Wine Tasting: Fine wines - November (1st Nov 1996)
An assortment of interesting new arrivals.
1. 1993 Pascal Puligny Montrachet Folatieres
1st Nov 1996 GBP20 Burgundy Table White
Alcoholic, fatty nose of toffee apples and cream.
Soft and full-bodied with rounded, sweet gooseberry and floury apple fruits. Aromatic with a fairly light finish.
Good drinking soon.
2. 1993 Hugel Gewurztraminer Jubilee
1st Nov 1996 GBP14 Alsace Table White
Bright with a green tinge.
Aromatic, fatty, alcoholic nose.
Rich and alcoholic with oily/buttery flavours, well-balanced and aromatic with good acidity and a long finish. Medium-dry but very rich.
3. 1989 Montana Riesling
1st Nov 1996 GBP7 Marlborough Table White
Deep, bright gold.
Honeyed nose with some oak - starting to show petrol aromas.
Medium sweet, with rich, ripe fruit, honey and petrol flavours and a toasty, mature style.
A very good match for spicy, oriental foods and room for development.
4. 1994 La Jota Viognier
1st Nov 1996 GBP16 USA Table White
Restrained, aromatic nose with plenty of alcohol.
A gorgeous, mature mouthful of aromatics, resin, wood, peaches, cream and nutmeg.
Very well balanced with a long finish - almost a Fino tang at the end.
5. 1991 PJA Hermitage Chapelle
1st Nov 1996 GBP25 Rhone Table Red
Forward, accessible nose of violets, hung beef, vanilla - a touch of volatility that I would normally associate with red Burgundy.
Full bodied and soft, with velvety texture, flavours of dark chocolate, earth and tar, good bracing tannins and a long warm finish. Wow!
6. 1995 Aubuisieres, Domaine des Vouvray Marigny Moelleux
1st Nov 1996 GBP17 Loire Dessert White
Rich, toasty, honeyed quince nose.
Very concentrated, ultraripe, honeyed flavours with notes of hay.
Still very young, but complex and showing very nicely.
A classic Chenin Blanc!
7. 1990 Sigalas Rabaud Bordeaux
1st Nov 1996 GBP30 Bordeaux Dessert White
Quite restrained nose with nutty aromas.
Superbly concentrated but elegant, with honeyed fruit and some oak.
Well balanced and drinking now.
8. 1986 Chambers Old Vine Muscadelle
1st Nov 1996 GBP26 Australia Fortified Other
Rich 'Oloroso meets Madeira' nose of burnt rubber, toasted raisins and nuts.
Rich and piercing, with flavours of molasses, nuts, raisins - amazingly concentrated.
A must for all lovers of sweet, fortified wines.
9. 1994 Caymus Sauvignon Blanc
1st Nov 1996 GBP8 USA Table White
Fresh, ripe fruits on the nose - needs time to open out.
Fat and fleshy in the mouth with flavours of gooseberries, kiwi fruits, blackcurrant leaves and nuts - sensational.
Good rounded drinking now.
10. Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvigon (Vintage Unknown)
1st Nov 1996 USA Table Red
(Tasted blind)
Opaque and young in appearance.
Forward nose of pepper, spice and violets.
Rich, soft and velvety in the mouth, flavours of spices, capsicums and oak. Massive extraction with plenty of tannin and alcohol.
A bit over the top at the moment but should develop very nicely over the next 4 to 5 years.