2011 Oyster Bay; Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
lemon, lime, grass, gooseberry and tropical fruit notes, nice freshness but modern and drinkable. Nothing offensive, and with nice length. Good... But nothing to write home about! ***(*) or [4+3.5+3.5+3=14/20]
2009 Roero Arneis "Renesio"; Az. agr. Malvira
lemon, lime, wax and mushrooms, flat subdued and the nose has hints of mustiness hinting at TCA, there is a round, classic, cheesy, mineral wine underneath, poise and elegance. Would have been wonderful but it is ruined by the cork taint. NR.
2007 Côtes du Rhone; Domaine Charvin
round, ripe, quite dense, but somehow stripped, strawberry and minerals underneath, tropical white fruits, drying, woody, a bad bottle, something wrong but I can't quite put my finger on why. More woody, drying, dusty... Probably TCA stripping the fruit but I'm not sure. NR.
2008 Chianti Classico Riserva "Rocca Guicciarda"; Barone Ricasoli
dusty, earthy, iron and black fruits, subdued by wood and with extract but some depth and poise lies underneath, decent length and some excitement. Plum, raspberry, cherry. Nice freshness, nice complexity for the price but it is a basic simple wine but there isn't anything wrong with it and I could drink it but I wouldn't go out of my way to find it at the price. ****+ or [4+4+4+4=16/20]
1999 Chateau Rieussec; Sauternes
orange, marmalade, stewed lemon and limes, Moroccan lemon, poise, depth and elegance with hints of nuts... Fairly rich and full but with beautiful balance, and a herby, nutty, orange peel length. Refined, elegant but classically styled, with a slight feeling that it doesn't quite have the complexity of a great vintage, however it is still very good. It has class and breeding. *****(*+) or [4+4.5+4.5+4=17/20]
