June tasting Solihull Fine Wine Society

We knew it was White Bordeaux ( Dry) with one ringer.

Blind as usual

Ch Bel Air 2007, very pale lightweight, nose of overpronounced SB, OTT by
one taster, sweet shop palate. Liked by some as a summer garden wine, but
not by me

Mchenry-Hohnen, Semillon/Sauvignon, Margaret River, Oz, 2007, even paler
than the first wine, bright, a restrained SB nose that opened up, peppery
and sulphur. palate bland fruit but not enough acidity.
This wine reflected the recent Decanter article on New Worls SB's that
panned Oz SB's.

Ch Charmes-Goddard, Cotes de Francs, 2005. Deep straw with good legs,
complex spice nose with some VA, acetone, well balanced fruit and acidity
finished long and the VA blew off after half an hour.

Ch Doisy-Daene Sec, 2005 a good looker with a definite green tinge. Lemons
and lime and crushed gooseberry leaf, soft balanced and long with spice and
apples, some oak. Most pleasant.

Ch Reynon 2007 Pale and bright, again a green tinge, very colonial SB nose,
citrus, great balance of spicy fruit and acidity, herbal. Long

Ch Reynon 1990, green pale gold stunner, complex layers of fruit, some burnt
matches. Soft and elegant, complex spice, wonderful.

Ch Lafont- Menaut, P-Leognan 2004, best looker of the night, bright pale
gold, a nose of apples and sherbet lemons, again a hint of sulphur, a flabby
palate with apple fruit but needs more acid., not very good.

Ch Pape-Clement P-Leognan, 2004Viscous green gold, complex SB with hints of
Riesling,evocative. Fat entrance with balancing acidity, layers of fruit,
superb balance and my WOTN

Ch Pape-Clement P- Leognan 2000, so viscous almost syrupy, muted nose with
definite matches and spice, soft fat and long, but not the balance of the
above. Concerns were raised about its future and whether this could have
been an offish bottle.

Not an impressive tasting and the P-Clements showed their breeding but at
GBP 44 and 66, a lot of money.

For SB, I will stay with Loire and NZ

JT