NV Ruinart Blanc de Blanc Champagne
Very aggressive, swirling bead. Nose is strongly peachy with some pear and melted cheese on toast. A creaminess to the initial mouth-feel, but finishes slightly tart and sour. The strong acid cleanses your palate, but can be a little bit difficult to drink after the first glass.
87/100
1996 Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill Champagne
Pretty closed on the nose to begin with, but as it warmed up, it opened to reveal a classy nose of grapefruit, marzipan, smoke and vanilla. Elegant fruit richness and power on the palate compliments the obviously top-class structure, meaning that this was drinking very well now but the potential is there to be unbelievable over time. Long, long, long finish. A wonderful wine.
95/100
1988 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Pretty powerful on the nose with caramel, toast, earth, butterscotch and roast nuts. The palate is a contrast to the nose, being youthful and tightly coiled. Long and rich flavour. Probably in a slightly difficult stage between youth and maturity at the moment, it may look even better in a few years time.
91/100
1989 Trimbach Cuvée Frédéric-Émile Vendage Tardive Riesling
Honeyed nose with lychee, cookie dough, petrol and a touch of spice. Palate is very delicate, with subtle fruit sweetness upfront leading into a crisp, dry finish. Very good drinking now and should continue to drink well over the next 5+ years.
89/100
1955 Wynns Coonawarra Estate "Michael" Hermitage Claret
A legend and incredibly rare Australian wine, with only 2,300 litres having been bottled from a single exceptional barrel of Hermitage (Shiraz). This was the first release of this wine, named after the winemakers son, and there wasn't another "Michael" Shiraz until the 1990 vintage. Sourced from auction with sketchy provenance. Decanted gently for sediment and poured shortly after.
The colour was rather amazing for its age, mid-red with only a slight amount of bricking toward the rim. The nose at first was reclusive, but with some air and gentle swirling, some amazing aromas started to come forward. Smoked meat, cherries, raspberry and with time in the glass these aromas were constantly teasing and shifting with almost every sniff of the glass to tobacco, milk chocolate, earth, old leather, black tea leaves and cloves.
The palate had a charm and elegance of its own with a core of sweet fruit leading the way. Subtle texture and with the tannins completely resolved. Layered and complex, and unwilling to give away all its secrets unless you were willing to be patient, determined and understanding.
At times the aroma would subside and I thought that perhaps it was about to fall away, but then it somehow would suddenly find new and different life. More than three hours had passed quickly in the presence of this amazing wine, and it was still very much alive and standing proudly when I took my final sip.
A sincere thank you to Mark Stevens for this unbelievably generous gesture and the experience of drinking history.
1964 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Claret
According to the back label "there are two Coonawarra Estate vintage clarets, one from the Hermitage grape, the other from the rare Cabernet Sauvignon, each with its own characteristic".
Powerful nose, with a streak of VA through the middle as well as some violets, graphite, spearmint and barbeque sauce. The palate is resolved except for some tannins still showing through and the length was impressive, but it also looked rather simple and one dimensional. Having said that, it was showing quite well for its age and it still provided enjoyment and interest.
88/100
1982 Chateau Léoville-Las Cases (St.-Julien)
Incredibly youthful colour. Nose shows intense graphite, tobacco, blackberry, violets, redskins, briar and a bit of a green vegetable character that I haven't seen on the previous two glorious bottles of this. Great depth and structure to the palate with excellent length. Probably needed a little bit more time in the decanter to breath, but still a great wine with plenty of potential for the future.
93/100
1976 Penfolds Grange Hermitage
A concentrated deep, brooding colour belies the age of this wine. The nose just bursts out of the glass with intoxicating aromas of redcurrant, vanilla, violets, ginger, chocolate and coffee. Vibrant, youthful, sumptuous fruit on the palate is tempered by super fine tannin structure and glorious texture. Simply incredible length and balance. This is a truly legendary wine and is set to improve even more over the next 10+ years. Wow, after years of doubt, two stunning bottles of Grange in the past month have rendered me converted.
96/100
1970 Graham’s Vintage Port
Opened very volatile on the nose but with time revealed notes of coffee, cherry, kirsch, chocolate and violet. Extremely classy on the palate, with moderate sweetness and exceptional length. I was surprised at the lovely balance of this wine on the palate after the volatility and alcohol on the nose. Will last for decades.
94/100
1998 Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain Sélections de Grains Nobles
Copper gold in colour. I was giving this wine some funny looks and I told the table that this wine smelled of pencil shavings! After that, I was the one getting the funny looks, but I am still certain that was the dominant aroma! There were also some slightly more classic notes of botrytis, apricot, marmalade, vanilla and five spice. Powerful and concentrated flavours on the palate with intense weight and sweetness, a slight oiliness and a long finish. A lovely wine once I got over the nose!
94/100