nac wrote: ↑16:00 Tue 28 Dec 2021
Dining at a wine-loving friend's this evening and anticipating some vinous delights. I'm taking a magnum of 1999 Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill and the remains of the Cockburn 1970.
Pol Roger was followed by…
Jean Monnier, Mersault-Genevrieres Premier Cru 2010
Rossignol-Trapet, Chambertin Grand Cru 2010
Roche de Bellene, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2009
d’Yquem 1996
…and then the end of the Cockburn 1970 which was still rather nice at +96hrs.
Periquita 1966 - still well alive, rich fruit flavours with a delicious tarry backdrop. Lovely with food. I think it was made a rather different wine in the 1960s from that which it is now. Certainly this example would have been pretty tough its first decade or two.
F77 - gained weight over time, lovely with a really good mince pie.
winesecretary wrote: ↑19:15 Wed 29 Dec 2021
Back to 27th -
Periquita 1966 - still well alive, rich fruit flavours with a delicious tarry backdrop. Lovely with food. I think it was made a rather different wine in the 1960s from that which it is now. Certainly this example would have been pretty tough its first decade or two.
F77 - gained weight over time, lovely with a really good mince pie.
Thanks so much for the feedback! These very old Portuguese wines are mostly a bust, but every once in a big while you do find some worthwhile ones.
@ MigSU - I bought a bunch of old Portuguese wines in a 50% off sale from GN a couple of years back - I've been buying from GN online since about 2005 and have visited a couple of times too - so prices were reasonable. I haven't had a duffer yet from that selected couple of dozen. I took care only to buy ones with good levels and from producers of which I had heard.
winesecretary wrote: ↑21:40 Wed 29 Dec 2021
@ MigSU - I bought a bunch of old Portuguese wines in a 50% off sale from GN a couple of years back - I've been buying from GN online since about 2005 and have visited a couple of times too - so prices were reasonable. I haven't had a duffer yet from that selected couple of dozen. I took care only to buy ones with good levels and from producers of which I had heard.
That's good to know, I do see those discounts pop up occasionally on GN, maybe next time I'll spend some time browsing the discount list.
I am a big fan of the Three Graces, although part of me thinks that it should really be the entry-level wine in their range; the Chapel Down Brut being a bit a of cheat by adding some Pinot Blanc to the mix. Their Kit’s Coty range is excellent if you come across a bottle.
Glenn E. wrote: ↑19:24 Thu 30 Dec 2021
My wife's relatives spontaneously dropped by for dinner last night, so I opened a 2003 Kopke White Colheita as an aperitif. Splendid.
I’ve just opened a Kopke tawny tasting kit, although I think I might save the two whites (a 2003 and 20-year-old) for another day. Currently working my way through the 20-year-old; 1981; 1966; and 1957 colheitas. They are all excellent.
Will follow with some remains of a 2015 Chryseia by Prats & Symington; a 2015 Vin de Constance from Klein Constantia; and then some Bollinger NV Rosé at midnight, I think.
The Kit's Coty (still) Chardonnay I had on a visit to Chapel Down year before last was extremely disappointing, the fruit just wasn't up to the oak they had given it. The 1993 Lamberhurst Seyval Blanc brandy was, however, very characterful.
Apologies: I thought they were all sparkling and seemed to be quite a step up from their standard blends. The only still English whites I've liked have been those from Biddenden first recommended by Alex. But then when I visit a vineyard locally I usually go for the sparkling wines or reds (if available).
@ JacobH - the sparkling Kit's Coty stuff I do agree is pretty good, but £100 gets me Pol Roger 2002 from BBX so I'm not buying Kit's Coty Coeur de Cuvee 2015 for the same price. There are exciting ESWs - I have enjoyed Black Dog Hill BdB 2014, Breaky Bottom Cuvee David Pearson 2015 and Black Chalk Classic 2018 in the past few months [albeit the latter needs (possibly the latter two need) putting away for a few years] but Chapel Down... for me their stuff is about twice the price of equivalent French quality. I do understand the reasons for that, it's not that they are profiteering, but it does mean I'm not buying it.
@ nac - I suspect the Mondavi is going to be pretty good... I am about to embark on making a lamb biryani so something fairly fruity likely to be paired with that. To recruit my energies I am drinking a glass of Etna Rosso 2019 from Pietradolce from a bottle opened yesterday. It's delicious.
winesecretary wrote: ↑19:23 Sat 01 Jan 2022
@ nac - I suspect the Mondavi is going to be pretty good... I am about to embark on making a lamb biryani so something fairly fruity likely to be paired with that. To recruit my energies I am drinking a glass of Etna Rosso 2019 from Pietradolce from a bottle opened yesterday. It's delicious.
Your suspicion was correct. Mondavi was excellent. Fully mature but nowhere close to falling off a cliff. Unfortunately only one bottle remains.
winesecretary wrote: ↑19:20 Sat 01 Jan 2022
@ JacobH - the sparkling Kit's Coty stuff I do agree is pretty good, but £100 gets me Pol Roger 2002 from BBX so I'm not buying Kit's Coty Coeur de Cuvee 2015 for the same price. There are exciting ESWs - I have enjoyed Black Dog Hill BdB 2014, Breaky Bottom Cuvee David Pearson 2015 and Black Chalk Classic 2018 in the past few months [albeit the latter needs (possibly the latter two need) putting away for a few years] but Chapel Down... for me their stuff is about twice the price of equivalent French quality. I do understand the reasons for that, it's not that they are profiteering, but it does mean I'm not buying it.
These are all fair points. As always with wine, there are three questions: a) is it any good? b) is it good value? c) would I buy a bottle?
The Chapel Down sparkling white range seems to be their Brut at £27; the Three Graces at £35; the KC BdB at £50; and the KC CdC at £100. I’m not sure I’d say that any of these are good value. I think they ought really to be a category down (i.e. the Three Graces being the entry-level sparkling at £27; the BdB at about £35; and the premium cuvée at £50). But then I am very conscious that I find most sparkling wine overpriced for what it is and ESW is expensive compared to French wines due to the higher production values. Indeed, I have to confess to rarely buying a bottle except when visiting a vineyard or a restaurant. But then I find most sparkling wines overpriced for what they are.
I also worry a bit about the profiteering in the English wine industry. The lack of any regulations about the blends is one issue. I wouldn’t buy anything from one place really close to us because I don’t trust them. But then they are the sort of people who give interviews for the local paper complaining about the local development plans without mentioning that their proposals would involve the building of a couple of housing developments on their fields, netting them millions of pounds in income...
