- 1988 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (5/6/2007)
Dark red, still looks young. The smell also seems younger than I expected. It is typical Pichon-Lalande in its herbal notes reminding me of Cabernet Franc (though the blend doesn't have much of it). It has an exotic floral note to all the classical Pauillac notes of lead and cassis. The palate is savoury and acidic with a charming herbal quality to it. For my taste, the fruit is exactly how I like it: noticable, but not overly sweet, keeping the overall impression as a savoury one. It needed a couple hours in the decanter to open up well and still was a bit tannic. I will try to keep my hands off my other bottle for a couple more years. What a lovely wine! - 1997 Chateau Musar Blanc - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley (5/6/2007)
Served blind. 12% abv. Deep gold. It is slightly oxidative (but not oxidised) with a lovely orange peel scent (but not reminiscent of botrytis despite the descriptor). It is very full bodied, but refreshing and nicely acidic. The aftertaste is endless. This is complex and deep and absolutely lovely though it is a rather heavy example of Musar Blanc. Unfortunately this was undecanted. Improved during the 5 hours it was drunk. Lovely! - 1997 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (5/6/2007)
Served blind. Right after decanting it seemed Tuscan with its cherry and sandalwood scents. About an hour later it had turned more like a Southern Rhone, jammy and rather alcoholic also with strange, almost eucalyptus-like hints. The palate was big and sweet, and was pleasantly structured from both soft tannins and acids. Even when revealed I didn't find much N. Rhone character in the wine, but it is a pleasant wine anyway. Though a nice wine, it is a disappointment for what one would expect from La Chapelle's reputation. - 2004 Éric Texier Côtes du Rhône-Brézème - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône-Brézème (5/6/2007)
A lifted and refreshing nose. It is very Syrah-like, red berried, earthy and peppery with nice sweet fruit. The palate has moderate acidity and tannins still showing, but lovely fruit. I'd love to age this for a few years - but it has plastic nomacork, so I don't know if it wise to do so. A really charming Syrah.
Posted from CellarTracker