2005 Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Sec - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (10/10/2015)
Lovely Vouvray. Colour medium gold. Nose slightly reticent but expressive with white fruit, wax and minerals. The medium bodied palate was not bone dry (I guess 5g/l+ RS) but beautifully focussed and long with integrated notes of white fruit, minerals, fresh acidity, rounder undertow than in many vintages and good backbone. If the (prem)ox bullet can continue to be avoided, there should be greater complexity down the road. Superb pairing with barbue in a beurre blanc sauce and Selles-sur-Cher goat cheese. Very good.
2012 Louis Jadot Morgon Château des Jacques - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon (10/11/2015)
This was the first bottle of Beaujolais from the Jadot stable which I have owned. At tastings I have found them good wines but too Burgundian and serious for what I want from Beaujolais. This one was serious too. Deep colour and nose of savoury dark fruit (much plum) with a nice sour edge. The palate was medium+ bodied with more roundness, depth and backbone than from most producers, quite full fruit, minerals, lively tangy acidity and an overall savoury character but which was Beaujolais and Gamay not Côte d'Or. The wine grew on me as the bottle emptied and benefited from a temperature of c.16°, less fresh than I often prefer in these wines. Good+.
2014 Georges Lelektsoglou Côtes du Rhone Villages Visan Les Hautes Terres - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhone Villages Visan (10/13/2015)
This is a delightful young CdRV. Medium bodied at most but blessed with a rare purity of aroma and of strawberry and plum tinged fruit, unusually fresh tangy acidity, minerals and an attractively bitter backbone. A million miles away from some of the unctuously heavy offerings from the region and very moreish. Organic grapes and wine unfiltered. Good++ wine and good QPR at <€7.
1995 Château Rauzan-Ségla - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (10/17/2015)
It took me 20 years from vintage to open one of my small stash of R-Z '95 and its colour, fruit and lively acidity are still quite youthful. This does not have the Margaux fragrance and charm of last week's Lascombes '90 but instead quite virile savoury aromas of red and dark fruit with a little pencil shavings and quite a bit of tangy wet leather which without the label I might place in Tuscany. The palate is medium bodied, classically shaped, quite long, quite silkily textured with some tannic firmness on the finish but the acidity is too prominent for ideal balance in a 20 year old wine. I wonder if it will ever be fully harmonious. Nevertheless just very good.
2013 Warwick Estate Pinotage Old Bush Vines - South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch (10/20/2015)
Possibly the best Pinotage I have ever had, with a welcome absence of rubber notes but full of personality which differentiates it from other wines. Full/medium bodied with, in European parlance, a warm Mediterranean character in its liquorice undertow but full of lively red and dark fruit with a cherry and raspberry tinge, decent acidity and an aroma, not exactly old books, for which I have problems in finding an analogy. Slight alcoholic burn on the finish, but not too much, together with hints of dry caramel coarseness which I might have attributed to new oak had I not read on the estate's site that it only sees used barrels. Good wine but not good QPR at the €20 charged by Lavinia.
2012 Esprit de Pavie - France, Bordeaux (10/21/2015)
A nice well balanced and polished wine in the modern right-bank pattern. Quite rich Merlot dominated and slightly sweet fruit, some complexity, smooth texture, decent balancing acidity and liqueur tinged grip on the finish. Ready to drink and would be a good choice in a restaurant with classical European food. Good wine and good QPR at <€10.
1995 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Les Forêts - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru (10/24/2015)
After so many poxed bottles, it is wonderful to be reminded how great mature white Burgundy can be. Having a producer of Raveneau's calibre obviously helps. Colour was medium gold. Right upon opening there was a wonderfully complex aroma of white fruit, flowers, minerals and honey with just a hint of cedar. The palate was medium bodied at most but mouth filling, long, beautifully harmonious and complex with a replay and variations on all the aromas from the nose as well as notes of smooth stones which reminded that this was Chablis, fresh but caressing acidity and suave texture. Together with fresh scallops from la Foire aux Coquilles St.Jacques and then Sainte-Maure goat cheese, this was a simple seeming but almost perfect dinner. Excellent wine but what a shame that it is such a lottery to get a bottle like this.
2012 Domaine de Courteillac - France, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur (10/25/2015)
I have had many of the vintages of this estate between 2000 and 2009 and I regard the wine as a good ringer for lesser St.Émilion grand cru at an affordable price of c.€10. So I did not hesitate when I saw this '12 on offer at <€9 at a Foire aux Vins. Colour was deep red. The nose was well developed with dark fruit and a touch of leather. The same aromas replayed on the medium/full bodied palate with the quite dense fruit, decent acidity and firm tannic backbone giving an overall savoury and rather dark impression. I was somewhat disconcerted towards the finish by a dry almost raw edge to the tannins which I don't recall on previous vintages and notably the '08 which was already very gracious at a similar age. I guess that more time will soften this. Good potentially
2003 Philippe Alliet Chinon Coteau de Noiré - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (10/27/2015)
I have never before had a Loire CabFranc with a nose of rich black currant like this. The medium/full bodied palate followed in the same vein with more rich black currant and even a slightly sugary undertow but there was enough acidity for balance and ripe well covered tannins towards the adequately long finish. 2003 heat obviously accounts for this atypically rich and ripe performance and the traps of the vintage were avoided. Very good.
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