CellarTales International Wineroundtable Edition No. 6

Again this wine putted on an act and as much as I am concerned it has been the white wine of the evening. What a start ! Its typical golden color with just a very soft turbidity (proteins) witnessed those 5 years of barrel and 13 years of bottle aging – amazing. The nose showed in the beginning slight signs of volatile acidity but with some air those disappeared quickly and pure spiciness entered the stage. A symphony out of rosemary, sage and bay leaf, completed by scents of cinnamon, hazelnuts, caramel and anise. In contrast to “normal” white wines the fruity part formed out of mandarins, dried apricots and baked apples flavors stood more in the background just to flash up from time to time and to enrich this outstanding bouquet. The wine benefited from further aeration and became more complex, earthier. After every swallow its crystal clear, very juicy acidity and fine woven tannins made lust for the next. A wine with a very high pressure at the palate until its very long finish showing a lot of orange and cloves flavors. The perfect partner for crustaceans or other seafood. So in the end once again nothing for fruit fan boys but glorious different and therefore a very thrilling wine experience.

ature, white Burgundy wines can be a revelation and a statement what Chardonnay is capable of. Especially out of good vintages and made by reliable producers. Well, they can be – they don’t necessarily have to. The Burgundy region was, actually is and most likely remains a mine field and today we undigged one although the start has been very promising. The solid, crystal clear golden-yellow tinge of this almost 20 years old Meursault has been a real eye candy and for those among us who just want to look at a wine it would have been pure pleasure. But starting with the first whiff it became clear that somebody here’s living on the edge. “Dark”, coated, soft oxidized and slightly unclean scents of seaweed, peat, brown apples and a decent wax note reached our noses and let very little space for typical aromas of roasted hazelnuts, quince jelly, thyme and some sweet woodruff. With further aeration the musty character covered more and more the positive components and the bouquet became more metallic and unpleasant. No. This wine (at least this bottle) exceeded its peak a couple of years ago and there’s nothing to sugarcoat. At the palate a racy, healthy acidity in cooperation with very fine tannins and a decent dash of melted butter gave evidence of the past grandeur of this wine but a rather astringent, metallic aftertaste and again that moldy, dark impression from the nose closed the chapter of further hope. So, it has been just a waste of time and effort ? No, absolutely not. The wine has been still drinkable but too often the regions aspiration and the resultant fancy pricing bear no proportion. Of course we also cannot deny a share of the blame. We just should have opened the bottle earlier …

I have to admit that I have a lack of experience with older white BDX’s because normally you find just younger wines during fairs or other occasions like wine tastings. Therefore I am always keen to see how such a powerful fruit-wood-acidity combination will develop with more time. Bought from a reliable dealer we opened a perfect stored bottle out of an original case and a wine with a brilliant, straw yellow color poured in our glasses. Unfortunately the nose didn’t have something in common anymore with what I know about white BDX’s. Loads of overripe apples, honey combs, pie plant leaves and a growing, decent petrol smell formed together with dusty, waxy scents a quite irritating bouquet, obviously bad influenced by too much oxygen/time. In the mouth a really thin, soured and one dimensional fellow with a very short finish. The only more persistent flavors of this wines’ aftertaste have been wax, petrol and some metal. For those, who like something like that it may have been great but for me, oh boy … the disappointment of the evening. In the wine’s defense it has to be mentioned that it has been the most inexpensive one of the whites. But that’s also not really helping. Perhaps we found out today, why there are not too many older vintages of white BDX’s in public … ?

9 months ago we enjoyed this wine for the first time and since then I have been on the search to get some more bottles of this fantastic stuff for a reasonable price. If you have the possibility to put your hands on one of those don’t hesitate. You will receive a mature Margaux after the book with an absolutely clear, very deep and mature garnet red color with a soft red-brown margin. Comparing with the first time today the nose has been a little bit more on the chocolaty side with less dark fruit but once again with a lot of coffee, truffles, forest floor and cigar box With time also ethereal, minty notes showed up and added some lively components. All in all very smooth, very warm bouquet and for me this hedonistic wine-elixir reach now its peak. Also at the palate very smooth and flattering with tender tannins and a stabilize, perfect integrated acidity until the long almost sweetish finish. Once again this wine offered pure pleasure and due this at least my glass has been empty again way too fast. But unlike the first time now we still have some more “twins” of it in our cellar … For me one of the two “reds of the evening” – Veeery yummy !

After such a smoocher every wine will have a problem and this ‘81 Batailley wasn’t an exception. Concerning the color we have had a stalemate because also here the absolute intact, garnet red has been exceptional for a 30 years old wine. Just a slight brown-red tint gave evidence of age. The nose quite different from the one of Giscours. More closed but also much darker with a lot of leather and more earthy components like peat and cold ash. Some soft hints of dried plums, red currant and blackberries tried to cheer it up a little bit but today this wine didn’t want to talk too much. Sensible noses also detected a subtle note of old, wet cellar which, even with extended aeration, refused to disappear. The taste offered first of all one thing – tannins ! A lot of still very tight, snatching tannins and a bold acidity with too less “flesh” to cover, to compensate it. Well, if this wine would be 25 years younger someone may say that it simply needs some more time but after 30 years such a roughness ? I also doubt that this wine is actually in a sleeping phase because with more time (and air) the tannins became more and more pithy and the acidity more and more metallic The wine “dried out” – not really encouraging if you want to store it for further years. I am not sure how much the cork influenced this wine, because this slight “dirty”, moldy smell in coincidence with this hard and rough taste/body may also indicate a “creeping” cork taint. To be sure about that there’s no other possibility than to try another bottle of this wine … the quest continues !

I don’t know anymore, how often we have had this wine already in our glasses and this fellow has always been a safe bet. Until today because today this wine disappointed me a little bit. Despite of a clear and healthy color already its nose appeared restrained and muted, showing just soft blackberries, orange zests, cinnamon and traces of vanilla crescents scents together with a slight earthy background. Then at the palate rather acidic, almost metallic, bloodless and angular with a relative short aftertaste. I don’t think that this wine currently undergoes a more closed period because it gave me the impression of being somehow “washed out” without too much fruit or body left. Perhaps it approaches the close of its life ? Possible, but one year ago we have had this wine definitely in a much better shape. Most probably we faced here another “creeping” cork taint which “eliminated” most of the aromas and taste. Another bottle has to show …

Well, that has been (once again) a complete different story. If somebody would ask me for a definition or a blueprint for a classic red Rioja – this would be my answer. What’s Lopez de Heredia for the whites is La Rioja Alta for the reds. They produce since decades simply great, authentic, and (most important) affordable wines as good as could be. This ‘89er seduced us right from the start with its marvelous, lighter but bright garnet to brick red color and a very hedonistic Rioja nose. A real firework of cedar wood, tobacco, orange zests, soured cherries, blackberries, “Mon-Cherie”, mint, vanilla, crust of black bread with anise and old leather. Amazing how complex and varying a bouquet can be. Every time you got a whiff you discovered another fraction of this outstanding wine spectacle. Pure elegance and an “epidemic” buoyancy also in the mouth with a racy and mouth watering acidity, still tight and fine grained tannins and an extremely well balanced pressure until the endless aftertaste. A wine in silks and satins. Not busty but powerful and in the same time refreshing like a peppermint. That’s how I imagine a big red Rioja. Terrific and together with the ‘81 Giscours for me the red wine of the evening. But unlike its French counterpart I cannot see here the end of the road …

To reset our palates and to see, how a more modern, adapted and inexpensive wine will “survive” among its “bigger” brothers we tried this Navarra growth. For me this wine has always been a very good and uncomplicated companion for any kind of meat dishes or barbecues. Also today it showed a clear, deep ruby red color and a fruity, pleasant nose with Cassis, vanilla beans and some melted chocolate pepped up with small dashes of spicy, ethereal herbs like rosemary. Also at the palate medium bodied with a solid but smooth tannin structure and together with a soft acidity until the medium length (a bit woody) finish showing all the signs of a drinking wine which doesn’t want to harm anybody. “Well done !”, I say but some of us have been more critic. Words like “simple”. “one dimensional”, “woody”, “empty” and “inexpressive” were used and I don’t want to contradict them. Of course it has been more “simple” than what we tasted in front but the attitude of this product isn’t to be a benchmark or a “big” wine but to fit and satisfy the expectation of a ”normal” wine consumer concerning quality, price and drinkability. And for me those targets are more than just fulfilled by this absolutely honest wine which still holds a further potential of aging I am sure that without this “calibration” in front a lot of us would have rated this wine much better. With good reason because for this money it is hard to find an equal substitute which provides this consistent quality over the years. Therefore I reinforce my statement :”Well done !”

“A Pomerol from Paarl !” No, this comparison won’t do justice to this wine. For me it’s a very intensive, typical Merlot with a lot of “French” influence but also enough individuality. We just should have spared us the aerating procedure because this fellow didn’t benefit from too much oxygen in too less time. The color has been a very dark but slight opalescent mahogany red and when the soft volatile acidity vanished it offered intensive plum jam, sloes and new leather flavors paired with wood, warm forest floor and soft ethereal notes of eucalyptus and juniper. With more time and because of to much aeration also more unpleasant aromas of brown apple appeared and disturbed the harmony. This wine is a real flatterer, very smooth with tender tannins, a sleek acidity and a lot of milk coffee in the silky aftertaste. Warm and mature Merlot in peak form. Just leave the carafe aside.

“Child murderer !” Yes, maybe but what a wine – something to “chew” ! Opened at least 5 years too early we tried to compensate this lack of aging with an extended bath in the pool. With very modest results. And not just the wine’s very deep, ruby red color with an almost black core showed with what wine baby we were dealing here. Also the very restrained nose showed just some notes of black fruits paired with some brown spices like wood, vanilla, nutmeg, leather and traces of black tea. Closed, muted but absolutely promising. Also the palate has been still more on the edgy side and the rather rough tannins (how this wine has been shortly after bottling ??) haven’t yet cohered an unit with the wine’s healthy, clear but still very pronounced acidity. All of this appeared a little bit undone – simply too young not least because of the big amount of Cabernet Franc. The medium final left you with a very dry mouth and with the awareness, that drinking a classic baby BDX can be hard work . If somebody of your friends/family intends to open a bottle of this wine in the next 5 – 10 years try to get a glass, too. Here, something big is approaching …

“Unico”, “Valbuena”, “Pintia” and likewise “Alion” are very popular wines worked by the team of Vega Sicilia, one of the most famous Bodegas in Spain. Therefore expectations AND prices are pretty high. 1998 isn’t known as a big vintage but the wine showed a very strong, almost black-red color with a decent purple tinge and a soft turbidity. The bouquet offered in the beginning everything, a Ribeira del Duero is famous for. Very aromatically, sweet scents of Crème de Cassis, plum jam paired with hints of vanilla beans, cinnamon, some new leather, sage, gorse and a touch of fresh worked earth. With more air the fruity part faded a little bit from the spotlight and made room for a more spicy character, first of all defined by a lot of cedar wood and fresh sharpened pencil. Unfortunately the taste wasn’t able to compete with this big “surprise bag” of perfumes. Of course it offered a ripe, fine grained tannin structure and a good integrated, sustaining acidity but there’s been (once again) too less flesh at the bones. The wine appeared a little bit too tart and despite decent flavors of dark chocolate, mocha and some blackberries you have had all the time the impression that something is missing. Also the moderate aftertaste disappointed. So the nose justified the big renown, the taste didn’t – that’s life !

The “White Tower” is one of my favorite Sauternes producers and therefore I have been very keen to get this ‘95 in my glass. Here we enjoyed then a wine with a bright, strong golden yellow color and a beginning amber touch. The nose once more great Sauternes performance with loads of saffron (the good Spanish one ), ginger, dried apricots, dates, honey and a certain spiciness like fresh baked bread with anise. Yummy ! At the palate the wine showed a very good balance between its residual sugar and the acidity with a good pressure and an almost creamy sensation on the tongue. For some of us the wine has been already too “dry” but for me it was a perfect, mature noble sweet wine, you were able to drink without getting a feeling of fullness. Especially the excellent, animating finish with its orange zests and ginger flavors always made lust for the next sip. A nice and dignified closure for this tasting !