Solihull Fine Wine Society December tasting
Blind as always
Bolly Grand Annee 1996, bright with crushed biscuit nose, a definite hint of oxidisation and an austere pa;lateand the mousse went in 20 minutes, a dodgy bottle.
Maximim Grunhauser Abtsberg Spatlese 2003, bright green tinge, a classic riesling nose and a full fat wine with complex palate and a good cut of acidity, very nice
Leitz Rudesheimer Berg Roseneck Spatlese 2003, a fat wine again green tinged, complex petrol and grease nose and a very fat entrance, a pleasant sugary drink with long fruit. I liked it, but others thought it was bland a ? New World.
Cape Mentelle Sauvignon semillon Margaret River Oz, very pale, typical NZ SB nose and echoes on palate of a simple SB, not exciting
Le Haut Lieu Vouvray Sec Huet 1993A strange greeny gold colour, a nose of apples and burnt matches, short with some spice, liquid gunpowder.....awful, heated argument as to duff bottle or house style.
Clos des Cordeliers Saumur Champigny 2003, brick red and bright, classic CF nose of broken stones and flint, light entrance biscuit and cheese and spice, short.
Cab Sauvignon Cape mentelle Margaret river, 2003.Portlike with huge extract, thick red legs, what a wonderful nose of all things claret, spice, leather, forest floor, huge soft entrance, hit the hard palate, huge fruit and tannins all in balance, long. A wonderful wine and my WOTN
Chrysiea Douro, Prats and Symington, Douro Portugal 2005, purple edge with depth, a restrained marshmallow simple nose, reflected on the palate, fruit spice and tannins, but no clue to the grape or where. We knew what it wasn't, and of course when told we all realised it smelt of port........dumbos
CDP VT 1998, a rather cloudy with age apperance, had been decanted and the host was a little concerned, he had a spare ready, no worry, on the nose classic CDP, organic spice with this soft ethereal entrance that brought a smile to us all, but then fell short and ?drying out, I thought it was a Beaucastel from the 80's. We suspect it was a duff bottle
Hermitage La Chapelle, Jaboulet, 1997, huge wine opaque, hint of brown edge, classic tinned tomatoes aniseed toothpaste spice, big spicy mouthful, big tannins but ? enough fruit. I thought it was a Chave Hermitage.