullien 95s several years ago but I discovered this bottle at the bottom of a pile when searching for something else. Unlike the superb 1989 at a similar age it was distinctly over the hill though still quite enjoyable to drink. Brown tints were obvious on pouring and at the rim in the glass. The wine remains medium bodied and harmoniously shaped but the gently sweet fruit has acquired hints of stewed prunes, whilst liquorice and anise notes together with a drying touch marked the finish. I recall earlier bottles as distinctly more subtle as well as more vigorous; 15/20 and going down.