Tag Archives: France

June 16, 2013 · 2:46 pm

Red + White Imports – 21/05/2013

Bianca Vigna Prosecco DOC
Nice crisp clean citrus apple, classic prosecco. Fresh bold fruit and warm mouthfeel. Super pleasant.

Louis Roederer Brut Premier
Creamy buttery autolysis, a little fat and rich bit still fresh and clean. Minimal complexity, certainly vibrant.

Louis Roederer Rosé 2007
Crisp bright citrus red grapefruit blood orange. Long and precise. A little mushroomy pinot on the nose.

Louis Roederer Cristal 2005
Quite wild and complex, nutty mushroom leesy Camembert. Extraordinarily delicate, fine and elegant, long and ethereal creaminess. A cut above the 2004.

Peramor Verdejo Rueda 2011
Quite subtle aromatically, thin and watery. Not giving much at all.

Monte Tondo Soave Classico 2012
Disappointing, suffers same problem as Verdejo.

Louis Jadot Macon Village White 2011
Subtle to say the least, fresh and clean but lacking much personality.

Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt RK Riesling Trocken 2011
Slightly spicy quince notes, clean and fresh but good level of mineral green notes.

Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Riesling Kaseler 2011
Showing a little more concentration, density but still clean precise and fairly straightforward.

Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Riesling Wiltinger 2011
Bolder still, lifting but still an easy vintage.

Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Josephshofer 2011
More RS texture and weight, great precision and length, some botrytis notes.

Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Piesporter Goltropchen Riesling Spatlese 2011
Dense creamy lanolin texture, balanced yet rich and subtle sweetness.

El Bos Tinta de Toro 2011
Spicy Black Forest plum notes, bright fresh but a little fruit and oak sweet.

Monte Tondo Valpolicella 2011
Lavender potpourri, herbal lemon tea. A little tight and weedy, lacking depth and plumpness for the tannin structure.

Mazzei Badiola IGT 2011
Focused tight balanced fresh yet bold. Is what it says.

Vietti Barbera d’Asti Tre Vigne 2010
Spicy nutmeg, black cherry red plum. Bright fresh approachable but focused.

Vietti Barbera d’Alba Vigna Scarrone 2010
Tighter leaner on the nose, density and focus. Fuller yet softer, more and longer tannins.

Louis Jadot Cote de Nuits Villages Le Vaucrain 2009
Safe. A tad hot. Serviceable.

Louis Jadot Chambolle-Musigny 2009
More depth and precision, more character and intensity. Delivers.

Pure Garrigue Cotes-du-Rhone Red 2011
Dense dark red fruits, very limited amounts of spice.

Domaine de la Renjarde Massif d’Uchaux 2010
Soft dense yet fresh and focused.

Chateau La Nerthe Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2009
Totally against the grain for the appellation and vintage. Light fresh and vibrant rather than full soft and dark.

Chateau de Pez 2008
Serviceable but uninteresting.

Mazzei Mix 36 2008
Very international oak maceration nose. Very tight and focused but not full heavy or overworked. Focused fine yet intense tannins. Needs a lot more time for oak to blow off.

Red + White Imports

Red + White Imports

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April 16, 2013 · 4:41 pm

Laurent-Perrier – 20/01/2012

Ultra Brut
Zero dosage, very zippy bright fresh citrus. Lovely and crisp yet soft and creamy, approachable bright clean pure fruit, chardonnay component very strong.

Millesime 2002
Toastier richer depth, still very clean and precise, harmony of acid and lees.

Grand Siecle
Quite toasty and yeasty, interesting blend of three vintages, perhaps lost its way a little bit.

Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle

Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle

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April 16, 2013 · 4:35 pm

Larmandier-Bernier – 20/01/2012

Rosé de Saignée
Quite dark for a champagne rosé, and aromatically has similar dark berry characters coupled with subtle cheesy game aromas. It floats nicely between freshness and complexity, making it a versatile aperitif or food wine.

Tradition 1er Cru
A blend of 10% pinot noir and 90% chardonnay, and with full malo has lovely creamy sweet yoghurt lees autolysis character. It has delicious fresh cumquat citrus fruit flavours, but also a nice slightly savoury baked filo pastry element.

Blanc de Blancs 1er Cru
More creaminess in the citrus fruit, and almost non-alcoholic apple cider sweetness.

Terre de Vertus 2007 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs
With no dosage liqueur there was very chalky green apple fruitiness on the nose, with a hint of salted cashews underneath. On the palate there was much fuller texture and depth than the NV wines, the apple picking up some custard elements.

Vielle de Cramant Grand Cru 2006
This became more vanilla and caramel, introducing more pear and orange fruit to the mix.

Grand Cru
Had serious complexity and length on it, hinting at its matchability with food.

Terre de Vertus 1997
Disgorged the previous day, and although the colour had barely changed the nose and palate was evolving into a much more tertiary area; hints of marmalade, mushrooms, roasted nuts and vintage cheddar.

Larmandier-Bernier tasting

Larmandier-Bernier tasting

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April 16, 2013 · 4:22 pm

Billecart-Salmon – 19/01/2012

2011 Charly-sur-Marne Pinot Meunier
Aromatic grassy kiwi lime elderberry, light fresh mid-palate, bright acids.

2011 Ay Pinot Noir
Slightly savoury cherry stalks, contained but broad and expressive, passion fruit zing and zest.

2011 Mesnil-sur-Oger Chardonnay
Apple lime nashi grapefruit, great lines through the palate.

Extra Brut
Toasty for a Brut Nature, dried herbs and honey, great drive across the palate but not straight down the middle, nice spicy berry notes, savoury sweetness.

Brut Reserve
Honeyed richness, lees doesn’t get in the way.

Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
Exceptionally well-integrated acids, freshness and drive, rich citrus creaminess.

Brut Sous Bois
Smells like white burgundy, crunchy and really complex. Amazing wine with food.

Vintage 2004
Rich creamy light caramel, apple & pear custard, subtle toast and sesame, broad with rolling soft berry and mandarin.

Brut Blanc de Blancs 1999
Struck-match Chablis style, reductive dried citrus peel, full yet racy acids, big citrus fruit sweetness, powerful expression but subtle and complex.

Nicolas Francois 2000
Soft subtle sweet butternut pumpkin, light soft full rich and subtle, young yet complex, toasty smoked artichokes, fruit-forward at the moment.

Billecart-Salmon tasting

Billecart-Salmon tasting

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April 16, 2013 · 4:08 pm

Pol Roger – 19/01/2012

Pure
Non-dose brut style. It is astoundingly crisp and fresh, the chardonnay is prominent, as freshness is the focus, pure in name and nature.

Rich
A dosage of 35g/L of sugar added, making it a demi-sec style. This gives it a more creamy and toasty aroma, with a distinct marzipan and glazed cherry character.

Pol Roger Reserve 2002
A wine with amazing integration of acid, fruit and yeasty complexity, finesse and elegance beyond comparison. The wine appears to explode like a firework from the middle of the palate. It is both approachable and yet subtle and complex, but having only recently been disgorged and dosed needs more time in bottle before release.

If this wine is so good now, it is not hard to imagine how good the 2002 Sir Winston Churchill will be. Very generously I was given a bottle of the current vintage, the 1999, to enjoy at a later time with food, along with a bottle of the 2004 Reserve Rose (also not yet released). Slightly encumbered I thanked my wonderful house and hurried to my final appointment for the day.

Pol Roger range

Pol Roger range

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April 16, 2013 · 4:00 pm

Henriot – 19/01/2012

Rose NV
Aromatically this wine interestingly combines raspberry with a savoury salty Edam cheese, and on the palate has a nice textural element. Approachable but not simple.

Brut Souverain NV
50% chardonnay and 50% pinot noir blend, has complexity of fruit and lees texture, and is delicate yet fresh.

Blanc de Blancs NV
More restrained and broad, with soft creaminess and a nice rich lemongrass character. After looking at the wine fresh from bottle we then had a second look after transfer in a carafe. The second look showed much toastier elements which were subdued initially, and also a nice smoky cheese element.

Millesime 2002
Nice vanilla brioche croissant, smoky citrus, subdued and soft, a little simple? Toastiness and texture on the palate, sherbert bomb lemon sorbet, evolving in the glass, good length and harmony.

Cuvee des Enchanteleurs 1998
also looked wonderful, and the enjoyment of it was enhanced as we tasted it in the cellars surrounded by bottles in riddling racks.

Henriot tasting

Henriot tasting

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April 16, 2013 · 3:53 pm

Krug – 18/01/2012

Grand Cuvee
All of the various elements are present, such as the pure fruit expression, the toasty oak and autolysis complexity, and the harmonious blending of varieties and villages. There is complexity and elegance, but still freshness which is so important in today’s market.

Krug 2000
Youthful vibrancy, exhibiting lovely honeysuckle, peach and Satsuma aromas. There is also some lees derived toffee and spiced apple pie crust. More generous than the 1998

Krug 1998 Krug
Tighter more concentrated acids through the mid-palate, particularly citrussy. The complex characters are more in the burnt custard, marmalade and toasty croissant.

Krug offices

Krug offices

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April 16, 2013 · 3:46 pm

Delamotte – 18/01/2012

Brut
Nice bright and fresh, great fruit aromatics, citrus. Nice mid-palate fruit balance, pear and apple, minimal yeast autolysis interference, friendly fresh wine.

Brut Blanc de Blancs
Lovely fresh citrus florals, pure chardonnay expression, amazing vibrant fruit palate.

Blanc de Blancs 2002
More subtle autolysis fruit combination, toasted marshmallow and brioche. Glazed peach honey, rich broad toasty caramel, peach cobbler, nice texture.

Salon 1999
Amazingly subtle charcuterie, wild flower honey lemon butter. Floats above the plate, waves and waves of complexity, hints of creamy generosity, ethereal, there but not there, powerful expression yet hauntingly subtle.

Delamotte wines

Delamotte wines

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April 16, 2013 · 3:36 pm

Bollinger – 17/01/2012

Special Cuvée
Wonderful harmony, rich toasty balance, delicate yet complex and full, toasted hazelnuts and a very food friendly NV.

La Grande Année 2002
Much tighter and fresher nose, citrus and apple crumble. Exceptional acid integration, toasty depth and richness, small berry notes, smoked cheese barrel characters.

Rose NV
Very clean and balanced but showing little character and texture.

Grande Année Rose 2004
Very impressive, exhibiting lovely savoury elements of game, smoked salmon and delicate truffle notes. No surprising the strength of the grand cru pinot noir they are using for this wine.

RD 1995
The golden colour was very noticeable compared to the other white champagnes. The way the multitude of flavours gently caressed the palate gaining momentum as it made its way back, was simply extraordinary. Poached pear combined with shiitake, roasted pine nuts combined with salted pie crust.

Bollinger RD 1995

Bollinger RD 1995

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April 16, 2013 · 3:11 pm

Philipponat – 16/01/2012

Brut Royale Reserve
A lovely brioche and lemon tart complexity, soft and broad, and yet had lovely freshness and balance to it with a toasty honey finish.

Royale Reserve
Appeared a little flat and sharp, with no approachability or subtlety and not a lot of character.

Grand Blanc 2005
A slightly crunchy and dirty acid and leesy complexity, coupled with a creamy citrus nose.

Reserve Millesime 2003
Too broad and fat, lacks structure and elegance, too fruity and rich.

Cuvee 1522 2002
Very powerful in fruit, yet had very elegant expression. Crème brulée combined with lemon butter and brioche.

Clos des Goisses 2000
The colour is much more golden than others, a product of its age, variety and ripeness. The textural ripeness results in the wine exhibiting an almost lanolin character, combining with honey and dried peach. I admired the audacity of this style, and imagined the many types of food that would pair with this wine. I did wonder how the wine would age though…

Philipponat wines

Philipponat wines

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