quintet

1)chateau cantemerle 2004 (haut-medoc)
ruby; spice ... cinnamon, cardamom?, vanilla hint; blackcurrent, plum, leafy; fruit, a little chalky/mineral, lean; some structure ... furry tannins and acid; medium bodied and length; with food; POP!(-) ... maybe in a coupla years but i'll pass.

2)chateau vilhars 2005 (fronsac)
ruby; dusty spicy nose, cherry?, plum, oak hint; aforesaid fruits and berries?, mineral, spice, dried orange peel?; nicely balanced by soft tannins and juicy acid; light/medium bodied; medium length; BANG!(-) ... thought it was a nice light rhone in a blind some time ago ;-P ... but what do i know? ...

3)domaine dugat-py gevrey chanbertin les evocelles 2007
ruby, purplish tint; blueberries, hint strawb, floral, damp earth; aforesaid berries, mineral/chalky; tannins firm, acid a little tart; light/medium bodied; ...bit lean ... not really ready? POP! expensive

4)yarra yering dry red no.1 1999

5)st cosme cote du rhone les duex albion 2006
this sample had a very "medicinal" sour nose initially ... someone said paracetamol(?!)... ow ...blew away somewhat after 30 mins, but this sample was still a little too funkeee (see earlier sample)... methinks that the said sour note was an extention of chinese spices and the "cow pat" on the palate ... yes, bull doo doo ... an extreme incarnation of wet clay. not a very pleasent bottle this.

brett central

have absolutely NO luck with burgs

domaine harmand-geoffroy gevrey-chambertin la bossiere 1er cru 2002 (a 0.45 ha monopole!)

what? you mean that there was supposed to be some fruit in there? and the persistent whiff of bandaid and taste of plastic was not attributable to the unique terrior?... :-0 FIZZLE!

just enough brett to f*ck things up but not enough (sh*t! when is it never enough) to get the bottle changed ... sigh. are hygiene standards so low in burgundy that so many bottles are tainted? is this a retorical question?

i need an untainted bottle!!! please. half bottle of lucien barrot's cdp 2005 to the rescue ... BANG!

nuther weekend ... could have been worse

1)tea time
confuron cotetidot gevrey chambertin 2004

cherry; plum, ... fur(?), dried flowers/ herbs; plum, cranberry (?) on palate, bit sweet initially; light bodied, tannins a bit rough, pleasant acidity (some might think it still excessive now); not very long; 12.5%; with the brett thing and the cost over here ...no joy. FIZZLE!

pio cesare barolo 2003 (their basic one)

garnet; plum, black/blueberries, flowers(violets?) on nose; plum,dark cherry, bit of cinnamon?, bit of stalkiness (woody not green) on palate; lots of tannin (but nice and ripe), crisp acid; medium bodied; long; nice drop even at this stage; comfortingly consistent, 13.5%. BANG!2) dinner ... tuna pasta, goat's milk cheese and homemade bread.

kumeu river chardonnay 2004

straw/light gold; peach/nectarine,citrus (lemon rind?), oak, caramel, bread on nose; juicy nectarine/peach (like biting into fresh fruit, impressive), orange/grapefruit and nuts on the palate, rich mouthfeel; lots of tannin, could do with a bit more acid to balance the fruit, wood and overall richness; longish; medium/big bodied; fruit and freshness seem to die off after 20-30 mins in glass, then it becomes somewhat dull and oaky; 13% or 13.5%, cannot remember; drink it very fast ... then its a blast. POP!