Thursday, September 24th, 2009
Rounding off the end of September’s Beijing wine events in style, Torres China hosted its third annual Taste of the Nations portfolio tasting at the Chilean Embassy in Beijing.
(Read more about previous tastings here: 2008 Taste of the Nations, 2007 Taste of the Nations Part I, 2007 Taste of the Nations Part II).
Among dozens of wines, we tasted a snap-shot and took notes on the following:
Champagne Taittinger Brut Vintage 2002
Torres ‘Natureo’ Muscat, Catalunya 2007
Pintia, Toro 2005
Torres Mas La Plana, Penedes 2005
Symington Family Estates Altano Red, Douro 2006
Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage Port 2003
Domaine Bila-Haut ‘Occultum Lapidem’, M. Chapoutier 2006
Gigondas, M. Chapoutier 2006
Chateaneuf-du-Pape ‘La Bernardine’, M. Chapoutier 2005
Grosset Springvale Watervale Riesling, Clare Valley 2007
Bass Phillip Estate Pinot Noir, South Gippsland 2007
Henschke Keyneton Estate Euphonium, Eden Valley 2005
John Duval ‘Plexus’ SGM, Barossa Valley 2006
The Australian wines on offer were especially strong and the 2003 Graham’s LBV stunning.
Saturday, March 21st, 2009
21st March 2009
Anne Siegrist of top Pfalz producer Bürklin-Wolf joined hands with Bürklin’s importer in China, Globus Fine Wines, to host a fascinating dinner and tasting at Jaan Restaurant (Beijing Raffles Hotel).
The stars of the evening were the 2002 Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Gaisböhl ‘Grand Cru’ and the 1990 Bürklin-Wolf Wachenheimer Böhlig Riesling Reserve Auslese.
However, the 2007 Riesling Trocken is well worth looking at (and is, mercifully, not too on the Trocken side with the ripeness of fruit Pfalz can boast).
Here’s what we tasted:
Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Trocken, Pfalz 2007
Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Gaisböhl ‘Grand Cru’, Pfalz 2002
Bürklin-Wolf Pinot Noir, Pfalz 2006
Bürklin-Wolf Wachenheimer Böhlig Riesling Reserve Auslese 1990
Friday, March 20th, 2009
20th March 2009
Champagne Louis Roderer has now found full representation in China under the arm of Links China - formerly the brand was only distributed but not actually imported by Aussino.
At a private dinner hosted by Links and Roderer at Beijing’s J W Marriott, we were fortunate to taste the following:
Louis Roederer Champagne Brut Premier
Louis Roederer Cristal 2002
Of these excellent wines, clearly the NV Brut Premier is the one to drink now - although even this wine does benefit from modest ageing in bottle after release (like Pol Roger’s White Foil). The 2002 Cristal is an absolute baby and should not be drunk until 2012 at the very earliest (if you like to see the wider evolution of vintage Champagnes).
Friday, January 23rd, 2009
22nd January 2009
Joining the cream of the British wine trade on our UK trip, we were delighted to taste our way through a sizeable range of the Richards Walford portfolio.
Here are our full notes, although, in truth, we only managed to taste a selection of what is a wide-ranging and extremely impressive body of wines (Királyudvar being especially good).
The notes are divided by country and region:
France, Champagne
NV Champagne Le Mesnil, U.P.R., Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
Champagne Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2000
France, Alsace
Rolly Gassmann Riesling Pflaenzerreben, Rorschwihr, Alsace 2000
Rolly Gassmann Gewurztraminer, Rorschwihr, Alsace 2004
Rolly Gassmann Tokay Pinot Gris Rotleibel Vendange Tardive 1996
France, Côtes Catalanes
Le Soula, Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes, Gérard Gauby (Rouge) 2007
Le Soula, Vin De Pays Des Côtes Catalanes, Gérard Gauby (rouge) 2006
Le Soula, Vin De Pays Des Côtes Catalanes, Gérard Gauby (rouge) 2005
Le Soula, Vin De Pays Des Côtes Catalanes, Gérard Gauby (rouge) 2004
France, Rhône
Côte-Rôtie ‘Cuvée du Plessy’, Gilles Barge 2006
Côte-Rôtie ‘Cordeloux’, Pierre Benetière 2006
Austria, Wachau
Grüner Veltliner Loibner Berg Smaragd, Wachau, F. X. Pichler 2007
Riesling Steinertal Smaragd, Wachau, F. X. Pichler 2007
Grüner Veltliner Ried Kreutles Federspiel, Wachau, Emmerich Knoll 2007
Hungary, Tokaji
Királyudvar Tokaji Sec, Tokaji 2005
Királyudvar Tokaji Sec, Tokaji 2006
Királyudvar Tokaji Becsek (demi-sec), Tokaji 2005
Királyudvar Hárslevlu Lapis 2006
Királyudvar Tokaji Cuvée Ilona, Tokaji 2003
Királyudvar Tokaji Aszù 6 Puttonyos, Tokaji 2002
Királyudvar Tokaji Aszù Lapis, Tokaji 2002
Italy, Tuscany
Lisini Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany 2003
Lisini Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany 1999
Lisini Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany 1998
Lisini Brunello Di Montalcino, Tuscany 1995
Italy, Piemonte
Barbera d’Alba ‘Maggiur’, Cascina Luisin 2007
Barbaresco Sorí Paolin, Cascina Luisin 2003
Barbaresco Rabajá, Cascina Luisin 2003
Italy, Veneto
Valpolicella Superiore ‘Marion’, Stefano Campedelli 2004
Teroldego IGT ‘Marion’, Veneto, Stefano Campedelli 2004
Amarone della Valpolicella ‘Marion’, Veneto, Stefano Campedelli 2004
Saturday, December 6th, 2008
6th December 2008, Maison Boulud, Beijing
Xavier and Marie-Helen Borie of Chateaux Grand-Puy-Lacoste and Haut-Batailley, two of Pauillac’s most respected properties, hosted a dinner at Maison Boulud in Beijing’s impressive Legation Quarter. They were joined by Mark Walford of specialist UK importer Richards Walford.
With a fantastic menu (see below), overseen by Daniel Boulud (in New York) and executed by Maison Boulud’s superb Beijing team, guests tasted their way through the following vintages (click on links for full tasting notes):
Château Haut-Batailley, Pauillac 2004
Château Haut-Batailley, Pauillac 2002
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac 2002
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac 2000
Château Haut-Batailley, Pauillac 1996
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac 1996
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac 1990
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac 1986
Menu:
‘Pâte en Croute’ (Mosaic of Fall Game with Foie Gras in a Savoury Crust)
Langoustine and Rabbit ‘Gumbo’ (Pyramid Ravioli of Simmered Rabbit with Herbs and Crispy Langoustine with Okra)
‘Truite Pique au Lard’ (Green Cabbage-Wrapped Trout with Pine Nut Gremolata, Studded with Pancetta and Sage)
Duo of Beef (Braised Short Ribs with Porcini Marmalade and Pomme Paille, Roasted Tenderloin with Walnut Marrow Toast)
Brie aux Truffes with a Frisée Salad
Sorbet aux Fruits rouge with a ‘Minestrone’ of Forest Berries and Madagascar Vanilla Ice Cream
There were clearly some beautiful wines here (the 1990 Grand-Puy-Lacoste was showing brilliantly). The Bories were on something of an Asian tour, in place of showing their wines at the UGC tasting, having taken in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore with similar dinners.
Our thanks go to the Bories, Mark Walford, Simon Zhou, Ignace Lelceir, Koen Masschelein, Carine Chu and Marcus Ford for making these dinners possible.
Friday, October 24th, 2008
24th October 2008
ASC played host to Chilean producer Vina Carmen adding some higher quality wines all round to its current Chilean offerings (although ASC’s Santa Rita Reserve range is well worth looking at - Santa Rita and Carmen actually being under the same umbrella).
Guests congregated at The Legation Quarter’s Agua restaurant and bar, a Spanish joint also served by Japanese eatery Shiro Matsu, which made for an interesting selection of very well-made canapes.
Wines on offer were (click on links for full tasting notes):
Carmen Classic Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Carmen Reserve Chardonnay 2006
Carmen Nativa Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Carmen Reserve Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Carmen Wine Maker’s Reserve Red 2004
Carmen Gold Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
With so many Chilean wines come to China, it was refreshing to see this kind of quality reaching Beijing. Although many of these wines are approachable now - our all round favourite for quality price ratio was the Reserve Chardonnay - some are ageworthy.
Chile has yet to make the kind of great wine of which certain old world countries, California and Australia are capable, but it supplies value for money here and in other markets; and Carmen will perhaps raise the bar even higher in future.
Saturday, September 20th, 2008
20th September 2008
Torres China ‘Taste of the Nations’, Radisson SAS Hotel Beijing
This portfolio tasting, now in its second year, drew quite a crowd at the Beijing Radisson SAS Hotel.
Here is a selection of some of the wines we tasted (click on links for full tasting notes):
Champagne Taittinger Brut Vintage 2002
Domaine de Vaudon Chablis, Joseph Drouhin 2006
Marimar Estate Chardonnay, Russian River Valley 2003
Marimar Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley 2002
Torres Nerola, Catalunya 2005
Torres Gran Coronas, Penedes 2004
Torres Mas La Plana, Penedes 2003
Torres Mas La Plana, Penedes 2004
Peter Lehmann Eden Valley Riesling 2007
Peter Lehmann Art Series Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2005
Peter Lehmann Eight Songs Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2003
Peter Lehmann Mentor, Barossa Valley 2002
Henschke Keyneton Estate Euphonium, Eden & Barossa Valleys 2004
Te Mata Awatea Cabernet Merlot, Hawke’s Bay 2004
We were also impressed with the Kleine Zalze range from Stellenbosch, South Africa, Torres China has just begun importing, especially the 2006 Kleine Zalze Cellar Sellection Pinotage (not always the easiest grape to get right), well-priced at 140RMB.
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
22nd July 2008
South Australia’s Kingston Estate visited Beijing with importer Summergate hosting a media lunch at Aria restaurant. Bill and Ivanka Moularadellis were on the first leg of a tour that would take them on to Shanghai and a number of other Chinese cities, presenting several of their wines.
Bill Moularadellis, an Australian of Greek extraction (whose family emigrated to Australia during the 1950s), is a passionate oenologist, having trained at Roseworthy College (University of Adelaide) with some of Australia’s biggest names.
Kingston Estate is itself a sizeable venture, weighing within the top ten of Australia’s producers by volume (producing 40 million bottles a year). But the research and experimentation Mourlaradellis has pioneered, particularly with Petit Verdot, indicates a commitment to quality which was borne out on the wines on show in Beijing.
Moularadellis cogently explained how most of the international grape varieties hailing from Europe, especially France, were never acclimatized to the heat Australia experiences. In fact, it was only when Australia led its wine technology revolution that the country could even produce stable dry wines (Australia’s earliest wines being fortified).
Mourlardellis is convinced Petit Verdot (right) is the grape that proves the exception to the rule. We talked about this Bordeaux grape’s desire for heat and tendency to unripeness (Petit Verdot meaning ‘the little green one’), recalling the old Bordeaux joke that the only time Petit Verdot ripens is when you don’t actually need it (because your Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon will have ripened already). And yet a number of Bordeaux chateaux still favour this spicy and intriguing grape which Mourladellis explained is much more likely to ripen properly in Australia. The Kingston Estate ‘Empiric’ Petit Verdot 2003 we tasted over lunch was certainly ripe and an impressive wine.
Of course, not any place will do. Kingston Estate has devoted most of its Petit Verdot plantings to Riverland and Langhorne Creek (up to 100 hectares in the former, the largest vineyard area planted out to Petit Verdot in the world); whilst some of the cooler regions in South Australia, such as Clare Valley, are simply not hot enough to support the grape. The ‘cool climate’ Chardonnay we tasted bore this out (Kingston Estate Chardonnay 2005).
Having cropped his first Petit Verdot vintage as far back as 1994, Mourlardellis also spoke of this grape’s malleability, being easy to vinify and not clonally diverse. It just requires some positive oxidation during vinification and not too much oak treatment if it is to sing.
Petit Verdot also emerges as a great blender, complementing Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot exceptionally well; although it does not seem to offer the same advantage to Shiraz (we also tasted Kingston’s top Shiraz over lunch which is well put together: Kingston Estate ‘Echelon’ Shiraz 2002). But for Mourlardellis this actually represents an opportunity to trumpet the grape as a single varietal as well as an occasional part of the ‘Bordeaux blend’.
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008
25th June 2008
Eduardo B. Matte Jr. of Chile’s Vina Haras de Pirque visited Beijing on a whistle-stop tour of China with importer Summergate. Over lunch at Aria restaurant, Matte showed four of his wines and explained the origins of this leading Maipo Valley estate.
Matte Senior, an entrepreneur, had originally purchased land in the Maipo to develop his equestrian business, the property being purchased back in 1991. But vines grown on the estate were yielding such high quality fruit that the Matte family decided that wine might be a way forward (having previously sold 100% of its production to Errazuriz.
The horse-shoe shaped estate now operates both as equestrian centre and state-of-the-art winery (the influence of the Matte family’s Chilean thoroughbreds can be seen in the ‘Equus’ range). Quality has always been high, but as of 2002 Piero Antinori has been involved and is now a joint owner, having been seeking a Chilean partnership.
This has resulted in a flagship wine called ‘Albis’, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere, spearheaded by oenologists Renzo Cotarella (of Antinori), Cecilia Guzmán (of Haras de Pirque) and consultant winemaker Alvaro Espinoza. This wine is not imported into China, but a number of wines from the ‘Equus’, ‘Character’ and ‘Elegance’ ranges are (see below tasting notes).
Matte explained that only a proportion of the grapes planted on the estate are grown on the Maipo plain; thus, most plots are at slightly higher elevation on the neighbouring foothills. With slightly cooler temperatures and wine-making designed to retain acidity, these give Haras de Pirque’s wines considerable elegance.
We asked Matte about the green pepper and other herbaceous flavours that tend to mark Chilean reds. He admitted this is a common feature, but it not necessarily to do with under-ripeness. As with eucalyptus levels on Australian reds, the idea is to get ripe enough fruit so that you can blend in the savoury, ‘tomato vine’ aromas with strong fruit and not too much oak. The results are certainly impressive.
2006 Vina Haras de Pirque ‘Equus’ Chardonnay, Maipo Valley
Appearance: medium gold.
Nose: attractive citrus and some pineapple fruit. Deft moderate oak.
Palate: more citrus and pineapple fruit with a slight stony, mineral quality. Good acidity, with high alcohol, but this is well-balanced.
Conclusion: a very impressive ‘entry-level’ Chardonnay. Matte explained that this wine does not go through malolactic fermentation (hence the preservation of malic acid here) and that the fruit comes from vines at 650-700 m elevation (which also helps retain acidity). Good. Drink now.
Rating: 17/20
2005 Vina Haras de Pirque ‘Character’ Chardonnay, Maipo Valley
Appearance: deep gold.
Nose: very savoury first nose, showing more oak than fruit at first, but then some delicate lemon fruit and mineral aromas come to the fore. Improves considerably with aeration.
Palate: subtle fruit, good oak and impressive acidity with balanced high alcohol. Good length.
Conclusion: in some ways this wine is a little young still and is certainly a high-quality Chardonnay with some life ahead of it yet. Drink 2008-2013. Impressive stuff.
Rating: 18/20
2004 Vina Haras de Pirque ‘Character’ Syrah, Maipo Valley
Appearance: dark purple to black, very slight orange rim.
Nose: very vibrant, concentrated black fruits, some spice (not the black pepper notes of really cool climate Syrah, more cinnamon and white pepper), attractive ‘tomato vine greenness’ offset by non-intrusive oak.
Palate: good fruit, tight ripe medium-high tannins, lifting acidity and well-integrated high alcohol.
Conclusion: this is not a monster of a wine at all – as so many Chilean reds can be – showing varietal character and subtlety. Powerful, but refined, this wine certainly needs a bit more age in bottle. Drink 2008-2012.
Rating: 18/20
2002 Vina Haras de Pirque ‘Elegance’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo Valley
Appearance: very dark purple, orange rim.
Nose: ageing black fruits – largely blackcurrant and blackberry – with some tomato-vine aromas and a savoury oaky nose.
Palate: ripe, chewy and slightly dusty tannins that are mellowing out a little, combined with lovely fruit, good acidity and well-balanced alcohol. Nice length too.
Conclusion: this was very good. Lighter in body than the above Syrah, it had the advantage of some age and development. Drink now to 2010.
Rating: 18.5/20
Thursday, May 29th, 2008
29th May 2008: Sauternes-Barsac Dinner at Yung Kee restaurant
Over 200 guests assembled for what has to have been one of the most memorable dinners we are ever likely to attend: a spread of superb Sauternes and Barsac wines matched with the innovative and yet classic cuisine of Hong Kong’s famous Yung Kee restaurant with wines supplied by many of the region’s top chateaux, Yquem and Rieussec excluded.
The range of chateaux represented at the dinner was in itself impressive and the event was topped with an auction with proceeds going to relief for the Sichuan earthquake; Christian Seely MW of AXA Millesimes generously donating a magnum of 2001 Chateau Suduiraut, surely one of the wines of the evening.
It was not always possible to match each of the 11 wines we tasted with the dishes on offer, but some ingenious combinations were revealed as well as certain things that didn’t work from a food-and-wine matching point of view.
The menu appears here first followed by some abbreviated notes on the wines themselves:
Menu
Stir-fried chicken with ginger and pineapple
Classically light, most of the Sauternes working with the ginger here and fruitiness of the pineapple.
Roasted goose liver
You can’t go wrong really in terms of this combination with Sauternes/Barsac.
Millenarian Salade a la HK
This needs a little explaining: it was a strongly flavoured salad with julienned vegetables, lotus buds and lots of sesame oil and sesame seed dressing. The sesame was occasionally over-powering for the wines.
Stir-fried frog
We love Chinese bull-frog – amusingly known as ‘field chicken’ in Mandarin – particularly in Sichuan or Hunan cuisine. This was much lighter in the Cantonese style and worked well with most of the wines, apart from the green pepper that was also a prominent part of the dish. Chinese green peppers are a lot stronger in flavour, even chilli-hot, than European ones. It wasn’t a chilli-heat issue here but the flavour of green pepper that just didn’t sit well with botrytised wine.
Deep-fried oyster
Surprisingly good combination with the lighter of the Sauternes listed below.
Smoked pomfret
Again a good combination, but I was beginning to wonder if the general lightness and relative ‘sweetness’ of much Cantonese fare was not contrasting enough with the wines on offer. Spicier dishes would probably have worked better, particularly with the richer Sauternes in the group.
Wild geese resting on plum tree
Now this was a brilliant dish to go with Sauternes (see below): Cantonese roast goose sitting in a marvellous duck and goose enriched broth with dongu mushrooms (shitake). Superb!
Fried rice vermicelli ‘Sichuan’ style
Sichuan style is a bit of an overstatement because there wasn’t even anything to link this dish with even a bastardized idea of Sichuan food. Very well prepared and presented, however, but again essentially too sweet to work with these kinds of wine.
Sweetened Almond Milk Cream
Lovely almond flavour and a pretty good match.
The Wines: Listed in Order Tasted (not as presented) with more photos below…
2002 Chateau Clos Haut-Peyraguey
Appearance: light gold colour.
Nose: quite noticeable botrytis, has the lightness of fruit of the 2002 vintage – not the easiest one for Sauternes – but is well put-together.
Palate: surprisingly good balance for the vintage, prominent acidity certainly but pretty harmonious with light residual sugar and light candied fruit.
Conclusion: well-made for the vintage. Clos Haut-Peyraguey can be relied on to do a good job, even in difficult years. Drink now or over next two to five years.
Rating: 17/20
2004 Chateau Doisy-Daene
Appearance: lovely medium-gold colour.
Nose: spicy first nose, excellent balance of light candied fruit to botrytis.
Palate: extremely well-balanced, light to medium residual sugar, lovely acidity and impressive length.
Conclusion: we’re big fans of Doisy-Daene, having been fortunate to drink the 1988 and 1990 vintages on a number of occasions. This is our second note on the 2004, in fact. Very, very good. Drink 2012-2024.
Rating: 18/20 (on the night, but will improve)
2005 Chateau Rayne-Vigneau
Appearance: relatively light colour, even for a young vintage.
Nose: delicate first nose, only slight dried and candied white fruits, hint of botrytis.
Palate: richer than expected. Good balance of residual sugar to acidity. It’s rich mouth-feel is not fat in any sense, but grows in power on repeat tasting. Good length.
Conclusion: impressive. We haven’t drunk much Rayne-Vigneau (a half-bottle of the 2003 a few years back), but it is rightly a respected and impressive producer. Their 1997 is said to be spectacular. Drink 2013-2025.
Rating: 18/20 (but will improve)
1999 Chateau La Tour Blanche
Appearance: medium gold.
Nose: spicy first nose and very honeyed (somehow La Tour Blanche always has a lovely honeyed quality, on vintages young and old). Lovely botrytis here.
Palate: more candied fruit and honeyed flavours on the palate, very well-balanced throughout. Long.
Conclusion: La Tour Blanche is another personal favourite of ours (we recall a stupendous bottle of the 1990 drunk in 2006 and no doubt still going well). This 1999 was excellent. Drink 2009-2019.
Rating: 18.5/20
2001 Chateau Suduiraut
Appearance: lovely medium gold colour.
Nose: only just developing, very precise candied fruit and subtle botrytis nose.
Palate: superbly balanced, there’s lovely fruit, great acidity and very harmonious residual sugar here.
Conclusion: very, very good. Expectations were high in approaching one of the celebrated 2001s, but we were not disappointed. People can argue the toss as to whether Rieussec or Yquem 2001 is better – would be great to taste those one of these days! – but this is a very, very good wine with a considerable life ahead of it. Drink 2011-2021, even longer.
Rating: 19/20
1996 Chateau Coutet
Appearance: medium gold colour (actually lighter than the below 2000 Climens).
Nose: gorgeous, mellowed, yet still vibrant honeyed nose with light candied fruits, subtle botrytis, very balanced fruit to botrytis here as the latter is fully integrated.
Palate: complex, wonderful balance of mellowed but still high acidity with integrated pretty high residual sugar, great fruit and superb length.
Conclusion: superb. Actually, to drink on the evening, this was probably our favourite. Drinking very well now, but still with a great life ahead of it. Drink 2008-2016.
Rating: 19/20
1988 Chateau Suduiraut
Appearance: deep gold to amber.
Nose: particularly savoury first nose, bitter marmalade notes, subtle botrytis (as on the 2001 Suduiraut), aged honey notes.
Palate: mellowed, very well-integrated palate. You wouldn’t realize the high acidity content here because of the combination of integration and age with lovely residual sugar.
Conclusion: clearly, a very good Sauternes. This was an extra treat as we were lucky to be sat next to Christian Seely MW – head of AXA Millesimes – and his oenologist wife, the bottle having been brought over for them to taste. Drink now, but will keep.
Rating: 19/20
2000 Chateau Climens
Appearance: deep gold-amber colour.
Nose: quite botrytised, less overt fruit here, but well put-together for what is not an easy vintage.
Palate: rich fruit, dominant botrytis, but nice acidity and pretty good balance with medium-high residual sugar.
Conclusion: this wine shows the quality of Ch. Climens as a producer because 2000 was not the easiest year for anyone in Sauternes. Drink now.
Rating: 17.5/20
1998 Chateau Guiraud
Appearance: deep gold.
Nose: rich nose as characteristic of most Guiraud wines with honeyed fruit, nice botrytis and other savoury aromas.
Palate: full-on, clearly full-bodied, packing pretty high residual sugar, nice acidity and an overall sense of power.
Conclusion: this is a better vintage for Guiraud than in some other years. The wines always tend to be quite massive stylistically. Impressive. Drink now to 2013, or longer. One to watch given the new ownership arrangements at Guiraud.
Rating: 18/20
1997 Chateau Myrat
Appearance: deepish gold to amber.
Nose: immensely raisined first nose, overt botrytis, nutty.
Palate: more very raisined fruit, perhaps not quite in balance here with the sugar and acidity, at least on this bottle.
Conclusion: would go well with a cheese board rather than Cantonese fare, to be honest. This is owing to the nature of Myrat as a producer rather than Cantonese food per se. Not bad. Drink now to 2012.
Rating: 16/20
2003 Chateau Filhot
Appearance: bright gold colour.
Nose: immensely savoury first nose, but also very honeyed with nicely integrated botrytis.
Palate: an impressive amount of acidity for the 2003 vintage (where heat was obviously a problem) and fairly well put-together in terms of fruit to acid to sugar balance. Quite good length too.
Conclusion: A good vintage for Filhot. Drink now to 2013.
Rating: 17.5/20
