Lunch notes:

1998 Ch. Smith Haut Lafitte blanc – lots of colour on this one and a
fairly nice nose with herbs and citrus. Seemed like oak on palate
rather than in the nose, with a smooth medium length finish.

2004 Foxtrot Pinot Noir – very surprising bottle of BC pinot! Lots of
colour, a slight metallic hint in the nose early one, and some good
blood and fruit, tasty with soft tannin and long finish – amazingly
good – best BC I’ve seen.

2009 Marcel Lapierre Beaujolais Morgon MMIX – purple edges and deep
colour, lots of sweet fruit, very primary wine with thick legs, tasty
but clearly promising more with some time.

1997 Ch. St Cosme Gigondas – the regular cuvee offered a lot in this
vintage, including deep colour with ambering edges, funky Rhone nose
with white pepper and plum, still lots of soft tannin and a long
smooth finish.

2001 Santa Duc Gigondas – dark with clear edges, nose not doing much
right now, but some nice flavours on palate and decent length.

1999 Ch,St. Cosme Cote Rotie – sadly, a lightly corked bottle that
lacked much fruit in midpalate.

1999 Jean Luc Colombo Cornas Les Mejeans – dark, with good legs, a bit
dusty in the nose with some sweet berry fruit, a tad disappointing in
midpalate – a bit hollow 0- and finishing decently.

1986 Ch. Smith Haut Lafitte – I knew this had to be 1980s but this was
the last vintage I’d have guessed, as the wine had lost almost all
tannin, showed a sweetish mineral
nose, and was classy and elegant. The softness fooled me into
guessing 1985.

1990 Qhinta do Vesuvio Port – another slightly corked wine(!) with
some otherwise decent qualities including a slightly pale colour,
decent finish, but who knows how it would have shown if pristine?

Taylors 40 Year Tawny – the nose on this was certainly nothing but
tawny, but the taste pointed me (incorrectly) straight to Madeira!
Medium sweet, lovely mouth feel, silky smooth, finishing long and with
lots of acidity.