Solihull Fine Wine Society January Tasting.
Theme..Southern Hemisphere

A decimated turn out because of flu and some lucky buggars skiing.
So a short taste, blind as usual.

Cloudy Bay 2003, , very restrained nose, not complex, fat and long with
residual bitterness. Dissappointing.

Quoin Rock Chardonnay, 2002, Western Cape, bright and viscous, unoaked chard
nose with hints of butter, soft and spicy with good entrance and length,
most pleasant.

Catena, Chard, 2002, Mendoza, Argentina. bright, but very muted nose and
strange sweet shop palate... odd, dies in glass. We have raved about this in
the past, but perhaps a duff bottle or past its sell by date?

Valli Pinot Noir Colleen Vineyard, NZ 2002, brick red, extract++, wonderful
**** pot pinot nose, vegetal, spice, cabbage, short entry marred by big
tannins, imbalanced, ? too young, ? enough fruit to sustain the wait for the
tannins to soften...but what a nose....yum!

Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir, Hermanus SA 2002, paler than the Valli, more
typical Burg, fruitcake simple nose, clove, soft entry with good soft spice
and fruit, finished short and bitter.

Morgenster Lourens River Valley, 2000, Somerset West SA, a great bright
loooker, extract, very dumb nose with alcohol and mint only. Big fruit,
tannin and spice but restrained, Long. ?Too soon.

Boerkenhoutskloof, Cab Sauv Franschhoek SA, Port like depth, no browning.
Wonderful dusty old claret nose, cassis, mint, spice, wonderful. Soft
unctous entry, hits your hard palate with a bang of spice and fruit, cedao
and pencils....long.....All, agreed, the wine of the night. I even said wine
of the year for me so far!!
And at £17, an absolute steal...I'm off to get some.

Happy New Year to all AFW'ers.

J