5.6.40
Fine Wine Diary The Bailey brothers have now tasted 12082 wines in 28 years 6 months and 5 days
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Diary index

A Valvona and Crolla tasting 28/02/2003 (TNB)

A Tasting of Faiveley Burgundy 25/02/2003 (RJB)

A tasting of wines from Grand Cru Classe Cellars and a lunch with wines from Cennatoio 23/02/2003 (TNB)

Recent Clarets 16/02/2003 (TNB)

An Oddbins Fine Wine tasting 16/02/2003 (TNB)

Reichsgraf Von Kesselstatt 03/02/2003 (RJB)

Dinner at E.McC.'s 02/02/2003 (TNB)

The Diary - February 2003

A Valvona and Crolla tasting 28/02/2003 (TNB)

Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 28/02/2003   Return to top

A Tasting of Faiveley Burgundy 25/02/2003 (RJB)

Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 25/02/2003   Return to top

A tasting of wines from Grand Cru Classe Cellars and a lunch with wines from Cennatoio 23/02/2003 (TNB)

And the next day with lunch at Santini:
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 23/02/2003   Return to top

Recent Clarets 16/02/2003 (TNB)

  • Chateau Fieuzal 1989 Coffee and spices, probably from the oak, and a solid core of fruit in this dry and fairly lean wine. Good fruit too. Attrative, pretty much resolved and around at its peak. ***
  • Sociando Malet 1987 I wondered if this hadn't been neglected too long in the cellar but this is a very ageworthy property. A good, cedary, fruitcake claret, lacking only a bit of fineness. I thought at first that it was a bit past its best, but it lasted well overnight and it may just be at peak. What a good wine for a weaker vintage. Scrapes ***
  • Sociando Mallet 1982 Cedary, blackcurrant fruit - quite large-framed and chunky rather than elegant. I guess one has to say this is a classed-growth performance, but not my favourite sort of claret. Pretty much at peak I think - I am not sure where it is going but it isn't going to get finer with waiting although it is in no danger of deteriorating in the short term. I have contributed to discussions on breathing recently and this seems typical to me: a half bottle was drinking very well half an hour after opening but coming back to it six hours later there was a whiff of oxidation about it that I did not care for although the whole package had mellowed a bit. A top ***
  • Pichon Lalande 1983 Spicy berry nose, Pichon's high merlot and a dose of oak presumably. Classy, rounded fruit with a touch of capsicum and an astringancy that one could worry just slightly about. Fine claret although I feel sometimes that this chateau's most interesting wines are in slightly less well-regarded vintages - I am thinking of the lovely 79 and 81. Giving it the benefit of the doubt: ***(*) (from a half).
  • Cadet Piola 1988 A bit simple and fruitcakey at first, but as it warms a bit a pleasant cedaryness emerges and one sees a mainstream St Emilion. Very pleasant if a bit chunky. Plenty of life yet but probably more or less mature. ***
  • Chateau St Pierre 1989 Good healthy maturing colour. As it warms up, this shows good berryish, fruitcake fruit - quite dry and savoury with a touch of cedar. Close to ready, I think. ***
Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 16/02/2003   Return to top

An Oddbins Fine Wine tasting 16/02/2003 (TNB)

Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 16/02/2003   Return to top

Reichsgraf Von Kesselstatt 03/02/2003 (RJB)

Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 03/02/2003   Return to top

Dinner at E.McC.'s 02/02/2003 (TNB)

Tasting notes added to Fine Wine Diary 02/02/2003   Return to top