Preamble Magic Evening
Kevin Crowley, The Magic Carpet
This was one of the few evenings in our terrible summer that was conducive to sitting outside. Coinciding as it did with Kevin's presentation we had the pleasure of an alfresco tasting in our host's extensive garden, ading a touch of "Arabian Nights" to Summer Magic.
1. Yalumba Angus Brut, White Sparkling, NV Bottle Fermented
Deepish yellow with a very slight pink or rust tinge. Fruity nose, fruity taste. No noticeable farmyard odour. Pleasant.
£10.99
2. Yalumba Angus Brut, Rose Sparkling, NV Bottle Fermented
Pink brown blush. Much sweeter than the white, some more zizz: Better. Hadn't realised that the nice people from the Revenue charge twice the bottle tax on sparkling wines!
£10.99
3. Paul Cheneau sparkling Penedes NV Methode Traditionelle
Almost green tint. Still not a big nose but much more like Champagne in taste. A hint of almond, ditto apple. Good bubbles. A fine wine.
£10.99
4. Princessse de France Grande Res Res Champagne Brut, Blanc de Blancs
Pale straw, almost green. Good nose, somewhat woody. Much more acidic, much more guts, fruity. Not twice as good as the Penedes, though, I think.
£20.99
5. Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin NV Champagne
Pale, almost white in the fading light. Nose somewhat smoother. Fills the mouth much more. More yeaty. Slight sweetness.
£25.99
6. Hugel Cuvee les Amours, Pinot Blanc des Blancs 96
Light, straw coloured. Hint of sugar. Quite big, honeyed, good acid balance. Excellent.
£7.99
7. Beaujolais Villages DuBoeuf 1997
Dark red. Quite a fruitcake nose. Bit thin, somewhat separate - not together - but certainly one of the better examples.
£7.99
8. Toro Canus Verus Crianza 1989
Big nose with a hint of sour. Smooth, good integrated wood. Doesn't show its 14% alcohol. Not typically Spanish (nor particularly Tempranillo) this comes from Northern Spain adjacent to Ribero del Duero, and is 100% Tempranillo aged in American oak.
£6.99
9. Salentino Cappello di Prete Candido, 1994
Very Italian nose. Quite puckering as well as fruity. A bit of unpleasant aftertaste but good nonetheless. Probably Negroamaro and Montepulciano.
£7.79
10. Pernand Vergelesses, Domaine Besancenot-Mathouillet, Cotes d'Or 1993
A hint of strwaberries on the nose. Soft tannins and lots of fruit. Somewhat raw. Very light. Said to have a big future, but certainly lots of years to go yet.
£15.00
11. Masi Amarone della Valpolicella, Classico, 1994
Big tobacco nose with almond paste. Somewhat sweet (despite being a dry type). Smooth, fruity, a hint of austere tannins at the end, very well integrated.
£15.99
12. Dow Vintage Port, 1977
Rich with maybe some tobacco. Smooth, sweet, a little burn. Balanced. Magnificent. One of the best I've ever drunk. Probably not ready even yet; this was £44 a case in 1984! Parker refers to it as "the stern but powerful 1977", and gives it a score of 95.
£42.00