Non Festive Drinking

Anything but Port, this includes all wines other than fortified wines (which have their own section) even if they call themselves Port. There is a search facility for this part of the forum.
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Anything but Port, this includes all non-Port fortified wines even if they call themselves Port. There is a search facility for this part of the forum.
winesecretary
Fonseca 1980
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by winesecretary »

11c! The stuff barely ages at all at that temp. 'nac cellar' will be spoken of in hallowed terms as provenance a century from now. Like the 1870 clarets from Glamis.
winesecretary
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by winesecretary »

Ridge Lytton Springs 2019, served with a slow-cooked beef stew. Splendid exuberantly-fruited red wine to warm the cockles. Although I like old Geyserville I am beginning to think I prefer Lytton Springs young.
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nac
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by nac »

This weekend…
Friday - Gusbourne Rose 2015 (OK, nothing to get excited about) followed by Ausone 1990 (fully mature, excellent).
Saturday - The Good Doctor’s Tonic 2008 [Tannat / Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz from McLaren Vale / Barossa Valley] (quite interesting, still quite deep, ready).
Sunday - Musar 1998 (good, but maybe lacks the depth of the 1997).

And some Cockburn 1967.
winesecretary
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by winesecretary »

@ nac - The 90 Ausone is lovely with enough of a decant. One of the pleasures of WFH is that it allows you to take a break Friday mid-afternoon to sort the evening's wine. And the 97 Musar is a lovely wine. I remember fondly a now long-departed case of halves.

This weekend featured a Bourgogne HCDB 2016 from Gueguen - happily not corked, and lovely with a bag of crisps while reading before dinner, but I won't buy more until they go to DIAM, half of this case (bought EP) have gone down the sink.

A Beaune Chaume Gaufriot Rouge 2017 Domaine Henri Audiffred - shutting down hard now. Come back in 5-6 years.

The Niepoort 1983 held up for 36 hours, although drying a little by yesterday evening.
MigSU
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by MigSU »

^^ That is strange. Amongst all the Portuguese wine that I drink, I find maybe 1 or 2 corked bottles in every 100 that I open (in fact, I can just about remember the last time I had a corked wine). And I rarely see any DIAM corks.
What sort of corks are those guys buying?
winesecretary
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by winesecretary »

I think the corks to which you have access if you are a small producer in burgundy are very different in quality to the corks that are available in the home of cork, but the ones being sold to small producers in 2016 for their generic and village wines like this were particularly bad. Generally, for non-DIAM producers, I assume at least one corked, another out of condition, and for whites another couple premoxed in every case of burgundy, and discount what I am prepared to pay accordingly.
MigSU
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by MigSU »

That's interesting. I had no idea it was still like that.
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nac
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by nac »

winesecretary wrote: 11:49 Mon 14 Feb 2022 And the 97 Musar is a lovely wine. I remember fondly a now long-departed case of halves.
Indeed - bought 36 bottles on release from Wine Society in 2004 for £12/bottle delivered. Those were the days...
I think less than 10 remain, but every bottle has been lovely.
winesecretary
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by winesecretary »

Work commitments have largely led to a less than exciting range of occasional snatched glasses of vino over the past ten days, drunk while sitting on the sofa in the forty minutes between work stopping and bed, but a couple worthy of note from an impromptu dinner party.

- Aligote 2014 Domaine Coche Dury - a bit tired and oxidative I thought. I continue to prefer the Coche reds.
- Beaune 1er Cru Les Greves 1973 Domaine Yves Darviot - lovely old tertiary pinot, perfumed leather rather than farmyard, with an appealing sweetness to the fruit. Proof again that good vignerons with good terroir can make good wine even in dreadful years.
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nac
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by nac »

Bookends to a rather pleasant walk-around 2019 Bolgheri tasting at 67 Pall Mall...

Pol Roger 2002 - nicely mature with classic autolytic notes, but with years of life in it.
Sassicaia 2006 - starting to move into its drinking window; beautifully perfumed nose, plenty of fruit; structure and balance; excellent.
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nac
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by nac »

Tonight (to accompany a Hawksmoor at Home porterhouse) Sassicaia 2001.

Maybe not as spectacular as the 2006, but still pretty good. Possibly the decanter was leaking as disappeared quite quickly.
winesecretary
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by winesecretary »

Ah, the leaky decanter problem. I know that one.

St Romain 2016, Domaine Vincent Perrin. Pleasant white burg but this bottle (and indeed case) at the end of its life, nuts and wax and lemon without florality. Jolly fine with a sea bream and salsa verde though.
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Doggett
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by Doggett »

In Aviemore for the weekend with In-laws. Musar 2003 was a treat of a bottle despite a touch of VA. Some DOG Barolo 2016 which showed what a great year it is for that region. And a 2016 Suduiraut Sauternes and or a Maynards 10YO with desert, both of which were perfect for the occasion.
winesecretary
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by winesecretary »

Ooh, I've not had the Suduiraut 2016. More details please.
winesecretary
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by winesecretary »

Bressan Schioppetino 2015. Extraordinary green pepper nose, richly complicated palate, herbs and leather and cherry stone, lovely acidic balance. I am not sure I've had a Ribolla Nera before. Served with a pork and beef ragu that was cooked slowly on the hob for five hours. A perfect combination for a wet Monday when on holiday.
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Alex Bridgeman
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by Alex Bridgeman »

I'd forgotten about this thread. Logging on to the forum reminded me of its existence.

Mrs B and I stayed at a rather nice hotel for a few days last week. From its wine list we drank a bottle of Guigal La Landonne 1986 (which I did very much enjoy) and a bottle of Alain Graillot's Tandem 2017 from Domaine des Ouled Thaleb. It was a superb Syrah but could have easily taken a decade or two in the cellar - but I wanted to try it since I'd never had one of his wines before but have read plenty about them.

And then on Thursday night we shared in a magnum of Pol Roger 1990 and a bottle of Chateau Liversan 1929. The 1929 was remarkably full of life. A deep and dark red with fruit and cedar. (But Taylor 1935 was the wine of the night on Thursday.)
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.

2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
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nac
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by nac »

Alex Bridgeman wrote: 19:57 Sat 05 Mar 2022 ...we drank a bottle of Guigal La Landonne 1986...
Pretty sure I haven't had a La La of that age. What a treat.
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nac
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by nac »

Slightly early birthday celebration on Saturday evening. Started by finishing off a bottle of Peter Sisseck’s new Vina Corrales Fino (bt.2021). This was opened a week or so ago but Vac-u-Vined in the fridge so still beautifully fresh. Then Faustino I Gran Reserva 1970. Level 25mm below a pretty new looking cork, so this was almost certainly a recentish release. Improved in the decanter over a couple of hours. Quite “brown and meaty” at first, but developed lovely mature complexity. Mrs NAC didn’t like this much, so a half of Ridge Lytton Springs 2016 was opened as well (tasted for QA purposes and was excellent, but too young for me).
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nac
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by nac »

Sunday - Clos de Tart Grand Cru 1996 to accompany roast chicken.

The first of two bottles swapped with a very generous friend for some nowhere near-as-grand Napa.
Quite closed; more developed in the mouth. Plenty of structure still, so absolutely no rush to drink. Really very good, but probably not quite worth the £600 you'd now need to pay for it retail (or £749 at Hedonism). Looking forward to the second bottle.
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Alex Bridgeman
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by Alex Bridgeman »

Just remembered there were a couple of bottles opened for dinner at the George in Stamford on 3rd Feb that are worthy of being captured in this thread. There was a bottle of Coates & Seely La Perfide Rosé 2009 and a bottle of Château Lafite 1996.
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.

2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
winesecretary
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by winesecretary »

Ridge Paso Robles 2018 Zinfandel. Essence of rich ripe red fruits with some saving plummy tannins (and the addition of 4.7% water). Delicious with cheese course at lunchtime, more delicious with cheese course at dinner. But don't keep this one long term - I would have said 2025 at outside.
winesecretary
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by winesecretary »

@ nac - The Clos de Tart 1996 sounds splendid. I know the Vina Corrales is delicious - a totally vinous fino.
winesecretary
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by winesecretary »

There may also have been three premier cru burgundies. Too tired to write notes right now. Tomorrow.
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nac
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by nac »

Friday 11th March - Peter Michael "La Carriere" Chardonnay 2012 with sea bass and a risotto.
Opened and decanted a couple of hours before dinner.

Is this massive and impressive? Yes
Does it need food with it? Yes
Did I enjoy it? Sort of
Am I looking forward to the other two bottles I've got? Not particularly
Verdict - a bit disappointing
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nac
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Re: Non Festive Drinking

Post by nac »

Friday 18th March - Penfolds RWT 2002 Barossa Valley Shiraz
Not showing much - think it probably needed at least a couple of hours in a decanter first. Will try another bottle soon to see if it needs drinking up.
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