pleasant surprise

1) la sirene de giscours 2000 (margaux), second wine of course ...



2) domaine les chenets croze hermitage 2007



later

almost dreary ...

1)anselmann riesling spatlese halbtrocken 2009 (pfalz)

2)alain graillot croze hemitage 2007

later

suspects gather

1) castello di querceto chianti classico reserva 1990

aged stuff, see earlier sample, less dried out than the earlier sample but faded badly in the glass after about 30 mins.; methinks this one has flatlined ...

2) alain graillot croze hemitage 2007

nice as it ever was

3) mitchell sevenhill cabernet sauvignon 1999 (clare)

ruby; restrained, plum, blackcurrent, oak (hint) , nicely intergrated; fruit and wood intergrated as expected, bit of mineral/chalk; tannins fine with enough acid to balance things out; longish; light/ medium bodied; BANG!; good drop.

4) ornellaia le volte 2007

see earlier notes ... consistent

5) lucien barrot CDP 2005

never disappoints ...

a good evening ... bit hazy though.

errrr

chapoutier croze hermitage les meysonniers 2006

dark ruby; cherry, cranberries, raspberries, blac ... berries, floral, hint vanilla, pepper/spice; fruit but not the ripe kind, soy hint, pencil shavings; some grilled meat appears later, spice; firm tannin structure and lots of tart acid; medium bodied; longish but somehow meager in the middle; ok with food i suppose; did not float my boat; POP!(+) ... good price though

odd one out

1)domaine j l chave CDR 2007

duh ... not very interesting ...

2)onellaia le volte 2007 (merlot, cab sav and sangiovese)

base model in their lineup.

ruby dark; floral?, ripe plum, cherry, hint of vanilla, someone said leather ... i didn't get no handbags here; off dry feel on entry, rich ripe fruit (but not over ripe), rasp, mineral/chalk, fruit cake, some firm but fine tannins, juicy acid; rich, smooth but not overblown; medium bodied and length; for both, big bob fans and the rest of us ... uncanny balancing act; BANG! good price, drink up.

revisits

3)roger sabon cdp reserve 2006

4)graillot crozes hermitage 2007

no surprises here ... good stuff as before ...

juicy

alain graillot crozes hermitage 2007

ruby; heady mix of herbs, chinese spices, green peppercorn ... by the ton and grilled meat, cherry?, wet clay; earthy, mineral/chalk, aforesaid herbs, spice and fruit; fine tannins; juicy acid but not as memorable as the first sample of the 06; long; BANG! great value ...

eve of destruction

nuther year older tomorrow. nothing to celebrate ... quiet dinner.

alain graillot crozes hermitage 2006 ... notes similar to the earlier sample except that the acid, which was fantastic there is a little less sleek and juicy. still, a great drop.

with pork ...

weekend past

1)grand corbin despagne 2005 (75% merlot, 24% cab franc, 1% malbec) [st emilion]
young, almost purple; plum, blackcurrant, smoke, a little vanilla, cedar, mushroom/earth, hint of musk/violets?; follows onto palate, mineral/stones; lots of furry chalky tannins and acid... said young didn't i, and with the fruit it will keep, i happen to like the tannins here; lean kind of feel now; medium bodied and length; 13.5%; BANG!(-)

2)basel cellars cab sav 2002 [walla walla ... i kid you not, washington state]
fruit from 4 different parcels, vinified separately ... blah, blah, blah ...
ruby; plum, blackcurrant, cedar, bit of vanilla, earth/ mushroom, a little funky ... old world like?; clean flavours, ripe fruit on the palate; fine tannins, acid to back that up; medium bodied, longish; 14.5%; BANG!(-); supposedly 100% new wood but pleasently surprised it's not fruit and wood monster.

3)godolphin 2005 (shiraz 80%/ cab 20%) [barossa]
speaking of fruit bombs ...
reddish purple; plum, blackcurrant, cedar, vanilla, hint of cocoa, someone said butterscotch/toffee; cherry, sweet ripe plummy jammy fruit (hmm... 4 adjectives); lotsa fine tannins; acid AWOL; smooth, plump and lush?; medium/heavy bodied with a longish ripe/jammy fruit finish; 14.5%; did i mention ripe? POP! didn't think much of it but others begged to differ. am told this is a big bob fave ... and as a friend would say, hmmm.

4)gunderloch jean baptiste kabinett 2007 [rhinehessen]
straw; lime, bit of peach; off dry, bit lean, mineral; nice sharp acidity; short; 7.5%; ho hum; POP!

5)delas freres crozes hermitage tour d'albon 2005
ruby, purple tinge; initial whiff was really herbal and spicy (long pepper/ green peppercorn very obvious), cherry, grilled meat, sweet; cherry, herbal, meat, someone said bread and butter pudding and apple cider?, clove, balsamic, chalk/mineral/ stone; lot of fine tannins with nice juicy acidity; overall, a wee bit hard now; medium bodied and length, nice herbal finish; 12.5%; nice one; BANG!(+) extremely well priced. remember "cheap wine"?

nuther mid week drop

gotta stop this habitalain graillot crozes hermitage 2006

purple; whiff of pickled fruit ... luckily blew away, cherry, damp earth/clay, hint of grilled meat and musk, green peppercorn, very nice but diminishes with time; cherry, earthy, chalky/mineral; lots of fine powdery tannins; lovely sleek juicy acidity; light/medium bodied; a little short initially; broadened and lenghtened somewhat with time and food; 13%; refreshing, built for food, could take the place of a good chianti ... the acidity is just great; BANG!