Solihull Fine Wine Society November Tasting
Blind as usual.

Four of the wines were courtesy of Bill Spohn and friends, and lovingly
transported across the pond in hand luggage.
They presented a bit of a problem, I wanted to put up good matches from here
and there, but having opened the bottles, had to do a quick change in order.
So the wines are a bit of a mix.

Burrowing Owl Chardonnay 2002. BC
A bright green tinged wine. Citrus, apricot , (?marsanne), glue pot nose.
Fresh acidity and weight, "a premier cru chablis" voiced one of our
experienced noses.

Au Bon Climat Valley Chard.2001. California.
Pale gold, stunning legs, bright. A wonderful buttery nose, classic
Mersault, good balance fruit and acidity, long. Still wonderful 2 hrs. later
in the glass. A real cracker.. £17.50 from the Wine Society, we are all
going to get some more.

Chinon Dom de Beausejour 2003.
Looked like cherryade, smelt like cherryade, tasted like cherryade, a
quaffing wine for hot summer evenings, rather mean and too acidic for a grim
November evening. Not impressed at £7.95.

Blue Mountain Pinot, 1998, BC
Hint of maturity, hint of browning. A wonderful ethereal nose, organic and
pencils, a hint of merde, complex, silky entry, yet good tannins and spice,
very long. Wonderful, by its size not Cot D'or, but not in your face
California, rather sophisticated. At its peak??

Moulin a Vent Dom Fine Graves 2003.
Put it in just to see if they would confirm my views on it.
Huge purple wine, powerhouse nose of strawberry jam and chocolate, fruit and
some tannin. " What the hell is it?, must be a BC Gamay", "this is Gamay,
but where from?" Confirmed that 2003 Beaujolais can be superb, I am going to
put on a 2003 Gamay tasting in the spring. £10 from Tanners

Tintown Creek, Cab Franc, 2000, BC.
Bright, brick red viscous, complex blackcurrant and spice nose,"
Margauxescque", huge hard tannins hiding fruit. Heated discussion as to
maturity, some thought it did not have enough fruit to stand up to the
tannins, others thought it should be treated as a St Estephe, try again in a
few years. Opened up after a few hours and was a pleasant night cap.

Kettle Valley Crest, Cab Reserve, 1998, BC, ( only 55 cases produced)
Great depth, port like, hint of brown. A beauty in the glass. Nose screamed
complex cabernet, cassis and spice, ( " medieval" said one member, GOK,
what he meant.) Huge entry of fruit and mint, almost perfumed on the palate,
so long, wonderful......the wine of the night by all..class, they all were
****ed off when they found it was BC and unavailable in the UK.

Stratford Nights Valley, Cab, Calif 2001, £10.95.
Pity it followed the Kettle, deep, a little dull, big in your face cabernet
nose, very spicy, huge uncomlex fruit and tannin, well balanced,
long.......but after the Kettle, a bit poor.

So there, a great tasting and showed that BC can do it, More Kettle and
Tintown please, ? personal import.

Thanks Bill and friends.

John T