Blind tasting notes

2009 Descombes Beaujolais Brouilly – a disappointment after tasting
another of this producers wines recently. Purple wine with basically
no nose to speak of no fruit and a ton of acidity.

2005 Doudet Naudin Savigny les Beaunes Les Guettes – medium red, nice
nose of red fruit, pleasant but no more.

1986 Nederburg Auction Bin R163 Cabernet – this Cape wine offered much
pleasure. Mature with good colour and pale edges, it had vanilla spice
nose, very soft tannin and good acidity, with decent fruit and length,
and sour cherry in the finish.

1999 Stellenzicht Estate Wine – sweet woody nose, medium dark, sweet
mature fruit on palate and good length. Showing well now.

2002 De Waal Top of the Hill – I am not a fan of Pinotage and recently
found myself relating the increase in that varietal to my increasing
dislike of the Beyerskloof Synergy, but this was one of the all too
rare good ones! Medium colour, with a mellow vanilla cabernet sort of
nose with black fruit, not a trace of the animal notes often detected
in this varietal, and not a hint of bitterness (also sometimes seen
with pinotage) just good balance, length and quality. Wish we got this
here!

1994 Ch. St. Jean Cinq Cepages – this Bordeaux blend was at the top of
its form. Good colour, sweet entry, smooth and long, lacking just that
extra bit of stuffing to be really good.

2000 Torres Manso de Velasco – this Chilean cabernet had a meaty
leathery nose, big legs, good acid and soft tannin, but needs time. A
noted green pepper component in the nose.

1998 Ch. La Pointe Pomerol – light colour, a hint of spice in the
nose, but otherwise a simple short wine, no more than pleasant.

2003 Hogue Reserve Cabernet – big dark wine with a sweet toasty oak
and currant nose, big mouth presence and slightly hot finish. Not bad.

1983 Clos Haut Peyraguay – showing a lot of amber, sweet candied
orange on palate, lacked much in the nose. Haven’t had this Sauternes
before. Won’t lose sleep over not having it in future.