Gary's Wine Tasting Blog

Jerez NV Gonzalez Byass Matusalem Old Oloroso

2012-02-20T09:52:00.005Z

Tasted 12th January 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Ian McLaren at Vagabond wines in SW6. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian from the night.
20%. Mahogany with amber edge; complex, rich fruit and nut aromas; Rich and quite sweet on palate with excellent acidity; long finish with primary and secondary aftertastes, 20/20!

Rioja 2001 CVNE Real de Asua

2012-02-20T09:52:00.002Z

Tasted 12th January 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Ian McLaren at Vagabond wines in SW6. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian from the night.
14%. Great depth, little browning; oak, black fruit and some woodland notes; great fruit with balancing oak tannins; finish has good length and some complexity, but should still improve . from 2013, 18+/20

Ribero del Duero 2002 Pago de los Capellanes Reserva

2012-02-20T09:51:00.007Z

Tasted 12th January 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Ian McLaren at Vagabond wines in SW6. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian from the night.
13.5%. Quite mature looking; maturing, with quite light fruit tones; Wood tannins over ripe fruit; finish is long but still rather tannic. Needs time. From 2013, 17+/20

Jumilla 2008 Bodegas el Nido Clio

2012-02-20T09:51:00.005Z

Tasted 12th January 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Ian McLaren at Vagabond wines in SW6. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian from the night.
15.5%. Black-red, narrow red rim; dark rich fruits, but a bit backward; balanced, dense palate – finish has great length and complexity, with lots of chocolate. 18/20

Penedès 2006 Miguel Torres Mas la Plana

2012-02-20T09:51:00.002Z

Tasted 12th January 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Ian McLaren at Vagabond wines in SW6. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian from the night.
Solid colour with hints of ageing; oak, blackcurrant, and some vegetal development; ripe fruit, excellent balance and length, but a bit hot and astringent on finish still. 17+/20

Mallorca 2009 4 Kilos Vino de la Tierra

2012-02-20T09:50:00.010Z

Tasted 12th January 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Ian McLaren at Vagabond wines in SW6. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian from the night.
14%. Young purple-red, red fruit, spice overlaid with oak; tannic, with rather weak fruit and thin in middle; some finish. 14+/20

Priorat 2007 Mas d’En Gil Corna Velha

2012-02-20T09:50:00.008Z

Tasted 12th January 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Ian McLaren at Vagabond wines in SW6. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian from the night.
15%. Young, moderate depth; Grenache, red fruit and spice aromas; power, depth and complexity showing on palate, from 2012, 16/20

Navarra 2007 Chivite Coleccion 125 Chardonnay

2012-02-20T09:50:00.005Z

Tasted 12th January 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Ian McLaren at Vagabond wines in SW6. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian from the night.
13%. Pale gold, oak and yeast aromas; good fruit and structure, rather oaky at present, but with the length and components to improve with keeping, from 2012, 16/20

Ribiero 2009 Viña Mein

2012-02-20T09:50:00.001Z

Tasted 12th January 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Ian McLaren at Vagabond wines in SW6. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian from the night.
12%. Pale, complex primary aroma; good fruit and acidity and some length, but fairly straight-forward; 15/20

Cava 2009 Cordoníu 1551

2012-02-20T09:49:00.002Z

Tasted 12th January 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Ian McLaren at Vagabond wines in SW6. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian from the night.
11.5%. Pale, good mousse; quite grapy; fine mousse, with good fruit and acid balance – some length. Drink now 14/20

Chateau Morange Le Fleur 2006, St. Emilion

2012-02-19T12:22:00.006Z

Tasted 2nd February 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Nick Stephens of Bordeaux Undiscovered. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian McLaren.
Excellent body colour, with little ageing; rich fruit, spice and oak notes; good ripe fruit under wood tannins and acidity: excellent length, some development, but a long way to go. Best wine of the night, superb. From 2015, 18/20

Chateau Morange Le Fleur 2007, St. Emilion

2012-02-19T12:22:00.003Z

Tasted 2nd February 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Nick Stephens of Bordeaux Undiscovered. £47.50. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian McLaren.
Fair depth of colour, browning rim; austere, slightly green fruit; austere on palate as well, although well balanced; very good length, mostly green herbs. From 2014 16/20

Chateau Morange Le Fleur 2008, St. Emilion

2012-02-19T12:22:00.000Z

Tasted 2nd February 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Nick Stephens of Bordeaux Undiscovered. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian McLaren.
Very good colour with oak on rim; rich plum fruit but no secondary aromas; cooked fruit, strong structure, good length, but only slight hints of the development to come; from 2013, 16+/20

Chateau Morange Mathilde 2006, St. Emilion

2012-02-19T12:21:00.006Z

Tasted 2nd February 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Nick Stephens of Bordeaux Undiscovered. £19.50. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian McLaren.
Good depth of colour; some ripe fruit with oak and vegetation; tannins over ripe red fruit; fair length but little development yet. From 2013, 16+/20

Chateau Morange Mathilde 2007, St. Emilion

2012-02-19T12:21:00.003Z

Tasted 2nd February 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Nick Stephens of Bordeaux Undiscovered. £17.50. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian McLaren.
Good body colour, broad rim; rather green fruit, oak; fair fruit under tannins; finish has some length but is rather closed and lacks development at this stage. From 2012, 14+/20

Chateau Morange Mathilde 2008, St. Emilion

2012-02-19T12:21:00.000Z

Tasted 2nd February 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Nick Stephens of Bordeaux Undiscovered. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian McLaren.
Fair colour, pale rim; dark fruits, pepper and a hint of vegetation; moderate weight, reasonable structure, fair length and some development. Will be quite good, from 2013, 15+/20

Chateau Bellefont Belcier 2006, St. Emilion

2012-02-19T12:20:00.002Z

Tasted 2nd February 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Nick Stephens of Bordeaux Undiscovered. £26.99. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian McLaren.
Quite a deep colour with a pale edge; austere nose, with some maturity, complex; dry palate, tannins and plenty of fruit: powerful, long finish, still developing and a little hard at this stage. From 2013, 17+/20

Chateau Tour du Pin 2006, St. Emilion

2012-02-19T12:17:00.002Z

Tasted 2nd February 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Nick Stephens of Bordeaux Undiscovered. £35.50. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian McLaren.
Rich red, some brown on fringe; rich nose with plums and pepper; balanced, elegant palate with some excitement: long, with some mint and spice complexity. From 2012, good now, 17+/20

Chateau Sansonnet 2005, St. Emilion

2012-02-19T12:14:00.002Z

Tasted 2nd February 2012, wines presented to Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society by Nick Stephens of Bordeaux Undiscovered, ca. £17.60. Tasting notes kindly provided by Ian McLaren.
Fair depth of colour, some browning; smoke, pepper and some plums on the nose, fine tannins, moderate fruit and high acidity; good length but not much complexity. From 2012, 15/20

Tabali Reserva Syrah 2010 (Limari)

2012-02-11T20:15:00.002Z

Tasted 10/02/12, 14.5 % ABV, about £10 UK retail. A great cool climate Chilean syrah from the very north of the country. Recent award winner from Decanter. Deep violet colour, nose full of coffee, black fruits. The palate is an elegant melange of white pepper and ripe berries fruit, powerful but with smooth tannins. The sweet french oak shows through. Well made and very drinkable now. 16/20, from 2012.

I think this illustrates both the strengths and the 'work still to be done' in Chile. Anyone who reads my Blog knows how much I like Chilean wine. This wine is very drinkable, quite elegant, well-made and good value for money. I love the style of cool climate syrahs from Chile. But, as suggested in the recent Decanter Chilean syrah review, perhaps we now need more? Chile has founded its reputation on solid wine making, good value and quality control. Are they prepared to push themselves to the next level and rival, say, fine Rhone (in the case of syrah). Not necessarily the top wines, but the large middle ground, say in the £20 to £40 bracket? It remains to be seen. Tabali are innovative and adventurous but some companies maybe need to not play safe.....

http://garyswinetasting.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @garywinetasting
www.cfwinesociety.org

Tasting of fine and rare St. Emilion

2012-02-02T12:01:00.001Z

Here's a link to a tasting of fine and rare St. Emilion that we held in November 2011:

Tasting Notes

The link to the Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society website enables you to download a PDF of the tasting notes

Baron de Ley, Club Privado Rioja 2008

2012-01-20T07:22:00.000Z

Tasted 19/01/12, 13.5% ABV, about £9 UK retail. Cork closure. Pretty cheap for a Rioja these days, this is a 'jobbing' Rioja from the large Baron de Ley set up. Red fruits on the nose, distinctive Tempranillo palate, with sweet American oak on the finish. A little short but pleasant enough. Won't go very far - new oak hiding young fruit I speculate. But, not bad value for money. A good food wine. From 2012, 14.5 /20.

Cono Sur Pinot Noir Reserva 2009 (Casablanca)

2012-01-15T19:14:00.001Z

Tasted 12/01/12 with Ian. 14% ABV, screw cap closure. About c.£9 UK retail - widely available. A straightforward, pleasant premium blend from new fruit (I assume). As always, it demonstrates Cono Sur's (Concha y Toro) quality orientated approach to wine making. Bright cherry red. Very aromatic strawberry fruit, plums and cherries in the glass, a good mouthful of red fruit. Hint of leather and cinnamon. Good value, drink now. 15.5/20
http://garyswinetasting.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @garywinetasting
www.cfwinesociety.org

Les Tourelles de Longueville, Pauillac 2006

2012-01-10T06:41:00.001Z

Tasted 07/01/12 with Jean-Marc. 13% ABV, cork closure. About £30 UK retail (e.g. BBR). Second wine of 2nd Cru Classe Pichon-Longueville. Dark purple colour, archetypal left bank nose of cedar, cassis, pencil box. On the palate, it's the classic brooding, austere Pauillac character. Silky tannins and classic dark and red fruits. A little closed and still young but enjoyable now with a long finish. Great 'bangs for bucks'. From 2015. 16.5/20
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

Calicanto Viña el Principal, 2009, Maipo

2012-01-04T21:51:00.000Z

Tasted 04/01/2012. 14.5% ABV, £12.50 UK retail (Majestic). Cork closure. A new Chilean wine for me, but a wine I am very pleased with. A Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere blend. Beautiful nose of coffee, allspice and damsons. Bright purple in the glass, on the palate the toasty French oak shows through. Well integrated on the palate, dark fruits and some liquorice and bell peppers on the finish. Good middle level Chilean red - this wine has some structure and is good now but could be kept for up to 3 years. From 2012, 16/20