398. Dec 28, 2001. Down Under. Australia. Anders LidénTasting notes by Lars Jonsson: 1. 2000 Rawson´s Retreat, South Eastern Australia, Penfolds, 69 SEK
Young and dark; fruity with black current, blue berries and cherries, rather short, fruity taste, earthy. 12 p
2. 1999 Koonunga Hill, Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon, Penfolds, 84 SEK.
Dark, maturing; plummy, cassis oaky and tobacco; a long and fruity aftertaste with some chocalate and fine tannins. Save a year or two. 13 p
3. 1998 Kalimna Shiraz Bin 28, Penfolds, 125 SEK
Very dark, good textured, maturing wine; typical Shiraz, with dark berries cassis, tobacco, leather and pepper, long aftertaste, generous in flavour, chawy, "a male wine".
Drink now. 15 p
4. 1999 Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, 155 SEK
Solid red, bricky rim; typical Pinot with red berries, strawberries and some cabbage;
rather long aftertaste with red berries, fragrant finishing. (1998 is slightly better.) 14 p
397. Dec 14, 2001. Mature Bordeaux. Lars Jonsson1. 1985 Ch du Domaine de l'Eglise. Pomerol. 300 DKK in 1990
Dark brick red. Mature bouquet, autumn leaves and raisins, quite nice. Medium full, mature taste, high acidity, with some bitter tannins, tobacco, dried fruit, dry aftertaste. Quite OK if you like mature wines, but there is now only one direction for this wine, and that is down. Better two years ago (link)(14p)
2. 1975 Ch Montrose. St Estephe. 149 SEK in 1984
Dark red, brick-red rim. Medium, mature bouquet, pleasant cassis fruit and oak. Full, some fruit, plenty of tannins, and an oaky aftertaste, mature. (15p)
3. 1985 Ch Lynch Bages. Pauillac. 273 SEK in 1991
Very dark red, slightly orange tinged. Medium bouquet, oaky, but some nice cassis fruit and complexity evolving. Full, tannic, rich fruity taste, acidity in order, quite oaky, long aftertaste and elegant. (16p)
4. 1983 Ch Latour Figeac. St Emilion. c 150 SEK in 1988
Medium brick-red. Medium bouquet, nice spicy fruit with plums, cassis and oak. Full, tannic, aromatic, taste, good fruit, spices, quite long (16p)
Comments:The 1975 Montrose has become an almost mythical wine in this tasting group. Some of us got a couple of bottles when it was released in Sweden in 1984. At that time we found it extremely tannic and almost undrinkable. Now, 17 years later, it has definitly developed, still tannic but should drink well with food. There is still a fair amount of fruit and will probably keep for several more years. It will never be a really great wine, and Robert Parkers 87pts and "uncharming" seem appropriate.
The surprise of the evening vas the Latour Figeac. It is not a very well known property but it perfomed very well on this occasion. Most of us found the Lynch Bages best, but to me it was a tie.
396. Nov 23, 2001. Portugal. Nils Kjellén. 1. 1996 JP Barrel Selection. Terras do Sado. 79 SEK
Dark red. Rich, sunburned, spicy, fruity bouquet with some volatile acid. Fullish, good fruit, raisins, liquorice, quite tanninc and a good acidity. (13p)
2. 1998 Paco dos Infantes. Vidigueira. Casa Agricola Almodovar. 89 SEK
Dark medium red. Maturing bouquet, butterscotch, dark berries and wood. Fullish, dusty, quite mature, some tannins (13p)
3. 1999 Cistus Reserva. Douro. AA Fernandes. 95 SEK
Very dark red. Thick, very young, fruity nose, a bit boiled. Full, very fruity taste, meaty and slightly burned fruit, tannic. A bit clumsy and too young to me. (13p now but could improve)
4. 1997 Foral Grande Escolhoa.Douro. Caves Aliança. 125 SEK
Dark red. Fine, rich, fruity bouquet, butter scotch, dark berries and spicy dill. Full, fruity taste, fine balance, good acidity. Good aftertaste (15p)
5. 1998 Periquita. Terras do Sado. JM da Fonseca. 62 SEK
Dark medium red. Medium bouquet, quite fruity, a little bit of burned rubber. Fullish, sweet fruit, dark berries and well balanced. Pleasant aftertaste. (13p)
395. Oct 26, 2001. Down Under and Below. Björn Aksell1. 1999 CJ Pask Cabernet-Merlot. H. NZ. 129 SEK
Medium red, slighlyt brick red rim. Rich, fruity nose sligylky minty and some oak. Medium full, cassis and dark berries, bit acidity and tannins not really balance, finishes short. Slightly disappointing. (14 p)
2. 1998 Unison Selection. Hawkes Bay. NZ. 200 SEK
Dark red, red rim. Fine, big, fruity, aromatic developing bouquet, coffe and toasted oak. Full, full bodied, good acidity and plenty of tannins. Very fruity stull young taste. Long, slightly bitter, aftertaste. The most Bordeauxish in the tasting but bit controversial, some in the group fond the tannins to adstringent and bitter. (16p)
3. 1997 Knappstein Cabernet-Merlot. Clare Valley. AUS. 129 SEK
Dark red, brick red rim. Medium bouquet with warm cassis smell, mint and oak. Full, sweet fruit, black currants, mint, good acidity and a nice aftertaste. (15p)
4. 2000 Wolf Blass yellow Label. South Australia. 99 SEK Dark purple. Quit a big nose, with nice cassis fruit and oak. Full, very fruity, soft taste with cassis and violets. Tasty and attractive but not terribly complex. (14p)
394. Oct 13, 2001. Mouton Rothschild.
1. 1979 Ch Mouton Rothschild. Pauillac. 230 SEK in 1983
Dark red, mature. Very mature bouquet, stableyard aromas, ripe dried fruit, oak. Medium full, high acidity, oak, mature, reasonably long aftertaste and a nice balance. Could probably keep for another couple of years but will not improve. (16p)
2. 1975 Ch Mouton Rothschild. Pauillac. 575 SEK in 1985
Dark red. Mature bouquet with good fruit, black currants, cedar and developed nicely in the glass. Full, very tannic, aromatic sweet fruity taste, prunes and raisins. Long aftertaste. Will keep, has still a lot of fruit. (17p)
3. 1982 Ch Mouton Rothschild. Pauillac. 1090 SEK in 1988
Deep red. At first a bit closed on the nose, but opened up and revealing lots of creamy fruit and oak. Full, massive, fruity taste and everything in perfect balance. Looong aftertaste. Magnificent. Will keep and should develop further. (19+p)
4. 1981 Ch Mouton Rothschild. Pauillac. 450 SEK in 1990
Dark red. Mature bouquet with stableyard and cassis. Full, quite tannic with a nice acidity and fruitiness. A bit thin aftertaste. Good wine, but I can not see that it should benefit from further cellaring. (16p)
Comments: Good wines and a pleasant evening. The tasting was semi-blind, all knew which the wines were but not the order which they were served. I found them to be very typical examples of their vintages and it was pretty easy to find out which wine was in each glass. Most of us liked the 1982 best but there was one vote for the 1975. Least liked was the 1981 but it was close to the 1979. It seems as if some 1975 has been coming around nicely and perhaps Mouton is the best wine in this tannic vintage. I would like to retaste the 1982 within a couple of years (who wouldn't?) to see if the bouquet has developed enough to receive a full score.
After the tasting we had an excellent dinner - press the "menus"-button to the left.
The wines were:
1995 Riesling Gueberschwihr. Zind-Humbrecht.
Golden yellow. Rich, very fruity bouquet. Full, rich, fruity, semi-sweet taste which we didn't expect. Worked well with the salty salmon though. (16p)
1995 Riesling Clos Häuserer. Zind-Humbrecht
Golden yellow. Lovely, honeyed bouquet. Full, rich, fruity, near-dry. Long aftertaste. (17p)
1981 Chateau Lynch Bages. Pauillac
Big, smoky, mature bouquet. Full, rich, soft taste if a bit one-dimensional. Good. Has aged well (and so has the members of tis group!)(16p)
1992 Tokaij Aszu. 5 puttonos. Disznokö.
Dark amber. Rich bouquet, prunes, apricots and botrytis. Full, fruity taste, rich acidity. (16p)
393. Sept 28, 2001. My Summer Holiday (No slides or Super 8-movies). Olof Persson1. 1998 Côte Rôtie. J-P &J-L Jamet. 140 FF (200 SEK)
Deep red. Powerful, fruity nose with oak, meat and spices. Full, rich, spicy taste, cassis, cherries, high acidity and plenty of tannins. Still very young and a bit disjoint, but with a tremendous potential. Mme Jamet suggested that it either should be drunk now or cellared for about ten years. I'll go for the later! (17p+)
2. 1999 St Joseph. Domaine des Remizières. Philippe Desmeure. 70 FF (100 SEK).
Dark purple-red. Rich, young fruit on the nose, meat, spices, tar and liquorice. Full, lots of young fruit, meaty, cherries, cassis, tough tannins and a long aftertaste. Promising but needs several years of cellaring. (16p)
3. 2000 Gigondas. Le Grand Montmirail. Domaine Brusset. 74 FF (105 SEK)
Dark red. Young, juicy fruit on the nose, warm, creamy with herbs. Grenache! Massive with young, sweet fruit, dark berries, cherries, backed up with tannins and acidity. Balanced and a long aftertaste. Needs cellaring 3-4 years. (16p)
4. 2000 Château La Roque. Vieilles Vignes de Mourvedre. Jack Boutin. Pic St Loup Coteaux de Languedoc. 54 FF (75 SEK)
Dark red. Medium bouquet, sweet fruit, soil, mushrooms and some oak. Full, tannic, undeveloped sweet fruit. Needs cellaring. (15p)
5. 1998 La Cuvée Mythique. Vin de Pays d'Oc. Les Vignerons du Val d'Orbieu. 49 DKK (65 SEK) Dark red. Big, fine bouquet with red and dark berries, mint, spices and someArtemisia absinthum. Full, rich, tannic taste, spices and balancing acidity. Good now, but will keep for several years. (16p)
Summary: I am frequently accused of being a necrophiliac by some of the members of this group. So I put together a tasting of wines which I bought during a holiday trip to France this summer. It was an interesting outcome with some very diverging opinions which is in no doubt caused by the difficulty of rating young wines, some of which were bottled only a few months ago. It is not surprising that the Cuvée Mythique was liked so well by most of us. The price makes it a SUPER bargain! Purchased at Bilka supermarket in Denmark.
392. Sept 7, 2001. 1990 Bordeaux. Håkan Olsson1. 1990 Ch Canon. Canon-Fronsac. (92 SEK in 1991)
Dark red, slightly less deep than the others. Fine, mature, rich bouquet with raisins, cassis and oak. Full, rich taste, good acidity and tannins with a slightly bitter finish. (15p)
2. 1990 Ch La Tour Haut Caussan. Haut-Médoc. (77 SEK in 1991)
Deep red, brick-red rim. Good, rich bouquet, still plenty of fruit, butterscotch and some oak. Full, fat taste, some sweet fruitiness, cassis, well balanced but perhaps lacking some mid-taste (16p)
3. 1990 Ch La Lagune. 3. Cru. Haut-Médoc. (113 SEK in 1991)
Deep red, darkest of all. Big, fine bouquet with cassis, dark berries and oriental spices. Full, rich supple taste, lovely balance and a long aftertaste. Really good! (17p)
4. 1990 Ch Grand Puy Ducasse. 5. Cru. Pauillac. (98 SEK in 1991)
Dark red. Good, warm, mature bouquet with fruit and oak. Fullish, good acidity, violets but perhaps a bit thin fruit. (15p)
5. 1990 Clos du Marquis. St Julien. (109 SEK in 1991)
Very mature, open rich bouquet, a bit cheesy and plenty of nice, stableyard aromas. Full, rich, expanding flavours in the mouth. Well structured and firm. (16,5p)
Comments: What a lovely vintage 1990 is! Note how well the lesser wines performed. As an extra we had a bottle of 1990 Ch Moulin Rouge (Haut-Médoc), 56 SEK, wih the food. It was about as good as the Tour Haut Caussan!
I have to admit that I have modified my scores since the tasting when I gave La Lagune 18 pts. As I studied my notes I believe that a difference of 3 pts between the highest and lowest score is to much. The wines were not that different. So I pushed La Lagune down to 17 pts, but it's still a great wine and I'm am very pleased about the fact that have some in my cellar.
All wines were rated by Parker in his Wine Buyer's Guide (3rd edition):
Canon: 89
Latour Haut Caussan: 88
La Lagune: 90
Grand Puy Ducasse: 84
Clos du Marquis: 88
Moulin Rouge: 87
I think his notes and ratings are comparable to mine, though some of my scores are slightly higher.
This was a good start to the celebration of our 20th anniversary. But there is more to come!
391. Aug 17, 2001. Portugal. Hans Eriksson.1. 1997 Dom. Martinho. (Rothschild). Alentejano. (81 SEK)
Medium red. Medium bouquet, maturing, some pleasant fruitiness. Medium full, soft tannins with a slight bitter finish, quite fullbodied, with spicy fruit and some oak but rather a short aftertaste.(13p)
2. 1990 Quinta do Poço Loco. Caves de São João, Bairrada. (71 SEK)
Medium red, mature rim. Medium bouquet, mature but still some nice fruit and oak. Medium full, good acidity, dry tannins, mature and may soon be over the hill. (12p)
3. 1999 Muge Cabernet Sauvignon. Casa Cadeval. Ribatejo. (100 SEK)
Dark red, purple rim. Big, rich, fruity nose, dark berries, brambles and some oak. Full, fruity taste, oak, nice structure with tannins and acidity in order. Good and should develop further. (15p)
4. 1997 Casa Burmester Douro. (119 SEK)
Dark red. Medium bouquet, fruit, wine gums, peach and a hint of ethyl acetate. Full, sweet fruit, fullbodied and a reasonably long aftertaste with some oak. (14p)
5. 1997 Reguengos. Alentejo. Caves Coop. (141 SEK)
Dark red. Good fruity nose, cherries, some spices, lead pencil and oak. Full, good chewy, sweet fruit. Fullbodied and a long aftertaste. (15p)
Comments: All wines were purchased in Portugal. Nice wines if not on the elegant side. Perhaps one should expect more from a wine in the Rothschildstable.
390. July 13, 2001. White - again. Anders Lidén.1. 1998 Filet vom Grüner Veltliner. Freie Weingärtner Wachau. Austria. 66 SEK
Medium yellow. Good, fruity, slightly yeasty smell. Medium full, crisp, citrusfruity, minerally taste, well balanced, nice aftertaste. (13p)
2. 1998 Ch Tahbilk Marsanne. Victoria Australia. 90 SEK.
Medium yellow. Fine, slightly minerally, smokey bouquet with tropical fruits. Fullish, soft, fruity taste, long aftertaste. (14p)
3. 1998 Le Mont Sec. Chenin Blanc. Vouvray. Loire. France. 135 SEK
Golden yellow. Fat, parfumed, fruity taste, yeasty-waxy bouquet. Very high acidity, medium full, green apples. Controversial (13p?)
4. 1999 Würzburger Innere Leiste Silvaner Spätlese. 25 DEM
Pale yellow. Fine bouquet with ripe fruit and honey. Fullish, off-dry, good fruit with apricots and honey. Long aftertaste (15p)
Comments: Interesting tasting of varietals. The majority of the group liked the Ch Tahbilk best.
389. June 15, 2001. Alsace. CG Dahl.1. n.v. Gewurztraminer Reserve Henny. Preiss-Henny. 105 SEK
(13p)
2. 1998 Riesling. Trimbach. 105 SEK
(14p)
3. 1999 Tokay Pinot Gris Reserve. Pierre Sparr. 109 SEK
(13p)
4. 1998 Goldert Muscat Gueberschwihr. Les Vignerons de Pfaffenheim. 169 SEK
(15p)
Comments: I developed a summer cold just in time for this tasting session and my nose went down completely. The wines seemed good but it was impossible to write any meaningful notes. Scores were made by Lars Jonsson.( I think I would have rated the Pinot Gris higher though)388. June 1, 2001. Chile. Erling V. Jirle.1. 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon. Viñedos Torreon de Paredes. Rapel. 74 SEK
Medium dark red. Quite nice smell, young and blackcurranty. Medium full, some tannins and acidity, pleasant young fruit with a nice grip. Quite a short aftertaste. (12p+)
2. 1999 Carmen Cabernet sauvignon. Viña Carmen. Maipo. 74 SEK
Dark red. Medium bouquet, good fruit and some oak. Full, rich fruity taste, high acidity and quite a long aftertaste. Good value. (14,5p)
3. 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva. Rapel. Viña Casa Silva. 98 SEK
Dark purple. Medium nose, rich fruit, slightly jammy and some oak. Full, supple fruity taste, black berries, good acidity and a good oaky aftertaste. (14p+)
4. 1999 Santa Digna Cabernet sauvignon. Torres. Curicó. 75 SEK
Dark red. Nice bouquet, blackcurrants, violets and oak. Medium full, quite tannic taste, good fruit, well structured but a bit anonymous. (14p)
5. 1997 Carmen Reserve Grande Vidure-Cabernet Sauvignon. Viña Carmen. Maipo. 110 SEK
Dark red. Fine, rich, young bouquet with a nice touch of oak. Full-bodied, well balanced taste with plums and blackcurrants, oak and a good aftertaste (15p+)
Comments: Back to more "normal" wines, but this selection was liked by all of us. Earlier I have frequently found many Chilean wines a bit jammy and clumsy but great progress have been made during the last couple of years. Prices have moved upwards but they seem to represent good value.
387. May 18, 2001. Bordeaux. Nils Kjellén.1. 1989 Ch Latour. Pauillac.
Dark red, brickred rim. Fine, rich bouquet, fruit, oak. Fullish, good acidity and quite tannic, Good fruit and a medium aftertaste (15p)
2. 1996 Ch St Pierre Haut Guet. Côte de Castillon. Bordeaux. 75 SEK
Corked. No rating.
3. 1989 Ch La Mission Haut Brion. Graves
Very dark, deep red. Powerful, smoky warm fruit, oak, blueberries, some butterscotch. Full, soft fruit, fine balance between acidity, fruit and tannins, tobacco, long aftertaste. Developed well in the glass, should be kept for several years and would probably receive further points. (18p)
4. 1987 Ch Mouton Rothschild. Pauillac
Dark red. Powerful, dark intense bouquet, ripe fruit, oak, incense, spices. Full, supple, rich aromatic taste, quite a long aftertaste. On top now, will probably not develop further so drink and enjoy now!(18p)
Comments: See the tasting below.
386.May 4, 2001. Some nice stuff. Lars Jonsson1. 1990 Ch Planton Bellevue. Bordeaux Superieur. 66 SEK (in 1994.)
Dark red. Pleasant bouquet, good spicy fruit with blueberries and some oak. Medium full, fruit, supple tannins and nice acidity. (14p)
2.1990 Ch Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Pauillac. 195 SEK (en primeur in 1991).Dark red. Fine, open rich bouquet, vanilla - oak. Full, soft supple mature, taste filling the mouth, oak, long aftertaste (17p)
3. 1991 Beringer Private Reserve. Napa Valley. 195 SEK
Dark red, very dense pigmented. Mature bouquet, stableyard, blueberries, blackcurrants, slightly minty. Very full, sweet, chewy, fruity taste, soft tannins and a good aftertaste.
(16p)
4. 1990 Solaia. P. Antinori c 400 SEK (in 1994).
Very dark, deep red. A bit closed bouquet, ripe fruit, cedar. Full, quite tannic, well structured taste, lots of fruit, oak, slightly bitter, astringent aftertaste. Good potential (17p)
5. 1990 Ch Margaux. 405 SEK (en primeur in 1991)
Dark red. Very rich, lovely, complex bouquet, sweet fruit, toasted oak. Full, intense taste, ripe fruit, oak long aftertaste. Absolute harmony and elegance which raises your serotonin levels in the brain. Who needs Prozac or Cipramil? (19p)
Comments:Two memorable tastings of some of the world's greatest wines. As always it's interesting to compare with other tasters. In the table a comparison is made between Wine Spectator, Robert Parker and myself. My scores are converted to a 100p scale (2,5x + 50).
Pichon
Beringer
Solaia
Margaux
Latour
LaMission
Mouton
WS
94
?
95
96
97
96
?
Parker
78
94
95
100
89
100
87
Ansvar
92.5
90
92.5
97.5
87.5
95
95
Two things should be noted. First, Parker's low rating of the Pichon Lalande. We have tasted it on several occasions and my ratings have been consistent. OK, it's actually not a truly great wine, but much better than Parker's scores suggests. Is there such a big bottle variation?
On the other hand, I do agree with Parker's relatively low marks on the Latour. It's is a tasty and good wine, no doubt, but one should expect more from Latour in such a good year.
Robert Parker is frequently being accused of favouring blockbuster wines. But the Margaux is definitely not a heavyweight. It is sheer elegance. I'm with you Bob!
When will I ever give a wine with 20 points? The Margaux was pretty close to it and when I look in my notes I find that the one point down was on the bouquet. It was still quite youngish, and should develop further. The La Mission Haut Brion was also tasting young and might get a higher scoring in due course. My rating of the Mouton seems high, but it was really a pleasure to drink now. I don't think it will develop any further, but my scores reflects the status at this moment.
A nice surprise was the Planton Bellevue. It was one of the last Swedish bottled petit chateaux. In good years some of these could be excellent, and the buyers at the state owned Vin & Sprit knew how to find them. But there are no more Swedish bottled Bordeaux' of this kind, the last of stock the were sold to GB.
Finally, many thanks to Nils´ father Jan Kjellén who suggested that Nils should give a tasting of these wines to this group. He is unfortunately not able to enjoy wine tastings anymore.
385. April 20, 2001. Four varietals - one country. Olof Persson.1. 1998 La Gascogne de Alain Brumont. Gros Manseng. VdP Côtes de Gascogne. 63 SEK
Pale golden. Pleasing, straightforward fruitiness on the nose. Medium full, crisp, fruity taste with apples and peaches. Not really complex but terrific value. (13p)
2. 1998 Tokay Pinot Gris Réserve. Pierre Sparr. Alsace. 109 SEK
Golden. Good, rich, fruity bouquet, raisins and smoke. Full, supple acidity, rich fruity taste, a bit oily and almonds. Nice aftertaste and a lovely drink. (15p)
3. 1999 Langlois-Château Vielle Vignes. Chenin Blanc. Saumur, Loire.
116 SEK Golden. Rich fruity bouquet, bananas, cocos and some toasted oak. Rich fruity taste, crisp, oak and a long aftertaste. Should keep and good with food.(15p)
4. 1998 Chablis Vielle Vignes. Dom Sainte Claire. Chardonnay. J-M Brocard. Chablis. 140 SEK Deep golden. Fine fruity bouquet with tropical fruits and minerals. Full, spicy, buttery fruit, good acidity, pleasant aftertaste. Good with food.(15p)
Comments: We all liked these wines and my notes sums up the comments of the tasters pretty well. They were fairly easy identified as French wines, and they all possessed good typicité.384. April 6, 2001, American Reds. Björn Aksell. 1. 1994 Ch Ste Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon. Washington. 19.99 USD.
Very dark brick-red. Heavy, mature smell, oxidised. Full, tannic, high acidity, some dry fruit. Not good.
2. 1995 Brotherhood Cabernet Sauvignon. Long Island. 14.99 USD
Dark medium red. Medium bouquet, red berries, cherries, vanilla, butterscotch. Medium full, high acidity, sweet fruit, red berries, quite nice, well made wine. (14p)
3. 1995 Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon. Washington. 14.99 USD
Dark red. Quite a big, open bouquet, black currants, oriental spices. Full, soft, creamy fruit, oak and a long aftertaste (15p)
4. 1995 Millbrook Cabernet Franc. Long Island. 16.99 USD
Dark red. Medium bouquet, some berries, almonds and some oak. Medium full, quite fruity, dry, oak and a nice aftertaste with some complexity. Developed well in the glass. (15p+)
Comments:
Once again a tricky tasting. We were almost certain that we tasted Italian wines. The acidity, red berries and almonds, it was all there. But we were fooled. The Ch Ste Michelle was a bit controversial, others liked it better than I did, but to me it was clearly faulty. 383. Mar 23, 2001. Red. Anders Lidén1. 1995 Sassoallo. Tuscany. Biondi Santi. 159 SEK
Dark red. Quite good, rich bouquet, blueberries, butterscotch and some oak. Full, quite tannic and high acidity. Fullbodied, sweetish and some aftertaste. (14p)
2. 1997 Ch Vieux Lazaret. Chateauneuf-du-Pape. 150 SEK
Dark brick-red. Fine bouquet, sweet fruit, figs, strawberries and some oak. Medium full, fullbodied, soft fruit, fine acidity, elegant. (15p)
3. 1994 Ch Musar. Bekaa, Lebanon 199 SEK
Medium red. Medium bouquet with ethyl acetate and other fruity esters. Full, sweet estery taste, didn't like it. Not scored.( LJ: 12p) 4. 1990 Ch Fieuzal, Graves, Bordeaux. (242 SEK in 1995)
Very dark red. Big, mature bouquet with plenty of toasted oak. Full, rich wine, well structured taste, violets and black currant. Lots of oak and a long aftertaste (16p)
Comments: We have tasted Ch Musar on many occasions. There has been many fine bottles, but also some poor ones. There seem to be some problems during the vinification. Most of us liked the Fieuzal best, but I sometimes feel that they use too much oak, which covers much of its evident qualities. 382. March 2, 2001. White varietals from the Czech Republic. Håkan Ohlson.1. 1996 Chateau Valtice. Chardonnay. (50 SEK)
Medium yellow. Quite nice, fruity smell with citrus and almonds. Medium full, applefruity, a bit tart, unbalanced acidity, straightforward and quite OK with food. (11p)
2. 1999 Cerbinare Chardonnay. Salento. Italy. 60 SEK.
Medium yellow. Quite a big, fruity bouquet with pears, lemon and tobacco. Fullish, rich fruity taste with minerals and a crisp, well balanced acidity. Nice aftertaste. (13p)
3. 1986 Ryzlink Rynzky. (Riesling) Vino Mekolaski. (50 SEK)
Deep yellow. Huge, overwhelming bouquet, perfume. Medium full, soft taste, perfume, elder-flower. OK when cold, but cloying when warming up. (9p)
4. 1997 Harmonie Dry. Riesling Spätlese. Wv Deidesheim 64 SEK.
Medium yellow. Good, open bouquet, sweet grapey fruit, muskatish. Medium full, well structured fruity taste, good mouthwatering acidity (13p)
5. 1996 Tramen Cerveny Kabinet (Gewürztraminer). Vinium exclusive. (50 SEK).
Dark medium yellow. Good, rich, fruity nose. Fine, fullish taste, soft but well balanced. Nice, long aftertaste (14p)
6. 1995 Rulandske Bilé. (Pinot Gris) Vino Bzence. (50 SEK)
Corked and not rated.
Comments: This tasting was meant as a comparison of Czech wines with its West European counterpart. Håkan fooled us all. Most of us believed it to be a tasting of Alsace wines! No 1 could have been a Pinot Blanc, no 2 maybe an atypical Riesling, no 3 an old decadent Gewürz, no 4 a Muscat and no 5 a Pinot Gris. How wrong we were! This was the first time we had ny Czech wines. Clearly there is a potential as shown by the Gewürz, but they have a bit to learn. 381. Feb 16, 2001. Chianti Classico. CG. Dahl1. 1997 Terreno Riserva. 126 SEK
Dark red. Good, developed bouquet with dark berries and oak. Medium full, quite tannic and almost tart acidity, some nice berrylike fruit but a bit disjoint. (14p)
2. 1997 Castello di Brolio. 235 SEK
Dark red, very deep. At first a bit restrained nose, but opened up. Plenty of rich fruit and toasted oak. Full, very fruity taste, lots of dark berries. Fine balance and a long oaky aftertaste. Should be kept since the oak need to be absorbed. (17p)
3. 1997 Riserva Ducale. 99 SEK
Dark medium red. Nice, open, young, fruity nose, a bit jammy. Medium full, fine fruity taste, good acidity and some length. Almost burgundian in style. (15p)
4. 1997 Marchese Antinori Riserva. 159 SEK
Dark red. A bit closed on the nose, but opened up. Warm, fruity, and a touch of new oak. Full, supple, young, fruity taste, soft tannins, excellent acidity. Well balanced (16p)
5. 1997 Villa Antinori Riserva. 110 SEK
Dark red. Sweet, fruity nose with a touch of vanilla. Full, sweet fruit, oak and spices. Good, but finishes a bit dry (15p).
Comments: Lars Jonsson scored the wines 1 pt lower than I did. Actually, we had some problems in identifying them as Chiantis. The first person to mention it was Mr E.V.Jirle. But there is no doubt that 1997 is an excellent vintage in Tuscany. The quality if these wines were high, though we were slightly disappointed by the Terreno. I have tasted it once before and I liked it then. It was also well received in Swedish wine journals and columns. Would probably benefit from aging.
We had the 1998 Terreno (89 SEK) as an extra. Good stuff, good value (14p) 380. Jan 26, 2001. A mixed Bag. Nils Kjellén1. 1994 Côte de Beaune Village. Dom. Maillard. 117 Sek (in 1997)
Medium red. Quite a big bouquet with fruit and oak. Medium full, nice fruit, red currant-strawberries, good acidity, soft tannins, . Good, but a bit short aftertaste to score higher (13p)
2. 1990 Hermitage Monier de la Sizeranne. Chapoutier. 189 SEK (in 1996)
Dark red, Quite a developed fruity bouquet with spicy meat and oak. Full, with good acidity, some tannins, soft, quite drinkable, but slightly short aftertaste. (15p just about)
3. 1989 Val Sotillo. Ismael Arroyo. Ribera del Duero. 150 SEK (in 1996)
Deep red. Fine, big bouquet, dark berries, violets, some oak. Full, good grip, soft tannins, well balanced, long aftertaste. (16p)
4. 1990 Castello di Querceto Riserva. Chianti Classico. 108 SEK( in 1996)
Dark medium red. At first a bit reserved, oaky bouquet but opened up revealing some spicy, pleasant, mature fruit. Full, mature taste, quite tannic, some oak. (14p)
5. 1990 Brane Cantenac. Margaux. 330 SEK (in 1996)
Dark red. Big, jammy, black currantfruity nose, sweet vanilla. Full, quite tannic, plenty of sweet, clumsy, jammy fruit. Slightly disjointed and a bit bitter aftertaste. (15p?)
Comments: Good wines and all but one liked the Val Sotillo best. The exception was our host, who is a notorious Bordeaux fanatic. Once again, Lars Jonsson and I made identical marks. We were not particularly impressed by the Brane Cantenac and our scores and comments are actually very similar to those of Robert Parker (86 pts). We were also surprised by the relatively poor performance of the Hermitage. We have tasted it blind and rated it higher on several occasions. Is there bottle variation or doesn't it live up to its earlier expectations? Parker has rated it 92 pts. Or were we just a bit unconcentrated during the tasting? We had a lively discussion on many matters such as recent birdwatching events and other things about as important as wine.379. Jan 5, 2001. Argentina. Erling V. Jirle1. 1993 Weinert Cabernet Sauvignon. 89 SEK (in 1997)
Dark red, brick-red rim. Quite big, rich, fruity bouquet with some oak. Full, clean, mature, well balanced soft taste. Good, likeable wine, but a bit onedimensional.(14p)
2. 1997 Los Primos Cab S. San Rafael. 147 SEK
Dark red, purple rim. Young, fruity nose, dark berries, some toasted oak. Full, fruity taste, supple, well balanced taste and some length. (15p)
3. 1998 Gaffigna Cab S/Merlot. 79 SEK
Dark purple. Big, very young, boiled, fruity nose. Full, slightly sweet, soft fruity taste, some tannins (13p)
4. 1998 "Q" Cab S. Fam Zuccardi. 176 SEK
Dark red, red rim. Medium bouquet, nice fruit and some volatile acidity which actually adds complexity. Full, rich, sweet fruit backed up by some tannins and acidity. Lovely balance. Sweet, toasted oak. Good aftertaste. (16p)
5. 1995 Weinert Malbec. 115 SEK
Dark red, almost opaque. At first a bit closed on the nose, opened up, fruit, dark berries and some oak. Full, rich portish taste, plenty of fruit and a reasonable length (14p)
Comments:It didn't take us long to find out what this tasting was about. They make good wines in Argentina; rich, very fruity and fullbodied stuff. They are not always complex, but they are good value. "Q " shows great promise for the future in Argentina.
