08 Quinta do Noval

2008 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port;
Dark ruby, massive youthfull Port, layers of dark fruit, very fresh acidity, high of ripe tannins, almost exploding on the palate, very long. Extremely young, on the border of waste to drink now. 94

07 JJ Prüm WS Spätlese

2007 Joh.Jos.Prüm, Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese;
Pale lemon yellow, apples, minerals, pineapples, fresh and lively feel, very well behaved sort of Mosel, elegant. Needed time to open (as usual), acidity balanced and well integrated, long length. 93

06 Pontet-Canet

2006 Château Pontet-Canet;
Ruby, elegant cassis nose, some herbs in the back, just to liven things up a bit. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, balanced, long length. 93

08 Pichon Comtesse de Lalande

2008 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande;
Ruby, cassis, floral, typical and elegant, but a bit uninspired still. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, long length. Well made wine, but not quite at the level one expects from Comtesse, but they seem to be back on track from 2010. 91

03 Pichon Baron

2003 Château Pichon Longueville Baron;
Ruby, fresh and elegant for 03, not showing too much evolution yet, somewhat resembling the 03 Forts de Latour a few months back. Classic Pauillac aromas, somewhat less acidity, ripe tannins, long length. 92

2010 F.X.Pichler

2010 F.X.Pichler, Dürnsteiner Kellerberg Riesling Smaragd Trocken;
Pale lemon yellow, elegant nose of apples and yellow plums. Fresh acidity, balanced and elegant, but lacks some vibrancy, one doesn't need a second glass.... 88

02 Belle Epoque

2002 Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque;
Pale lemon, tiny bubbles. Elegant nose if a bit closed, fresh acidity and feels more intense than usual for Belle-Epoque, firmer acidity as well. Refreshing, lime citrus and minerals, needs time. 93

Madeira of the week 2: 1937 Sercial

1937 D'Oliveiras Sercial;
Amber with thin green rim. Layered nose, complex, nuts, caramel, spices, like spice shop, floral, orange peel. High acidity, mouthwatering, superb texture, old enough to have melloved, beautiful balance, concentrated feel, very long. 93

Some believe that Sercial and Riesling is the same grape, especially I've been told so many times on the island. The acidity is high for sure, but the flavours are so different, so I have my doubts. Noël Cossart in his book, Madeira, the island vineyard just states: "Sercial, pale, light-bodied, dry or extra dry, 0,5-1,5 degrees Baumé. True Sercial has a nutty nose and with age becomes mellow and medium dark, the mellowness rather covering the dryness." That is spot on for this one. Then he continues,"Sercial or Cercal was thought to be similar to the German Riesling, which, like its cousin in the Rhine valley, grows at high altitudes(?). It is fairly prolific, but rather shy bearer, and only grows in certain places. The grapes are round, soft and white, the leaf has four round lobes and very strong nerves which, by their projection, form a wrinkled appearance. The fruit is rather tasteless but fragrant."

Trevor Elliot in his book: The wines of Madeira states: " Sercial is grown mostly on the north of the island in Seixal, Porto Moniz, Ponta Delgada, Sao Vicente and Arco de Sao Jorge. In the south its mainly planted in Jardim da Serra at an altitude of 600-700 metres. (On the north coast, 100-150 metres) The grapes and bunches are medium in size, have high levels of acidity and the must have potential alcohol of 10-11% abv. Lastly, Alex Lidell's book, Madeira finaly states: "-to the German Riesling, it has no conection at all. On the mainland (Portugal) the variety is called Esganocao, or 'dog strangler', so called because of its mouthpuckering, astringent acidity."

The driest of the noble varieties.

08 Château Latour

2008 Château Latour;
Ruby, cassis, intense, leather notes, just like Mouton, a bit closed now, last bottle, only three months ago, was more open. Has a refined feel to it, regal. Gorgeous acidity, ripe tannins, superb length. 95+

08 Mouton Rothschild

2008 Château Mouton Rothschild;
Ruby, leather, cassis, peppers, heavier notes and fruits, even minerals, but this feels a bit more shut than the others. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, elegant, flirting and seductive, long length. 94

08 Château Margaux

2008 Château Margaux;
Ruby, massive intensity of subtle notes. The aromas just jumps in your face. Violets, pepprs, blackcurrant's, cigars, very layered, complex and nuanced. Fresh acidity, very integrated in the body, ripe tannins, marvelous texture, stunning length. 95

08 Haut-Brion

2008 Château Haut-Brion;
Ruby, more minerals and less rich than La Mission, feels more nuanced, easier to look into, blackcurrant's. some floral notes, layered and complex. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, gorgeous texture, a bit fuller on the body than some vintages of HB, absolutely superb finish. 95

08 La Mission Haut-Brion

2008 Château La Mission Haut-Brion;
Ruby, intense nose, minerals and layered, complex, rich feel to it, quite estate typical. Gorgeous acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, lively and great length. Save it for ten to twenty years, before it will really shine. 95

09 von Kesselstatt Kabinett

2009 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, Riesling Kabinett;
Pale lemon yellow, watery rim. Apples and some minerals, touch of something more exotic in the back. Fresh and lively acidity, very elegant and nicely balanced, a very fine basic Kabinett. 82

07 Penfolds RWT

2007 Penfolds RWT
Deep ruby, peppery and dark, ripe plums, some vanilla, layered and quite refined nose. Fresh acidity, ripe and high tannins, balanced, elegant shiraz, long. 92

2000 Palmer

2000 Château Palmer;
Ruby, tobacco, anice, blackcurrant's, starting to show development, getting ever more elegant, both as a whole with age, and with air in the glass. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, opening up beautifully, but should be kept further. 94

01 Ornellaia

2001 Ornellaia;
Ruby, tobacco, prunes, cassis, leather, starting to show some maturation. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, balanced, elegant and long aftertatse. 92

08 Niellon Chassagne

2008 Domaine Michel Niellon, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Maltroie;
Pale lemon yellow, closed nose, some apples and minerals. Very elegant palate, acidity feel integrated in the texture, layered, but still feels a bit boring somehow. 90

1979 La Tour Haut-Brion

1979 Château La Tour Haut-Brion;
Top fill, in the neck, ruby with garnet rim, cassis, plums, minerals, smoky touch, leather, anise, spices and hint of flowers. Later on cherry stones. Quite intense nose, reminds me of La Mission (to which it is now incorporated). Fresh acidity, towards high even, tannins ripe and soon gone, layered, velvety, slightly lean finish, but very long. Splendid bottle. 93+

1987 Montecillo Gran Reserva Especial

1987 Montecillo Gran Reserva Especial;
(Magnum) Ruby with towards brick rim. Licorice, warm blueberries, vanilla, spices, cinamon. Fresh acidity, tannins almost gone, elegant, fairly mature, good length. 91

08 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion

2008 Le Clarence de Haut-Brion;
(Former Bahans Haut-Brion, 2nd label of Haut-Brion) Ruby, minerals and a touch of Pessac smoke, cassis, leather, refined nose. Feels subtle, yet intense. Entising acidity, ripe tannins, superb balance, long. 92

08 Pavillon Rouge

2008 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux;
Ruby, floral, violets over superbly elegant blackcurrant's, touch of herbs behind. Fresh acidity, elegant and ripe tannins, very elegant structure and texture, long. 92

96 Nenin

1996 Château Nenin;
Ruby, garnet rim, very tender nose, giving little, some blueberries, anise and figs. Medium acidity, ripe and soft tannins, drinking well now, more fruit on the palate, good length. 87+

Madeira of the week: 1832 Terrantez

After a splendid trip to Madeira, during the Christmas holidays, and tasting some astonishing Madeira's. I find that these underrated wines need some publicity. I have therefore decided to at least try to have one Madeira note published for each week of the entire 2012. I start with a magnificent bang of excellence.

1832 Barbeito Terrantez;
Golden with orange hue and yellow rim. Even as the cork went out of the bottle, it filled the room with aromas, pouring it into the glass, one could just sit and sniff it while the glass still rested on the table, getting ever more intense as the nose and glass finaly met up. Enormous intensity, layers, superb complexity, has almost every aroma you can think of, dried fruits, smoky hints, cakes, spices, wood polish, just ads and ads. Fresh and high acidity, intense, layered, fantastic length, minutes, could still taste it half an hour after the last sip. 100


This was tasted when visiting Barbeito outside Funchal, from the bottle above. I have never seen a note on this one, and never seen it for sale anywhere..... It's not listed in Alex Lidell's book on Madeira, and on the Madeira Wine Guide (which seems not to have been updated since 2006), it's not mentioned in the vintage guide. (There were a few other wines missing from that list as well). But another wine is, the 1832 Oscar Acciaioly Terrantez. On the 1795 Barbeito Terrantez, the Madeira Wine Guide states the following: "As Alex Liddell explains in his book “Madeira”, this wine originally belonged to the Hinton family. Oscar Acciaioly bought the wine from the Hintons. Later the wine was divided between his descendants. Mario Barbeito bought part of the remaining wine and returned it from demijohns to wood." Maybe this will be a future release and was bought in similar fashion, from the same source. As with the 1795 Barbeito Terrantez that I have actually tasted a few years back (a benchmark Madeira), this 1832 was magnificent as well.