Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

Otto Nieminen

I was recently given a blind glass of Vieux Château Certan 1973 . A bunch of us had bought some of this for a very cheap price several years ago. In 2006 I thought it was a lovely old Pomerol and it hasn't really budged since. Bright red, elegant aromas, some earth; refreshing, fairly high in acidit...

Otto Nieminen

Az. Ag. Franco Terpin Collio Stamas Rosso 2004 - Italy, Collio; label 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14% abv; 20yo vines; 1 year in French oak, 1 year in steel & 1 year in bottle before release; c.14€. I wish Bordeaux were more often like this. A lovely aroma of dark fruit, loam and baked ...

Otto Nieminen

Iona The Gunnar 2005 17,94€; 48% Cab Sauv, 47% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot; 13,5% abv. Aged 12 months in French oak of which 30% was new. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2629/4128251531_1bcc64479d.jpg Elgin is a relatively cool climate in SA and it shows. This is a rather pretty Bordeaux blend. With the...

Otto Nieminen

I like the Castillo Ygay late releases I have tried - also very traditional style but they really need lots of age: the 1970 seemed a bit too primary still last year; the '59 was drinking well, but no hurry there either! The LdH whites can be utterly amazing though in a rather unique style that many...

Otto Nieminen

2006 Château Haut-Batailley - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (8/13/2009) 13% abv; an absurd 40€ in our monopoly, Alko. A deep red, no purplosity here. The scent is rich and loamy with dark fruit. It is delightfully savoury. Oak is noticeable but it isn't obfuscating so I guess it will sort itsel...

Otto Nieminen

David, the herbaceousness is what draws me to both Cabernets! I love the refreshing, cool aromas! Nice that a single area can cater to such divergent tastes :) - though more to your's I think in recent years. :( ;) Alex, where did you get Bulgarian from, and why should I be kidding? Winesense, Bill,...

Otto Nieminen

From our tastings here, everyone else has been a huge fan of the '97 Poujeaux except me. I only liked it very much. But I also found more oak than necessary at this stage when all the other elements seemed to indicate something quite drinkable.

Otto Nieminen

Domaine Gróf Zichy Cabernet Franc Szekszárdi Borvidék Barrique 2003 Baron von Twickel Wine Estate "Gróf Zichy" Cabernet Franc 2003; 14% abv on the bottle; 13,14% abv on the producer's web-site; 5,6g/l acidity; 2,4g/l RS; 21,60€. Since the label has Barrique on it and since the vintage is ...

Otto Nieminen

2007 Pieropan Soave Classico - Italy, Veneto, Soave Classico (5/22/2009) 12% abv; this was moved from the special order selection to the normal selection, and as a consequence the price also dropped from 16,76€ to 13,36€! Hurray for Alko! For once there is some good news from our usually pathetic m...

Otto Nieminen

[...] do not consider 1988 to be an "off vintage" as some proclaim. It suffers from being overshadowed by 1986, 1989 and 1990, and was never a lush upfront vintage. I am hoping that 1994 evolves in a similar fashion. 1988 is perhaps my favourite vintage that I have any serious experience ...

Otto Nieminen

I haven't seen a tasting note (nor a bottle, come to think of it) of a Fourcas Dupre in years. Sounds like it did well in 2005. I confess a sentimental attachment to wines like this cru bourgeios (and others like Tour Haut-Caussan, Fourcas Loubaney, Gressier Grand Poujeaux, Le Boscq, Fourcas Hosten...

Otto Nieminen

2001 Couly-Dutheil Chinon La Baronnie Madeleine - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (5/16/2009) 12,5%; 13,79€. This vintage has been available here for a strangely long time (about three years already!), and I am very glad, since it has been getting better and better and I think it is pretty m...

Otto Nieminen

I got to try two recent releases in our Monopoly tonight. I found both very enjoyable and I think I might buy a bit of both for mid-term drinking! (Just to explain the pricing: Alko is a monopoly, and a greedy one at that, so the prices generally tend to be about double what one pays elsewhere in Eu...

Otto Nieminen

Thanks - I am intrigued by this property (well...who isn't?), but have had horribly bad luck with it: a corked '83, probably not well stored '85 and '86, a corked '88, a weird, atypical '03 (but at least the bottle was sound - just not a style I liked). But I did have a glass of an awesomely elegant...

Otto Nieminen

Interestingly, I've found the 96 Bernadotte to be a bit TOO light and simple. Correct, but maybe a bit boring?? One thing I have noticed is that I do seem to like my wines on the lighter side than most here. For my preferences, this was just delightful and I am hoping to find more. :) Correct can, ...

Otto Nieminen

Chateau Bernadotte, Haut Medoc 1996

Classic Claret with all the stereotypical phrases attached (cassis, lead, etc. ad inf.). It isn't weighty at all, yet it is fully ripe and expressive. Really wonderful, refreshing wine. Drink and hold.

Otto Nieminen

I had no idea that Albert Bichot made CdP as well! I have very much enjoyed their Grand Cru Moutonne Chablis in the few years I have tried it. Their other Burgundies have been variable, but sometimes very enjoyable. Do they make other Rhones than the CdP? And do they make it regularly or was this a ...

Otto Nieminen

Steve, sadly with a monopoly, we usually pay double what the rest of Europe does - except for the odd blue-chip wine which can be of average or even - sometimes - cheap by international standards. Cheap wines tend to be really expensive, but the more one invests the less by international standards i...

Otto Nieminen

David, if one takes out the mumbo jumbo of biodynamic farming, how does it differ from organic or sustainable farming?

Otto Nieminen

David, though I don't have scientific training, I admire science above all. Therefore I find it strange that I seem to like the liveliness of bio and "natural" wines when the philosophy behind them is utter bollocks! Alex, apparently the basic Falfas is only about £11. It is rare in my exp...

Otto Nieminen

It also mentions Ch. Le Sartre on the label, and apparently is also somehow connected to Carbonnieux - anyone have more information on how these properties are tied up? At c.19€ this is an attractive red with true Graves character. It smells of damp earth and ripe dark fruit but it also has a refres...

Otto Nieminen

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3650/3444452609_a944b618dc.jpg Château Falfas 2006 Côtes de Bourg Quite a delight. It did show pure Bordeaux aromas: a mix of dark fruit and red berries, some earth. Not much oak in this, which was nice, but it could still use some time to integrate. It was vibrant, r...

Otto Nieminen

My favourite style of wine when easy on the wasabi, is a lighter rosé. I don't think the powerful, sweetly fruity style works, but a light, strongly mineral, high acid one like Burgaud's Beaujolais Rosé has been versatile with a wide variety of Sushi. I tend to prefer a more neutral fizz than Champa...

Otto Nieminen

Thanks Alex, I like Cahors and would like to see more of it available here. We do have one, Ch. Haut-Monplaisir Tradition, also made by Pascal Verhaeghe! It is a great wine for its price - even in expensive Finland, it is only about 10€ / bottle. I'm drinking the '06 now, and it does show a bit of o...

Otto Nieminen

Have you had the '06? We didn't see the '05 but I found the '06 deliciously tannic and without so much new oak and extraction as to warrant the desriptor "modern". I'll try one soon again as I have seen so many references to "modernity" in recent notes that I am starting to doubt...

Otto Nieminen

Čotar Terra Rossa 2000 from Kras in Primorska, Slovenia. I have found Slovenia one of the most fascinating wine countries at the moment. There is lots of experimentation going on, and sadly some of it is with too much new oak (or indeed with stranger woods like cherry and acacia) to my taste. Yet s...

Otto Nieminen

Daramg, no oak? That is music to my ears!

Must try to find some of that.

BTW, Jim Budd (of Jim's Loire -fame) let me know that this is the second wine of a property that also is new to me: Château Bernateau.

Otto Nieminen

Eric Texier makes very good wines, as do more nego's like Tardieu laurent. My experience with these two producers is that they are stylistic opposites. I have most found Tardieu-Laurents too oaky, too "modern" - with a couple exceptions like their Vacqueyras 2002 which oddly enough showed...

Otto Nieminen

Stefan, nice to hear that for once we're not being too badly ripped off!

Daramg, interesting to hear of another one! Did it by any chance also remind you more of Pomerol than St.-Emilion?

Otto Nieminen

I have had a bit of a tough time with CdP, but a couple wines have made me realize that it can be a truly great area. Here are my old notes, as it is CdP month, of what caused me to become interested in the area: 2005 Éric Texier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Vieilles Vignes - France, Rhône, Southern Rh...

Otto Nieminen

We have been receiving a several moderately priced (by Finnish standards - these are probably cheaper everywhere else) 2005s and 2006s. I bought a curious wine I had never heard of before: Château Tour Peyronneau 2005 St.-Emilion Grand Cru; 13,5%; 19,57€ . http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3589/3323682...

Otto Nieminen

The 2005 vintage is the first for this sub-$20 wine, which is produced by Jean-Luc Thunevin of Chateau Valandraud. It features a 70-30 blend of merlot and grenache. It garnered a score of 88 and favorable reviews from RMP. I got to try this today. My information sheet has rather different grapes: 9...

Otto Nieminen

jal wrote:The Lynch Bages and the Cos d'Estournel were both drying out two years ago when I last had them.

Like some others on this thread, I have had great experiences with a several half bottles of the Cos in recent years. Certainly not drying out. But I do like my wines without primary fruit.

Otto Nieminen

2006 Château Falfas Le Chevalier - France, Bordeaux, Côtes de Bourg (2/13/2009) It was a bit too oaky to my taste and I had difficulty finding Bordeaux typicity. But on the more positive side, it did have attractive dark fruit coupled with brighter red tones. Strongly fruity but with pleasantly upr...

Otto Nieminen

Jim, I really can't say since this is the only vintage I have had. From what I have read, they were known for making backward wines that repay long aging despite their modest price tag. But since 2003 whence they have been under Chasse-Spleen they have received good press and reading between the lin...

Otto Nieminen

I must have missed the controversy. I liked the wine: pleasantly savoury rather than underripe. Though, like we were talking elsewhere, perhaps I am too tolerant to green notes...

Otto Nieminen

Jim, I don't think it is surprising that experiences are so vastly different with the wine: as David says, the degree one likes greenness in wine will vary considerably. As I am sure is obvious from what I post here and on the previous incarnation of the board, I think I might be at one extreme of t...

Otto Nieminen

2005 Château Gressier Grand Poujeaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Moulis en Médoc (2/2/2009) 21,70€; 13,5% abv; Cru Bourgeois Supérieur; 50% Cab Sauv, 50% Merlot. Dark red. The fruit is very ripe, but that isn't the first thing that caught my attention. Rather it was the uncommon balance despite the ...

Otto Nieminen

Stefan, This was an interesting tasting because it wasn't blind (as we usually have our tastings) so everyone came with a prejudice against the Lalande '90 - yet everyone fell in love with its elegance. I would have thought that a universally praised wine like the Baron '89 would have been more wide...

Otto Nieminen

2000 Caves Messias Tinta Barroca Douro Quinta do Cachão - Portugal, Douro (1/31/2009) 15% abv yet doesn't seem like it. A very attractive, lifted scent of dried flowers, some peach and plum. It is still a fruit forward scent but there are some aged aspects to it that provide complexity. Full bodied...

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