Just some quick TNs on a great set of wines with a few friends over dinner. I haven’t had a Screaming Eagle before, I have to assume very few end up in Australia, so it was a privilege to try one.
- 2002 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année – France, Champagne
Toast, talc, apple and lemon rind aromas on the nose. Palate is excellent, with fantastic acid drive and pure fruit persistence. There is depth and texture, though I found this wine to be surprisingly delicate for Bollinger GA, the power is still there in the background but very much restrained. I thought this was brilliant and has good aging potential. 93/100 - 1995 Pol Roger Champagne Brut Vintage – France, Champagne
Served blind. Pear, apple and some slight honeyed character emerging. The palate is very well balanced and it has great cleansing acid that leaves you wanting more. Has come along very well since I last tasted it and it still has room to develop further. 90/100
- 2004 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Blanc – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
Served blind. Floral nose with pear, lemon, oyster shells and mint supporting. Very good tingly acidity on the refined palate. The fruit that is there is delicate and has excellent persistence. A lovely wine with time on it’s side. 92/100 - 2004 Cullen Wines Chardonnay – Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
Served blind. Bright citrus fruit on the nose with some spice and lovely floral background. There is some power behind the fruit on the palate, but a beautiful line of acidity keeps the wine in balance. Texturally very good and I was pleased when this was revealed as it is a wine that I have really liked in the past and this time was no different. 92/100
- 1988 Huët Vouvray Moelleux Clos du Bourg – France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Honeyed with ginger and pineapple as well as strong floral perfume. Palate has more richness than I had expected based on some other reviews, but it is more ripe fruit sweetness than lots of sugar. There isn’t a great deal of complexity just yet, but it is very tasty. There is still plenty of freshness, so I don’t think you need to be in a hurry to drink it and hopefully the complexity emerges. 91/100
- 2009 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Chambolle-Musigny – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
Ripe fruited nose, with cherry, raspberry and musk. The palate is rich as well but there is good acidity countering and it has the structure to hold together. It will age, but it is pretty appealing right now as well in its youth. 90/100
- 1992 Château Smith Haut Lafitte – France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
A pretty classic bordeaux that showed much better than the vintage suggests it should. There is briar, tobacco, graphite and some stalky character (not too much though). Medium bodied, it is integrated and drinking near to its peak. Probably finishes just a tad shorter than I’d like, but it is not a big problem overall. 89/100 - 1978 Château Lafite Rothschild – France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
A nicely complex nose of tobacco, pencil shavings, blackberry, cedar and earthy elements. The palate has excellent drive still, with medium weighted fruit surrounded by the structure that has almost seamlessly merged into the wine. Very classy and I would say that it is ready to drink now and over the next few years. 92/100
- 2002 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon – USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Layered aromas of graphite, kirsch, cassis, dark chocolate and tobacco. I was not at all expecting how refined and nuanced this was going to be on the palate, in fact I found it to be quite compellingly balanced. The fruit is beautiful and has real depth to it as well as plenty of character. I’d love to see it in another decade or so, but realistically probably won’t get the chance to do so! This was not the wine that I was really expecting, but found it seriously great anyway. 94/100
- 2001 Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Castello di Nipozzano Mormoreto Toscana IGT – Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Stems, raspberry and blueberry fruit aromas along with a lightly earthy spiciness. The palate is medium bodied, there is some dark rich fruit that is reigned in by well proportioned tannins. Drinking nicely now but a few more years won’t hurt. 90/100
- 1997 Domaine Jo Pithon Coteaux du Layon Chaume – France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Coteaux du Layon Chaume
Darkly coloured which was of some concern but the wine turned out to be in fine condition. Aromatically appealing with pineapple, honey, toast, sultana and a fleck of ginger. Delicious palate has medium richness and very good length. While the complexity is lacking slightly, it is still very good to drink. 90/100 - 2007 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese – Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Lime, pineapple, spice and subtle white floral notes. The palate has good purity and sweetness, with some mouth-watering acidity lifting the wine as a whole. I last tried this a couple of years ago and it is has not had a chance to change much yet. I also tried the Auction GK Auslese #15 a few months back and it was a large step up in depth and excitement, despite that I really enjoyed this standard Auslese #17. 91/100