FoodBanter.com - 94 Tignanello, 94 La Mouline and other lunch notes

Monthly blind tasting lunch notes:

Cap Classique Colmant Brut Reserve – this Cape wine was light in
colour and quite spritzy with Acidic fruit in the nose, smooth on
palate, a combination of chard and pinot that does a good job of aping
a Champagne but at a lesser price. A far cry from the days when chenin
and sauv blanc would have been the grapes you expect in this blend.

1997 Drouhin Cote de Beaune – must be the month for bargains. Lots of
smoky, funky Burgundian character in this nose, medium colour, supple
and smooth, at peak now and should be drunk.

2009 Cos Cerasuoldi Vittoria – OK, I hand it to the attendee that
nailed this one as I haven’t to the best of my recollection tried it
before. Nero d’Avola and Frappati blend, it showed a nutty smoky nose,
sweet round entry, and medium body, pleasant and ready to drink.

1996 - Portteus Cabernet – this Washington State winemaker has been
doing interesting things for years, but doesn’t seem to gather much
press for all his efforts. Big sweet fruit driven nose moderate soft
tannins, and a lingering impression of vanilla in the medium length
finish made this a pleasant wine.

1994 Tignanello – I hadn’t popped a cork on one of these for about 4
years and thought it was time. The last one I opened passed as a
Bordeaux imposter, and this one also seemed to have a clarety nose,
albeit with a decided cherry note to it. There was significant soft
tannin even at this age and the wine was smooth and succulent
finishing well with good acidity. Hitting plateau now – no point
holding but no rush.

1994 Guigal Cote Rotie La Mouline – a repeat of a wine we’d had before
that showed under expectation. This time it lived up to its name – a
good bottle! Nose of ripe sweet berry fruit, well balanced acidity
and tannin, long smooth finish. Much better in a larger bowled
Burgundy glass than the smaller Bordeaux style it was first served in
– a very marked difference. Lovely.

2004 Charvin CnduP – very nice licorice and caramel nose, perhaps a
tad flat in the middle, finishing better, but over all perhaps a tad
roasted in character. I had this a few months ago and it seemed much
\better, less roasted and more elegant

2004 Ferrand CnduP – a slightly metallic nose with citrus elements,
bland in the mouth and flat, I expect having been heat damaged at some
point.

Quady Starboard Batch 88 – this 1988 Port copy from the US was sweet
with a hot nose, and reminded me of a sweet pudding in the mouth, very
Port-like, but not the type of Port I prefer – too sweet for me.