Monthly blind tasting lunch – this month blind as to whose wine it was
while we muttered about the wine, then the disclosure of who brought
it and some pointed questions aimed at the purveyor to attempt to
identify it.

1999 Prinz von Hessen Johannisberger Klaus Auslese – for some reason
the yellowing wine didn’t immediately click as German Riesling with
some of us, and we were thinking about Loire before someone (Jenise?)
mentioned Riesling at which point it was so obvious that there were
the typical indicators in the nose that we (I) mentally kicked
ourselves. Fair bit of botrytis in the nose (which dos tend to mask
other aromas, he said, fighting a rear guard action) and a well
balanced wine, with sufficient acidity.

2005 Dom. d’Antignac Cote Pierre Lys Pinot Noir – I got this
(eventually, as at first all the nose presented was flat Coco Cola nd
ashes) French Pinot but then bogged down completely when it was not
either Burgundy or Loire. It actually comes from much further south.
Compact and tight.

2004 Castel del Remei Gotim Bru – blend of Tempranillo, Cab, merlot
and Garnacha, this one had decent fruit, a ripe fruit driven nose, and
a bit if blackberry. Drink now.

1990 Antinori Peppoli – the result of a cellar digging expedition and
offered with a back up in case it was over the hill. In fact it
wasn’t half bad – the appearance gave away the age, the edges were
clear and the centre brick, the nose took awhile to open up, but
eventually clicked in and it had (predictably) lots of acidity. While
it would have been better at least 5 years ago, it was a slowly fading
elegant wine today.

1998 Brusset Les Hautes de Montmirail – huge wine, dark with a
slightly bretty nose sweet nose, sweet entry and nice stuffing. Seemed
younger!

2000 Dom. de la Solitude CNduP – older appearance, (I thought maybe a
mid 90s) with a mature, pleasant nose that reminded me more of claret
than of Rhone as there was neither tar nor pepper present, the only
clue being the slight ripeness. Pleasant and at peak. We thus
followed a wine that seemed to b more youthful than expected with one
that showed more development than I’d have expected.

1982 Ch. La Lagune – I’d kept trying the prevous wines thinking ‘Well,
this could be mine, …except….” but instantly locked in once I tasted
this one and knew it for my own. lovely mature claret nose with
curranty overtones, balanced and smooth with good fruit, nicely sweet
and medum long finish. Lovely Bordeaux at peak.

1997 Eileen Hardy Shiraz – the mint gave it away as to origin, and the
wine was not overdone in the mouth, having shed the puppy fat of
sweetness and mellowed into a very nice example of the type of Shiraz
that I much prefer.

1994 Ch. Deuzeira Vergnel – this is a liquoreux made very much in the
style of Monbazillac and Sausignac, in the Dordogne, east of
Bordeaux. I recently visited the area and it is a great area for
bargains for wine lovers, using the same grapes, but thankfully not
the same price scale as the Bordelais do. I know the Haut Montravel,
but not this wine, which is not mentioned in the only references on
the area. Not surprising as it may be a single farmstead producing
small amounts of wine. In any case, I liked the wine a lot. Darker
amber than the Riesling had been, not too sweet, and without any
indication that it had received any fresh oak as some in the region
will do. It had a candied orange impression but finished almost dry.
What a nice way to end with the second wine discovery by the same
person, both having stumped us!

Last one should be Dauzan la Vergne (bad writing)