CFWS - IWC Trophy Winners Tasting

Saturday, 10 December 2011.

A blind tasting organised by the Cambridge Food & Wine Society (http://cambridgefoodandwinesociety.org.uk/) of wines which were trophy winners at the 2011 International Wine Challenge, wines were chosen and tasting led by Stephen Vincent. I have previously tasted some of the wines featured on the night, primarily at the IWC Taste of Gold event earlier this year - my notes will reflect this prior knowledge. Prices, where indicated, are retail by the bottle.

 2010 Stanley Estates Sauvignon Blanc. Marlborough, New Zealand.
Noel Young £12.99 | A-
International Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand White, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Marlborough Trophies.


First tasted here. This time theres more ripe tropical fruits flavours showing through, touches of guava and passion fruits; theres still lots of green notes (capsicum, leafy, green peppers) but it isnt as dominant as I remembered it to be. The slightly off dry hints of residual sugar still there, as does the notes of pebbly wet stones and very attractive streak of minerality.


2008 Pieropan 'La Rocca' Soave Classico. Italy.
Noel Young £23.99 | A-
Italian White and Soave Trophies


Yellowish straw in colour, much deeper than your average Soaves. Ripe white stone fruits on the nose; which carries through to the palate, filled with ripe peaches and apircots; fleshy and mouth filling. Good citrus and lasting acidity on the finish; decent mineral structure; strikes me as being quite oily in texture. 

2009 Chablis 1er Cru 'Vaillon' Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils. Burgundy, France.
Noel Young £21.75 | A-
Chablis and Organic Trophies


Some citrus and white fruits on the nose, followed by floral touches; some flinty and smoky notes too. Palate is classically steely and taut; great acidic structure but is generous, without being lean; minerality shines alongside ripe fruit structure. Juicy, mouthwatering finish; correct and classy. My favourite white of the night.


2009 Penfolds Reserve Bin 09A Chardonnay. Adelaide Hills, Australia.
House of Townend £52.20 | A-(+)
Champion White Wine, International Chardonnay, Australian Chardonnay, Australian White and Adelaide Hills White Trophies. 


Now I wasnt so sure about this wine when I first tasted it earlier this year; a second taste of it now still hasnt convinced me. Theres just too much oak showing on the nose, its the kind that immediately leaps up on you and drowns quite a lot else. Theres plenty of ripe fruit and acidity on the palate, but I felt some disjoint between nose and palate. I'd like to see how this develops with time; at the moment, it seems to me an oak and fruit bomb. Still not sure about price; we're now well into Cru Burgundy territory.

2010 Morgon Vielles Vignes 'Grand Cras' Domaine Laurent Gauthier. Beaujolais, France.
Noel Young £12.49 | A-
Beaujolais Trophy.


Red fruit dominated on the nose, with damsons and violets, also light spice touches. On the palate its juicy and ripe; plums and red cherries; really rounded, crushed red fruits with vibrant acidity; supple tannins. Its very well put together; not heavily extracted; showing its class, eminently drinkable. One of the best Beaujolais I've had in recent times. 

2009 Chambolle Musigny, Domaine de la Pousse d'Or. Burgundy, France.
Noel Young £53 | A-(++)
Champion Red Wine, International Pinot Noir, French Red, Red Burgundy and Chambolle Musigny Trophies.

Red fruits on the nose, red currants and berries, followed by a warming spice; there are gamey / ferral characters too, touches of black truffles and followed by some sweet oak - a charming combination. Palate is concentrated, so much red fruit, plums and damsons; layers of complexity; vibrant acidity with fine, lengthy tannic structure. All the elements are there for this wine to age with grace, a long haul wine, drink 2015-2025. My favourite red of the night.

2009 Crozes Hermitage 'La Petite Ruche' M. Chapoutier. Northern Rhone, France.
Noel Young £14.39 | A-(+)
International Syrah, French Syrah and Crozes Hermitage Trophies.

Dark fruit on the nose, along with some floral, wild herbs and black pepper touches; also some meaty / gamey notes. Palate has sweet dark fruits; dark morello cherries and dark currants; not overly extracted, retains a nice juicy freshness to it. Acidity and tannic structure also impressive; from an outstanding vintage, this is another wine that will improve with age; drink now - 2020.

2007 Miguel Torres 'Perpetual' Priorat. Spain.
Noel Young £23.79 | A-(+)
The 2008 vintage of this wine won the Priorat Trophy.

Sweet dark fruits on the nose, along with cassis, dark chocolate; herby (mint mostly) and woody (sweet cedar / mahogany) notes are also there; then the sweet oak shows. Palate is concentrated, lots of dark fruit; blackberries and dark cherries; extracted stuff; lashings of sweet oak also shows but is integrated enough. Overall impression is of sweet dark fruits; a bold punchy wine; grainy tannins on the finish; should improve with age, drink now - 2017+.

General

A couple of slightly more mature wines bought at auction.

1997 Chianti Classico Reserva 'Rocca Guicciarda' Barone Ricasoli

A-

Oozing rustic charm on the nose: warm spices, lots of earthy, farmyard and distinct rusty / bloody notes; followed by red fruits. On the palate its yielding, soft red fruits dominated by red cherries and currants; acidity still vibrant, keeping the wine lively and fresh; tannins have mostly melted away; wonderfully integrated and of great balance. A mature, well made and well kept Chianti Classico. Drink now - 2015.

1999 Mas de Daumas Gassac Rouge, Vin de Pays de l'Herault

A-(+)

Dark berries on the nose, but not overwhelming; theres a savoury, gamey / cured meat note, along with a touch of wood and smoke. Palate is filling and textured; dark fruits dominated, blackberry and brambles; concentrated flavours, it is a big, ripe wine; theres still some savoury touches on the palate. Acidity in balance, tannins have softened somewhat but still shows some grip towards the finish. Classy, will improve with age, 2015-2025.

Downing Chapel Choir - Charity Tasting

A tasting of wines in fundraising efforts for the Downing College Chapel Choir, led by Alex Woolgar-Toms, an alumnus of Downing College, Cambridge. All the wines in this tasting were generous donations by various benefactors; stockists, where known, are indicated.

 2010 Domiane des Lauriers Rolle. Languedoc, France.
Cambridge Wine | B+

Reviewed previously elsewhere in this blog.

2010 Chilano 'Signature Series' Chardonnay. Central Valley, Chile.
Tesco Wines | B

Fruity nose - apples, pears and citrus; lively and correct, if slightly alcoholic nose. On the palate its fruit driven; fleshy, ripe white fruits, gentle acidity;  soft, wide but rather short. A correct, technical wine; inoffensive.

2009 Familia Zuccardi 'Serie A' Torrontes. Salta, Argentina.
Cambridge Wine | A-

Reviewed previously elsewhere in this blog.

2009 Stepp 'Alte Reben' Riesling. Pfalz, Germany.
Noel Young | B+

Pale straw, very light in colour. Intense limeyness on the nose, limepeel then sweeter lime cordial, with a touch of spritz about it; also slatey mineral coming through. On the palate, lots of acidity showing through, vibrancy and zing about this wine; high acidity, like sucking on sweet limes and unripe white fruits. Fresh, young and lively.

2001 Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett, Max Ferd Richter. Mosel, Germany.
B+(+)

Sweet on the nose - honey, acacia and over ripe peaches and nectarines. On the palate its distinctly off dry, maybe 20g/l or so; fat lemons and some limes too; high acidity but its fat and generous, not piercing. Wide and rounded on the mid palate, its aged well and will continue to develop; drink now -2016+.

2007 Gigondas, Domaine Santa Duc. Southern Rhone, France.
B+(+)  

Dark fruits compote, blackcurrants, ribena; smells quite hot; noticeable smoke, garrique and woody notes too. Lots of dark sweet fruit on the palate, extracted and juicy; the tarry note carries through; the tannins still quite green and chunky; needs time to settle down. Drink 2013-2020+

1996 Cornas, Noel Verset. Northern Rhone, France.
The Wine Society | B

Earthy, rustic and farmyard notes dominate initially; also a gameyness / leathery notes, along with slight vegetal / woody notes; theres a sweet spice towards the end - plenty going on there, rather fun. Palate is yielding, there still a fresh streak of acidity but the fruit has dried out; maybe some red currants, but the mid palate is rather hollow; a rather astringent, drying finish. Drink up.

1996 Abadia Retuerta 'Cuvee El Campanario'. Ribera del Duero, Spain.
B+

Reviewed previously elsewhere in this blog.

2003 Chateau La Dauphine, Canon Fronsac. Bordeaux, France.
The Wine Society | B+

Reviewed previously elsewhere in this blog.

1985 Chateau Coufran, Haut Medoc. Bordeaux, France.
A-

Nose is developed and mature - notes of bellpeppers, with plenty of red fruits, also sweet spice and cedar too. On the palate, its fresh and still fruity, mostly ripe red cherries and sweet currants; the fruits is soft and yielding; generous acidity and resolved tannins; everything was so harmonious and together; structured mid palate, good finish. Drinking wonderfully now, probably at its peak for a few more years just yet; drink now - 2015+.

Warre's Otima 10 year old Tawny Port
A-

Served chilled. Lots of raisins, sultanas and dried fruits showing; with great freshness and acidity too. The Otima has been a favourite of mine for sometime, especially when chilled and served with mince pies. Just has that extra edge of acidity to lift the fruit; a lighter, fresher style of Tawny to say Taylor's or Graham's 10yo which are probably on the heavier, sweeter side.

1975 Warre's Vintage Port
A

Brief notes only - wonderful minty note even slight eucalyptus note, which I associate with old Warre's vintage port; also floral tones of turkish delight and rosehip on the nose; sweet berries. Palate shows vibrancy, lots of sweet developed fruit; long mid palate and finish; still quite firm in places and showing good structure. Whilst drinking well now, this might just last another decade; drink now - 2020+.

Downing MCR Port Tasting

Tuesday, 08 November 2011.

A port tasting for Downing College MCR, led by Alex Woolgar-Toms of Cambridge Wine Merchants. With thanks to Fells Fine Wines for generously providing the Graham's information booklets and maps of the Douro Valley (both pictured above).

 NV Taylor’s Chip Dry White Port

Waitrose £11.39 | B

Served on its own and as a long drink (with tonic, squeeze of lime, over lots of ice).

Rather funky nose, quite vegetal, also some cheesy notes, almost smells as if its not quite right. Distinctly dry and sappy, with some grapefruit like pith. Delicious as a long drink, marries well with the bitterness of the tonic quite well - great thirst quencher.

NV Waitrose Tawny Port

Waitrose £7.59 | B (value for money)

Correct notes of sultanas and raisins, as well as dried fruits; good flavour profile, forward, sweet yet not cloying. Balanced, but with short finish. Was very popular on the night; great value for money.

Grahams’s 10 year old Tawny Port

Waitrose £18.99 | B+

Darker in colour, burnt copper and amber. More nutty on the notes, still sultanas and raisins, as well as dried figs and prunes. Nice freshness on the palate; sustained mid palate, with a decent, marmaladey finish. Fine, classy stuff, worth the money.

NV Cockburn’s Special Reserve Port

Waitrose £10.40 | B

A basic ruby port showing attractive berries and compote character; forward, sweet fruits; doesnt feel hot / fortified which is so often the case with rather basic ports. 

2006 Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage

Cambridge Wine £14.99 | B+

Lots of fruit, bold and extracted; quite sweet too, but with a spicy note towards the end. Theres some grip to this, reminding you its not a basic ruby port. Quite a bold style of LBV.

2001 Warre’s Bottle Matured Late Bottled Vintage

Cambridge Wine £22.99 | A-(+)

Settled on the palate, not as bold and punchy as the previous LBV. Feels cooler too; still plenty of attractive berries and sweet fruit, but theres almost a floral / minty note as well. Sustained mid palate, with noticeable grip towards the end. Threw a significant amount of sediment; drinks well now, and will age another 10 years with ease, now - 2020+.

  

1996 Warre’s Quinta de Cavadinha

Cambridge Wine £31.99 | B+(++) 

Lots of mint and ribena on the nose, feels cooler, distinct notes of pastilles and winegums; nice intensity and concentration of fruit on the mid palate. Good balance showing between the acidity and fruit; tannins are noticeably higher and more grippy than the LBV before it. In all, this shows a bright future ahead of it 2015-2025+  

1994 Tesco’s Finest Vintage Port

 Tesco Wine by the Case £16.99 (on offer) | B+(+)

Made by the Symington Family Estates, this has all the hallmarks of a decent vintage port but without the price tag. Good extraction of fruit, starting to develop some secondary / aged notes, but still showing dark berries and cool ribena like nose. Again, decent intensity of flavours, still lively; combine this with nice tannic structure means this will age with ease, now-2025+. Absolutely ridiculous price, no wonder its sold out.  

1985 Gould Campbell Vintage Port

A-

1975 Graham’s Vintage Port

A- 

CUWS M11 - Alves de Sousa & Quinta da Gaivosa

Wednesday 23 November 2011.

A tasting of Alves de Sousa & Quinta da Gaivosa wines for Cambridge University Wine Society, led by their winemaker Tiago Alves de Sousa. I cannot find any UK retailer who stocks these wines, so there arent any retail prices indicated - their UK agent is Top Selection (http://www.topselection.eu/website/)

2009 Branco da Gaivosa Reserva White
B+

Yellowish gold tinge. White fruit, peaches; slightly alcoholic, lots of high notes, almost of ether. On the palate, shows fresh acidity; the oak influence gives some texture, fuller in style, not just your simple quaffing wine. Very together: fruit, acid and oak integrated. Balanced wine.

2004 Alves de Sousa Reserva Pessoal White
A-

Golden in colour. Rich white fruits, followed by toasted oak, distinctly nutty; some almonds, fino sherry like even, flint and struck match. Complex, oxidised nose. Fat acidity, savoury on the palate, this is completely weird, does taste oxidised like sherry. So much presence though, lingering nutty, smoky tones. Bizarre, yet wonderful - I love it, but no doubt some people will take offence at this style of winemaking.

2008 Quinta da Vale da Raposa Touriga Nacional
B+

Dark fruits, cassis; woody, licorice and sweet vanilla shows; smells alcoholic, almost confected, very dark compote. Load of dark fruits on the palate but its not particularly thick, expected much bigger; as it is, shows forward jammy fruits, good acidity, ripe tannins. Drinks well now, to at least 3 years.

2005 Quinta da Gaivosa Red
B+(+)

Good dark fruit profile, compote, licorice, chocolate, mocha; its rather aromatic, almost floral, for a red wine. Greater concentration of fruit; extracted, more sustained on the mid palate, feels slightly hot; at the moment rather closed, though its obvious the bottle aging has benefited this wine. Tannins grainy, grips around. Needs time to open and soften. 2015-2020+

2007 Quinta da Gaivosa Vinha de Lordelo Red
B+(+)

Dark fruits, woody stems and notes of coffee and mocha. Good fruit, dark and extracted; feels quite hot, tannin does grip, all balanced by a nice dollop of acidity. Good tannic structure and concentration, a tad muscular; the 15.5% abv starts becoming apparent, but carries it well enough, not unbalanced. Will age with ease 2015-2020+

2007 Abandonado Red
A-(+)

From vineyards that have been abandoned and left to grow wild, hence the name.
Dark cherry compote, some cassis, sweet vanilla and mocha. Really dark fruit, serious extraction, lots of bramble. Plenty of depth, tannic and acid structure, muscular; grips a bit too much at the moment. Needs time to soften and open. 2015-2025+

NV Caldas White Port
B+

Funky cheese, vegetal; spritz, air freshener; then green olives, fennel, dill, good amount of green notes It is sweet, obvious fresh and sweet fruit; sweet apples and nectarines, complex with some oxidative character too. Rather unusual - I have no reference point for this wine.

10yo Quinta da Gaivosa Tawny Port
A- (unique style)

Deep tawny territory in colour. Sweet raisin, dried figs, nutty too; lacquer, alcohol. Fresh acidity, very memorable palate, like dried sour plums / kumquat, dried but unsweetened citrus peel; theres a strong citrus element on the palate; the acidity is rather racy and lip smacking. This is something else: so unique, so much acidity and but still a lot of sugar. One of a kind.

2008 Quinta da Gaivosa Vintage Port
A-(+)

Dark fruit, compote blackberry and blue berry; also coffee, dark mocha, bramble; then touches of violets - all very much like good vintage port. Dark, lots of fruit, depth; fruit is obvious and upfront, and very good concentration. Surprisingly low in tannins, not quite LBV in style, but doesn't feel like proper old school vintage port. Ripe sweet tannins which doesnt grip too much, which is completely unexpected. Don't know whether this will be a 30- 40 years kind of aging. 2015-2035.

CWM - Rhone 2010 en primeur

Monday, 21 Nov 2011.
An en primeur tasting of 2010 Rhones hosted by Cambridge Wine Merchants at St John's Chophouse, Cambridge. Many thanks to Stewart Travers, CWM's Senior Buyer, for the kind invite.

My general impression was that it was a very good vintage and from what was available to taste, it was uniform in both North and South. The fruit as well as the tannins were sweet and ripe with most wines showing good balance; several wines were even enjoyable at this stage. The wines which I found most notable are listed below, along with necessarily brief notes. Domaine de Escaravailles and Mas de Boislauzon wines in particular showed very well throughout its range.
Prices are per case of 12x75cl in bond excluding duty and VAT; points are marked out of 20.

Whites

Luberon Blanc, Perrin & Fils
£36 | 16.5
Good, clearly defined fruit expression on the palate; fresh, lemony and clean without being overly simple; good value.

Saint Peray Le Mialan, Ferraton et Fils
£84 | 16.5
Good fruit expression, again lemony but with more on the finish; a slightly bigger wine compared to the Luberon. Fresh, fruity, forward.

Condrieu, Laurent Bretton
£200 | 17.25
Nice floral and even sweet notes on the nose. Palate feels lean, fat lemony fruit, almost waxy. Big, textured, finishes a bit too quickly; a serious wine but left me feeling this could be better...

Reds - Southern Rhone

Ventoux ' Les Esclausels', Dom de Cassan
£45 | 16.5++
Dark fruits and jammy, licorice, rather hot. Lots of fruit not over extracted, quite muscular and good tannic grip. 2014-17.

Cotes du Rhone 'Les Sablieres', Dom des Escaravailles
£50 | 16.5+
Slightly dirty, muddy, brett on the nose (not enough to be a fault, so probably going for style?) with red fruit. Clean and bright ref fruits on the palate, fresh, attractive. 2012-2016

Cotes du Rhone 'Les Antimagnes' Rouge, Dom des Escaravailles
£65 | 16.5++
Quite rustic on the nose, with cassis and dark fruit. Attractive bright fruit, backed up by vibrant acidity. Feels lighter than the amount of fruit would suggest. Good for early drinking. 2012-2017.

Cotes du Rhone Villages, Mas de Boislauzon
£72 | 16.5++
Dark fruit, with some floral touches. Remarkable balance and integration on palate - bags of fruit, tannic structure and acidity all in harmony. Should be enjoyable on delivery. 2012-2017.

Cairanne 'Les Ventabren', Dom des Escaravailles
£82 | 17++
Meaty, bacon, savoury on the nose; then dark fruits, slightly more complex. Bright fruits showing, vibrant acidity; no excessive grip. Should be enjoyable on delivery. 2012-2016.

Vacqueyras, Dom Saint Pierre
£102 (tbc) | 16.5++
Gamey, bacon nose, savoury; also cassis. Good depth, extracted dark fruits, verging on woody; tannins a bit green and grippy at the moment, should help it age well. 2014-2020.

Rasteau 'La Ponce', Dom des Escaravailles
£92 | 17+
Compote, fruit and floral touches. Good fruit showing, approachable; plenty going on in the palate, longer finish. A clear step up. 2014-2020.

Rasteau 'Heritage 1924', Dom des Escaravailles

£121 | 17+

Compote, slightly hot but closed. Feels bigger and more extracted, darker berries, good flavour intensity. Still maintaining freshness in acidity; surprisingly nimble. 2013-2020.

Roaix 'Les Hautes Granges', Dom des Escaravailles

£115 | 17.5+

Black pepper, smoke and cured meats on the nose, also floral; feels more Northern Rhone in style, exciting and vivid. Plenty of fruit, textured and layers of flavours. Seductive, superb wine; great value and my pick from this producer at this tasting; significant restraint needed in not ordering a case for myself. 2013-2020. 

Chateauneuf du Pape, Mas de Boislauzon

£209 | 17.5++

Attractive red and dark fruits showing, slightly hot. Fruit shows depth and concentration, supported by tannic and acid structure. Fairly old school in style, a long haul Chateauneuf. 2015-2030+

Chateauneuf du Pape 'Cuvee de Quet', Mas de Boislauzon

£550 | 17.5++

Dark fruits, some smoke and even port on the nose. Very dark and extracted, lots of fruit, inky black; big, muscular and grips all over the place; chunky power, finesse was thrown out of the cellar window. Knocks your lights out, says 15%abv but I don't believe it, not for the faint hearted (or shallow pocketed). No surprise then it has had high Parker ratings. Ridiculously heavy bottle to boot. 2015-2040+

Reds - Northern Rhone

Crozes Hermitage 'La Matiniere', Ferraton Pere et Fils

£79 | 16.5++

Lovely elegance on the nose and palate; good fruit supported by acidity. Feel that this isnt expressing itself that well. 2013-2017

Crozes Hermitage 'Les Picheres', Ferraton Pere et Fils

£110 | 17++

Plenty of fruit on the nose. Palate is fresh and bright, fruit is well defined, tannic and acid structure supportive; balance is the key here. All components feels together. Serious wine, will develop nicely. 2013-2020

Crozes Hermitage 'Les Rouvre', Yann Chave 

£142 | 16.5+

Dark fruits, cassis and almost raisin like port notes; rather unusual. Rather extracted dark fruits, some acidity in there; nice balance on the palate, a good wine in all notwithstanding the weird nose. Will probably run out of acidity before the fruit dries out. 2013-2020.

Hermitage, Yann Chave

£422 | 17.5++

Dark fruits on the nose. Serious extraction, depth and concentration, a big wine which lingers on the palate; fine tannins. Will age with grace. 2015-2030+.

General

Friday, 18 Nov 2011.

1996 l'Ermitage de Chasse Spleen, Haut Medoc.
Tanners (Oddments) £13.95 | A-

Pronounced tertiary notes on the nose: sweet mahogany, cedar, cigarbox, leather and sweet spice (cinnamon and star anise), also earthy and rustic tones. Palate is silky; red fruits of cherries and currants showing soft, very yielding fruits; acidity still there, making it surprisingly fresh and vibrant, slips down with ease; has matured so well. Very together and showing beautifully; absolutely superb effort.