Campo Viejo – Rioja – 2010

Not even a reserva, but a student staple of my yesteryear. Loadings of sugar sweet vanilla, Disney candyfloss, chocolate and red fruit. The palate is neither long nor complex; upfront, but then hollow, an underlying watery tartness behind the initial sweet fruit. Admittedly simple, but not bad as entry-level offerings go – I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t enjoyed this.   

Les Criots – Meursault – Ballot-Millot – 2009

Superb, already very approachable; perfumed tropical fruits with a hint of smoke, creamy rather than (very) oaky.

Domaine Rollin – 1999 – Aloxe-Corton

Vin rouge from the North of the Côte de Beaune; from the small appellation of Aloxe-Corton, which makes more red than white wine due to its proximity to Corton, the Côte de Beaune’s only red wine Grand Cru appellation.

 
Aged cherry, the suggestion of leather and glue, almost like a cobbler’s. Not a grand vin, slightly perfumed, slightly hot fruit, feels like it will fade from here on rather than develop further secondaries. 1999 was an excellent although apparently forward vintage, and I feel this wine has already shot the best of its bolt.

Château Smith Haut Lafitte – Blanc – 2010

On opening, the Sauvignon Blanc character was very clear (in fact 90% Sauvignon Blanc) – the fresh gooseberry bouquet. A little while later, it had become vivid passion fruit, and a little later again intense honeysuckle. Beautiful acidity and length. Extraordinarily lovely. This is at least a 96/100 wine, sublime. (Apparently beaten by the 2005, though).

Château Smith Haut Lafitte – 2008

Clearly better than the 2007 we tasted it against; the nose is denser and more complex, an initial mix of tobacco and mint, with the Cabernet character coming through more strongly. Needs at least 10 years.

Château Smith Haut Lafitte – 2007

Tobacco, plums on the nose. We looked somewhat in vain for the Cabernet character. The tannins are medium grippy, but the rim is looking a little faded already! Not a long keeper but still fairly solid, does need some time to soften out.

Tondonia Reserva (red) – 2001

Still quite meaty, although the tannins are soft enough for drinking now. Quite a bite of acid. Vivid, delicious, still quite primary raspberry fruit, from an excellent vintage, it is already superb but is likely to reward aging; I’ll be interested to see if it develops a lot of secondary flavours, or gets more fragrant, or even just quietens down. We had a half bottle, so a whole likely to be less well developed. Enormously good value for money when you think what you could get at for the same price elsewhere.

Meursault Bouchères – 2001 – Domaine Roulot

Dark gold. No hint of its seeming too aged. I swear the first thing I smell off it is scallops. A complex, developing aroma; orange, hazelnut, a touch of cumin; later on it moves into burnt caramel, before retreating to a “comfort zone” of orange (and the suggestion of pineapple). Lovely acid, discreet oak presence, intense fruit, lingering. Very classy.

Tondonia Reserva (Blanco) – 1998

The usual sort of gold with amber highlights quite typical in aged, oaked white wine.

Quite a creamy, oxidative palate with that bit of burnt oak. Does the oxidative acid dominate a little too much? American oak, but not highly dominant, primary new oak. Attractively bitter; while I often find the white Tondonias remind me of Seville orange, the citrus quality here is definitely grapefruit. A little less density than is typical in the Gran Reservas. Fine, dry, oxidative, acidic.

Conde de los Andes – 1989

A Gran Reserva red Rioja from the bodega Paternina.

Elegant but also big, with mostly resolved tannins, a little truffley and pencilly when we open it, it’s more savoury than fruit-driven; what fruit there is is more orange than brambles. Not especially oxidative for a maturing Rioja. DL, not normally given to maturing wine overlong, remarks that this is still meaty and might quite be quite happy in the cellar for another 20 years. I’d have to concur, given that good Rioja can cellar for very long times.

When we open it, it’s relatively restrained, but there’s an amazing amount of evolution over the evening; it goes through liquorice and after an hour, it’s a gamey, raging mix of mushrooms and sweetbreads. (I’ve noticed before that older wines from this bodega do get very, very mushroomy.) I love it – I’m trying to decide if this is the best Rioja I’ve had to date, and I think it may be.

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande – 1983

The Pichon Longueville Comtesse is a Deuxième Cru from Pauillac, easily confused with Pichon Longueville Baron (also a Deuxième Cru); it is not surprising to learn that the Comtesse and the Baron were once part of the same property. The Comtesse has a relatively high proportion of Merlot for a left bank property (45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot, as opposed to the more Cabernet Sauvignon heavy Baron: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot) and it is typically said to have softer tannins than other classified Pauillac properties.

Dusty black fruit beautifully matured, still fairly solid, the first impression is exactly what I’d expect from a good, mature, left bank wine; within half an hour it has acquired a strong tobacco character which I’m more used to in reds from the Graves. Other voices at the table wondered if it was a little past its best, I thought it was characterful and well aged.  

Les Roches – 2002 – Chinon (Blanc)

I used to muddle Chinon and Chenin; Chinon is an appellation within the Loire Valley that (unusually for the Loire) makes mostly red wine (mostly from Cabernet Franc), but which also makes some white wine from (here the confusion) Chenin Blanc. So this is a Chenin from Chinon.

Quite a gold colour. The nose is an unusual blend of honey, firecrackers and beeswax; the palate is dry, acidic and waxy. The effect of struck matches in a waxy lemon would make me guess it was from the southern Rhône if I were to taste it blind. While there’s no oaky taste to it, the character does suggest a wine that has seen the inside of old (and hence non-flavour-imparting) oak barrels.

Its stands up well to vinegary, mustardy foods. A decade old from a superb vintage, this powerful wine seems to have already reached that happy timeless stage from which it will hardly budge however  long it’s kept.