Here is the follow on from the notes which I posted on the Burgundies from Jadot, Bouchard P&F and William Fèvre yesterday.
Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi
I was a bit disappointed here; not because the wines were not good nor because of trickery in the winemaking and obtrusive oak but because there was a rather uniform sweetness of fruit and a lack of a sense of Tuscan place and even of varietal typicity.
Morellino di Scansano 2006 Tenuta Santa Maria made from Sangiovese and Cabernet-Sauvignon set the tone of sweet, almost jammy, fruit with Maremma generosity but a lack of tang which I find with, say, Moris Farms and Le Pupille; 15/20. I preferred Chianti 2006 Tenuta di Castiglioni, Sangiovese and Merlot, which showed some nice leather together with attractive fruit though there was some un-Chianti roundness presumably from the Merlot (15.5/20) but liked less Tenuta di Castiglioni IGT Toscana 2005, Cabernet and Sangiovese, which was richer and more concentrated but also quite jammy; 15/20.
“Castello di Nipozzano” Chianti Rufina Riserva is ubiquitous and usually a reliable buy and this 2005 showed attractive fruit with clear straight backed Cabernet influence and nice fruit cake and tar touches; 15.5/20+++. Chianti Rufina “Montesodi” 2004 Tenuta Castello di Nipozzano needs more time because it is still quite closed, tannic and woody but the substance is concentrated and impressive; 16/20 potentially but not for drinking now.
Lucente IGT Toscana 2006 Luce Delle Vite, Sangiovese/Merlot, is the heir of the former joint venture with the Mondavi family; the nose was quite closed and woody but the palate was softer and more approachable right now than that of Montesodi, which in time is more likely to be my sort of wine than this somewhat bland effort; 15/20. Finally I did not much care for Pomino Rosso 2004 Tenuta Castello di Pomino, a barrique matured blend of Sangiovese, Pinot Noir and Merlot, with its round body and soft liqueur like and somewhat jammy fruit; the presence of Pinot was plain but, compared with the Burgundies in the same room, debased; on this evidence these three varieties + barrique are not good companions; 13.5/20.
Domaines Perrin & Fils – Château de Beaucastel
Perhaps unsurprisingly, I was much more in my element with the wines the extended domaine and négoce business of Château Beaucastel’s Perrin family. The wines were presented in a very stimulating way by Matthieu Perrin.
I have had better generic Côtes du Rhône than this 2006, which was quite subdued on the nose and in its fruit (14/20) but we went on to much more exciting things with Vacqueyras Les Christins 2006, which showed lip-smackingly succulent Grenache dominated fruit lifted by tar and “garrigue” notes; 16/20. CDVR Vinsobres Les Comuds 2005 was quite a contrast with its higher proportion of Syrah and more Northerly climate; fresher, slimmer, straighter and more peppery; 15.5/20. Returning to the Avignon area, CDVR Rasteau L’Andéol 2005 showed a touch more depth, jam and liqueur than the Vacqueyras but less tar and garrigue; less close to my heart also; 15.5/20+. Gigondas La Gile 2005 was superb with even more succulence, tar and Provençal herbs than the Vacqueyras and an added depth and structure; delicious now and probably age-worthy; 16.5/20+++.
Lastly but not least, Châteauneuf du Pape Château de Beaucastel 2004 was plainly far from ready being aromatically somewhat closed but the substance, concentration, complexity, structure and above all length are very impressive and promising; 17/20+ potentially.
Rosemount Estate - Hunter Valley and McLaren Vale
When I heard the very competent lady presenter talking about American oak on the first two of the following, I braced myself for disappointment but the results were much better than I feared. Mountain Blue 1998, Shiraz I think, showed a nose of dark fruit and spice and dense palate with a lot of chocolate; 16/20. Balmoral Syrah 2000 still showed some raw plank odours on the nose together with dark fruit and mint and again a lot of chocolate on the palate mixed with sweet black cherry with no obtrusive oak here; 15.5/20+++. Roxburgh Chardonnay 2002 was creamy, burnished and mouth-filling with rich white fruit but I missed that squirt of mouth-watering acidity and minerals, particularly on the finish, which distinguished nearly all the white Burgundies on the other side of the room; 15/20.
Joël Taluau - Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil
There was no presenter here and I poured the following myself. Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgeuil "Cuvée L'Expression" 2006 was deliciously earthy, tangy and fruity for current drinking; 15.5/20+++. Saint-Nicolas de Bourgueil "Le Vau Jaulier" 2005 was a touch more serious and structured with excellent fruit and tang as well as those bell-pepper touches which I adore in moderation but which some, including rival grower Yannick Amirault, deplore; drinks well now but may improve with a little ageing; 16/20. Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Vieilles Vignes 2004 was more austere and concentrated with marked notes of graphite and grit; 15/20+.