Current exchange rates: 100 SEK= 11.21 EUR = 14.52 USD = 9.34 GBP

1. Prosecco Superiore. A. Ceresa. Valdobbiadene DOCG. Italy. 99 SEK
Pale yellow. Fruity nose, apples and vanilla. Medium, semi dry taste, tutti-frutti, quite OK when chilled, but a bit flabby when warming up. (12p)

2. 2008 L'Hereu de Raventós. Cava. Spain. 99 SEK
Pale yellow. Interesting nose, bread, yeast, very ripe apples. Dry, fruity taste, yeast, earthy, rubber, quite odd but not as bad as it sounds. A slight bitterness in the aftertaste (13p)

3. Louis Bouillot Crémant de Bourgogne Brut. France. 99 SEK
Pale yellow. Nice, pure, ripe grapy nose. Lovely creamy mousse, well balanced, medium full, dry taste. Excellent value! (15p)

4. Dopff Brut Cuvée Julien, Crémant d'Alsace. 109 SEK
Medium yellow. Good fruity nose, apples and pears. Medium full, crisp, refreshing taste, good aftertaste (14p)

5. 2006 Palmer Blanc de Blancs. Champagne, France. 294 SEK
Medium yellow. Fine, rich nose, yellow fruit. Full, bread, fine acidity, fine mousse, rich, long, complex mouthfilling taste. Good aftertaste. (16p)

1. 2002 Palmer Brut Millésime. Champagne. 300 SEK
Pale yellow. Fine, fruity nose. Crisp refreshing taste. Ideal apiterif (14p)

2. 2002 André Clouet Brut Millésime. Champagne. 319 SEK
Yellow. Fine bouquet, apples and grapes. Fullish, crisp taste, good with food. Good price for a vintage champagne! (15p)

3. 1997 Hargreave Merlot. Cutchoge, Long Island, New York
Dark red, brownish rim. Mature nose, leather and some oak. Fullish, tannic, mature taste. Finishes short. Just drinkable but definitely past its best. Long Island wines may be very attractive as young but does not seem to keep. See a previous tasting of Hargreave's wines in 1996.

4. 2003 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Napa Valley. c 500 SEK.
Very dark red, lots of pigments. Fine, rich nose, maturing and complex, cassis and balanced oak. Full, inesely fruity taste, cassis, quite tannic, but balanced. (18p)

5. 1999 Penfolds Grange. South Australia. c 1500 SEK
Very dark red. Huge bouquet, lots of flavors, dark fruit and oak. Full, fruity taste, very intense, complex and lovely balance. Long aftertaste. Combining power and great finesse. The wine of the evening, but whether it is worth a price three times that of the Mondavi can of course be discussed (19p)

6. 1998 Vega Sicilia Tinto Valbuena. Ribera del Duero. c 700 SEK
Dark red. Very fruity bouquet, strawberries and and spices, quite oaky. Full, very fruity taste, medium tannins and crisp acidity. Long aftertaste. Quite Burgundian in style had it not been fort the very dark colour. (17p)

7. 1983 Château Margaux. c 1000 SEK
Dark red, maturing rim. Spoiled by TCA, what a shame. Might just have been a lovely wine, there was some fruit, softening tannins but impossible to rate!

8. 1970 Taylor's Vintage Port c 150 SEK in 1984
Medium red. Lovely intense bouquet, with plenty of fruit on the nose. Medium sweet, intense taste, hardly any tannins left but a fine acidity. Long aftertaste. (18p)

9. 1976 Château Rayne Vigneau. Sauternes. c 100 SEK in 1981 Amber. Mature nose, lots of botrytis. Full, pleasant taste, sweet, peach and apricots. Probably past its best but still a nice drink (16p)

The tasters from left to right: Håkan Olsson, Nils Kjellen, Lars Jonsson, Hans Eriksson (host), C G Dahl, Erling V. Jirle, Anders Lidén, Björn Aksell. Photo: Olof Persson (below)

1. 2004 Beaune Premiere Cru. Louis Jadot. 159 SEK
Medium red, mature rim. Fine bouquet, sweet red berries, cabbage and some oak. Medium full, mature taste, crisp som tannins, some strawberries and oak. Mature, as good as it can get and not for keeping. (15p)

2. 1973 Viña Valoria. Rioja. 199 SEK
Medum red, mature rim. A bit closed on the nose but opened up, some cassis, raisins, leather and moderate oak. Fullish, well balanced taste, plummy fruit, soft tannins. Nice, pleasant to drink now, but not very complex. Amazingly youthful for a 38 year old wine. Not liked by all (15p).

3. 2008 Poliziano. Vino Nobile de Montepulciano. 179 SEK
Dark purple red. Fine youngish nose, cherries and oak. Full, fruity taste, cherries and cassis, acidity and tannins in balance, good aftertaste, lovely to drink now but with a potential do develop over the next couple of years. Liked by all. (15p)

4. 2009 Crozes Hermitage. Alain Graillot. 189 SEK
Very dark red. Massive, huge, meaty, peppery nose. Full, tannic, high acdity, lots of undeveloped chunky fruit. Not elegant but with a potential to develop over the years. Typical Syrah but not liked by all. (15p+)

5. 2009 Guidalberto. Tenuta San Guido. IGT Toscana. 295 SEK Dark red. A little bit closed on the nose, but opened up. Fullish, cassis, raisins, lovely balance, very tasty now and can only improve with some age. Sassicaia's second wine at a third of the price, almost a bargain. Liked by all (16p)

1. 2010 Barone Ricasoli Formulae. IGT Toscana. 229 SEK (BaginBox)
Dark red. Young juicy, fruity nose. Fullish, juicy taste, cherries, a sweetish touch, moderate tannins, fair acidity, rather short aftertaste. Quite nice, and one of the better BiBs on the market. (11p)

2. 2009 Brolio Cianti Classico. 115 SEK
Dark red. Young spicy fruit, cherries, cassis, cedar and oak on the nose. Full, fine, well defined taste, well balanced, some oak and a good aftertaste. Very good for the price. (14p+)

3. 2008 Rocca Guicciarda Chianti Classico Riserva. 139 SEK
Dark red. A bit closed on the nose, reasonably fruity, some oak, but with a touch of burned rubber - not too bad though. Fullish, quite tannic, young fruity taste and not (yet?) in balance. May develop but surprisingly short aftertaste (13+p)

4. 2007 Castello di Brolio Chianti Classico. 329 SEK Very dark red. A bit closed at first, but developed fine fruity flavours, butter scotch, cedar and toasted oak. Full, rich taste, lots of fruit, tannic and crisp acidity, still young and a bit unpolished. Long aftertaste. Clearly a step up in quality (16p)

5. 2004 Castello di Brolio Chianti Classico. 295 SEK (in 2008) Very dark red. Still very fruity nose, plums, raisins, cherries and well integrated oak. Full, tannic taste, dark fruit, cherries and cassis, aromatic, complex aftertaste. Perfect to drink now, but will no doubt keep (16p+)

1. 2008 Sokol Blosser. Oregon, USA. 199 SEK
Medium red. Very fruity nose, strawberries, almonds, vanilla and some oak. Medium full, crisp taste, red berries - strawberries, soft, sweet fruit. Tasty, easy going, but finishes a bit short. (14p).

2. 1999 Künstler Reichestal. Rheingau, Germany. 199 SEK
Medim red, tawny rim. A bit closed mature nose with raisins and red fruit. Fruity taste, berries, spices, leather, some tannins lurking behind. Very mature and controversial among the tasters. (14p)

3. 2009 Akarua. Central Otago, New Zealand. 219 SEK
Medium red. Young, very fruity nose, Fullish, lots of fruit, crisp and some backbone. Should develop further with some bottle age. (15p)

4. 2008 Pirie. Tasmania, Australia. 199 SEK
Medium red. Young, fruity nose, red berries, cabbage. Medium full, soft, crisp, violets, good, but slightly high in alcohol. (14p)

5. 2009 Santenay 1ere Cru La Comme. J.C. Boisset. Bourgogne, France. 179 SEK
Medium red. Fine, rich fruity nose, toasted oak, not without complexity. Medium full, rich, aromatic, some oak, some tannins and a fine aftertaste. Firm and fine structure and will develop further (15p+)

Comments: Very typical Pinot Noirs. Surprisingly, the French wine was best liked and yet least expensive.

1. 2009 Fetzer Merlot. (20% Zinfandel) California. 89 SEK
Dark red. Nice, crisp nose, berries, young, some oak. Medium full, crisp taste, some tannins in the background, very fruity taste. Not complex but a good mouthful. (12p)

2. 2010 Lindemans Bin 40 Merlot. S.E. Australia. 79 SEK
Dark red. very fruity, dark berries, cassis, plums, mint. Medium full, fruity taste, jammy, sweet aftertaste, a bit flabby. (11p)

3. 2009 Porcupine Ridge Merlot. Western Cape, South Africa. 99 SEK
Very deep red. Rich, fruity nose, dark berries, lots of toasted oak. Full, quite tannic but balanced, robust, leather, cassis and a good aftertaste (13p).

4. 2006 Fortant Merlot. VdP d´Oc. France. 89 SEK
Dark red. Maturing on the nose, leather, dried fruit. Full, quite tannic, some fruit, mature, drying out. (10p)

5. 2010 Casillero del Diablo Merlot. Rapel, Chile. 74 SEK
Dark red. Very fruity nose, cassis and blackberries. Full, fruity taste, crisp and fine tannins, well balanced. (12p)

Comments: Surprisingy high quality among these moderatly priced wines. Hardly any profund wines with great complexity but nice quaffers indeed. Nice to taste a South African wine with very little of the infamous smoke.

1. 2010 Casillero del Diablo. 13,5%. 74 SEK
Dark purple red. Very fruity, young, cassis and with some toasted oak. Full, crisp, fruity taste, dark berries, aromatic, soft aftertaste. (11p)

2. 2008 Ventisquero Gran Reserva Quelat. 14,5%.109 SEK
Dark red. Medium nose, cassis and strawberiries and some oak. Full, crisp, quite tannic taste, cassis, surprisingly balanced despite 14,5% alcohol. (13p)

3. 2010 Santa Digna Reserva, Torres. 14%. 69 SEK
Dark red. Slightly closed on the nose, some cassis but also burned rubber and sulphur. Fullish, crisp young fruit, developed quite well and better in the mouth. (11p)

4. 2007 Alka Hacienda Araucano, Lurton. 15%. 319 SEK
Very oaky, lots of fruit, cassis, monolithic. Full, good fruit, minty cassis, good aftertaste but a touch of bitterness from the alcohol. Good, but not complex and a too expensive (14p)

5. 2007 De Martino Las Cruces. (65% Malbec, 35% Carmenére) 14,5% alcohol. 189 SEK
Dark red. Fine, fruity nose, cassis, cedar, toasted oak. Full, well balanced taste, not without complexity, rich fruit, crisp acidity and fine tannins, long aftertaste (15p)

Comments: Nice, very drinkable wines. There was a lot in common: aromatic, good acidity and moderate tannins. The question is if the Carmenere show its best as a single-variety wine or in a blend? The performance of Las Cruces may indicate the latter.

1. 2009 Les Setilles, O. Leflaive. Bourgogne. 139 SEK
Pale yellow. Fruity, apples, almonds, minerals, a touch of oak. Crisp, medium full, well balanced, elegant. (14p)

2. 2009 Château Coucheroy, A. Lurton. Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux. 119 SEK
Pale medium-yellow. Fruity nose, some toasted oak. Medium full, crisp, fruity taste, peaches, good aftertaste. (14p)

3. 2009 Chablis, Drouhin-Vaudon. 149 SEK
Pale medium-yellow. Good, minerally, fruity taste. Medium full, crisp, fruity. (14p)

4. 2009 Les Baronnes, H. Bourgeois. Sancerre. 169 SEK
Pale medium-yellow. Fruity nose, pears, mineral, elder-flowers. Crisp, fullish, fruity taste. (15p)

5. 2004 Riesling Kastelberg GC. Dom Des Marronniers, Guy Wach, Andlau. Alsace. 135 SEK
Golden yellow. Rich , fruity, ripe berries (ethyl bensoate, better than it sounds), Mature, full taste, just a touch of residual sweetness to smoothen it out. Delicious. (16p)

1. 2009 Intis Reserve. Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon. Peñaflor. San Juan. 100 SEK
Dark red, purple rim. Very fruity nose, dark berries and some oak. Fruity, full taste, good acidity, chewy, jammy, some oak. (13p)

2. 2007 Trapiche Broquel Cabernet Franc. Cruz de Piedra. Maipú. Mendoza. 95 SEK
Dark red. Very fruity nose, blackberries, some oak. full, maturing, good acidity, medium tannins, good aftertaste. (13p)

3. 2007 Altos Las Hormiga Vineyard Selection Reserva. Malbec. Mendoza. 199 SEK
Very dark red. Warm, fruity nose, blackberries, cassis, some oak. Very full, fruity taste, black berries and cassis, not without complexity. Well balanced and a long aftertaste (14p)

4. 2006 Tapiz Reserva Malbec. Finas Patagonicas. Mendoza. 105 SEK
Very dark red. Warm, fruity nose, dark berries, creamy butterscotch, oak. Full, quite tannic, dark ripe fruit, oak, rich, nice aftertaste. (14p)

Comments: My descriptions of thes wines are strikingly similar, and the wines were clearly related to each other. It is quite understandable why Argentinian Malbecs are so popular; full, chewy yet well balanced. Our main critisism was that the bouquet was a bit uncomplex and monolithic. Something was missing here, and 1-2pts deducted from the scores. Will they develop with some cellaring? Having said this, the Tapiz Reserva is excellent value.

1. 2006 Fonterutoli. 149 SEK Dark red. Medium nose, good fruit, dark berries, cassis, some oak. Medium full, crisp and tannic, nuts, some maturity, good, but finishes rather short in comparison. (14p)

2. 1997 Castello di Fonterutoli. c250 SEK Dark red, brownish rim. Very mature, slightly oxdised nose, dried fruits, raisins, slightly burned. VERY mature, dry, tannic slightly burned fruit, but not undrinkable. Was reported to have a lovely bouquet while decanting. (?)

3. 2001 Castello di Fonterutoli. c250 SEK
Dark red. Fine, warm, ripe fruit, pleasant bouquet, cherries and chocolate, oak. Full, fruity taste, plenty of ripe tannins, oaky but in balance. Good aftertaste. Excellent wine. (17p)

4. 2006 Castello di Fonterutoli. 289 SEK Dark red. Medium nose, fruit and oak, but a bit closed. Massive, very tannic taste, liquorice, dark berries, unready. Interesting long aftertaste. May have the potential to develop in the course of the 2001.(16p+)

5. 2004 Castello di Fonterutoli. c250 SEK Dark red. Medium, fruity nose, dark berries, cherries, mint and oak. Maturing, fullish, tannic taste. Good fruit and a good aftertaste. (16p)

560. Mar 4, 2011: B2B - Back to Basics. Hans Eriksson

1. 2009 Crozes-Hemitage, Les Launes. Delas. 139 SEK
Dark purple-red. Rich nose, lots of warm, juicy fruit. Creamy pepper. Full taste, balancing acidity and tannins, very fruity and a reasonable aftertaste. A bit too young to our tastes but with great promis and can only improve with 2-3 years in the cellar (14p+)

2. 2008 Bourgogne Cuvée Margot. O. Leflaive. 129 SEK
Medium ruby-red. A bit restrained nose but some red berries noted. Medium full, crisp taste, some tannins. A good AOC Bourgogne. A refreshing mouthful, well balanced, works fine with food, but perhaps not the best Cuvée Margot tasted (13p)

3. 2008 Jester Junior by Mitolo. Cabernet Sauvignon. MacLaren Vale, South Australia. 115 SEK
Very dark red. Extremely fruity nose, jammy, boiled, black currants and raspberries. Oak. Full, sweet taste, fruit and acidity, juicy. Unbalanced, extreme, liked by none in the group (10p)

4. 2006 Morone. Vino Nobile de Montepulciano. Palazzo Bandino. 169 SEK
Dark red. At first a bit closed on the nose, but opeed up, maturing, slightly animalic, cherries, flowers plenty of oak. Full, tannic taste, crisp acidity, fruit, leather and oak. (15p)

5. 2006 Barolo, Zecci Collezione. Terre del Barolo. 149 SEK
Medium red. Youngish nose, raspberries and oak. Medium full, dry, tannic taste, good with food (14p)

Comments: Another educational tasting and at this occasion it was fairly easy to identify the the grape varietal and as well as the country.

1. 2007 Klein Constantia Cabernet Sauvignon. W.O. Constantia. 14 vol%. 127 SEK
Deep red. Powerful, fruity nose with pure cassis and some oak. Full, straight forward, fruity taste, cassis and oak, full bodied. Nice, attractive, well balanced, but but less focused than the rest, somewhat short aftertaste (14p)

2. 2008 Hermanuspietersfontein Swartskaap. W.O. Sondagskloof. 14 vol%. (100 SEK)
100% Cabernet Franc. Dark medium-red. Young nose, spicy, creamy dark fruit, cedar. Full, crisp taste, good fruit, oak, well balanced, quite elegant, good aftertaste (15p+)

3. 2007 Journey's End Merlot. W.O. Stellenbosch. 14 vol%. 155 SEK
Deep red. Medium nose, warm, slightly closed but opened up, spices and raisins and oak. Full, crisp, tannic taste, some butter-scotch, aromatic fruit, good aftertaste. Good now, but will improve with some age (15p)

4. 2007 Dombeya Boulder Road Shiraz. W.O. Stellenbosch. 14,5 vol%. 159 SEK
Deep red. Very rich, spicy, fruity armatic nose, toasted coffe, leather, liquorice. Full, crisp, lots of sweet fruit, quite tannic, slightly bitter, perfect with food. Good potential to improve further. Imported to Sweden by Kajsa Berqvist, former high jumper and world champion (16p)

5. 2008 Kanonkop Pinotage. W.O. Simonsberg Stellenbosch. 14 vol%. (100 SEK)
Dark red. Fine, interesting nose, crisp, plummy fruit, spices and oak, some volatile acidity. Full, tannic, fruity taste. A touch of class here. Pinotage may not be everyones darling, but this shouldn't be missed! (16p)

6. 2007 Raka Figurehead. W.O. Klein River. 14 vol%. (79 SEK)
39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 14% Pinotage, 13% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec. Dark red. Medium nose, warm, fruity, not without complexity. Full, sweet-fruity taste, good balance, the favourite by the majority of the tasters (16p)

Comments: It was more difficult than anticipated to distinguish between the different grape varietals, but otherwise a nice line-up. The South africans seem to have made great progress in recent years. The rather high alcohol content was well controlled by good fruit and there were no smoky off-flavours noted. The wines with prices in () were purchased from "Sydafrikanska Vinklubben". At times, there are some great bargains to be found here.

1. 2005 Côtes du Rhône Cuvée Philipsson. Guigal. (85 SEK)
Dark red. Pleasant ripe fruit, red and dark berries, some oak on the nose. Medium full, some fruit initially, high acidity and tannic mid taste, medium aftertaste. A bit unbalanced, but worked quite well with food. A special cuvée, with more Syrah than the regular one, for a Danish importer. Slightly better on previous occasions, and little disappointing. (13p)

2. 2004 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz-Merlot (125 SEK)
Dark red. Good, rich bouquet with minty cassis and sweet oak. Full, mature taste in a popular style, good acidity, sweet fruit and a nice aftertaste. Good now and will not develop further. (14p)

3. 2006 Clos de los Siéte. Argentina. (170 SEK)
Dark red. Medium nose, a bit closed, but somw warm dark fruit and oak. Full, tannic, high acidity, lots of dark fruit. Did not really open upp but with a potential to develop. (15p+)

4. 2004 Clos de los Siéte. Argentina. (155 SEK)
Dark red. Maturing bouquet, dark berries spices and oak, with some complexity. Full, chewy fruit, leather and oak. Good aftertaste. (16p)

5. 2003 Clos de los Siéte. Argentina. (155 SEK)
Dark red. Medium bouquet, fruity, meaty, raisins and oak. Full, maturing taste, tannic but reasonaby balanced, nice aftertaste. (16p)

Comments: There were two themes of the evening. All hade some Syrah, and a mini vertical of Clos de los Siéte. The Syrah/Shiraz flavours were not dominating in any of the wines. The percentage of Shiraz was only given for Clos de los Siéte (10%).

1. 2005 Château Labadie. Côtes de Bourg. 126 SEK
Dark purple red. Fruity nose, blueberries, cassis, butterscotch, oak. Full, youngish taste, fine acidity, firm tannins, plenty of fruit, slightly short aftertaste, yet well balanced (14p)

2. 2004 Château de Haux Grand Réserve. Premier Côtes de Bordeaux. 135 SEK
Dark red. Rich fruity nose, warm, spicy plums, lots of oak. Full, oaky taste, good fruit, medium tannic, crisp acidity. Good, but perhaps a tad too much oak. Worked well with food. Might improve with some age. (14p+)

3. 1999 Château d´Angludet. Margaux. 210 SEK
Dark red. A bit closed nose, but later opened up displaying dark berries - blueberries, a touch of oak. Full, tannic taste, good fruit. Quite tasty and balanced but the finish does not follow up. (15p)

4. 1996 Château de Pez. Saint Estèphe. 215 DKK
TCA...

5. 1983 Château Cos d´Estournel. Saint Estèphe
Dark medium-red. Mature bouquet, still some fruit, raisins, slightly burned, tobacco. Medium full, mature taste, soft tannins, good acidity. Well balanced, harmonius, would have scored higher with a longer aftertaste. Has aged gracefully and not for keeping! (15p)

Comments: Nice, but not great wines. The Cos did actually quite well in light of Parker's low scores (85).