2015 Domaine de la Charmoise Touraine Première Vendange - France, Loire Valley, Touraine (12/1/2016)
Fuller, smoother and slightly less mineral and acidic than my memory of previous vintages but still a delicious drink full of savoury and tangy fruit. I will try to find some of Marionnet's entry level cuvées to see if there is a marked difference. Good wine and decent QPR at €9.
2015 Vignerons de Bel Air Brouilly La Colline - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Brouilly (12/2/2016)
Being misled by a prominent golden prize sticker noting 2016, I was hoping here for a first taste of the new vintage. So I was puzzled by the closed nose and muted aromatics on the palate until I turned the bottle and found 2015 vintage mentioned on the back label; Medium- bodied with rather dumb but quite intense fruit, some minerals, reasonable acidity and slight rusticity on the finish. Unexciting but may open up to rather better things.
2012 Château La Louvière Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (12/3/2016)
This gave less pleasure than I remember and noted from a bottle of 2011 about 6 months ago. Like that vintage it showed medium body, lively round fruit with grapefruit, gooseberry and a touch of pineapple but balance was less good with more prominent buttery notes and a touch of harsh dry caramel on the finish, probably from new oak ageing. These may integrate better with time so I may take a chance on more bottles if I can find them close to the same special offer price of €14. Just good right now.
2011 Dirler-Cade Pinot Noir - France, Alsace (12/4/2016)
Having known Alsatian PN a generation ago when it was scarcely deeper coloured or bodied than a rosé, I served this at cellar temperature. It was at first somewhat closed on the nose but its medium/light colour and body showed elegant shape, pure fruit, smooth texture, lively acidity and decent length. With exposure to air and a couple of extra degrees in temperature it started to add complexity and depth. There is definitely a place for a lightish elegant PN like this but the price of €17 is a bit discouraging. Good.
2014 Abbaye Sylva Plana Faugères La Closeraie - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Faugères (12/6/2016)
An appealing medium bodied Faugères, full of complex aromas of spice and garrigue herbs with anise and liquorice tinged backbone. Very moreish, so its 14.5% alcohol is treacherous. It's my guess that this will lose much of its charm with medium term ageing but good+ now.
1999 Château Léoville Barton - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (12/10/2016)
This L-B was more austere than most from Médoc in this usually gracious "minor" vintage. Colour still quite deep and pristine. Nose quite expressive with dark savoury fruit and an ivy tinge. Palate was medium/full bodied confirming the dark ivy tinged fruit showing slightly up-front shape tapering towards the finish, some earthy minerals, a touch of leather, firmer backbone than many '99s and moderate length. I am unsure whether this will open up further to reveal greater complexity or will dry out from here. L-B's track record would suggest the former. Just about very good
2015 Domaine de la Madone Fleurie - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Fleurie (12/12/2016)
Nice savoury fruited tangy Beaujolais. From memory and notes, it was a touch more serious and fuller than the two preceding vintages but good.
.2013 Finca Monica Rioja - Spain, La Rioja, Rioja (12/15/2016)
Quite light in colour and no more than medium/light in body, this Rioja showed a young Burgundian type of freshness and elegance with airy cherry tinged fruit, caressing texture, gently fresh acidity, linear shape with build-up towards the finish and, unlike most young Rioja, refreshingly few flavours attributable to oak ageing. More-ish and good+.
2015 Morgenhof Estate Chenin Blanc - South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch (12/16/2016)
This was much better than the blandly international and oaky offering which the back label and TNs of previous vintages led me to fear. It was quite rich and generous but subjectively dry and showed citrus, peach and quince veering to tropical fruit with soft rather creamy texture but also with some minerals and enough acidity for balance and freshness together with a discreetly caramelised spine for structure. Good.
2014 Marchesi de' Frescobaldi Chianti Castiglioni - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti (12/17/2016)
It's difficult to point at anything obviously wrong with this wine. It is well balanced with adequate red fruit, adequate acidity, agreeable texture and some structure but it is bland and dull and, at c.€13, over-priced.
2013 Les Arpents du Soleil Mauve - France, Normandy (12/18/2016)
I don't think that I would identify this bracing wine as PG in a blind line-up. There was some of the usual meat, nutmeg based spice and underlying roundness in this medium bodied dry wine but also minerals, lively acidity and salty spine. Quite different from the often opulent Alsatian examples but good.
Posted from CellarTracker