Fèvre Les Clos 2004
I just wrote about it, so I won't go into detail any more. Very good. Fèvre has obviously toned down their previously excessive oak.
Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley) 2001
Red toned, very ripe nose, obviously new world but still showing an expressive earthy and mineral core. The palate is also very ripe, but has high acidity, and is very well balanced and typical Pinot. Very good.
Az. Agr. F.lli Cigliuti Barbaresco Serraboella 2001
Utterly spoofulated. There are true Nebbiolo scents underneath, but the oaky and spoofy scents almost swamp them. The palate is a little bit better, but not much. Very spoofy. Not for me please.
Fontanafredda Barolo Vigna la Rosa 2000
Not so spoofy as the Serraboella, but still a victim of the vintage. Too fruity, too big, too tanninless (and this is supposed to be a Barolo!!!), but amazingly the acidity is moderate. There are some Barolo-like scents of tar and red berries, but as a whole this just does not add up.
Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino il Greppo 1999
The lightest colour of the day. The least spoofulated nose of the day. The least spoofulated taste of the day! It was earthy, loamy, closed for business, but showed some true Sangiovese character. The palate was light but intense, mineral and earthy, with ripe (but as it is closed, not expressive) fruit. Possibly very good. I should revisit in a decade to see, but I don't have money to buy one, so I won't revisit.
Banfi Poggio all'Oro Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 1999
The darkest colour of the day. Very spoofy. It did have a bit of the earthy and loamy taste, but still was dominated by cherry liqueur. The palate was too thick, and liquer-like also. Not for me.
Gabriel Meffre Côte-Rôtie Laurus 2001
A very sweet and almost confected nose, but with some true C-R aromas of earth and peach and meat. The palate was rather big, but not so taut as young C-R should be. Decent. Rather modern in style.
Clos Mogador (Priorato) 2003
F**k me this is bad! The nose is sickeningly sweet, the palate is acidless, structureless, massively opulent, utterly unbalanced. Yuck.
Caterina Zardini Amarone della Valpolicella 2000
Very sweet, head-ache-inducingly cloying scent, dark toned fruit, a bit of liquorice. The palate was better, dry, with some slight savoury elements, but way too much alcohol. Not for me.
Then we had a few desserts:
Hugel Riesling Selection de Grains Nobles 1998
Very elegant and bright scent of lemon marmalade. The palate also was elegant, bright, fairly light for this style, but balanced and thoroughly enjoyable. I liked this very much for it was very typical for Alsace Riesling, and was so elegant. This was a charming wine despite its prominent sweetness rather than one which seeked to impress.
Ch Nairac 2003 (Barsac)
What a lovely wine! An impressive wine and a lovable one! The nose is pure Barsac, lemony and bright yet orangey and full of botrytis. The palate is surprisingly acidic for the year (but less than I'd like), with good balance and great sweetness. Perhaps not an elegant Sauternes, but certainly one I'd like to have in my cellar.
Offley Boa Vista Vintage Port 2003
Primarily fruity, with lots of darker tones amidst the exuberant berryish sweetness. The lengthy decanting makes the alcohol almost un-noticable. The palate is exuberant, fruity, fairly tannic yet balanced, more noticeably acidic than most Ports from this year. I like this very much.
-Otto-
