Wine Tasting: Top Shelf Tasting (20th Jan 2000)
A brief spell with Peckhams in Glasgow - this was a selection of fine wines from their exceptional range.
1. 1992 Remoissenet Puligny Montrachet
20th Jan 2000 GBP31 Burgundy Table White
Pale gold with an orange tint. Rich, juicy, floral notes, good crisp acidity, excellent grip and good length. Flavours of oranges, hazelnuts and almonds.
2. 1982 Remoissenet Puligny Montrachet Premier Cru
20th Jan 2000 GBP33 Burgundy Table White
Pale gold. Slightly flat on the nose, pleasant but fading with nuts and citrus aromas. Fat and soft initially with sweet, juicy, lemony fruit, long and dry on the finish with floral notes. Very good but drink it now.
3. 1990 Besancenot-Mathouillet Beaune-Cent-Vignes
20th Jan 2000 GBP21 Burgundy Table Red
Deep garnet, paling gradually. Intense game, farmyard and black cherry nose with an underlying touch of old oak. Medium to full bodied with firm tannins and a hard core of juicy acids. Some strawberry/black cherry fruit but remarkably clean after the nose. Good length, lacking fruit. Maybe just needs another 5 or so years.
4. 1985 Remoissenet Santenay Clos des Tavannes
20th Jan 2000 GBP29 Burgundy Table Red
Even orange/brick red to pink at the rim. Lovely, developed bouquet of herbs, manure and flowers - rich, complex and multilayered - amazing. Medium bodied, intense and soft with black fruits, a touch of leather, some barnyard. Lovely concentration throughout and perfect balance with some drying tannins on a long finish.
5. 1997 Quinto dos Roques Dao Touriga Nacional
20th Jan 2000 GBP15 Portugal Table Red
Deep ruby red - even and bright. Violets and mulberries on the nose, some vanilla with a hint of volatility. Full bodied with juicy black cherries, new oak, very crisp acids and ripe tannins. Grippy. Quite clean fruit finish with some spice coming through. Good now (but breathe it for a couple of hours) but will last well over 5 to 10 years.
6. 1988 Musar Red
20th Jan 2000 GBP43 Lebanon Table Red
Even garnet red to red - not as dark as the Touriga Nacional, bright with good viscosity. Amazingly opulent nose of blackcurrants, strong vegetal notes, a touch of chocolate, bitter wood and perfume - enveloping and heady! Full bodied with a lovely, rich texture, intensely sweet cassis fruit with a dash of herbs and spice. Perfectly balanced with plenty of life. Excellent.
7. 1996 Chapoutier Hermitage Sizerannes
20th Jan 2000 GBP28 Rhone Table Red
Deep ruby with some pinking. Lovely nose of soft black fruits with a mineral, flinty tang and some leather and beef. Medium to full bodied, with intense blackcurrant/raspberry fruit flavours, a dash of peppery oak and slightly sharp, sour acids. Good length, dry. This is good stuff and will probably improve over the next 2 to 3 years but don't keep it much longer. Needs food.
8. 1996 Jim Barry Armagh Shiraz
20th Jan 2000 GBP45 Australia Table Red
Opaque purple/red with viscous purple legs. Very concentrated nose of violets, eucalyptus, cassis and cream - some hot alcoholic notes - a slab of a wine. Very full bodied with sweet mint/chocolate flavours balance by lemon acidity. A tang of spicy oak and tannins lurking under the fruit. This is still a monolith but Wow! Give it at least 5 to 6 years.
9. 1981 Vega Sicilia 'Unico'
20th Jan 2000 GBP100 Spain Table Red
Deep tawny/red with some brick red at rim. Lovely, meaty nose, quite tight after the Armagh but some development with provencal herbs and red berry fruits - multilayered. Full bodied and aggressive with tart blackcurrant and raspberry fruit, a trace of fine tannins, fruity acidity and a long perfectly balanced finish. Very enjoyable now but has at least another decade. Superb.
10. 1995 Passadouro Late Bottled Vintage
20th Jan 2000 GBP15 Port Fortified Red
Deep red/garnet to red at rim. Alcoholic and soft with redcurrant fruit and a touch of mint - slightly confected. Full bodied and intensely sweet but fresh with good acidity, a hefty dod of oak, some aniseed, lots of alcohol and a long chocolate/bittter oak finish. Delicious now but still grippy - give it another 5 years and pretend it's good vintage Port.