SITT
2006
The Specialist Importers Trade Tastings 27th
February 2006
Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
Siegel Wines Agencies
2004 Willa Wolf Dry Riesling, Pfalz,
12.5%, AP Nr 5 142 202 09 05
Simple, fairly austere. OK. 80/100
2004 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett, Dr Loosen,
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer,
7.5%, AP Nr. 2 576 162 13 05
Light, fragrant nose. Lovely, attractive palate with very good balance.
Pretty impressive. 90/100
2004 Donnhoff Riesling QbA, Nahe,
9% AP Nr. 7 753 010 20 05
Really good nose. Very good palate. This is a good example of a
Gutsriesling. 87/100
2004 Rüdesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Riesling Spätlese,
Leitz, Rheingau,
8%, AP Nr. 2 4079 006 05
This has a very pleasant nose. Vibrant and exciting on the palate. Lovely
blalance. This is top stuff. Excellent. 94/100
2004 Rivaner, Johner, Kaiserstuhl,
13% AP Nr. 389 01 05
Attractive nose. Awful palate. 74/100
Raymond Reynolds Ltd www.winesfromportugal.com
Raymond Reynolds is an important supplier of boutique Portuguese wines in the
UK, as well as being agents for Niepoort, Barbeito Madeira, Bodegas Tradicion
sherries (and Nyetimber).
1996 Barbeito Single Harvest, Madeira
Natural ‘canteiro’ cask ageing; 3000 bottles produced. 100% Tinta
Negra Mole.
This has a deep, complex nose. Very smooth, deep and rich on the palate.
Very Good Indeed+. 92/100
Barbeito VB Reserva Lote 1, Madeira
2490 bottles were produced from one cask of each of 1998 vintage Verdelho
and 1998 Boal. A good rich nose, but with some rubberiness. Lovely palate
that develops a salty savouriness and depth as it goes on. Very Good+.
88/100
Barbeito Veramar, Madeira
A five-year old blend, representing a younger style of Boal. This has a
savoury caramel nose. Very interesting on the palate. Finishes with a
touch of spirit. Very Good. 87/100
1995 Boal, Barbeito Single Cask Series, Casco 80a
This particular single cask yielded only 1026 bottles. Spicy, piquant nose,
almost with hints of anchovies. Simpler than some, but it still has very
good depth. There’s a hint of spirit on the finish. Very Good Indeed.
89/100
1981 Barbeito Frasqueira Verdelho
This is Barbeito’s first frasqueira, bottled into 50 cl bottles. The nose
is reminiscent of salted almonds with some minerally fragrance. Very light
and delicate, but it also has a real heat on the finish. Very Good+.
87/100
1914 Boal, Barbeito
A musky, rich nose. Very light and fresh on the attack, but it then really
fills out and builds in the mouth. Very big indeed and quite hot on the
finish. Tails off a lot on the finish. Very Good. 87
Oloroso VORS, Bodegas Tradicion
A 30+ year old Oloroso from Domecq soleras from the 18th century
and Alfred Gilbey soleras from the 19th century.
This has a rich nose: very distinctive with some orangey caramel notes.
Very pure on the palate. Very elegant and rounded. Very pure, clean
finish. Enormous length. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
Amontillado VORS, Bodegas Tradicion
A 30+ year old VORS Amontillado from 19th century soleras from
Croft/Alfred /Gilbey, Bobadilla, Osborne and Delgado Zuleta.
A rich buttery nose. Full and rich, but with a curious hollowness. Very
Good+. 87/100
Palo Cortado VORS, Bodegas Tradicion
A 30 year old VORS again, from 18th century Domecq soleras and
Croft harvests of 1970 and 1982. A nutty, complex nose. Very good on the
palate: very clean and direct and focussed. Not entirely doing it for me,
but Very Good Indeed. 90/100
Pedro Ximenez VORS, Bodegas Tradicion
A 20+ year old PX from Harveys and Sandeman soleras from the 19th
century. On the nose, there’s nutty, raisiny Dundee cake. Beautiful
balance on the palate. Very thick, and viscous; and utterly luscious. It
has a very curious cleansing quality. Excellent. 94/100
NV Champagne Brut Tradition, Domaine Robert Desbrosse
A perfumed blackcurrant, biscuity nose. Very round and open with a nice
character. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
NV Champagne Brut Rosé, Domaine Robert Desbrosse
A very pale, bronzey pink. The nose is rather slight. Decent but
unexceptional palate. Very Good. 86/100
2004 Pinot Grigio, Russolo, Friuli
A very attractive nose: light and vibrant with pear skin fruit and some pear
drops. Light and crisp on the palate. Very dry, and really, this is just a
bit too austere, especially on the finish. OK/Good. 80/100
2004 Vernaccia Karmis, IGT Vernaccia di Oristano Valle Tirso,
Attilio Contini, Sardinia
A sweet phenolic fruity nose: quite gentle. Lovely palate: this has a nice
weight and good balance, though it’s a touch hard on the finish. Needs
food. Very Good Indeed. 90/100
2002 Collio Bianco, Borgo del Tiglio, Friuli
This is a blend of five grapes, predominantly Tocai Friulano. It has a very
interesting nose: complex and a bit musky. The musk carries through onto
the palate. Very pleasant. Very Good+. 87/100
2004 Tocai Friulano, Borgo San Daniele, Friuli
An almondy, floral nose. Good palate. Very hollow on the finish, but it
has good length after. A second bottle was much better. Good+. 84/100
2003 Valpolicella Ripasso, Le Salette, Veneto,
13.5%
Fantastic, floral, cherry fruity nose. Nice weight on the palate. This
carries itself very well and finishes exceptionally well. Excellent.
93/100.
2003 Rosso di Jacopo, Ronco del Gnemiz, Friuli
This is a 100% merlot (though normally it’s a blend). Very soft, plummy
fruit on the nose. Soft and very clean in the mouth. Easy, but not too
simple. Very Good Indeed. 89/100
2001 Ürziger Goldwingert Riesling Spätlese, Dr Pauly
Bergweiler
A deep lemon gold. Bizarre, sherbetty nose: very zingy indeed. Better on
the palate: fairly rich. Rather simple. Good/Very Good. 84/100
Genesis Wines Ltd
NV Champagne Maillart Brut Reserve Premier Cru Ecueil
A rather curious nose with shades of pencil rubbers and fresh blackberry
fruit. Distinctly unimpressive. 82/100
(The
defunct Mayfair Cellars)
2001 Clover Hill, Taltarni, Tasmania
This sparkling wine from Tasmania had a muddy, slightly stinky nose.
Fullish palate. Unimpressive. 76/100
NV Jacquesson Champagne Cuvée no. 730
Disgorged Quarter 4 2005. Quite perfumed and minerally and with a good rich
palate. 89/100
1996 Jacquesson Avize Grand Cru, Champagne
Blanc de blancs, which will be single vineyard from 2000. Quite austere.
Very Good Indeed. 89/100
2005 Domaine Evharis White, Attika
70% assyrtiko, 30% chardonnay. It’s unoaked, though I’d have guessed there
was some oak in there. It has a nice serious nose. Excellent palate. This
is serious stuff with a really nice structure and excellent balance.
Excellent. 95/100
2003 Melapus, Domaine Evharis, Attika
A cabernet-merlot blend. There’s some black fruit on the fairly
international nose. Unimpressive. OK. 78/100
2005 Ilaros Red, Domaine Evharis, Attika
This is an unoaked agiorghitiko blend. Fruity and a bit simple. Very Good(+).
87/100
2004 Assyrtiko, Domaine Evharis, Attika
This is aged for six months in oak. It really gains something from the
oak. Very impressive, food friendly wine. Very Good Indeed+. 93/100
2003 Vin Doux, Samos Co-op
This is a fortified muscat à petits grains from Samos. It has a very rich
muscat nose, though it’s not especially floral. Good, clean, pure
flavours. Very Good/Very Good Indeed. 88/100
2003 Grand Cru, Samos Co-op
An attractive floral, grapey, orangey nose. Very much in the style of
Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, this has much more depth and character than the
‘Vin Doux’. Very, very long. Very Good Indeed. 90/100
2000 Nectar Samos Co-op
This Samos muscat is not fortified, but made from sun-dried muscat grapes.
It has a grapey-sultanas nose with some honeysuckle. Very pure flavours.
Very Good Indeed+. 93/100
2005 ‘Santorini’, Hatzidakis, Santorini
Floral, with peaches on the nose. Very minerally indeed. Very Good
Indeed. 90/100
2005 Aidani-Athiri, Organic, Hatzidakis, Santorini
3000 bottles were produced of this white wine, a blend of 30% aidani and 70%
athiri. It’s a bit muddy on the nose, and unfortunately is a bit dull on
the palate. Good. 82/100
2004 Nykteri, Hatzidakis, Santorini,
15%
This is late harvested and 50% barrel fermented. A lovely nose. Full and
rich on the palate with interesting flavours. Very Good/Very Good Indeed.
88/100
1999 Vinsanto, Hatzidakis, Santorini
This dessert wine has the colour of a 10-year old tawny port. Very complex
nose: very nutty, with marzipan and raisins. This is a bit out of my normal
frame of reference. Very dry on the finish with high acidity. Very Good
Indeed? 88/100
2005 Savatiano, Megapanos, Attika
Savatiano is the grape normally used for Retsina. It has a light, delicate,
fragrant nose. Good palate: very interesting. Light and fresh. Very Good
Indeed. 90/100
2004 Amynteo, Megapanos, Attika
This is a xinomavro rosé: it has a fabulous nose with sweet concentrated
cassis and cherries. Very zingy on the attack with lots of fruit.
Searingly dry. Fairly impressive. Very Good Indeed. 89/100
2003 Nemea, Megapanos, Attika
This is an agiorghitiko aged in Greek oak. It has a lovely nose with
redcurrants, raspberries and cherries. Really nice palate. Big tannic
structure, with the tannins showing particularly on the finish.
2004 Mantinia, Nasiakos, Arcadia
This moschofilero has a spicy nose like a pinot gris/muscat/gewurztraminer
blend. Round and open, this is a very attractive wine and very
approachable. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
McKinley Vintners
NV Grande Réserve, Champagne Gosset
Quite a chalky nose. Crisp, but with good depth. Very prickly on the
finish. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
1999 Grand Millésime, Champagne Gosset
A long, gentle, very elegant nose. Lovely weight with nice complexity. But
it seems a bit simple overall. Very Good. 87/100
Vine
Associates
Vine
Associates have two main agencies. They are agents for Les Domaines de
Vinmoselle in Stadtbremius in Luxembourg, known for their crémant and a range of
single vineyard still wines. In the Lubéron
in the south of France, Anne and Jean Pierre Hugues run the Domaine de la Royère.
NV Bel Rive, Caves de Wellenstein, Luxembourg,
8.5%
This tank method sparkling wine is made from a blend of Luxembourg and
Italian grapes. It has very little nose. Light and fresh: very non-scary,
with a touch of sweetness and some peachy-pear fruit. 85/100
NV Crémant Poll Fabaire, Les Domaines de Vinmoselle,
Luxembourg
A blend of riesling, pinot gris and pinot blanc. Very digestive biscuit
nose. Light and fresh, but it develops a richness, presumably from the
pinot gris. More petillant than crémant. Very dry on the finish. Very
Good+. 88/100
2003 Rivaner, Côtes de Remich, Les Domaines de
Vinmoselle, Luxembourg, 10.5%
A peachy, white flower nose. Good clean attack. Quite uncomplicated and
very light textured. A bit curious on the middle. Finishes ok. Very
Good. 86/100
2002 Auxerrois, Côtes de Grevenmacher, Les Domaines de
Vinmoselle, Luxembourg
A nice perfumed honeysuckle nose. Very light bodied, but far from insipid.
This has a really good depth of flavour. Quite impressive. Very Good
Indeed. 91/100
2003 Riesling Wormeldange Nussbaum, Grand Premier Cru,
Les Domaines de Vinmoselle, Luxembourg
This is quite German-Mosel like on the nose, with appley and slatey notes.
Light textured again, but quite minerally too. Very Good Indeed. 90/100
2003 Gewurztraminer Machtberg Gollebour, Grand Premier
Cru, Les Domaines de Vinmoselle, Luxembourg
A very delicate, fragrant lychee nose. Delicate, light and fragrant on the
palate, with a hint of sweetness. Long and rich, but far from in your
face. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
2002 Pinot Noir Rosé, Ch. Edmond de la Fontaine,
Luxembourg
A rich raspberry pink colour. Crème de framboise and crème de mûre
on the nose. Starts off well in the mouth with good flavours, but it
quickly tails away. Very Good. 86/100
2002 Pinot Noir Rouge, Ch. Edmond de la Fontaine,
Luxembourg
Quite a lightish colour. This has a gorgeous, perfumed pinot noir nose.
Nice enough palate. This is a good cool climate pinot noir. Solid. Very
Good. 86/100
2004 L’Oppidum Blanc, Domaine de la Royère, Côtes du
Lubéron
Anne Hugues told me that this is a blend of grenache blanc, vermentino, ugni
blanc and clairette. The nose is nice and rich. Good balance on the
palate. Round and open, but with good depth. Very minerally on the
finish. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
2005 L’Oppidum Rosé, Domaine de la Royère, Côtes du
Lubéron
Primarily syrah, with a bit of grenache, this had been in bottle only two
weeks. Very fruity, slightly confected nose with lots of bubblegum
character. Simple and overconfected, even with some of the bubblegum on the
palate too. OK. 77/100
2001 L’Oppidum Rouge, Domaine de la Royère, Côtes du
Lubéron
A blend of syrah, grenach, mourvèdre and carignan. Violets and a hint of
brett on the nose. Disjointed palate. Poor. 73/100
2001 Vieilles Vignes, Domaine de la Royère, Côtes du
Lubéron
Aged for nine months in used barrels. There’s some mourvèdre evident on the
nose, with rich, red and black fruits. There’s a good tannic structure and
some sour cherry flavours. Good/Very Good. 85/100
2001 Quercus, Domaine de la Royère
This spends 18 months in new barrels. The nose is very attractive. Very
interesting on the palate. Not at all overcooked. Lovely smooth tannins.
Very complex. Very Good+. 87/100
NV Vin de Raisins Surmuris, Domaine de la Royère
This is a vin doux naturel made from muscat à petits grains. There’s no
appellation or any designation on the label or whatsoever: Anne Hugues told
me, however, that officially it was a vin de table. There’s no vintage
shown, as it’s a vin de table, but Anne told me this was all from the 2004
vintage. It has a very fresh, lightly muscatty nose. Lovely balance. Very
light. An excellent example. 94/100
Winegrowers Direct Ltd
Winegrowers Direct represent a number of top quality producers in France and
Rioja, specialising in the Rhône. Their champagne houses are family-owned with
significant vineyard holdings.
NV Champagne Bauget-Jouette
55% chardonnay, 40% pinot meunier, 5% pinot noir, with three years bottle
age. This is from their 15 hectares of vines on the Côte de Blancs. It has
a very attractive blackcurrant fruit nose. Good palate. This has nice
character with very good balance and really interesting fruit on the
finish. Very Good Indeed+. 93/100
NV Champagne Vilmart Grand Cellier
An inviting fresh toasty nose. Quite austere and elegant. Very Good
Indeed. 90/100
Jascots
Jascots main business is with interesting smaller producers, whose wines are
priced competitively, rather than with trophy wines. Most of their producers
are small, producing less than 1000 cases a year.
2004 Lugana, Tenuta Roveglia, Lugana, Italy
100% trebbiano. This has a rich, herbaceous nose. Fresh and crisp on the
palate. Powerful strong flavours. Pretty impressive. Very Good/Very Good
Indeed. 89/100
2003 Merlot, Forestville Vineyards, Sonoma County
A bright, vibrant colour. Nice nose, but on the palate, it doesn’t live up
to the promise. Very short and simple. Good. 81/100
Arthur Rackham Emporia
2003 Beau Sea Viognier, Duncan MacGillivray, Longview
Vineyards Estate, Adelaide Hills, South Australia
The fruit for this Viognier, named after Duncan MacGillvray's horse, comes
entirely from Longview’s vineyard at Macclesfield in the Adelaide Hills. The
fruit was hand-picked to minimize fruit damage, then chilled to 10-15C, the
juice separated and skins pressed. After Bentonite fining and coarse earth
filtering, the wine spent 3 months in old French oak barriques.
This has a rich buttery viognier nose. Good palate. Very Good. 86/100
2004 Devils Elbow Cabernet Sauvignon, Duncan Mac
Gillivray, Longview Vineyards Estate, Adelaide Hills, South Australia
A nice, open, approachable cabernet sauvignon. Very Good. 86/100
NV Champagne Lallier Grand Cru Ay, Grand Reserve, 12.5%
70 % Pinot Noir from Grand Cru d’Aÿ and 30 % Chardonnay from the Grand Cru
d’Avize et de Cramant
A nice interesting nose – quite peachy, that follows through onto a
relatively rich palate. Very Good. 87/100
NV Calvados Anée Pays d’Auge VSOP Superior
A good, pure, appley calvados with pleasingly low spirit.
Farigoule, Distilleries et Domaines de Provence
This is a liqueur flavoured with thyme: the thyme is collected in flower in
the spring, then macerated, then distilled. Tiny quantities of sage,
verbena and angelica are also added, along with cane-sugar syrup and caramel. It’s nicely balanced on its own,
unusual, and pleasant. Obviously unusual, but the flavour really isn’t more
weird than the aniseed of pastis. This would be useful in the kitchen, but
is far more than an ingredient.
RinQuinQuin à la Pèche, Distilleries et Domaines de
Provence
This is an aperitif with a base made of white wine, alcohol, infusions of
peaches, peach tree leaves and sugar. The peaches and leaves are macerated
separately in alcohol and wine. After the maceration period (six months to
one year), the infusions that are obtained are separated into two parts. The
liquid part is added to the white wine. The solid part is distilled and then
added.
This is less industrial than the Boudier Crème de Pèche: more artisinal
feeling, more fragrant, much less sweet and just all round better.
Crème de Cassis, Gabriel Boudier, Dijon
Very Good Indeed.
Crème de Pèche, Gabriel Boudier, Dijon
This feels a bit sweet and industrial.
Paradoxale Liqueur à l’Orange, Gabriel Boudier, Dijon
One of four flavours in Boudier’s top range. This is superb stuff.
Bovey
Wines
Bovey Wines was established by Pamela and Geoffrey Cole in 1984 to import the
madeiras of Pereira D’Oliveira.
NV Pereira D’Oliveira Madeira 10 year old Dry
Light and fragrant on the nose; similar on the palate. Impressive. Very
Good Indeed. 90/100
NV Pereira D’Oliveira Madeira 10 year old Medium-Sweet
This is a touch high-toned on the nose. In contrast to the 10 year old
dry,
this is rather unexceptional. OK. 78/100
NV Pereira D’Oliveira Madeira 15 year old Medium-Dry
This is a touch muddy on the nose. Fairly simple on the palate. Good,
clean finish. Good+ 84/100
NV Pereira D’Oliveira Madeira 15 year old Sweet
A slight nose. Quite interesting on the palate with good depth. Very
Good. 86/100
1989 Pereira D’Oliveira Madeira Colheita Sercial
A rich nose, though slightly muddy. Lovely palate. Top stuff. Very Good
Indeed. 92/100
1988 Pereira D’Oliveira Madeira Colheita Terrantez
Somewhat muted on the nose. Very attractive on the palate. Good depth.
Very fine indeed. Very Good Indeed. 90/100
1987 Pereira D’Oliveira Madeira Colheita Malvasia
A lovely cognac-y nose (all the aromas without the spirit). This is very
fine indeed. There’s some sweetness coming through, but not at all
excessive, and it has great balancing acidity. Very Good Indeed. 90/100
1983 Pereira D’Oliveira Madeira Colheita Boal
A very fragrant nose, completely different to the other Pereira D’Oliveira
madeiras on show. Similarly the palate is quite distinctive: very fresh.
Just off dry. Very Good Indeed. 90/100
1981 Pereira D’Oliveira Madeira Colheita Verdelho
An interesting nose with some green fruit. Lovely palate: very clean
indeed. Lots of acidity on the finish. Very Good Indeed. 90/100
1977 Pereira D’Oliveira Madeira Reserva Terrantez
Bottled in 2004. Back to a wet mud nose. Seems rather simpler. Not doing
it for me. Good. 83/100
1971 Pereira D’Oliveira Madeira Reserva Sercial
Bottled in 2002. A very interesting nose: clearer and brighter than the
1989 Colheita Sercia. The palate too is clearer, cleaner and bright. Very
Good Indeed/Excellent. 95/100
1968 Pereira D’Oliveira Madeira Reserva Boal
A much slighter, more gentle nose than the 1983 Colheita Boal. Lovely
round, complex palate. Much more satisfying. Very savoury with plenty of
acidity on the finish. Very Good Indeed+. 93/100
1966 Pereira D’Oliveira Madeira Reserva Verdelho Bottled in
2005. A very nutty nose, that’s slightly astringent. Good palate. Very
good, but not overly impressive. 85/100
1937 Pereira D’Oliveira Madeira Reserva Sercial
Just a bit more concentrated than the 1971 Sercial Reserva. Very direct
attack. Powerful, yet very smooth with really good acidity keep it very
balanced. Excellent. 94/100.