Solihull Fine Wine Society January tasting.

All we knew was that it was the 96 vintage, could be anywhere, all blind as
usual.

Nyetimber Classic Cuvee 1996, England.
Very small bubbles, a miniscule mousse. Lovely digestive biscuit nose,
yeasty. Soft entry, good fizz but finished short and rather acidic and
unbalanced. Not as good as the 98, but still a cracker of a wine from the
homeland,

Riesling Cuvee des Comtes d'Equisheim, Leon Bayer, Alsace, 1996.
Bright and pale gold. Typical Marsanne!!, with some oxidation, spice and
peaches nose. Fruitand peaches on the palate, some caramel. I found it most
pleasant while others found it going over and mean..........a few got the
Riesling, but for the sake of me, I could not find any Riesling hints.

Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux 1996
Pale brick, some browning, some VA that blew off, but an odd cherry brandy
nose with hints of soap. Soft entry, fruit and some spice but unbalanced,
poor tannins. Not very good.

La Dame de Montrose, St Estephe 1996.
Deep brick, a stunner. Wonderful vegetal, leather organic cassis nose, with
such balance of fruit and tannins. Long and succulent, a curl up and sip
claret. We had this at my tasting in the Autumn and it shone then... a real
bargain at £26.....a really fine wine.

Lindemanns Pyrus, Coonawarra, 1996.
Port like, viscous, big blowsy oz cab, in your face, but mellow. Big fruit
and tannins, searing tannin, yet drinkable now,,,,spice and eucalyptus.
Rather good for a colonial.

Hermitage La Chapelle, 1996
Depth and a typical syrah nose of tinned tomatoes and Euthymol toothpaste,
so much fruit and tannins, spice, long but ended bitter. OK, but lacking
complexity and depth. Typical of the Jaboulet bad patch.

Ch Leoville Barton 1996
A real bright beauty, viscous, Spice old leather and dusty cupboards. All in
balance.... a real mans claret, fine but not exceptional

Ch Pape Clement, Graves 1996,
depth, but a little dull, ( Decanted 2 hours before), sweaty armpits and
mint, wonderful soft tannins , all in balance, long, ethereal, another
claret to sip and sigh.

Ch Grand Puy Lacoste Pauillac 1996.
Deepest wine of the night, portlike, oak, cassis and spice. complex
restrained.Fruit and big tannins, wonderful, but not yet, say try again 5
years, WOTN for me and others, this is what claret is all about.

Ch Haut Batailley Pauillac 1996
Almost as deep as the Puy, had a strange lavender, floral nose of heat and
the Provence, massive tannin and fruit, yet feminine and soft. Try again 5
years.

A confession, topping up my Barton, I knocked over the glass of Pape, which
set off a domino affect, over went the last two wines, across the table,
over my trousers and on to the carpet. How humiliating after 26 years as a
member of the wine group....................