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.