Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 1996 c.90€
The nose was sulphur. That's it. If I tried really hard, there were some nice, bright lemony notes to it also, but the sulphur dominated everything. The palate was astonishingly lovely, however. There was much bright and citrussy fruit, lovely, high and balanced acidity and a fresh and mineral and interminable aftertaste. Just for the taste alone I would buy a million bottles - a pity I don't have the cash for even one, lol!!
Bollinger Grande Année 1999 c.110€
This was a much softer style than the previous. The fruit was grassy (anyone else find this a signature of Bolly?), very ripe - almost tropical -, floral. The palate was very ripe and fruity, the mousse wasn't as elegant as with the Taittinger. There was a strange, almost caramelly note to the aftertaste. Ok acidity, but very forward for such a young wine.
Jadot Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru 2002 45,20€
Greenish tint - very youthful. The nose has some bitter oak, limpid fruit. The palate is weighty, oily, has good grip but the acidity is lower than I hoped. Decent.
Jadot Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2002 155,20€
The nose was a bit closed: there was some oak of the sort that doesn't bother me and that I guess should integrate well with time (= low toast, not all of it new? - I don't know, I'm still trying to figure out all the oaky mess that there is). Whatever the deal with the oak, it didn't bother with the purity of the ripe fruit. The palate was astonishingly delineated: it was seamless, intense and long. The acidty was pleasantly high as were the bitter flavours, yet the fruit was of sublime purity and the oak didn't interfere. If this was a 100€ cheaper, I'd buy a couple cases of it. I don't often fall in love with white burgs apart from some Chablis and Bonneau du Martray, but I'll admit to having a bit of a soft spot in my heart for this.
Then we had a few recent arrivals half-blind with one fully blind joker inserted:
Joker: Réserve de la Comtesse 2003 34,40€ 13%
I rock! Not often, but twice in a life time apparently!
I guessed that this was the joker and I guessed the wine! Ok, ok, it was easy since I had tasted a set of 2003 Bx last week and I know what the recent arrivals of 2003 Bx was at Alko. This was typical 2003 Bx: roasted, confected, dark toned fruit, freakish, with the tell tale sign of Cab F-like freshness to it that I have always got (and always loved) with Lalande. The palate was soft on the attack, acidless and over-fruity on mid-palate, harsh on the aftertaste. A shame as I tend to love both Lalande and their second wine. But this belongs in the freak category of the 2003s.
Castello di Fonterutoli Siepi 2003 47,60€ 14%
A very tarry nose that made me think of Grange (and that was what I guessed), almost liquorous sweetness but not alcoholic, some loamy scents like in old style Brunello. The palate was massively concentrated, charred, had fair acidity and was much too alcoholic at 14%.
Antinori Tignanello 2003 47,90€ 13,5%
This was the positive surprise of the evening. The nose was red toned, open and sweet and a bit raisiny, but also earthy, typically Sangiovese with a lovely, savoury peach-like scent. The palate had a soft entry, was very sweet, had ok freshness and acidity, but the alcohol on the finish was a touch high. A very fair effort in this difficult vintage anyway. Considering how many times Tig has positively surprised me, I should try some more: maybe arrange a tasting of it.
Penfold's Grange 2001 ?€ 14,5%
Served half-blind, I was sure this was the Yalumba Hand Picked Shiraz Viognier because there was a peachy note to the Shirazy fruit. The palate was juicy and simple. With much time, it became blueberry-like and confected. The acidity was fairly high, the fruity very ripe, the alcohol was a bit too much. Very good if you like the style, but frankly a disappointment for the pedigree.
Yalumba Hand Picked Shiraz Viognier 2004 24,50€ 14,5%
Very sweet, open and fruity nose - rather confected, but if that's the style you like, this is a superb bargain. Sweet palate, with admirable depth, fine structure, too much alcohol. But once again: if you like the full-bodied, sweetly fruity style, this is one heck of a bargain!
Niepoort Redoma 2003 30€ 13,5%
A rather closed nose, concentrated, slightly herbal, red toned and oaky yet with some lovely savoury, earhty, "old worldly" notes. The palate was full bodied, much too alcoholic, yet with otherwise nice berry-like fruit. I think it could be a very lovable wine with less oak and alcohol.
Zuccardi Zeta 2002 28,90e 14%
A blend of Malbec and Tempranillo. The nose is loamy and sweetly berry-like, red toned - very nice if it wasn't so dashed full. The palate was also too full bodied and sweet, harshly alcoholic on the finish, and the aftertaste drops from a cliff. Some very lovable elements, yet the whole just does not please.
Beaucastel 2003 65,30€ 13,5%
Sweet, open, red berried, toffeed, a bit confected but not as badly as on my last taste of it ½ a year ago. The palate is sweet and has some nice savoury elements but is short on structure. This isn't at all as bad as I wrote on my last tasting. If it continues developing in this fashion, it might even turn out to be a fair wine, but I doubt it will ever be a 2001. Not the freak I thought it was! Fair, maybe even good. Time will tell.
Then we had an open dessert:
Weinbach Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Furstentum Cuvée Laurence 2003 13,5% 50,30€
A surprisingly restrained nose for the year: all the typical Gew notes of rose water, lychee, flowers. The palate is fairly sweet, full bodied, very concentrated, has fair acidity for considering what the variety and the grape are, but the alcohol is much too noticable.
-O-