What wine are you drinking today ?

Eoink posted:

nickpeacock posted:

 

Domaine de le Mordorée, Lirac 2007 Cuvée La Reine des Bois

Oh my, this is such a treat. Sometimes referred to as a mini-Chateauneuf du Pape. But only by people who are too idle to differentiate how subtly softer this delightful wine is. A velvet fist in a velvet glove.

And I still have two bottles left!

Ooh, looks lovely. I do like Lirac, and that looks to have great depth of colour after 10 years, suggesting it’s still young on the palate. Personally I find a lot of CndPs a bit clumsy and unsubtle, whil ai have found most Liracs generous and lovely.

Yes, hard to believe it’s 10 years old. As to CdP, I still have some Janasse and some Marcoux left, both 2007. Both awesome!

IMW Bordeaux Tasting (of the 2014 vintage) on Tuesday.

I tasted everything (other than these who do not allow it, and Latour who will not allow a submission at all) blind.

Will post the results on my website soon. (I still need to annotate the list)

If you are interested, I have published my notes on all the 2014 wines. Riviera Wine Academy (dot com) then 'blog'.

?

Leoville Barton 2001. After a 350 mile round trip drive to collect my “new” preamp, I decided to treat myself to another bottle from the case of this I bought earlier in the year. Decanted for 2 hours, it’s lovely classic claret from a light vintage drinking superbly now, no hurry to drink up. Nose of blackcurrant and blackberry with cigar box tobacco/cedar scents. The best word to describe the palate is mellow, fantastic dark fruits as on the nose, cedary earthy  notes, then a hit of sweet red fruits, all in super balance. Pretty good power and length with a nice tobacco classic perfume lingering. Not the full power of a top vintage, but a lovely claret in a great drinking window.

Very nice Eoin. I’m going to do my best to imagine how it tastes...

As I said before Richard, if you ever find yourself coming to the West Yorkshire (Halifax) region, it’d be a real pleasure to listen to some music and crack a bottle or 2 of Leoville with you. 

 Another Léoville, this time Poyferre 2006. Still very young and tight, I think 2006 was quite an austere year and it shows. Have a few more so will wait another 5 years.

Kiwi cat posted:

 Another Léoville, this time Poyferre 2006. Still very young and tight, I think 2006 was quite an austere year and it shows. Have a few more so will wait another 5 years.

Very nice, did it open up after a couple of hours? Hope you enjoyed it.

rodwsmith posted:

IMW Bordeaux Tasting (of the 2014 vintage) on Tuesday.

I tasted everything (other than these who do not allow it, and Latour who will not allow a submission at all) blind.

Will post the results on my website soon. (I still need to annotate the list)

I am guessing the majority of these aren't going to be ready for many years yet so it must be a pretty difficult job to taste a wine which is still immature. 

Eoink posted:

Kiwi cat posted:

 Another Léoville, this time Poyferre 2006. Still very young and tight, I think 2006 was quite an austere year and it shows. Have a few more so will wait another 5 years.

Very nice, did it open up after a couple of hours? Hope you enjoyed it.

Eoink, it was an abject lesson on how NOT  to drink claret. Opened from wine cabinet at 13C, decanted and the last of the wine was being filtered through the KIwicat clan kidneys within an hour of opening.  I think we really do have to put some thought into older classic wines, in terms of preparing them to drink. Taking them out of the cellar in the morning, keeping them upright during the day to settle the sediment and bring them up to room temperature, then decanting them to rid them of sediment, then letting them breath for an hour or more. They are not a “spur of the moment” wine to drink.

We tend to drink more Pinot noir and Gamay and other lighter reds as they can be served cooler and don’t require so much aeration to give of their best. Plus when the urge for wine takes us we just like to “pop and pour”, I guess because we are lazy sybarites!

Jonners posted:

rodwsmith posted:

IMW Bordeaux Tasting (of the 2014 vintage) on Tuesday.

I tasted everything (other than these who do not allow it, and Latour who will not allow a submission at all) blind.

Will post the results on my website soon. (I still need to annotate the list)

I am guessing the majority of these aren't going to be ready for many years yet so it must be a pretty difficult job to taste a wine which is still immature. 

Yep! You’ve hit the nail firmly on the head there Jonners. My job is really, really difficult. Send money. Send money forthwith!!

Actually it’s good to have a level playing field, and 2014 is a relatively light vintage (I’m quite glad I wasn’t available for the tasting the last three years, but will ensure I can do the next two!!

I’m not sure even the most heavily structured of red Bordeaux (Gruaud? Batailley? Cissac?) are built (only) for the long term in the way they once were. There is much more artistry to extracting tannin/flavour/colour these days. I firmly reckon that many of today’s Clarets can be approached from year 5-8 even if the plateau of drinking may remain just as long.

Personally I like wine still to have some fruit - maybe it’s the frenchman in me - and the silkiness of tannnin and the appealing varnishy quality of age needs to become apparent before the fruit begins to fade (10-ish years I think). Eventually, some years after that,  all wine begins to taste alike - surely not the point.

With adequate decanting and the right food (protein) a few of the (lesser) 2014s are drinking even now.

But yes, you’re right, it is superhumanly difficult. Send money..!

Kiwi cat posted:

Eoink posted:

Kiwi cat posted:

 Another Léoville, this time Poyferre 2006. Still very young and tight, I think 2006 was quite an austere year and it shows. Have a few more so will wait another 5 years.

Very nice, did it open up after a couple of hours? Hope you enjoyed it.

Eoink, it was an abject lesson on how NOT  to drink claret. Opened from wine cabinet at 13C, decanted and the last of the wine was being filtered through the KIwicat clan kidneys within an hour of opening.  I think we really do have to put some thought into older classic wines, in terms of preparing them to drink. Taking them out of the cellar in the morning, keeping them upright during the day to settle the sediment and bring them up to room temperature, then decanting them to rid them of sediment, then letting them breath for an hour or more. They are not a “spur of the moment” wine to drink.

We tend to drink more Pinot noir and Gamay and other lighter reds as they can be served cooler and don’t require so much aeration to give of their best. Plus when the urge for wine takes us we just like to “pop and pour”, I guess because we are lazy sybarites!

That’s a bummer, it could have been lovely. I find that for the serious wines including Pinots it’s worth giving them the time. So if I’m expecting to have a bottle on a Saturday night, I’ll think about it in the morning, pick a bottle out before going to do my day’s jobs, then when I get back I decant with plenty of time as you’ll see. I seem to have been on a roll of drinking fairly major wines for the last couple of months, when I get revert to less serious wines they’ll need less serious treatment. It does feel a bit anal, but it’s a shame not to let a great wine show itself. (My late wife used to humour me while muttering about how much she enjoyed a £3.99 Merlot from the supermarket .) 

rodwsmith posted:

Jonners posted:

rodwsmith posted:

IMW Bordeaux Tasting (of the 2014 vintage) on Tuesday.

I tasted everything (other than these who do not allow it, and Latour who will not allow a submission at all) blind.

Will post the results on my website soon. (I still need to annotate the list)

I am guessing the majority of these aren't going to be ready for many years yet so it must be a pretty difficult job to taste a wine which is still immature. 

Yep! You’ve hit the nail firmly on the head there Jonners. My job is really, really difficult. Send money. Send money forthwith!!

I’m not sure even the most heavily structured of red Bordeaux (Gruaud? Batailley? Cissac?) are built (only) for the long term in the way they once were. There is much more artistry to extracting tannin/flavour/colour these days. I firmly reckon that many of today’s Clarets can be approached from year 5-8 even if the plateau of drinking may remain just as long.

But yes, you’re right, it is superhumanly difficult. Send money..!

You have my deepest sympathies Rod, you and your colleagues suffer to make our lives easier. Give me an address and I’ll send you a postal order for a few bob.   I remember the days 20-25 years ago when I would do two or three en primeur tastings a year with the London merchants, I often had to brush my tongue as well as my teeth the next morning to get rid of the tannin stains. (Not to mention the nervous checks of credit card statements to see what I’d bought after.) 

I know what you mean about fine claret being accessible earlier, as you’ll see above I’ve had a few 2012s recently, I can’t think that I’d have drunk many 6 year old Cru Classés 20 years ago. (Actually maybe 1992s because it was so light, but you know what I mean.) Batailley is still pretty structured, but much classier than it was 20 years ago, the 2000 seemed to be the turning point. Gruaud was a staple for me during the Cordier years and for a while after, now I think it’s less structured, but has much less class, I have a case of 2008 I haven’t opened, I think it may have been a mistake. Cissac still feels the same to me (admittedly the ‘09 was my most recent bottle and the vintage dominated there), I love it for being unreconstructed, I’ll be quite sad if it loses that.

2014 Lethbridge Pinot Meunier.

I don’t remember ever drinking Meunier as a still wine before, as opposed to a Champagne/sparkling wine, although I may have drunk it under a German name. Picked up 2 bottles of this Aussie wine today. It’s a pretty serious wine, nice red fruits on the nose, strong tannins and good acidity frame blackberry/red fruits and peppery spices on the palate with earthiness from the tannins.  Decanted for about 90 minutes before drinking, it’s still pretty grippy a couple of hours later. I think there will be a sweet spot for a couple of years starting  in a year or 2 when the tannins will soften to add complexity before the fruit fades. Based on this, Meunier seems like a similar grape to its close relative Pinot Noir, similar fruit flavours, with earthier flavours and stronger tannins. 

Interesting Pinot Meunière Eoink. Not the commonest red wine there is. I have a 100% meunière champagne “la Closerie” I’ll drink for Christmas , will post that.This 2005 Margaux was decanted 3 hours before drinking. Starting to get a brownish edge, medium red colour, quite translucent like a Pinot noir. Delicate nose of  black currents, leather and cigar box. Light in the mouth with smoothness of mid palate and slightly tannic finish. Not the most complex wine with lack of richness with its cassis flavours, but good food wine.

G

2005 Pommard Les Pézerolles, Maison Roche de Bellene, Collection Bellenum

Purchased today, arrived home at 5.30, popped the cork immediately and stood upright for an hour, then decanted, poured clear with no sediment. 1st glass poured just after 7.30. Writing at 10.30 nose has stayed consistent throughout, lovely red fruits, earthy notes, dark plum scents with the plum scents diminishing a bit over time. Palate at 7.30 was a grippy Pommard, dark fruits surrounded by a grippy tannin structure, a medicinal taste which is very attractive, lovely strawberry fruits finishing the palate, wonderful intense deep flavours. Three hours later the palate has changed quite a bit, still grippy but less so, the medicinal notes have softened, sweet red fruits and darker plum fruits are in harmony, nice spicy pepper and cinnamon(?) complexity added with a hint of mushroom earthiness. Lovely plum/raspberry/strawberry/spice perfume lingers in the mouth for a good time. It’s a very very enjoyable wine, intense depth of flavour, lovely flavours, complexity. Still young, probably peaking in 5 years, I bought 3, I suspect the other 2 won’t make it to the peak drinking window  as they will be fantastic to drink before then. It’s a premier Cru Burgundy that doesn’t reach Grand Cru level, but is a superb example of premier Cru, intensity  of flavour, lovely tastes, complex flavours.

The maker is one I’m fond of. Nicky Potel started learning winemaking in his father’s domaine Pousse d’Or, he was working there in 1993 when the domain made some of my favourite ever wines, their 1993 Volnay Caillerets and Bousse D’Or were joyous wines, flavours that danced on the tongue, they seems quite light until you tasted something else and realised how powerful they had been.   Gerard (his father) sadly died young in 1996, Nicolas set up his own winery not long after, and became a fine merchant and grower in his own right, his wines are often pretty close to the top rank of Burgundy, and yet not as expensive as the great domaine  names. This comes from his Collection Bellenum range, where he uses his contacts across Burgundy to buy up parcels of excellent mature/maturing wines that are sitting in growers’ cellars, puts his label on them and sells them. They were bottled in the original domaine after the vintage, this one had a generic cork (mis en bouteille au domaine) but sometimes you see who the domaine was from the cork labelling. They aren’t cheap, but the ones I’ve tried have been seriously high quality and notably below the prices of the “name” domaines.

Enjoying this Beaujolais with Mexican black bean stew tonight. Foillard “Côte du Puy” Morgan, 2014. Medium red colour, serious savoury cherry, red berries,up front with slightly umami mid palate. Finishes slightly lean, but very enjoyable for all that. A more serious structured Beaujolais than most. Avoids those bubblegum flavours some can have. A top producer.

2014 Doisy-Daëne Sec

Saturday’s tipple, the dry white wine of the Barsac sweet wine. The only dry white from the great Sauternes/Barsac houses I remember trying before was Y, which was superb. A local merchant had a couple of bottles of this a few weeks back, so I picked them up out of curiosity. 100% Sauvignon Blanc judging by the label, it’s a good wine. Nose of grass, citrus and tropical fruit, more restrained than a new world Sauvignon. On the palate, some pineapple/mango, but largely citrus, grapefruit, lemon, fruit pits, some spice. It’s a lovely dry Sauvignon, less opulent in flavour than a great Kiwi, but the favours are attractive and intense, classy balance of fruit and acidity, definitely moreish. Served blind I think I’d have guesed a top Loire Sauvignon, it’s got Sauvignon flavours, class and the dryness of a French example. Left me thinking which would I choose, this or a Kiwi, it’s pretty close to the price of the Greywacke Wild, and if the 2 I’d go for the Greywacke, but this would be a pretty good if different alternative.

Just had a great trip to Margaret River in Western Australia. 

We tried some real beauties - many masterclasses with the winemakers, and a lot of reserve and special wines opened for us. A treat. I will be writing up all the notes (gradually!) on my site.

Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blends

Chardonnay

More Chardonnay

Cabernet Sauvignon #1

Cabernet Sauvignon #2

Cabernet Sauvignon #3

Very nice Rod.  I remember enjoying the Leeuwin Estate wines back in my wine days. And up until about 8 years ago I could buy Vasse Felix wines in the next door village from their little village shop at very attractive prices. They were such great value, a friend who regularly comes down to stay during mushroom season used to make a special point of stopping off and buying cases of Vasse Felix wines from them. We drank rather a lot of the Semillon Sauvignon and the Chardonnay.

Lucky you Rod . Margaret River such a wonderful place and gorgeous wine to boot . 

I’ve been travelling around South Africa (for the umpteenth time, it’s my 2nd home) for the last few weeks,  last Thursday we moved back to civilisation & spent a long weekend in Franschoek, a delightful little very trendy town in the Cape winelands,  now I’m in Hout Bay just a few clicks from Constantia & it’s superb vineyards.   I’ve found some really super wines,  including (& shipped) some very nice special/limited editions, some only available from the vineyard.  

Whatever,  the purpose of this post is a recommendation that if you are in SA, do be sure to take some extra time for touring & tasting the winelands around the cape.  Stay in Franschoek if you can,  it has a handy tram & bus jump on jump off service around all the vineyards that are open for tasting.  Stellenbosch as a town is nothing special, Paarl even less so.   Any of the small coastal towns south of the city are close to the Constantia vineyards,  plus some superb eating around the Cape Town foodie chef-set.

Highly recommended.     

Borgogno - No Name 2013, Etichetta di Protesta 

100% Nebbiolo from the Barolo region, when Borgogno first made this wine a year or 2 before this vintage they were denied the right to call it a Barolo for arcane reasons, as far as I can tell they conformed to all the regulations. So they got a bit offended, Eticheta Di Protesta means protest label, and they called it No Name. Ignoring that, it’s a classy wine.

Decanted 2 hours before drinking, it seems very closed, so poured into glass as well. First scent after 2 hours, what a lovely nose, cherries and strawberries with rose petal and hints of violet. It has a fantastic grippy palate with strong tannins and acidity, flanking lovely sweet fruits, cherry dominates, raspberry and strawberry, some light spices, good mid weight body. If you like wines with strongish acidity as I do, probably at its peak now, but the fruit has 3-4 years at least, so it’ll soften if you prefer less aggressive wines.

I miss the old Barolo style where opening a bottle 15 years after the vintage was still risking a massive hit of acidity and tannin, but I don’t miss the bad makers whose wines never really came round and the fruit went before the acidity. I’ve tried a few Baroloa in the last few years which had gone too far the other way for me, yes nice fruit, but no power or structure, so really easy drinking wines without interest or character (for my taste). This is a good example of light modern Barolo (unofficial), 4 years after bottling it’s drinking well after 2 hours of air, but it has complexity and structure, power, it’ll probably only be fine until 10 years after vintage, but that’s cool, they have longer term wines for people who want those.

Hi eoink, I hope you enjoyed the second half of the bottle as much as the first.

Seems to get the old grey matter going at 25 mph !!!

D’Armailhac 2000

It’s not what you drink. Ever. It’s who you drink it with. (And a bit what you’re listening to, but mostly who you’re with.)