Preamble Tasting November 2003
Wines of the Week of the Year
John Heavey
1. Barton & Guestier Chardonnay, vin de pays d'Oc, 2001
Blind - Initially seemed to
be Sauvignon and then changed as it warmed. Sl. sweet, fizz, fruity.
Rubbery finish. I had this before but completely missed the rubbery
bit! This won two gold medals! 13%
€7.99
2.Heggies Viognier, Australia, 2002
Peaches and china tea.
Great edge. Loads of peaches and apricots. Long
aftertaste with citrus. Teeny bit of residual sugar, finishes with
tea again. A bit pricey but very nice. 14%
€17.95
3. Mitchelton Black Wood Park Riesling 2002
Very dry ono the nose.
Lime peel. Very dry, loads of fresh acidity matching loads of fruit,
lime again. Slightly watery though, but otherwise a lovely wine if
maybe needing a little time to become more integrated. 13.5%
Dunnes €9.99
4. Naoussa Boutari, Xynomavro, 2000
Blind. Light, bit of
pink. Very jammy nose, totally unexpected difference ion the palate.
Fruit, very sharp/acerbic, some tannins. Ok but a bit astringent,
rasping? Can't think of the word. 12%
Oddbins €9.99
5. Rasteau Tradition Cotes du Rhone Villages
2001
Spicy, slightly peppery
nose. Lovely, smooth, peppery, fruity, easy-drinking but with
something to say for itself as well. Velevety tannins.
Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre 14%
Give it a few years, maybe four. Impressive.
Widely available €11.99 (less in O'Briens)
6. Teroldego Rotaliano Millesimato, Italy 2000
Big, dark, clean.
Somewhat dunmb; mineral, vanilla. Quite astringent but velvety,
quite complex for a single grape variety. Lovely, capable of aging.
Organic too. Teroldego is the grape. 13% (Lot's of reference
to "risotto al Teroldego on the web; big deal in Alto Adige, apparently!
It appears to be 'risotto with Teroldego wine' but I cannot find a recipe
in English.
Mitchell's
€11.50
7. Chateau Ksara, Reserve du Couvent, Bekaaa
Valley, Lebanon, 2001
Blind - Black-red.
Concentrated nose. Some Syrah definitely; lots of cherries, vanilla; quite
stern. Old world. Cab Sauvignon, Cab Franc, Syrah. 13%.
Very nice.
Burkes Cabinteely, Spar, €12.99
8. Mont
Gras Carmenere Resreva, Colchagua Valley, 2000
Dark red, lovely deep
colour, maybe unfiltered? Fruity, easy drinking. Sweet vanilla, some
leathery tannins at the end. Very nice, good backbone, good fruit.
Bit overpriced for what it is but nice. 13%
Dunnes, lots of others, €13.26
9. Bonterra Vineyards
Cabernet Sauvignon, 1999
Another lovely black-red.
Nose redcurrant. Palate has slightly astringent wash, loads of
fruit, a little condensed milk. Clean, very nice, but doesn't really
grab me. All the wine writers are mad about it. Great extract
etc. Just not me. Sorry. Wouldn't refuse it, though :)
80% Cab Sauvignon with Syrah and Malbec.
€16.75
10. Trapiche Pinot Noir, Oak aged, 1999
Definitely didn't say
Pinot at first. Lots of oak nose. Very smoky, quite stern, somewhat
sharp, quite fruity, bit of burn. Good but not great. 13.5%
€11.45
11. Zenato Ripasso Superiore, Valpolicella, 2000
Inky black, big fruity
nose, with a lovely 'acid drop' whiff. A rush of amaro with a load
of vanilla, some nice tannins. Beautiful. Clean, good acidity.
Young, likely to improve with cellaring.
Widely available €18.50
12. Chateau Dereszla Takaji, Hungary, 2000
Blind. "The wine of
kings, the king of wines"
is the memorable and flattering description made by King Louis XIV when he first tasted it. Marmalade, fresh, absolutely
lovely. Furmint. 13%
Mitchell's €15.50