Appellation Australia

Domaine Weinbach Schlossberg Grand Cru Cuvee St.Catherine Riesling 2004 (375mL)
Peaches, pears, orange peel and marmalade on the nose. A rich, viscous and weighty palate with excellent texture and length. Bold, but balanced.
92/100

Domaine Fourrier Les Goulots 1er Gevery-Chambertin 2003
A nose of red berries, candy, violets, chocolate and cinnamon. Touch of stalk to the medium bodied palate. Decent length and structure. Nice.
88/100

P&C Bonnefond Cote Rotie 2001
Licorice, dark chocolate, raspberry and coffee aromas. A juicy, ripe palate with the elements of the wine well integrated. Very good.
90/100

Taylors Vintage Port 1977 (375mL)
Vanilla, jasmine tea, licorice and cedar. Palate is smooth and of medium length, but doesn’t have the complexity or depth I expected. A bit of a let down as it is meant to be amazing.
88/100

These notes are from a dinner at Linda’s on King Street last week. The food was good, service was excellent - the only problem was an overcharge by 2 bottles on corkage, but at $3 a bottle it wasn’t a major issue.

NV Vincent d’Astree Gouttes d’Or Premier Cru Champagne
Biscuity nose, with some apple and light candy aromas. Fresh mouthfeel, quite drinkable but lacks depth and length.
87/100

1998 Dom Perignon Champagne
Very intense nose of smoke, nuts and peaches. Very good balance and composure on the palate. This bottle was looking a bit more advanced than some bottles last year but was still very tasty.
91/100

2006 Grans-Fassian Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Spatlese Trocken
Lime and spice on hte nse. Medium bodied palate with some noticable residual sugar despite the Trocken labelling. Lacked points of interest.
84/100

2005 Wantirna Isabella Chardonnay
Served blind and some tasters picked it as Chablis. A nose of grapefruit, earth, a touch of funky yeast and oats. Forward flavour on the palate without being over the top. Nice length and texture. I thought it was drinking well now and over the next couple of years.
89/100

2001 Rayas Blanc Reserve
50% Grenache Blanc, 50% Clairette. Grilled meats, fairy floss, wax and lemon on the nose. A bold palate, savoury and with good texture. Interesting even though I think it is yet to develop great palate complexity. Almost certain to divide opinions.
89/100

2005 Vincent Girardin Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes
Blackberry, graphite and earthy aromas. Ripe fruit on the palate, but with some good tannins for the level. Overall though, quite uninspiring.
86/100

1998 Bodegas Muga Rioja Gran Reserva Prado Enea
Ash, licorice, earth and tobacco aromas. Good flavour intensity and also nice balance between the acid, fruit and tannins. Quite approachable now, it is going to be drinking well over the next 5 years.
90/100

2007 Head Shiraz Grenache Viognier
A new label from the Barossa. 93% Shiraz, 5% Grenache, 2% Viognier. On the nose, aromas of chocolate oranges, band-aids, vanilla and spice. The palate has lots of black and blue berry fruit, but also a metallic edge. Avoid.
75/100

2006 Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese
Honey, spice, botrytis and peach aromas. Medium bodied with balanced medium sweetness. A good wine, but more time in bottle to develop complexity would be recommended.
88/100

1982 Moet et Chandon Brut Imperial Rose
A fine stream of bubbles. Strawberry jam is the dominant aroma with earth, smoke and cherry supporting. Medium intensity of flavour on the palate with good acid support. With a persistent finish, this was very tasty.
90/100

1979 Leo Buring Eden Valley Eden Valley Show Reserve Riesling DWI16
Golden coloured. Shy nose with some honey, hay and citrus. The palate is showing signs of tiredness with the acid and fruit barely holding on. Drinkable, but not nearly as good as I have heard great bottles of this can be.
85/100

2007 Kay Brothers Amery McLaren Vale Moscato
Shy nose, just some grape aromas. A touch of spritz and some soft sweetness to the palate, there is no depth to it though.
85/100

1992 Cantina Terlano Alto Adige Sauvignon
Minerals, grapefruit and floral notes. The palate is fresh and lifting, but there is a richness and complexity to it that is amazing. Aside from the complexity, there was little to indicate the amount of age that this had. Interesting and quite unique.
90/100

1995 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues
Meaty, graphite, blackberry and brambly aromas. The palate shows strong tannins but is otherwise quite restrained. If the intense tannins subside with time then this will take a step up to be great.
87/100

1993 Dunn Howell Mountain Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Barnyard aromas at the fore, with some raspberry, tobacco and eucalypt coming through as well. The palate didn’t show any sign of the brett to me, it was medium bodied with excellent balance and length.
89/100

1999 Wild Duck Creek Estate Alan’s Cabernets Vat 1
Dense, deeply coloured. Tobacco, bramble, cinnamon and sappy aromas. Sweet fruit flavour to the medium bodied palate. Lacking a bit in structure to me.
87/100

1999 Jasper Hill Georgia’s Paddock Heathcote Shiraz
A big, ripe nose of charcoal, chocolate, eucalypt and cherry. Tannins stick and there is a touch of bitterness on the finish. The alcohol stands out as well with a glycerol like element to the palate.
85/100

2000 Tenimenti Fontanafredda Barolo Vigna La Rosa
Apricot, violets, coffee, tar and kirsch aromas. The palate is powerful, but also balanced and structured. Long and utterly delicious. Superb wine, easily the best of the night.
93/100

These were tasted at The Book Kitchen Restaurant in Surry Hills. Most dishes are available in entree and main course size, so most of us opted for 4-5 entree sized courses so that we could try a wide variety. Some dishes were excellent, while others lacked flavour. The service quality was also rather inconsistent. I will return, but hopefully these problems have been ironed out by then.

1996 Egly-Ouriet Champagne Grand Cru Brut Millésimé
Disgorged September 2004. Brioche, orange peel and lemon aromas. Long, bold and full flavoured palate, with some acidity in the background keeping it from being too full-on. Absolutely delicious. Much less advanced that a bottle had in the last couple of years that was great but not as fresh.
93/100

2002 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut Reserve
Lime and some floral characters on the nose. Palate is medium bodied with strong acidity. Lacks interest and purpose.
85/100

1985 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut La Grande Dame
Cocoa, nuts, orange peel and saffron aromas. Creamy and long on the palate, with fresh acidity providing lift. Excellent flavour and texture.
93/100

1996 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
Citrus, earthy and a touch floral. Medium bodied with good acidity. Very good, but desperately needs time to develop and soften.
89/100

1982 Ployez-Jacquemart Champagne Liesse d’Harbonville Blanc de Blancs
Pears, floral notes and a touch of toast. Deliciously fresh and fluffy palate. Amazingly youthful. this has lots of life ahead of it based on this bottle.
90/100

1979 Lanson Champagne Noble Cuvée
Honey, pine nuts and toast on the nose. Excellent complexity on the palate. Great length and balance. At its peak.
92/100

1976 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut Reserve
Deep aromas of honey, toast and citrus. Palate is excellent with complexity and freshness both playing complimentary roles. Delicious and long.
93/100

1995 Moët & Chandon Champagne Dom Perignon Rosé
Delicate nose of cherry and strawberries. The palate has good body and the flavours carry into a good length finish. Very good, but it just didn’t thrill me.
90/100

1999 Bollinger Coteaux Champenois La Côte aux Enfants
Still Pinot Noir from Champagne. Black cherry, raspberry, stalks, candied aromas and a touch of pepper. Sweetly fruited, soft palate. Starting to show some signs of development, but most of the flavours are primary still. I’m glad to have tried it once, but it was interesting rather than great.
88/100

1997 Domaine Robert Arnoux Grand Cru Clos Vougeot
Raspberry, earth and some VA. Fruit is thin on the palate and the oak and tannins stand out.
84/100

1991 Michel Lafarge Beaune 1er Cru Grèves
Corked.
NR/100

2002 Domaine Meo Camuzet Grand Cru Clos Vougeot
This just kept getting better the longer it was left in my glass. Aromas of raspberry, red cherry, earth and pretty lifted floral notes. The palate is long, intense and has excellent structure. This was a standout among the Burgundies on the night and will only get better over the next 10+ years.
93/100

2004 Domaine Leroy Bourgogne
The nose is reminiscent of cool climate Shiraz rather than Pinot, with black pepper, cherry, lifted florals and mixed spices. An intense palate, dense and spicy. This is an enjoyable wine if you don’t mind that it may be hard to identify as Pinot.
89/100

1998 Domaine Marquis d’Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs
Dark chocolate, cherry and boot polish on the nose. Good texture and length on the palate. Quite elegant and silky. Drinking pretty well right now and while it won’t fall over soon, I don’t know that there would be much more improvement to expect.
90/100

2000 Geantet-Pansiot Grand Cru Charmes-Chambertin
Initially beetroot and milk chocolate aromas with bacon and sausage dominating after some time in the glass. Palate is medium bodied but there is a touch of sourness that also grew the longer the wine was left. A shame as it was very nice when poured.
83/100

1985 Lake’s Folly Cabernet
Amazing floral notes for the age, backed by tobacco, leather and redcurrants. The palate is youthful and shows plenty of softly sweet fruit balanced by savoury characters. Grew in stature and intensity as it was left in the glass, the last sip was the best. Just a touch behind a stunning 1987 recently, but extremely good anyway.
92/100

N.V. Jacques Selosse Champagne Cuvée Exquise
Very doughy aromas with quince, apple and honey as well. The palate is not as sweet as I expected, to me it was much more subtle and along the lines of an off-dry style with great balancing acidity. Interesting and very good.
91/100

Some notes taken at a New Years Eve event … in 2006 leading into 2007.

Seppelt Salinger 1994
A slightly better bottle than the last one, this was fresher on the
palate. On the nose there were aromas of creme brulee, toast, lime and
a dab of oak. Still not amazingly complex on the palate, but the length
is good and it is well balanced.
88/100

Moet et Chandon 1999
Green apples and grass on the nose. Very lean palate, acid stands out and this is very simple and short.
82/100

T’Gallant Moscato 2006
A pale salmon colour. Very light spritz. Strawberry, turkish delight
and cherry on the nose. Palate has a medium level of sweetness, needs a
touch more acid to be refreshing but it is still quite nice.
86/100

Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 1994
Honeyed nose with toast and lemon as well. There is an oily texture to
the medium intensity palate. No rough edges, this was very nice
drinking now.
91/100

Raymond Boulard Cuvee Reserve NV
Apples, some florals and some candy style raspberry notes. Crisp
palate, medium length. No elements of great excitement but it is well
made and enjoyable.
87/100

Best’s Great Western Chardonnay 1986
Grapefruit, honey and wet wool aromas. Incredibly youthful palate, it
was fresh, balanced and long. Seemed as though it could live another 10
years as well.
90/100

Robert Groffier Les Amoureuses 1996
Brilliant, shifting, challenging nose of cherry, earth, violets, spice
and fleeting notes of coffee beans. The palate is so delicate and
wonderfully poised. the mouthfeel is beautiful with well integrated
tannin and acid. Superb.
94/100

Charles Melton Sparkling Shiraz (disg. February 99)
Cola, chocolate and a strong horse stable component. The palate is almost sickly sweet. Worst bottle of this that I’ve had.
79/100

Orlando Lawson Shiraz 1991
Dark crimson colour. Sweetly fruited with a touch of mint. Nice
intensity to the palate, it is bold without being over the top or
losing focus. Very youthful, it will go another 5 years without any
trouble and it wouldn’t surprise me if people were saying the same
thing in 5 years.
89/100

J. Vidal-Fleury Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde 1998
From magnum. Lifted florals, pepper, five spice and red cherries.
Savoury palate with good acidity and a medium length finish. Very good.
90/100

Domaine Michel Gros Vosne-Romanee Clos des Reas 1998
Deeply coloured. Very perfumed nose, with florals and light raspberry.
Tannins are quite grippy at present, but contribute to the good
structure. Well balanced acidity.
90/100

Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova Brunello 2001
Briary and tobacco aromas followed by vanilla, coconut and some floral
characters. Quite aggressive tannins on the palate, but the length and
structure are both excellent. Give this time and you will be rewarded.
91/100

Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Brut 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs 1998
Opened to drink at midnight. Corked. Happy new year.
NR/100

Pol Roger Brut 1998
Apples, yeast, toast and some smoke. Good length and balance, with
medium flavour intensity. Will be nice to drink over the next 5 years.
89/100

Henschke Cyril Henschke 1994
DMS city with blackcurrant, tinned corn, blackberry and chocolate oaky
aromas. Palate is alright, but the wine as a whole isn’t up to the
standard of one had a year prior.
84/100

Chateau d’Yquem 1958
An incredibly generous gesture from a friend of Phil’s to bring this
along to share. This has been open for a while, the nose was deeply
scented and consisted of caramel, burnt sugar, orange peel and almond.
Luscious mouthfeel, the acid struggling a little bit to keep pace. I
was immensely glad to have gotten the chance to try this.
92/100

Veuve Fourny Blanc de Blancs 1er Cru Brut NV
Apples, cinnamon, honey and smoke. Dry on the good length palate, with racy acidity and great refreshment value.
88/100

Some short notes from a long, vaguely Italian themed lunch.

N.V. Laurent-Perrier Champagne Grand Siecle:
Probably around 7-10 years bottle age and it shows on the nose with aromas of honey, citrus, quince paste and some sherry. Complex and with good presence on the palate, there is also acidity coming through strongly to keep things fresh.
91/100

2005 Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio:
Appealing nose with straw, citrus peel, mango and white chocolate. Surprisingly persistent creamy flavour balanced nicely by restrained acidity.
89/100

2000 Isole e Olena Chardonnay Collezione de Marchi:
Nutty old oak aromas, with some citrus as well. Clean flavours on the palate, it is a little bit straightforward but enjoyable regardless.
87/100

2000 Lake’s Folly Chardonnay:
Initially there were some onion skin aromas but these lifted with time in the glass, there were only some butty and resin aromas underneath. Rounded mouthfeel, alcohol sticking out a bit on the finish.
82/100

1986 McWilliam’s Semillon Mount Pleasant Elizabeth:
Typical aged Semillon aromas of honey, toast and lemon. Toasty flavour to the palate with excellent length. Balance is superb. This was at its peak and while not quite hitting the same highs as the Lovedale of the same year, it was delicious.
90/100

1995 Gérard Chavy & Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières:
Blue cheese, oxidative notes and some old oak. A bit tired on the palate as well, you can see some quality there behind the tiredness and it actually lifted a little bit with some air time.
82/100

1993 La Pousse d’Or Santenay 1er Cru Clos Tavannes:
The nose is quite open and giving with red cherry, forest and earth. A little bit thin on the palate, but it didn’t detract too much from the wine as a whole. Will probably improve with a few more years in bottle.
88/100

1986 Prunotto Barbaresco Montestefano:
Smoke, cherry, rose petals and some bacon fat. The tannins and acid are still at the fore of the palate but it works and it is very nicely savoury and the texture is very good.
88/100

1998 Giacomo Borgogno Barolo Riserva:
Corked.
NR/100

2006 Cape Mentelle Sangiovese:
Blue bubblegum and black cherries on the nose. Sweetly fruited palate with some spice laid over the top. Very approachable and nicely drinkable.
88/100

1999 Isole e Olena Cepparello:
Some earth and pepper to the nose, but otherwise quite bright and floral with some red berries as well. Nice balance to the palate, there is a rush of flavour along the length but it never seems over the top. I think this will be drinking very nicely over the next 7-10 years.
90/100

1988 Antinori Tignanello:
A nose of tobacco, smoke, cherry, red berries and with earthy undertones. The palate is superb, with long savoury flavour and great complexity and interest. This bottle seemed to be right at its peak.
94/100

1998 Antinori Tignanello:
A juicy nose of red berries, graphite, cedar and some floral and earth notes coming through as well. Intense and flavourful on the palate with the tannins needed food to be tamed. Clearly very good and noticeably of a similar bloodline to the ‘88 had by its side. It was approachable now, but will be better in 4-5 years.
91/100

1997 Hugel et Fils Gewürztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles “S”:
140 cases made. Produced only in selected years (89, 97 and 00 so far), by special strict separation of fruit at the same time the regular SGN is picked.

Intoxicating lifted nose of honey, spice, mango, quince and botrytis. Has the identifiable unctuous oiliness of Gewurtraminer as well as intense sweetness but also some amazing acid to cleanse and somehow harmonise the elements and leave the palate refreshed for the next sip. Among the top dessert wines I had last year, if not the best.
97/100

1992 Winzerkeller Leiningerland eG Grunstadter Roth Scheurebe Eiswein:
Mango, guava and pineapple aromas on the nose. Palate is round with lingering, intense sweetness. Simple but delicious, and a great end to a great day.
91/100

1992 Leasingham Classic Clare Sparkling Shiraz
Cherry, raspberry and some leather and earthy elements to the nose. There is a delicious sweetness to the palate that is well countered by savoury nuances. Very enjoyable.
90/100

2000 Besserat de Bellefon Grande Tradition Champagne
Cheesy and toasty nose. Rounded mouthfeel. Lacks depth and finishes short.
83/100

2002 Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling
Lemon, orange peel and some toast aromas starting to develop. The palate is long and full, with incredible intensity. This wine holds so much future potential.
93/100

1978 Chateau La Tour Haut-Brion
Tobacco, bramble, ash and smoke on the nose. The tannins are fully resolved, leading to a medium bodied palate with soft fruits and good aged character. Very pleasant to drink wine at its peak.
89/100

1996 Chateau Léoville-Poyferré
Youthful nose of blackberry, spice, cassis and cedar. Intensely tannic on the palate, but the structure is good and this is going to improve greatly once the tannins soften and it takes on additional complexity. Needs time.
90/100

1981 Chateau Musar
Cherry/kirsch, smoked meats, earth and honey. The palate shows amazing fruit sweetness that is balanced superbly by aged earthy, spicy characters. Complex and long. If this was deconstructed too much you may be able to pick out many faults, but amazingly all mixed together they have achieved harmony.
94/100

2000 Hochar Père et Fils
Horsey, with earth, raspberry and a touch of VA. The palate is sweet and soft, it is quite drinkable but looked very simple in comparison to the older Musar had before. Will probably show better given time.
87/100

1995 Antinori Tignanello
Cocoa, blackcurrants, graphite and cedary nose. Lovely medium bodied, savoury palate with excellent balance.
91/100

1991 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon
A bold nose, with tobacco, cassis and blackberry. The youthfulness of the wine is evident on the palate as well, with primary fruit still dominant. The tannin structure and overall build of the wine is such that I think this has the potential for greatness.
92/100

2004 Gangloff Côte-Rôtie La Barbarine
Must be close to 10% viognier in this, but it did not bother me as it did some others at the table. Very pretty nose, with lifted fragrant floral notes, apricot and pepper. Long and rich in the mouth with some spice evident. A little bit young still tonight, but very nice anyway.
90/100

2004 Tyrrell’s Shiraz Cabernet Vat 8
Earthy, with some raspberry notes as well. Bright, red fruited palate with some earthiness coming through in the background. Tannins are bold, but should settle with time.
88/100

1998 Pfeiffer Tokay Auslese
Caramel, toffee and apple aromas. Medium body and sweetness. Ready to drink now, it could do with some more complexity but I don’t think it has the structure to age much more.
85/100

1998 Müller-Catoir Haardter Mandelring Scheurebe Auslese
Passionfruit, spice, peach and pineapple aromas. Lovely, lingering sweetness to the palate and it just has the acid to keep it fresh and balanced. This style of wine is right up my alley.
93/100

1995 Hétszolo Tokaji Aszu 6 Puttonyos
Honey, coconut, pineapple and maple syrup. Rich, honey like palate, but with excellent complexity and acidity. Fantastic length, this was a great wine to finish the evening with.
93/100

A wonderful surprise. Light golden colour. Lovely nose of honey, toast and citrus. Silky palate with depth and richness. Long, every element in balance. At its peak now, this is a world-class wine.
Cork. 11.5% - 92/100

2002 Grosset Watervale Riesling –
A little bit shy on the nose, but some citrus and floral characters can be noted. Palate has racy acid but is beautifully balanced. Full and long. Lovely wine, drinking well now.
91/100

1989 Jeffrey Grosset Polish Hill Riesling –
Honey, toast and ginger on the nose. Palate is tired, with some prickly acid and rapidly fading intensity.
81/100

1995 Penfolds Yattarna Chradonnay –
Honey, butter, some caramel and pine aromas. Nice richness to the palate with good carry across the palate.
88/100

2003 Te Kairanga Reserve Pinot Noir –
Stalk, liquorice, raspberry and sour cherry. Interesting texture, with lots of rich fruit leading into a dry finish. Not really my preferred style.
86/100

1968 Lindemans Reserve Bin 3820 Auburn Burgundy Hunter Coonawarra Clare –
Sweet perfume, leather, earth and raspberry. Soft, delicate palate. A lovely, fully mature wine.
89/100

1996 Henschke Lenswood Abbotts Prayer Merlot –
Briary, ash, graphite and chocolate. Medium bodied, with medium length but some alcohol sticks out and disrupts the line of the wine.
85/100

2001 Domaine Bruno Clavelier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru La Combe d’Orveaux Vieilles Vignes –
Lovely perfumed nose, black fruits, some earth, cherry and floral notes. The acid on the palate stands out a bit, although the structure seems good otherwise. Short to medium length, probably just struggled among the bigger wines surrounding it tonight.
87/100

2001 Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz –
Sultana, smoke and earth. Palate is dry and spicy, with the acid sticking out over the fruit somewhat. Disappointing.
85/100

1996 Leasingham Cabernet Sauvignon Classic Clare -
Mint, blackberry, vanilla and blackcurrant. Rich fruit to the palate, long and bright. Very young still.
88/100

2004 Henry of Pelham Riesling Icewine –
Nice nose of peach, apricot, citrus peel and mandarin. Palate is rich and very sweet. Quite simple, but enjoyable as long as the massive sweetness isn’t an issue for you.
89/100

NV Buller’s Rare Muscat –
Raisin, spice, tea leaves and some alcohol showing. Softly sweet on the palate, not as complex as previous bottles but still very nice.
90/100

A hastily organised farewell dinner at Milsons in Sydney for a friend. My first time at this restaurant and both the service and food was excellent. I had the following;

Scallop and prawn filled zucchini flowers in prawn bisque with green asparagus, grape tomatoes and seeded mustard crustacean oil

Cherry wood smoked, 200 day grain fed beef tenderloin with fondant potato, baby green beans, aioli and red wine sauce with truffle oil

MV Krug (August 1989 Disgorgement):
Light gold colour with very fine bead. Citrus, ginger and cocoa on the nose. Rich flavour to the palate, but also some very youthful, fresh characters. Not as advanced or complex as a couple of the other late 80s MVs I’ve recently had, but lovely all the same.
94/100

1995 Jacquesson Signature Brut (May 2003 Disgorgement):
Very active bead. Lemon, toast, floral and some cookie dough aromas. Fluffy, creamy palate.Quite approachable, good length and very nice drinking but lacking in depth.
91/100

1981 Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Riesling:
Smoke, rose petals and peaches on the nose. Medium sweetness present on the palate, slightly rounded mouthfeel and the acid isn’t quite there to lift it up entirely. Still, fairly nice to drink but not very complex.
87/100

1998 William Fevre Le Clos Chablis:
Straw coloured. Sesame seed oil, lemon, toast and grapefruit. The palate has some piercing acidity but also shows some malty oak influence and heat. Very good, but I don’t know what is going to happen with further aging.
89/100

1998 Olivier Leflaive Montrachet:
Muesli, vanilla, minerals and chalk to the nose. The palate doesn’t show the same restraint as the nose, it is intensely rich with a creamy mouthfeel. Great length of flavour. My first taste of the famed Montrachet vineyard, thank you Alex.
90/100

1999 Robert Chevillon Nuits St Georges Les Vaucrains:
Smoked meat, oak and charcoal aromas. Linear, dry and alarmingly short on the palate. I thought something was wrong here but I don’t know what - no sign of TCA, someone thought it may be brett, but half the table quite liked it!
81/100

1981 Chateau Trotanoy Pomerol:
Briar/bramble, blackberry and cherry aromas to the nose. Nicely weighted, medium bodied palate with tannins pretty much resolved and drinking close to its peak. Very nice, it needs to be consumed in the near future.
88/100

1982 Chateau Beychevelle St Julien:
Cassis, blackberries, cedar and spice form the nose. The palate is rich and expressive, though it retains good balance across the length. Still very youthful, it is a lovely wine now with the potential to be even better.
93/100

1995 Ornellaia:
On the nose there are aromas of raspberry, earth, tobacco and dark chocolate. Shows a very classy palate, it is long and has detailed texture. Still feels as though some promise is being held back, I think the next 10 years will prove very interesting for this wine.
92/100

1995 Chateau Pichon Lalande Pauillac:
Chlorine on the nose. Metallic palate. Undrinkable. A shame.
NR/100

1981 Ernst Bretz Bechtolsheimer Klosterberg Scheurebe Eiswein Auslese:
Toffee, honey and brown sugar nose. Hasn’t got the acid structure needed. Finishes short and simple. May have seen better days.
84/100

1980 J. Baumer Hochheimer Rotenpfel Silvaner Eiswein Auslese:
Toffee, spice, honey and peaches. Spicy on the palate, quite dense flavours but some acid remaining to lift the palate slightly. Decent length.
87/100