Festive Drinking 2025

[nac]

It's December. We're drinking. What's not to like?

Once again it's time to share what we're imbibing now and planning to across the coming weeks of enforced jollity.

Some of us kicked this off on Monday 1st with...
Gusbourne, Brut Reserve, 2020 and then a 2021 (as we needed a 2nd glass, which wasn't as good)
Zind Humbrecht, Clos Saint Urbain "Rangen de Thann", Riesling 2005
Peter Michael, "L'Apres Midi", Sauvignon Blanc 2005 (which was a bit past it - possibly an iffy bottle)
Jaboulet, Crozes Hermitage "Domaine de Thalabert" 2005
Jaboulet, Hermitage "La Chapelle" 2005
Tignanello 2005
La Rioja Alta, "904" Gran Reserva Rioja 2005
Ridge, Petite Sirah "Dynamite Hill" 2005
Warre 1970
Croft 1966
Cockburn 1970 (Blenheim Palace stock)

And you?

[nac]

...and have to do it again tomorrow. Annual get-together with ex- work colleagues. [one was ill and one not drinking, so some bottles saved]

We are having:
Something Gusbourne
Blanc de Lynch-Bages 2017
Chateau Cissac 2009 (magnum)
Silver Oak, Alexander Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Muga, "Prado Enea", Gran Reserva Rioja 2006
Klein Constantia "Vin de Constance" 2012
Warre 1975
Devesa White 1973
Churchill Club Tawny

Will report back.

[MigSU]

I had a nice dinner yesterday at Kraneman's Quinta do Convento. Standouts were their 30yo and a 2015 LBV. Kraneman are unfortunately often overlooked but their tawnies are excellent, in my opinion.

[winesecretary]

A very well deserved glass of Edouard Delaunay’s Aligote 2023 Vignes du Professeur Feuillat. It has been a hell of a week. This is a very nice wine indeed with a decent decant, and sensibly priced too.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I fancied a glass of red wine last night. First bottle to hand was a bottle of Meerlust Rubicon 2016. Delicious, but still rather young.

[Glenn E.]

For a wine-focused party tonight, a magnum of 1977 Smith Woodhouse VP.

This is a fairly large party - usually 40-50 people through the night - but most of them are wine drinkers. A few of us bring Port, and we're slowly converting the others. I've brought magnums of 1977 Gould Campbell the last few years, so thought I'd mix it up a bit tonight. But not too much!

[Rummy]

Had some friends over for my birthday, felt like opening some sweet wines.

[MigSU]

Those are some very nice wines. Surprised to see a Quinta das Bágeiras there, they're not very well known wines outside of Portugal but they are excellent.

[Rummy]

Those are some very nice wines. Surprised to see a Quinta das Bágeiras there, they're not very well known wines outside of Portugal but they are excellent.

Discovered them earlier this year, very glad I did, great wines indeed.

[Andy Velebil]

Those are some very nice wines. Surprised to see a Quinta das Bágeiras there, they're not very well known wines outside of Portugal but they are excellent.

Discovered them earlier this year, very glad I did, great wines indeed.

They make some fabulous wines. Glad you discovered them. They age very well.

[nac]

...and have to do it again tomorrow. Annual get-together with ex- work colleagues. [one was ill and one not drinking, so some bottles saved]

We are having:
Something Gusbourne
Blanc de Lynch-Bages 2017
Chateau Cissac 2009 (magnum)
Silver Oak, Alexander Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Muga, "Prado Enea", Gran Reserva Rioja 2006
Klein Constantia "Vin de Constance" 2012
Warre 1975
Devesa White 1973
Churchill Club Tawny

Will report back.

Warre 1975 was really very good. Had a 4 hour decant and showed well.

[nac]

Nice things over the last few days:
Murrieta Castillo Ygay Grand Reserva Especial 2004 - lovely but cork was a disaster; exploded into a million pieces
Leoville Las Case 2003 - yum
Vougeraie Gevrey Chambertin “La Justice” 2008 - double yum

Now starting to consider what to have Xmas Day.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Still thinking about what to open at Christmas but drank a bottle of Uva Mira Cabernet Franc 2017 this evening. Still way too young - but I won’t be around when this hits its peak.

[MigSU]

Uva Mira? Damn, there goes one potential name for my wines. I should have dibs, though, one of those words is my surname.

[Bertie3000]

A few drinks with friends last week:
Domaine Evremond - nice, but nothing special
Nyetimber - Tillington 2014 - lovely English sparkling with a richness not usually found in English wines
Ken Forrester - Dirty Little Secret 5 - I really like this SA Chenin but very unusual and does not taste like your standard Chenin.
By Farr - Farrside 2022 - lovely Pinot Noir. So easy to drink.
Roagna - Barbaresco Montefico Vecchio Viti 2009 - still far too young. Needs at least another 5 years.
Orma - Aola de Orma 2021 - Cab Franc from Bolgheri - too young but I love the freshness in this. I am sure it will get better but really enjoyable now.
Fonseca 1985 - never had a bad bottle of this. Perfect way to finish an evening.

[mcoulson]

Yesterday I enjoyed a W63 with some friends ... and it was jolly nice ....

[Alex M]

Langoa Barton 2005 last night. Excellent wine - ready to drink.

Lynch Bages 2000 and Sandeman 1966 tonight.

[MigSU]

Today for an impromptu late lunch at Porto's Casa da Música we had , amongst other things, a Vale da Figueira 10yo, a Fonseca 1985, and the remnants of a Vallado 50yo that I had the luck to enjoy a couple of days ago. Non-Port standouts were the quite electric Quinta do Regueiro Maturado em Barricas 2016 (a serious wine from one of the more serious Vinho Verde producers) and a very taste bottle of Quinta do Vesúvio 2016.

[Alex Bridgeman]

At lunch today, my host opened the following bottles just because he could:

Krug NV Edition 171
Nyetimber Tillington Vineyard 2016
Dom Perignon 2015
Pol Roger 2002 Cuvée de Réserve
Kongsgaard 2022 Chardonnay
Mullineux Granite 2014 Chenin Blanc
Trimbach Riesling 2015 from Frédéric Emile
Quiñón de Valmira 2016 from Alvaro Palacios
Volnay les Caillerets 2015 from Benjamin Leroux
Monsanto Il Poggio 1995
Kusuda Syrah 2010
Peñas Aladas Gran Reserva 2010
Chateau Montrose 2005
PMG 2018
Cossart Gordon Bual 1987
Taylor 1977

[jdaw1]

At lunch today, my host opened the following bottles just because he could:

How many people were at the lunch?

[nac]

Beaucastel 2010
Croft 1975 - wasn’t expecting much, but really quite good

[Alex Bridgeman]

At lunch today, my host opened the following bottles just because he could:

How many people were at the lunch?

We were 12.

[Justin K]

Dinner tonight with friends, nothing special but an almost complete run of Portuguese wines:
Xisto Ilimitado (Douro white)
Altano (Douro red)
Lidl Barossa Shiraz (surprisingly good)
Taylor’s 1970 (had to sacrifice a half glass as had nothing else open to make gravy) always reliably excellent
Midleton Very Rare 2001 (couple of glasses)

[mcoulson]

Had a croft 55 and a Fonseca crusting 73 yesterday evening as a minor buntingford emergency with help from a couple of friends.

The croft got better and better the crusting started a bit alcoholic then turned out nice but collapsed by the end of the evening

[winesecretary]

After another very busy week the festive season started emphatically with a dinner party yesterday evening.

Guy de Forez Les Riceys Cote de Bar Brut
Leclerc Briant Brut Reserve
Saint Aubin 1er Cru Les Perrieres 2020 Domaine Agnes Paquet
Chateau Leoville Barton 2002
Jurancon 2018 Grappe d’Or Domaine de Montesquieu
Cote Rotie 2019 Domaine Bernard Burgaud
Warre 1963

Everything sang which was brilliant

[mcoulson]

Warre 1963

That was from the batch we got ?

[MigSU]

This is a lot of festive drinking.

Yesterday I had a festive lunch and a festive dinner but I forgot do document what we drank. Most of us were producers so there were lots of soon-to-be-released wines, mostly unlabelled.

[winesecretary]

@ mcoulson - it was

[Alex Bridgeman]

Camel Valley Vineyard Brut 2019 to celebrate reaching the Saturday before Christmas.

[MigSU]

Camel Valley Vineyard Brut 2019 to celebrate reaching the Saturday before Christmas.

Congratulations on the milestone.