The Christmas Extravaganza
Mark Downes and Tom Kirley

1. Chablis, 1er Cru, “Beauroy", Agnes et Didier Dauvissat, 2010 
Pale yellow with a beautiful, mineral nose. Jellied fruit and marzipan.Toasty/smoky but no oak; dense fruit and nice acid bite. Long, jelly finish. Expect it to develop beautifully. (13%)
Corbally Wines €16.80 

2. La Croix Pouilly-Fuisse, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Robert-Denogent, 2008
Aromatic, full-bodied, grseat burst of mid-palate flavours of cream and fruit. Turkish Delight and fizz at the finish. Wow! From the La Croix vineyard in Macon; clay and mica schist, unusually. 18 months in Limousin oak. (13.5%)
Terroirs €60

3. M3 Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, Shaw & Smith, 2009
Fresh nose, some butterscotch or maybe rum and butter tofee. Beautiful. A ringer for a Burgundy. Hand-picked, whole bunch pressed, barrel fermemnted. I'd prefer the Pouilly-Fuisse but not at the price. (13.5%)
Jus de Vine €30

4. Pie Franco, Cosecha,  Jumilla, Bodega Casa Castillo, 1998  
Huge nose, tarry nose, big fruit, puckering tannin. Hedonistic, someone said. I quite like this.  100% Monastrel fro a 7ha vineyard in a very arid region. 14.5% alc.
€25

Served blind, together with the next. Both quite sweet. We decided on new world but were unable to guess the grape (I thought Nebbiolo).Grenache from 100 year old vines! Though I preferred it to the next they were two totally different experiences but sharing the intensity of old vine wines.

6. "Pegaso" Garnacha, Telmo Rodriguez, Castilla y Leon, Spain
Another big, rich wine with alcohol sweetness coming through. Decidedly old world. 70 year old bush vine pruned; hand picked and native yeast. 15% Check out their great labels.
€25

7. Pieri Agostina, Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany,  2003
Not doing it for me; a bit overblown and lacking elegance. ome powdery tannins and decent fruit. A Sangiovese clone. 14%
€35.50

8. Les Champeaux, Gevrey-Chambertin,  1er Cru, Lou Dumont, 2005 
Deep colour - very deep for a Pinot - and lovely farmyard nose; warm. Ripe berries and cedarwood.Lively, savoury, full-bodied but still quite young; will improve for quite a long time. Wonderful. Managed by a Japanese former sommelier and his wife.  13.5%
Corbally Wines €41

9. Wither Hills, “Taylor River" Single Vineyard Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2008
Absolutely lovely: though I would say that since I chose it. The back label says it all: "a wine that stands with it's arms folded".  Rich, powerful, complex. Brambly fruit and very structured. Very approachable now but in need of a few more years to bring it out properly. 14%.
Jus de Vine €26.99

10. Sonama Zinfandel, Seghesio Family Vineyards, 2010
Cool nose, beautifully rich and succulent. Raspberry, briar. Lovely but a bit shallow. Has a bit of Petite Shiraz added. 15.5%
€14

11. Dow’s Vintage Port, 1980
Now this is what port should be like! Plum and raspberry, still some alcohol to burn off;, not yet fully mature and years to go after that. Rich, full, dry finish. Wonderful and at an amazing price. 20%
Juse de Vine €50 (€45 to club members)

Home  Tasting Resource  Tasting Notes  Quotes  Links  Archive