red kiwi

ata rangi martinborough pinot noir 2001

later

nice half doz

1)loosen L 2008
BANG! great great value

2)domaine de la brunely vacqueyras 2003

ruby; kirsch, chinese herbs, long pepper, wet clay; cherry, plum, herbal, said pepper, bit of soy, slight chalkiness; ripe tannins; juicy acid; a bit rustic?; medium bodied; long; BANG!; courtesy of the contrarian.

3)henschke lenswood abbott's prayer 1997
BANG!(-)

4)lucien barrot CDP 2005
er, ...



5)loosen urziger wurtzgarten spatlese 2007
BANG!

6)cloudy bay sauvignon blanc 2008
a friend's rather nice housewine ...

details later

slim pickins

1)clos mogador 2003 priorat [garnacha based]

dark purplish red; ripe cherry, alcohol (kirsch), prune, fruitcake?,spice/cedar, vanilla; almost sweet on entry, ripe cherry and plum, cedar, licorice?; big, rich, plush; heaps of tannin (to be expected given it's age) and acid which attempt to counterbalance the fruit; 14.5%; long ...hint of raisins at the very end; a struggle to drink now or when you're tired as i was ... half bottle still in the fridge. maybe in five or ten or then again, maybe never. POP!(-) big bob fave?

2)drouhin chablis vaudesir g cru 1999

sample was way over the hill ... sigh

3)fairbank shiraz 2004 (99%shiraz 1%voignier) [mount alexander]

garnet, dark; spicy, cherry, berries, floral?; ripe cherry, bit o cinnamon, clean, mineral, a little fruity, quite lush and soft mouthfeel; very nice furry tannins and juicy acid; medium/big bodied; longish; BANG!(-) that mineral bit was nice for an oz drop but it's a little pricey

4)vergelegen stellenbosch chardonnay 2008

straw; cream/vanilla?, apple, oak hint, yeast/toast hint, someone said citrus ... didn't get none; red delicious, dried pear?, mineral ... yay, a little oak ... yay; juicy acid .. yay; light/medium bodied; longish appley and slightly savoury finish. BANG! good one, especially well priced. not yo typical overblown new world supermarket special.
5)michel colin-deleger chassagne montrachet les vergers 1er cru 2000

light gold; citrus, stone fruit, buttery/vanilla hint, subdued nose ... never really opened up; lime/lemon?, peach, butterscotsh hint, red delicious, mineral; just enough acid left to keep things a little lively; light medium bodied; longish with a slighty woody and appley finish; 13.5%; subtle wine ... this pleb thought it would be a little richer; POP!(+) too pricey.6)furano ... non vintage red, hokkaido

friend brought some back. gave it a go ... overripe/oxidised fruit, could not tell what it was ... errr ... subarus are nice cars. notice the word "experiment" on the label. next!

7)st cosme cdr les deux albion 2006

much much nicer than the last sample ... similar notes to an earlier drop

8)cloudy bay sauvignon blanc 2008

did they dumb down the "in yer face" fruit? ... hmmm ... nice

nice brace

produttori del barbaresco riserva orvello 2001
ruby; floral, plum/cherry, tar/menthol (whiff), bit sappy, mushroom?, hint of cinnamon and cedar; ripe cherry, plum, hint of cinnamon; lots of tannins, not particularly fine; juicy acidic; light/medium bodied; longish; nice now but will obviously evolve further; BANG!
villa maria sauv blanc 2007
pale yellow; lemon, apple, gooseberry/passionfruit; aforesaid fruit, not particularly intense but then again mercifully not overipe/blown, mineral; acid was quite refreshing; short; decent for the price, i suppose POP!(+)

pope pop and some gooseberry juice

1)saint cosme chateauneuf du pape 2004 [grenache 60%:mouverde 40%, bought in grapes]

purplish ruby; herbs, cherry, grilled meat, a little ripe capsicum, pepper, soy; plum, cherry, a bit beefy, slight alcoholic burn; chalky tannins; acidity quite refreshing; mid palate initally a little lean but broadened nicely with time, 1 hr; medium bodied; long; slightly bitter and herbal finish; 14.5%; enough structure to go further; BANG!(-)

2)lightband sauvignon blanc 2008 (nelson)
very light straw; gooseberry, kiwifruit, bit of guava, nectarine; all follow onto palate, all primary fruit flavours; fresh; antipodean fruitbomb; light/medium bodied; chalky tannins; a little unripe fruit kind of tartness; nice medium weight mouthfeel; 13%; FIZZLE! too "in yer face" for me.

not a great session, too tired cos i've not had any sleep for 40

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!

friday evening

felton road pinot noir (otago) 2007
their basic one, apparently they have some individual vineyard bottlings.

deep clear cherry; raspberry, cherry, mushroom, alcohol on the nose; cherry (ripe and juicy), prickly acid, fine tannins, some oak, not bone dry; smooth, medium bodied; short, weird abrupt end ... the fruit just disappears after the mid palate, aftertaste that lingers at the back was woody and herbal (chinese herbs).14%. will probably develop but who cares (its not bad but theres lots of other stuff out there), won't be coming down this road again. POP?, FIZZLE! i guess.

speaking of new zealand ...

grass for chockies ... must be something in the water down there .... hmmmmmm