PX – 2011 – Chile – Elqui Valley

I normally steer well clear of supermarket wines, not so much because they are necessarily bad as because I’d much rather give my business to an independent wine merchant. However, on an errand to M&S I was intrigued by the idea of a wine made from Pedro Ximénez (a Spanish variety normally used in sherry and dessert wines) made, for once, in dry style. But this is not a very distinguished example: short, crisp, simple, a little lemony, on the watery side with a slightly acrid quality, rather like a fading soda drink. It reminds me somewhat of lower end Franconian wines.    

Decenio – Rioja Reserva – 1999 – Bodegas Las Orcas

Rioja made essentially in the old style, with a classic red berry/forest floor nose coming through the upfront vanilla. (24 months in a mix of French and US oak.) There’s a prominent yoghurty-malolactic character. Not hugely acidic, but as it is relatively lightly-bodied as Rioja goes, the acid stands out a little more. 

Quite good heritage to this wine, made in Rioja Alavesa (which tends to produce slightly heavier bodied wines, and more wines in the heavier, modern Rioja style) from 100% Tempranillo (in latter times the most important Rioja grape variety, though it was not always so) with a large percentage coming from old vines.

I found this disappointing when I opened it, slightly watery and without the full depth of flavour I’d expect from some Riojas of the same age and level. To my surprise, though, it beefed up over the next couple of evenings as I slowly finished it, suggesting a wine still wanting a bit of cellar time.

Tondonia (red) – Rioja Reserva – 2001

López de Heredia is one of the all-time great Rioja houses, making wines in an old, slightly oxidative style. I am in particularly in love with the old vintages one comes across from time to time of the white Gran Reserva Tondonia, which tends to be quite well oxidised, hinting at sherry.

It’ll be a long time before this red starts feeling oxidised. Structurally smooth, stylish and slightly sharp, to begin with it is somewhat elusive in terms of flavour; it offers the classic Rioja notes of brambly fruit and oaky vanilla but is clearly still holding a lot in the back shop. Aeration induces massive changes; first the fruit becomes much more defined (now rather clearly a blend of raspberry and bramble) and other notes waft their way in, including liquorice, salami, and cigar box (which is a classic Bordeaux note, not to be expected in Rioja, but it’s here). Within an hour of being opened, a stupendous, gamey character has emerged and the fruit is showing orange notes. Wild, delicious, give it a good airing.

Ken Wright – Guadalupe Vineyard – Pinot Noir – 2008

Classy Oregon Pinot Noir – not much Oregonian Pinot seems to make its way to the UK any more, and we drank this Stateside. In terms of New World Pinot Noir, Oregon is to California as New Zealand is to Australia; better, thanks primarily to the cooler climate.

This chappie is from the Yamhill-Carlton AVA (American Viticultural Area), itself a subdivision of the Willamette Valley AVA, most known for its Pinot Noir.

This being the New World, though, I still expected a punch, but I got a glide. Smooth, smooth, smooth; a young but smooth operator. Powerful, but gentle; the initial fruit (sour cherry) comes with a dusting of spice, oaky vanilla and burnt (not buttery) toast. With time, slightly earthy, slightly stony notes show through. Extremely gentle at the back of the palate (not hugely acidic), it glides down. A complete pleasure to drink now, but I suspect this become more individual given aging – the 2 hours it was open while we were drinking it was not enough for it.

Château de Monthélie – 2002 – Sur la Velle – Eric de Suremain

I saw the word “Château” and, obtusely ignoring the shape of the bottle, assumed we were to be drinking Bordeaux. It was only at the first nosing, when I got a fantastic whiff of pure raspberry fruit, that I realised my mistake.

So, Burgundy; from the 1er Cru vineyard of Sur la Velle in the Monthélie appellation of the Côte de Beaune (the Côte de Beaune being better known for white wines).

The wine is already showing the beginnings of a bricky fade at the rim; the bouquet, as noted, is pure, fresh (not jammy) raspberry, with a hint of vanilla behind. Good acid; it turns out to be brilliant with Chinese food, although I think no particular food match had been conspired. It has apparently come round somewhat; previously light and dilute, it has fleshed out over the last two years. Not a grand wine, but a good wine showing well now.

Emmanuel Rouget – Bourgogne Aligoté – 1992

A wine made from Burgundy’s other white variety, Aligoté – I was amazed to discover there is such a thing as a varietal (not purely geographic) appellation: Bourgogne Aligoté AOC covers any Burgundian white wine made from Aligoté (officially allowing up to 15% Chardonnay as well, although – I am told – it may be common practice to use rather more than that).

A mature colour, almost a pink blush to this wine. Oak, almond, and quite a whack of acid – ironic that 1992 was a plump vintage producing wines that by and large weren’t for aging; this must have been very sharp when it was young. Aligoté does produce very acidic wines. No fruit left bar a hint of lemon; a texture that comes close to suggesting fizz. It feels very unusual to find so much acid in a such a mature wine. Reminiscent of old-style white Rioja.

Gran Sasso – Pecorino – Terre di Chieti IGT – 2005

Pecorino is not here a cheese, but a white grape variety purported to be shaped like a sheep’s head (hence the name) produced in ever-decreasing quantities in the Marche and, in this case, Abruzzo, in the Terre di Chieti IGT.

Amber coloured, this is bone dry with a pithy orange peel note and a slightly oxidised character. We’d thought we were getting an entry-level wine, but it turns out this was the good stuff at a bargain rate. A lot of drinkers would say this was past it, but I love these wines that show the onset of age.

Viña Tondonia – Blanco – Gran Reserva – 1976

Dense amber. A first impression of candlewax on the nose, then with half an hour’s airing it’s going nutty. On the palate, the bitterness of Seville orange. I always forget how acidic Tondonia can be.

Although I’d have judged this was beyond developing much, over the evening walnuts become almost as prominent as the orange, and eventually a slightly oxidised style foregrounds itself, hinting at amontillado and even salt and vinegar crisps.

Dense, orangey, not quite as outstanding as the 1981.

Weingut Willi Bründlmayer, Riesling, Zöbinger Heiligenstein 2004

Weingut is winery in German; Zöbinger Heiligenstein is the vineyard in the Austrian region of Kamptal where this wine comes from. We were briefly worried we might have picked up a sweet wine but, unlike Germany, almost all Austrian Rieslings are made in a dry style.

Quite a developed dark gold colour. The bouquet is a classically Riesling blend of petrol and honey; the sweetness of the honey is not represented on the palate, quite dry. From 2004, already with the weight and dimension of a more mature wine; very classy. The texture is unusual; oily, but also with a suggestion of spritz. There are citrus notes that clarify into lime. With time, there is a suggestion of toasted hazelnuts (which I try to write off – this is not from the Mâcconais! But it is certainly there). N1 keeps saying “banana and moisturiser”, but I certainly don’t get banana; eventually she settles on coconut. A very fine Riesling; enough to keep us arguing about its identity right through the bottle.

Kleines Café – Vienna

The aptly-named “Little Café” is a charming institution on the lovely Franziskanerplatz, with table seating outside for the good weather. Inside, small tables crowd up against upholstered benches and mirrored walls. It really seems busier in the evening, when there are crowds drinking beer and wine, but on the morning we were there they did do the best coffee we’d had so far in Vienna (admittedly, that wasn’t actually saying so much – the Viennese may have had Europe’s earliest coffeehouses, but they don’t seem to have mastered the art of milk yet). A charming ambience, though, and we were pretty much the only non-Austrians – one gentleman in full Tyrolean fig stopped by for his morning coffee while we were there.

Franziskanerplatz 3

Café Tirolerhof – Vienna

Another Viennese institution: looks a little tawdry and run-down these days, but I found that added to the charm. It was quiet and pleasant in the afternoon, with old Viennese men and women reading the paper outnumbering tourists. Once again, the coffee is not superb, but it beat Café Central. Go here for your dose of Viennese past glories.

8 Führichgasse, Vienna, Austria

Café Central – Vienna

Supposedly a Viennese institution, and it certainly is pretty, with faux gothic vaults and brocaded benches. But the coffee is dire, and where it once might have been the haunt of Austrian intellectuals, it is now a nasty tourist trap. Our waiter turned very assertive when the bill came along and made it damn clear that we had better leave a tip. Boorish behaviour unworthy of his institution – no one else in Vienna ever did that to us, and as a result, everyone else got tipped properly.

Go halfway round the block instead, and find the shopping gallery that runs right through it (from Herrengasse to Freyung) – there is a delightful small Paris-style café which is far more charming.

Les Deux Salons

A classic Parisian brasserie, they call it, except that it’s round the corner from Trafalgar Square – does that not disqualify it from being Parisian? Or is, as the French would surely have it, that being Parisian is an esprit, not a geographical condition? Never mind. They are certainly trying very hard to look the part – the décor is very fin-de-siècle, and not the last siècle, but the one before that; dark wood, old lamps on gilt poles, faded mirrors, the bread served in red, upturned baskets that look like the sort of hats one sees in sixteenth-century paintings of religious dignitaries. It looks very much like the kind of place that would have turned away George Orwell in Down and Out in London and Paris, like Manet’s Bar at the Folies-Bergère. I screw my eyes half-shut and see the room bustling with arrogant bankers and impoverished young men of high sensibilities, characters from the pages of E.M.Forster.

Enough of the décor. N1 was lured here by the promise of the snail and bacon pie, and I must say, for a so-called starter, it was a generous pie well-studded with the little de-shelled gastropods (surely something with the name gastropod was made to be eaten – must not gastronomy be the art of eating snails?). Also starting, lamb sweetbreads were accompanied by mushroom-filled vol-au-vents. Nice enough, sweetbreads and vol-au-vents, but didn’t seem to do anything for each other.

We shared a big main of Andouillette de Troyes. I haven’t had an Andouillette that smelled so, shall we say, rustic (in the sense that some fine Burgundies can also be very euphemistically rustic) since I was last in Lyon some years ago. A big, fat, smelly sausage interlaced with the undulations of wandering intestines, with a beurre blanc sauce and frites on the side. For those who dislike tripe, this dish might be a repulsive mystery, a weird gastronomic challenge destined for Japanese gameshows, but at the end of our little pre-theatre the score was very decidedly N+N: One, Challenging French Sausage: Nil.

I started off liking the ambience, but somehow it waned; by the end of lunch, it had all come to seem somewhat overwrought. Les Deux Salons treads a fine line between real charm and feeling like Café Rouge on a mission to conquer the upper end of the market.

www.lesdeuxsalons.co.uk

Château Musar Overview

By far Lebanon’s finest red wine; made with a Bordeaux-meets-the-South blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Carignan, Grenache and Mourvèdre, in the hotter vintages it can come out a bit Californian before veering off to a very hot-fruit animalistic typically Southern French style, although I find it often reminds me of right-bank Bordeaux. It is made in a natural style, and there can be quite a high degree of bottle variation making tasting more difficult!

Château Musar 1993

Paler than the 94 and the 95, with a tawny rim. A classic Musar nose (stewed fruit, volatile acidity, meaty), but on the lighter, more mature side, with the spice notes of cinnamon and clove very much to the fore (very Middle eastern), just a hint of smoke and leather. Musar can be very long-lived, but this is showing its age a bit more than the 94 and the 95.

Château Musar 1994

A lovely light garnet colour with a faded, bricking rim. Fairly intense, sweet, plummy fruit, with a touch of liquorice and the trademark Musar volatile acidity. Seems to straddle Old World and New World flavours: “redcurrants in cough mixture” says N1, while I tend more towards “my mother’s strawberry jam”. Not quite as heavy or animalistic as the 95, but still gamey and powerful. Evocative of right bank Bordeaux in a hot year. Still has plenty of lasting power.

Château Musar 1995

Lebanon’s finest, notably improved since I last had a bottle of this vintage a year ago. Volatile acidity, attenuated red fruit, Worcester sauce, old wood, and animal hair come in a full-frontal blast. The palate is a powerful mix of still quite sweet (pushing rotten) fruit, cutting acid, and dusty wood.

Given space for a bit of breathing, there is rotten apples, cinnamon, coffee and a clarifying note of cloves. (In the bottle I had last year, the cinnamon was almost as strong as to evoke mulled wine; this time, not so much.)

Last year’s bottle struck me as being like a mature Californian Cabernet but I repudiate that comparison now; now it seems much more like a particularly animalistic right-bank Bordeaux. The star vintage of the 90s, in just ahead of the also excellent 1994. Keep.

Château Musar 1999

Still quite a vivid, purple rim. Leather, baked black fruits and cinnamon, but less volatile acidity than many a Musar. A hint of a Graves-like ashtray note. The fruit note is not as baked as in some vintages, perhaps a bit more raspberry than stewed plum. Not as dense or as intense as some vintages (the very powerful 95), but a big hit of acid at the back of the palate. The smelly, animalistic aromatics I love in Musar have yet to make a big appearance, and I wonder to what extent they will do so. Good, but not a historical vintage. Still, other tasting notes suggest it may be the best vintage since the 1995.

Château Musar (Blanc) 2000

Rather an amber colour, with orange highlights; in the shop, I squinted and wondered if it was a rosé.

Made from a mix of the Merwah (related to Sémillon) and Obaideh (related to Chardonnay) grapes, but the style is pure Bordeaux Sémillon style: waxy, preserved lemons with a mix of old and new oak. Austere and beautifully integrated, I imagine it could live for next to forever in the cellar.

Château Musar (Rosé) 2004

A bit of the worst of both worlds on the bouquet; the lemony, Sémillon quality of the Musar Blanc but without the Blanc’s intensity (austerity), and a suggestion of Pinot Noir-esque strawberries. We’d heard great things about the Musar rosé, that it actually shows development; but after a couple of hours with it between the fridge and our glasses we weren’t convinced. However, when we returned to polish it off the following day we found ourselves arguing about whether it was now more apricot (N1) or more orange (N2), so worth a whirl after all. 

Saigon Street Food

By N1

Pho bo (beef pho) and pho ga (chicken pho) at Bac Hai (25 Ng The Minh
Khai, District 1) - I preferred the herby southern pho to the less
herby northern variety.

Crab Shack at Quan 94 (84 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, District 1) - the
soft shelled crabs are amazing. I had them both deep fried and in
tamarind. Apparently the crab vermicelli is great too, but there’s
only so much crab I can manage on my own. Watch out for the copycat
Quan 94 which really is at number 94.

Banh Xeo (fried rice “crepes” filled with beansprouts and prawn and
corn, eaten wrapped in lettuce and herbs) and bun ba lot (beef in
betel leaf) at Banh Xeo 46A (46A Dinh Cong Trang Street, District 1) -
luckily the couple next door were able to teach up good rolling
technique, despite the language barrier. Everyone there was sharing a
banh xeo and having another dish on the side, often also involving
making up rolls. The place is also supposed to be good for deep fried
food, such as nem (deep fried spring rolls). Portions are big, e.g.
spring rolls came in a portion of ten. Definitely for sharing. Eat the
crepe first, as it goes a bit soggy with time.

Mi Ga Tiem (chicken, bok choy and noodles in an anise broth) at the
Lunch Lady Near 23 Hoang Sa Street, District 1- we had to wander round
the back streets peering in at the different stalls to see if it was
her, when she called out “Are you looking for me?”. After appearing on
Anthony Bourdin’s show, she’s very popular, and justly so. The stock
has a deep, rich taste - apparently she makes it from scratch each
morning.

We also were on Nguyen Van Thu street several times, eating fried rice cakes
filled with a mushroom mixture and dried salted pork (there c. 4pm, to
catch the children coming out of school), drinking fresh juices from
the juice bar on a corner near the school (try the sapodilla) and
having coffee at Thoai Vien (159A Nguyen Van Thu). It’s the northern end of district 1, where it turns residential, and we liked being out of the way of the tourist hordes. A lot of the above places were nearby, so were up here a lot. Next time I would try to stay in this area.

On our first night we wandered around, trying to find somewhere filled
with Vietnamese near the backpacker district, which would also give us
a non-Western menu. This was surprisingly hard. In both Saigon and
Hanoi, when we told people we wanted Vietnamese restaurants with local
food, they would still well-meaningly direct us to backpacker joints
with westernized menus. Having rejected the place recommended by our
landlady, we wandered until we found a street of busy kerbside seafood
restaurants. At the first place where we sat down, earmarked because
people were eating BBQ-ed chicken feet, the English menu had
Singaporean and western specials and we couldn’t get the chicken feet
even by pointing at them. So we moved to the next restaurant down,
which translated the whole menu, where we ate fantastic lemon grass
steamed snails and crispy fish skin (must be the Viet answer to pork
scratchings). Pigs’ ear - supposed to be made into wraps but no
guidance on this was forthcoming - and deep fried chicken feet were
less successful. The dipping sauces tasted like they were based on a
single shop-bought sauce, with other condiments added to make each
slightly different. Fine for a just-off-the-plane,
round-the-corner-from-our-hotel meal, but I wouldn’t especially
recommend it.

Lots of Viet stallholders were eating lunch in Banh Thanh market, but
the prices were clearly being jacked up for westerners and we had a
whole host of recommendations to get through, so we avoided it. We did
eat a couple of snacks in the market in Cholon. Tasty grilled pork
skewers (at a vastly inflated tourist price), and interesting
marinated oyster salad, and a less successful squid stuffed with pork.

Apart from Nguyen Van Thu street, the places I’d found recommended beforehand were vastly superior to those we stumbled into. My guess is that the further you get from the tourist areas, the better the food is.
District 4 would be on the menu if I’m back again.

Hanoi Street Food

By N1

Bun Cha (grilled pork with noodles and herbs) and Nem Cua (crab spring
rolls) at Be Dac Kim, 1 Hang Manh St - all across the blogosphere,
people rave about this place. The food was good, but I didn’t quite
get what all the fuss was about with the dish. Constantly dipping cold
noodles into the broth turns it cold, and I just prefer my noodles in
warm broth.

Cha Ca (fried fish with turmeric, dill and spring onion) at Cha Ca
Thanh Lonh, 31 Duing Thanh St - got as far as the door mid-week but
decided not to go in as it was full of westerners and looked like a
tourist joint. Came back on a Sunday night to find it packed with
Vietnamese so we decided that, after all, this was a traditional Hanoi
dish not to be missed.

Xoi Xeo (sticky rice with mung bean and various toppings) at Xio Yen,
35b Nguyen Huu Huan St

Banh Cuon (rice flour rolls filled with pork and woodear mushroom) at
Gia Truyen, 14 Hang Ga St

Mien Xao (vermicelli with egg, fried eel, herbs, and cucumber), Sup
Luon (eel soup), Chai Luon (eel porridge), Cha Luon (fried fish on the
menu but seemed more like eel tasting force meat) at Mien Xao Luon, 87
Hang Dieu St - the Mien Xao Luon was so good we went twice, hence our
sampling of so much of the menu. The mien xao was stand-out best. We
preferred the porridge to the soup which, although nice, had that
slightly gloopy texture I associate with soup in UK Cantonese
restaurants and no particularly fishy taste.

Banh Goi (deep fried pork and mushroom parcels) at 52 Ly Quoc St - be
careful, the woman tried to pass me a 5,000 note instead of 50,000 in
change.

Bun Rieu (crab and tomato based noodle soup) on Mai Hac De St - solid
stock, with fish liver and beef and some sort of peppery sausage
floating amongst the noodles. No pieces of crab, that must have been
in the stock. I was slightly disappointed as I was told that this dish
traditionally has snails in it, but there were none in our bowl.

Bun Bo (beef noodles) at Bun Bo Nam Bo, 67 Hang Dieu St - noodles,
beef, herbs and peanuts, on top of quite a sloppy sauce that you mix
in. Peanuts went really well.

Pho Bo (beef pho) at 49 Bat Dan St - the beef was a little chewy, the
chin (corned/ salt beef) was perfect. If I went again I’d just have
chin, which is also cheaper

Pho Ga (chicken pho) at 172 Ton Duc Than - tasty but quite a lot of
MSG. On leaving I noticed the lady sprinkled the MSG on the chicken
before ladling on the stock so, if one hung around whilst she was
serving it might be possible to get the amount reduced.

Dried squid on Hang Bo street - they grilled the dried squid over
charcoal, thumped it with a sort of baseball bat (to tenderise it?),
pulled it into shreds, and served it with hot sauce. Intense smoked squid
taste, with very chewy texture so makes for slow eating. It really
needs beer. Bring your own, it’s a street stall so it only does the
one thing. The family next to us had brought drinks and a picnic
blanket to sit on. One squid is very filling, so definitely for
sharing. We ate half and then had the woman bag the rest for a snack
the next day.

Coffee in Hanoi

By N1

Cafe Mai - tried civet coffee (here called Paris Mai), although the
beans probably never saw the inside of an animal but were most likely
synthetically fermented. Rich texture, slightly fermented flavour, but
no more complex or interesting than normal Vietnamese coffee, although
double the price.

Cafe Pho Co at 11 Hang Gai - a “hidden cafe”, you enter through the
passage by the silk shop and come to a small courtyard. Go up the
stairs to a balcony overlooking the city. Nice view but not the best
coffee I had and, although hidden, certainly not undiscovered by
tourists.

37 Luong Van Can - very tasty, nutty, not as sweet as usual. Sugar
served on the side. Yum.

61 Bat Su - richer than at 37 Luong Van Can, with a slightly bitter
aftertaste. The woman asked if I wanted sugar and the penny finally
dropped as to why the Vietnamese coffee is always so damned sweet. I’d
read that they roast the beans with butter and sugar, which gives the
distinct flavour, but clearly a lot of the sweetness is added when
brewing. Cooler place to sit than Luong Van Can, on a quieter road,
and more seats so you’re more likely to find one. But I preferred the
coffee on Luong Van Can.

Clos des Epeneaux – Comte Armand – Pommard – 1997

Clos des Epeneaux is a walled vineyard in the Burgundian commune of Pommard, in the Côte de Beaune.

An earthy nose, with wood and a little pencil lead showing through – almost more the sort of secondary note I’d be expecting out of the Médoc. Red fruit – cherry and cranberry – comes out with a bit of swirling. Still some grainy tannins there. With time, some more fragrant notes emerge – a hint of jasmine – but the dominant impression remains earthy. Also, a final, surprising, breath of mintiness. Entering quite a good place for drinking now, though I personally would keep it a bit longer.

Pommard neighbours Volnay, but the two communes can produce quite different wines; light and fragrant in Volnay, heavier, more powerful, and more tannic in Pommard. By that measure, the Comte Armand seems to be a fairly classic Pommard.

Coteau de Vernon – Condrieu – 2004

Condrieu is a small appellation in the Northern Rhône, just south of the Côte Rôtie, exclusively producing white wine from the Viognier variety.

Quite a restrained nose – it takes some working at. A fairly classic Viognier mix of peach and mineral notes, with a certain buttery fatness, and a small hit of melon. Very long aftertaste. Going to be great, not yet firing on all cylinders.

Clos des Papes – Châteauneuf-du-Pape – Blanc – 2003

Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Southern Rhône is better known for its heavy reds, but produces a few - sometimes quite distinguished - whites from blends dominated by Grenache Blanc and Roussanne.

The elusive bouquet of apricot and almond is difficult to get hold of, and takes a long time to come round. It’s obvious from the start that this is a wine for long-term aging, and it has been opened too soon. Terribly well-made – from the very hot vintage of 2003, but that doesn’t show through at all in the sharp acidity. Weighty, alcoholic, and slightly oily.

It’s only at the end of a long evening that I feel able to declare, “The Clos des Papes is opening out!” It has acquired a floral (geranium?), fennel note. “Go home, Neil,” fellow tasters respond.

We had this with the Condrieu (next post) and though both were lovely and clearly in need of a lot more time in bottle, the Clos des Papes did come across as superior.  

Ken Forrester – FMC – Chenin Blanc – 2008

Chenin Blanc (or Steen in South Africa) has come to be seen as the archetypal South African white grape variety, a hardy, bulk-producing variety associated (in the UK) with a lot of low-end pub wines. Yet it also produces some great wines in the Loire, and it is gratifying to see it making better wines elsewhere.

The FMC is from Stellenbosch, in the Western Cape of South Africa. It has spent 12 months in new French oak and is a very upfront wine, unmistakeably New World in style with hefty, tropical notes of banana and butterscotch together with vanilla and hay. Ripe fruit and big flavours, but it all feels a little unintegrated – I think it may come together with age. I remain a little dubious as to how well Chenin Blanc is adapted to this heavily oaked style – it feels more like Chardonnay than Chenin.

Château de Ligré – Chinon – 2007

Here’s a novelty – a white Chinon.

Chinon is an almost exclusively red wine appellation in the Loire, making wines from Cabernet Franc. Yet it is not at all far away from Vouvray, where almost all wines are made from Chenin Blanc, so it shouldn’t be too surprising to find one or two Chenin Blancs – such as this Château de Ligré – in Chinon.

Medium-gold. I often find Chenin Blanc can produce slightly cheesey wines, and the first impression on the bouquet is of parmesan, followed by white peach. Bone dry. Will be better in 10 years.    

Vilmart – Cuvée Creation – 1998

Champagne from the entirely Premier Cru village of Rilly-la-Montagne, with a 70% – 30% blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Quite a deep gold colour, and a very Chardonnay-driven nose. Unusually, this champagne has seen some new oak and it shows. Lemon-tart, and discreet but very well-defined yeastiness; just like fresh white bread. Apparently a year ago it was quite tropical, but those notes have since moved on.  

Delicate and precise rather than dramatic or complex. I was surprised both to discover that it had 30% Pinot Noir (because the character is currently pure Chardonnay) and by the restrained yeasty character.

Gilles Barge – Côte Brune – 1998

The Côte Brune is the northernmost stretch of the Côte-Rôtie, itself the northern stretch of the Rhône Valley. Unlike in the Côte Blond just to the south, the all-red wines of the Côte Brune are made without any lightening touch of (white) Viognier, and hence tend to be a bit meatier.

This is a lovely comparator to Gilles’s Côte Blond Cuvée Duplessey (last post) – with a Côte, 2 vintages and some Viognier (in the Duplessey) between them, they are startlingly different wines.

The Côte Brune looks more aged, with the beginnings of bricking at the rim. It is on the nose that the difference really shows through; the Brune is intensely gamey, with most of the fruit gone, and immediately feels like a more aged wine than the Duplessey – much more than the 2 years of extra age would age would account for. Further to the game, there are notes of bacon, pepper and a touch of balsamic vinegar (superseded by slightly curried notes later.)

1998 was a ripe, early maturing vintage in the Rhône, and that shows clearly in this wine. Unlike the 2000 Duplessey, I don’t imagine this getting much better with time; enjoy the magnificent sauvage notes now.  

Gilles Barge – Côte-Rôtie – Cuvée Duplessey – 2000

The Côte-Rôtie is the northernmost appellation in the Rhône Valley. All northern Rhône reds are made from Syrah, although in the Côte-Rôtie they are allowed to add a dash of (the white variety) Viognier, which supposedly adds elegance and balance, and certainly makes the wines more accessible when they are young.

The slopes of the Côte-Rôtie are divided into two areas: the Côte Blond to the south of the town of Ampuis, and the Côte Brune, to the north. While the Côte Blond is associated with wines made from the blend of Syrah with up to 20% Viognier, the Côte Brune is more associated with bigger, more tannic, all-Syrah reds.   

Gilles Barge’s Cuvée Duplessey is from the Côte Blond, and is made with that lightening dash of Viognier.

Not an intensely deep colour, but a very poised bouquet between primary and secondary notes: cherry and blackberry fruit, followed by herbs and just a touch of smoked meat. On the palate, the fruit comes with cracked pepper. The tannins are not yet completely resolved. A very pleasing, well-structured wine, definitely able to support more development.  

Leonard Kreusch – Riesling – Kabinett – 1983

Graach – Josephshöfer

Fairly classic German Riesling from the village of Graach on the Mosel River in the Rhineland, just east of Luxembourg. The vineyards in Graach sit on a steep slate hill above the town. Two vineyard sites there have been classified as Erste Lage (first-class sites), one of which is the Josephshöfer.

Kabinett implies the wine is made in a light, delicate, off-dry to semi-sweet style.

The bouquet is a delightful blend of peaches and cream (absolutely typical for the vineyard, apparently) and aged-Riesling petroliferous notes. Instantly pleasurable. With air, the petrol grows somewhat and the wine gets more buttery, the fruit a little heavier. Not a complex wine, perhaps, but a lovely, well-aged drink.

Vietti – Barbaresco – Masseria – 1996

Vietti is a major Piedmontese winery, with a range of Barolos, Barberas, Dolcettos and a Barbaresco – the Masseria.

A fairly typical Nebbiolo bouquet – berry spice, tar and violets. A bit of tea and tobacco as well. Weighty on the palate – tannic and alcoholic. “Too tannic,” says N1. I’m surprised – I would have expected this to be smoothing out by now. But 1996 was another pretty grand vintage in Piedmont, and this clearly has some distance to go yet. Will be superb.

Albino Rocca – Barbaresco – 2000 – Vigneto Brich Ronchi

Still a very young, (blackberry) fruit forward wine – plenty of camphor there, with leather and tobacco also showing up behind the fruit, and a definite (but not overstated) oak influence. Meaty, powerful, earthy. Firm tannins.

It continues to evolve slowly but surely as we work our way though it. I spot fugitive notes of tea, coffee, and pepper.

The vigneto (vineyard) Brich Ronchi is one of the Rocca’s two Nebbiolo vineyards, the other being the Vigneto Loreto.

2000 was a pretty good vintage for Barbaresco (and Piedmont in general – Wine Spectator magazine gave the vintage a score of 100 points). This long, complex wine has got ages ahead of it. Beautiful and very expressive bouquet, but still wants time to soften out.

Nussbaumer – Gewürztraminer – 2010

That most aromatic of grape varieties Gewürztraminer is typically associated with the Alsace, where until recently I would have presumed it to have originated; but it is in fact the South Tyrolese village of Tramin, where the variety was first identified, that puts the “tramin” into the spice (“gewürzt”). In Tramin they are justly proud of their local varietal, and this Nussbaumer is the flagship wine of the Cantina Tramin cooperative.

A beautiful, heady example; while I don’t exactly want to disagree that it displays the classic varietal character of roses, lychees and grapefruit, I would say that these notes are slightly less prominent than in some Gewürztraminers, leaving room for white peach and white pepper. Very fragranced; the spice and the unusually high alcohol levels of 15% make sniffing this wine reminiscent of a trip to the perfume counter at Boots.

It is also very acidic, unusual for such an alcoholic wine (has something been added?) and the forceful combination makes it quite hard to take on its own – it needs food, and it is the epitome of the wine to go with highly spiced Thai or Indian food. Something of an exception to the guideline that wines go better with cuisine from the area they are made in.

Mount Eden – Pinot Noir – 1991

From the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, also home to Ridge Vineyards and their famous Monte Bello. Mount Eden was founded in 1945, and the vineyards – and some very old vines – date back to then.

Faded, bricked at the rim. “Very Burgundian,” comes a chorus from the table – but if so, very much from the more aromatic, less gamey school. Quite a light bouquet, with sweet, slightly faded fruit – plums. A little earthy, a little stony. Very smooth on the palate. I can’t help but feel that the fruit has a residual warmth more typical of New World wines than Burgundy. To be honest, I found this smooth but rather lacking in interesting secondaries.

Joseph Swan – Wolfespierre – Chardonnay – 1991

Quite a dark wine – the colour speaks of age, oak and Chardonnay.

An amazingly complex bouquet – layers of flavour emerge. It is peachy and stony to begin with, with a fresh, minty note (which this vineyard was famous for, from both the Pinot Noir and the Chardonnay grapes it produced) and the classic, expected toasty oak. The oakiness only gets stronger as the wine breathes, along with some very unexpected savoury notes: cooked ham, and macaroni. Later on, the fruit has become more pear than peach. Absolutely superb – a delight to follow.

I’ve heard it said that this wine was produced in a more “European” style, although for me, the oak marks it out as absolutely American.

The Wolfespierre vineyard produced Chardonnay and Pinot Noir until 1997, when the vines were uprooted to make way for Syrah.

Domaine Duplessis – Chablis – Montée de Tonnerre – 1991

Montée de Tonnerre is a premier cru climat (vineyard site) in Chablis, highly valued as it just across a ravine from – and geologically very close to – the even more prestigious Chablis grand cru climats.

The 1991 Duplessis begins with notes of pear and more classic Chardonnay apple. Fuller with age, it doesn’t have that classic Chablis steeliness, but there is a mineral rasp among the honeysuckle that emerges as, with time, it becomes increasingly aromatic.  

It wears its age very well – I understand that considerably older vintages are still drinking well.

No sign of any oak here, but I also understand that more recent vintages are being made with a little oak on show – rather a modern departure for Chablis.

Chateau Woltner – Frederique Vineyard – 1991

“Chateau” (note, though, “a” not “â”) seems an incongruous, even rather aggrandising name for an American winery – but permissible perhaps, since it was founded by Frenchmen, way back in 1877, although they called it something else – “Nouveau Medoc Vineyard”, California’s 13^th registered winery. (Who knows what the winery did during prohibition.) Under the current geographical designation, it lies within the Howell Mountain AVA, or American Viticultural Area, one of 16 AVAs within the Napa Valley AVA. (Itself within the North Coast AVA).

The Frederique was one of three vineyard-designated Chardonnays made by the Chateau, all in a non-malolactic style, with French and not American oak.

“Proper, not over-done Burgundy” comes the verdict from the other side of the table. The bouquet is somewhere between Chablis and Montrachet; lemon, with some richer fruit, mineral, and not over-oaked. Very dry, soft, subtle, elegant, and unassuming. I’d never guess this was from the New World. Quite discreet for a ’91 – I might expect it to have evolved further from the mean after 20 years.

Chateau Woltner wines are now a piece of history – the vineyard has since been turned over to Cabernet Sauvignon under the Ladera label (which Parker rates quite highly).

A.Pernin-Rossin - Les Monts Luisants - 1988

Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru

Burgundy can be fiendishly complicated to understand sometimes! There are 20 premier cru vineyard sites within the Morey-Saint-Denis appellation, one of which is Les Monts Luisants - “the shining slopes”, after the bright green Chardonnay and Aligoté leaves that cover part of the vineyard, in contrast to the sea of red Pinot Noir leaves around them.

Pernin-Rossin’s 1988 Monts Luisants has a fair bit of bricking by now, and it throws a cloudy sediment. A powerfully cherried nose makes me think of many an Italian wine. Very sweet aromatics, with a lot of oak spice, but also leather. Fully resolved tannins – a delicious drink. Hints of gaminess start to show through after it has been open for two hours, but the cherried aromatics remain very dominant.

Paternina – Gran Reserva – 1928

Not a typo – I was lucky to be trying the 1928 vintage from the primary Gran Reserva of Bodega Federico Paternina (the other being Conde de los Andes). Not surprisingly for a wine that has lasted so beautifully since then, 1928 was an excellent vintage.

While “truffled” is a fairly classic tasting note, I have never before had a wine that smelt so intensely of truffles. No doubt a function of extreme age – truffles, game and mushroom are exactly the sort of thing one expects from aging red wines. Underneath, one finds the classic Rioja wood notes and, with a little air, nutmeg. Light, fine acid on the palate with no fruit left to speak of (although N1 disagrees with me about this) – delicious, although following the bouquet is the real pleasure here. 

Conde de los Andes – Gran Reserva – 1970

Classic, old-school Rioja from Bodegas Federico Paternina and the superb 1970 vintage.

Brown at the rim, with notes of coffee, pencil wood, and an attractive, oxidised hint of Madeira. Tannins fully resolved, with a little underlying sweetness that hints at caramel.

Conde de Salceda 1987 Gran Reserva - Rioja

Conde de Salceda is the flagship Gran Reserva of the Rioja bodega Viña Salceda (established 1969 - not one of the great historicals).

1987 was an excellent Rioja vintage, and an excellent year for Conde de Salceda.

Showing some browning at the rim, this is past the first flush of youth; the bouquet is classically Riojan mix of strawberries with the vanilla of a heavy American oak presence.Tannins are essentially resolved, leaving a relatively light-bodied, quite acidic wine. With airing, spicy notes open out; combining with the natural sweetness of the oak, they suggest mincemeat. Attractive, if by no means the greatest Rioja of its vintage.

Croq’Caillotte Sancerre 2009 - Emile Balland

Gooseberry is the classic Sauvignon Blanc note, but I’m not used to it being so pungent in generally austere Sancerre – the fruit note overwhelms the more typical minerality. There is also a note of blackcurrant leaf (not the fruit!) which I find startling in a white wine. Very crisp.

François Cotat – Sancerre – La Grande Côte 2009

The first impression on the nose is stony, ungiving complexity, a wine that one will have to work at to unravel. There is not a lot of fruit in the austere bouquet; on the palate, and with a little airing, apples and quince begin to come through, even though those flinty notes remain the overriding characteristic. The acid is not overwhelming as it can sometimes be in Sancerre; more just a prick at the end of the palate. It also seems pretty alcoholic; we check, and discover it is a whacking 15%. The more we spend time on this, the more the extremely good structure becomes clear.

I guess – and later confirm – that this has been barrel-fermented in old oak barrels. It’s not that it tastes typically of oak (and so it must have been old oak, which imparts little if any flavour) but because the stony, slightly smoky complexity is so typical of those (relatively few) Sauvignons that have seen oak.

The best Sancerre I’ve ever had? With time, a cleansing note of mint shows through, and a suggestion of salami – most curious in a white. This is still very young, and wines of this class can open immensely, and unrecognisably – one to come back to in 5 years.

Weinbach Pinot Gris Cuvée Laurence 2004

Domaine Weinbach (in the Alsace) produces a variety of wines from a fairly wide variety of grapes – the Alsatian way. This cuvée is made from Pinot Gris grapes picked in overmaturity, lending borderline sweetness and intensity. Strong colour, and a very intense, smoky, Riesling-like bouquet of honeysuckle and peach. On the palate, enough sugar to hint at dessert. Fine, and powerful, if a bit of a conundrum for food; not actually heavy enough for pudding, it would kill most savoury dishes.

Château Monlot Capet 1966

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

Very softened, plummy fruit betrays the age on this wine. It is also very gamey; Burgundian notes grow into Worcester sauce (like Château Musar) and it begins to make me think of pet hamster cage. Good acid cuts through the palate. A note of anise on the finish. Soft and well-aged; although it continues to improve as it is open, with the gaminess only growing, I wouldn’t keep this a lot longer.

“There you go,” says N1, “the right bank is ok sometimes.”

Château Léoville-Barton 1988

St Julien, 2^nd growth

Extremely well-made classic left-bank Bordeaux: black fruit (not as clearly cassis as in some), cigar box, graphite, herby, and vegetal notes. Intense and complex: we didn’t have much time to appreciate it, and there was clearly more going on than we properly fathomed. In no way does it feel old; I would judge it is only just entering its peak drinking window.

Louis Roederer Brut 1990

We saw in 2012 with Louis Roederer’s 1990 Brut. The Roederer Vintage Brut might be thought of as the little brother of Roederer’s Cristal, now famous in popular culture as a status symbol for footballers and hip-hop artists. 1990 was a superb champagne vintage; the Vintage Brut is a 70-30 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Very dark gold with salmon highlights. The nose is a little reductive, and takes a while to blow off and freshen up – apparently quite typical across the vintage. The bouquet is more biscuits than bread, with a distinctive malty, “Horlicks” nose – maybe chocolate biscuits. Also cooked apple, and much though I distrusted my nose, there is definitely an unusual note of agave.

Clearly a well-made champagne. N1 is less convinced than I am – I think she finds the “Horlicks” a little off-putting.