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Recently Tasted

Ten wines tasted in April 2008. Click to locate stockists.

Cordoníu Cava 2006: A pale lemon-straw hue, with a plentiful bead of moderate-large bubbles. Appealingly fresh on the nose, with lemon and rosemary, and a chalky bite. Then a clean, acidic, fresh and crisp palate, with lots of mousse, a touch sherbetty, but a nice chalky-creamy paradox in the finish. Short, but really very drinkable. Good. 15.5/20

Domaine des Baumard Crémant de Loire Carte Corail Brut NV: This has a really delicate pale pink hue, and a plentiful bead although it soon settles down. The nose is leafy and curranty, with crunchy cranberry, all presented in a very gentle style. Fresh, full and lively mousse, a very direct and vigorous style. Finely poised, with subtle leafy fruit flavour. Really very good, better integrated than last year, a touch fuller and more complete. 16.5/20

Merkelbach Ürziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese 1998: Crystal clear, a very pale green-tinged gold. On the nose there is plenty of vibrant and rich fruit, sweet and slightly perfumed apples and limes, talcy minerals and strawberry leaf. Lots of lovely richness on the palate, but not the weight that you might expect from an auslese today. Nice acids, and a lovely gentle, supple, sappy, mealy fleshiness towards the finish. Some length to it to. A rich but gentle style which has a lot of appeal. 17/20

Chateau de Fieuzal Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 1994: Quite a few tartrate crystals at the bottom of the bottle, but this is not a concern. The nose is delightful and maturing, although interminably difficult to describe as always. It has none of the nuts and mushrooms previously noted, but good notes of limes, lemons and minerals, but this does little to describe the dense aroma. Dry honey, minerals, a lovely palate, very organic and evolved, still well defined though, and fresh with limey acidity, A burgeoning texture, weighty but dry and firm, with considerable grip. Lots of bite on the finish too. Fine definition, better than any of my previous bottles, and a lingering finish, Continues to drink well, I really must try and keep a bottle or two into old age, to see how they develop. 17/20

Audebert et Fils St Nicolas de Bourgueil 2005: This still has a very youthful, red-purple hue. Quite a vegetal character on the nose, notes of pepper and vegetable stock, and blackcurrant leaf. Beautifully cool style on entry, then grippy and slightly sour through the midpalate, before showing some more intense, sappy-sour fruit on the finish. A nice substance, middle weight, firmly textured, and plenty of acidity giving that appealing sourness to the flavour. Fairly short finish. Nice drinking though. Good. 15/20

Canaletto Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2005: Under screwcap. An attractive colour in the glass, that is for certain. The nose has aromas of dark and plump, brambly fruits, with notes of cherry and plum. The palate is attractive although rather straightforward in terms of flavour. There is a good seam of tannin running through the middle of it, which gives a very appealing substance and bite to it. There is a very faint trace of acetic acid to it, but not enough not have a significant negative impact. Moderate substance, a nice weight, although not particularly bright or vivacious acidity. In this respect it is a little deficient, but its light texture gives some freshness. Nice little notes, of bitter cherry, perhaps a very faint trace of leather. A short finish. This is good value wine - at the right price, of course - for current drinking. 15.5/20

Domaine des Rochelles Anjou-Villages Brissac 2005: A lovely, pure, rich and dusky hue. The nose carries some crunchy fruit, with notes of cherry skin and cherry stones, pepper and celery seed. A fine and bright character on the palate, firm, with quite dry tannins and a firm grip which builds through the midpalate and finish. A characterful wine, this makes for delicious drinking but also provides plenty to interest. Very good. 17/20

Chateau Jolys Jurançon Moelleux Cuvée Jean 2004: A good golden hue here, rich but not overly deep or intense. The nose carries a lot of exuberant character, with sweet, slightly candied pineapple fruit, fresh pears and apricots, notes of flower petals, vanilla and more. There is a depth and a slightly spicy, peppery character to the palate, as the wine fattens out on the midpalate, leading up to a finish which shows a soft texture, but carried underneath by freshness, acidity and grip. Good spicy Manseng character here, which gives a bite to the finish and even through onto the length. A nice style which gives a lot of pleasure although it is note the most polished or elegant of examples. 17+/20

Villiera Inspiration Chenin Blanc (Stellenbosch, South Africa) 2006: A wine influenced by noble rot, according to the back label. It certainly has a very rich hue in the glass, a golden-orange glow. The nose however, is thankfully light and vibrant, redolent of fresh fruit salad, pears, peaches and apricot, coated in a layer of lively honey. It is surprisingly fresh and pure and vigorous, given the wines very rich hue. The palate is similarly lively, viscous and creamy, rich in flavour, and with a good undercurrent of spice and pepper. There isn't perhaps as much acidity as one would like, but it is there, and the wine still has plenty to offer despite that. A good length too. 16.5/20

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