13% almost40€
The nose rather reminds me of some 2003s: it is roasted with black toned fruit. There is touch of Merlot's plumminess and a tiny hint of CabF's herbaceousness, but the roasted character and coco-powder-like oak are all encompassing. The palate is sweetly fruity but rather hollow, nicely tannic but frightfully low in acidity. This lacks the refreshing qualitites I seek for in wines.
Clos Henri Pinot Noir 2004 Marlborough NZ 13,5% abv 27,60€
Dark for a pinot. The nose is very sweet with only slight savoury tones. It has quite a bit of oak but also some true Pinot-like beetroot scents. The palate is sweet, not acidic enough yet not flabby either. Lacking in both minerality and earthy notes - it is all about the fruit and oak. Very well made and attractive in its style, but I do want something more at this price.
Golan Heights Winery Chardonnay Yarden 2004 Jawlán Heights Syria 14,5% 15,46€
...was an oaky mess. A shame, since their Pinot Noir and Gewurz Heights Wine (I like the bad pun, lol!!) were very nice wines at their price. Since talks are once again for the umpteenth time going on about returning this piece of occupied land to Syria, I do wonder (whenever that happens) what will happen to this winery which really does make some very nice stuff.
Morgadio da Torre Vinho Verde 2005
Light gold. Grassy, citrussy and almost tropically fruity nose. The palate is less opulent than the nose suggests, with attractive weight and a touch of minerals. Refreshing yet very weighty for a Vinho Verde.
Adriano Ramos Pinto Porto 20 Year Old Tawny Quinta do Bom Retiro
The nose is lovely. It is elegantly woody, deliciously nutty and has a delightful floral/rose petal note also. The palate is medium-bodied, in the middle of the sweetness-spectrum of Ports, with lively acidity. This is a very elegant style of Port and one that is very much to my taste. It shows the fruit of a younger Tawny and the elegance of the older one but without the overt woodiness that I often find in older Tawnies.
-O-