Building
on the success of SuperBOWL 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, and
after a short break, SuperBOWL 2009 again took place in Glasgow, but
moved to early March from its previously traditional October
date.
Nothing
to do with bowling or some obscure American sport, this was a meeting
of British
On-line
Wine
Lovers,
and it was super.
On 7th
March 2009 a number of those wine lovers, readers of and
contributors to the wine-pages.com
forum, together with some winemakers as distinguished guests,
attended an afternoon of tastings, seminars and a grand dinner
at the Trades Hall in Glasgow. The event was organised by Tom
Cannavan of wine-pages.com,
to whom huge thanks is due.
There were
several off-line meetings and tastings over dinner the previous night:
you can read my notes from the off-line at Braidwoods by
following
this link.
The wines
were supplied by those attending and by a number of sponsors: see
the report
on wine-pages.com
for further information.
Walk
round tasting
These are
largely in the order tasted, but bear in mind there were a couple of
interruptions for the seminars.
It's worth pointing out at the beginning that, combined with the
seminars, this
was a huge collection of wine (and there were dozens that I did not
taste - I ended up ignoring most of the Burgundies and all the
clarets, for example). Inevitably some wines suffer either by
comparison or just by the sheer bulk of competition. Others suffer from
the
speed of tasting, my being distracted by something else, or the lack of
repeat pourings to reassess at leisure. Others suffer from not being
drunk with food.
Caveats over, here we go ...
2008 Mullineux White, Mullineux
Family Wines, WO Swartland
Quite a creamy, lemony nose with a touch of lanolin.Powerful, rich palate.It does feel a bit like a sample that needs
time to settle and integrate.87/100
1995 Gravonia, Lopez de Heredia
Viña Tondonia, Rioja
A gorgeous rich nose – nutty, with hints of apricots and of pears.Unfortunately, the palate doesn’t live up to
the promise of the nose.It feels much
older than the nose, and much older than 1995.There’s a strong oxidised nutty feel that is too dominant.83/100
1993 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling
Auslese Fass 6, S A Prüm, AP Nr. 2 576 510 06 94
Lots of secondary petrolly minerality and a slight hint of botrytis on the
nose.Mature palate: minerally and
stone.Nice and precise.Maybe a bit more advanced than it should
be?89/100
1998 Dürnsteiner Kellerberg
Riesling Smaragd trocken, Freie Weingärtner Wachau, 13%
A rather curious nose: clean minerality, then some polish, then some grape
jelly.Odd palate, with a very extracted
feel.It has a really coarse edge and a
slightly unpleasant roundness.Quite
persistent and long.78/100
2000 Loibner Berg Riesling
Smaragd, FX Pichler, Wachau, 13.5%
A very lemony, zesty nose with a wet chalk minerality.Precise, focussed palate.Very pure, with a steely minerality.Gorgeous acidity, which sears on the
finish.91/100
2002 Champagne
Les Rachais, Raymond Boulard
100% chardonnay.Disgorged June
2008.A very enticing lemony-minerally
nose with a crisp greenness and a sort of yeasty celery note. Very precise
initially, then lots of apple and pear fruit come along and fill the
mouth.90/100
2002 Chablis GrandCru Bougros, Domaine Servin, 13%
The nose has perfumed clarified butter with hints of lavender.Big, open palate.This is in a big mature style.Very mouthfilling.Excellent length.Lovely Chablis.91/100
2004 Craighall Riesling, DryRiver,
Martinborough
A pale lemon yellow.The nose is
delightful, with crisp grapefruit and pineapple notes.Very clean palate.A good, fresh, crisp riesling, though not
overly complex at all.88/100
1997 Clos de la Coulée de Serrant,
AC Savennières-Coulée de Serrant, Nicolas Joly, 14%
There’s a bit of an oxidised feel on the nose.Very full, spirity stone fruit characters on the palate.Very blowsy.Sour peas and bitter honey on the finish.Don’t know whether this is meant to be like
this, but it’s not for me.76/100
2006 Châteauneuf du Pape blanc,
Domaine de la Côte de l’Ange, 14%
An attractive, resh nose with creamy white peach and a certain candied
note.Very nice palate.Very balanced.Rich, clean, dry.There’s a hint of honeydew melon on the
finish.Superb.94/100
1994 Clos du Bourg Demi Sec, Huët, 12%
A lovely integrated nose.Creamy lanolin
and lemon.Precise palate with lovely
concentration.Lots of fresh citrus
flavours back up with a fairly rich spine.91/100
1995 Le Mont Moelleux, Huët
More reticent than the Clos de Bourg on the nose.It feels much younger than the Clos de Bourg
too.The sweetness is there but it is
much more underlying, waiting to come out.93/100
2006 Humagne Rouge, Clos Chateau
Ravire, Valais, Switzerland
The nose has bright red fruit and reminds me of a red vinho verde.A fruit cocktail palate with a nice
astringent note.Very much reminiscent
of a red vinho verde, with that same sort of clunky, rustic
attractiveness.85/100
2003 Shafer Hillside Select, Napa
Valley, Stags Leap District, 14.9%
A ludicrously heavy bottle.Highly
attractive nose with perfumed blackberry fruit and some pencil shavings.Powerful and young, but already fairly
integrated.Very fine.93/100
2000 Turley Zinfandel, Moore Earthquake Vineyard, NapaValley
Perfumed blackberries and chocolate on the nose.Big, meaty palate with a nice feral
gaminess.Massive spice on the finish.90/100
2006 Cline Syrah, Sonoma County, 14%
Fleshy plums and blackberries on the nose.Very attractive palate – it starts off with bitter chocolate notes and
ends with milk chocolate.An interesting
wine, but too much of a chocolate character dominating for me.86/100
2006 Lachini Pinot Noir,
Willamette Valley, Lachini Family Estate, 14.2%
An attractive nose with very, very deep raspberry fruit.Good palate.This has a nice, direct approachability.There’s a nice balanced feel.Feels like a warm climate pinot noir for sure, but it has a reasonable
balance and elegance. 89/100
2008 Mullineux Syrah, Mullineux
Family Wines, W.O. Swartland
Very primary black fruits on the nose.Nice smooth, young syrah palate.Very good balance.87-91/100
2001 Viña Hermosa
Reserva Selección de Familia, Rioja, Santiago
Ijalba
A dusty, oaky nose.Pleasant palate with
a mixture of freshness and age.Tends a
bit on the gran reserva side.89/100
2001 Vergelegen, W.O.
Stellenbosch
A rather attractive herbal nose, just tending to the medicinal, and with some
scents of green cardamom.Attractive
palate: it has an attractive leanness and ashen green fruit.I rather like this.91/100
1995 Pinotage, W.O.
Stellenbosch, Kanonkop, 13%
There are red fruit and pencil erasers on the nose.Very expressive, open palate with a slightly
plasticky edge.86/100
1999 Batuta, Douro, Niepoort
A lovely attractive nose: plums, black fruits, violets.Yum.Very approachable and very interesting on the palate.Lots of very interesting character with a
delicious juicy edge.Firms tannins on
the finish contribute to a feeling that this is likely to improve over the next
five years.91/100
1967 Brunello di
Montalcino, Fattoria dei Barbi Proprieta Colombini, 12.8%
There are high toned, bright, red fruits on the nose.Interesting palate: very light and secondary.Very old feeling, but still with us and
offering pleasure.90/100
1985 Brunello di
Montalcino, Biondi-Santi Az. Agr. Greppo
Not terribly forthcoming on the nose with fairly old, soft red fruits.A lovely subtle old lady.91/100
2005 Calderara
Sottana, DOC Etna, Tenuta delle Terre Nere
Initially a warm, inviting nose, but then it develops a really herbal character
– medicinal even.Decent palate with
some unusual flavours, but overall it feels a bit simple.86/100
1998 La Court,
Barbera d’Asti, Michele Chiarlo, 13.5%
A fairly straightforward nose that’s nice and attractive and inviting.Very good palate.This is a very pleasant wine.There’s nice structure and very good balance.I love the acidity too.89/100
2004 Flaccianello
della Pieve, IGT Colli Toscana Centrale, Az. Agr. Fontodi
An attractive nose with gently fragrant black fruits.Open, fresh palate.Good fruit character is combined with nice
structure and balance.89/100
2008 Straw Wine,
W.O. Swartland, Mullineux Family Wines
250 cases made.Unfiltered &
unfined.Air-dried chenin.
A very attractive, orangey crème brûlée nose.Lovely fresh palate.Sweet and
fresh at the same time, this is in a hugely enjoyable style.Delicious.92/100
2003 Graacher
Domprobst Riesling Auslese Fass 7, SA Prüm, AP Nr. 2 576 510 11 04, 8.5%
A slightly murky, sulphury nose.Lovely
zingy attack.Good poise and elegance,
but ultimately a little simple and short.86/100
1971 Canzemer Altenberg
Auslese, Bischöfliches Priesterseminar, AP Nr. 3 561 012 13 72
A bright lemon gold appearance.Attractive old riesling nose with some secondary pear-spirit and
raisins.Lovely palate – much younger in
the mouth than on the nose.Very
balanced.Nice and ready to drink.90/100
2003 Deidesheimer
Mäushöhle Riesling Auslese, Josef Biffar, AP Nr. 5 106 026 072 04, 7.5%
Very gently sherbetty peach and apricot on the nose.Very, very rich and sweet on the palate.Clean, fresh and very sweet.It’s not quite got enough acidity.88/100
1994 Clos Uroulat, Jurançon,
Charles Hours,
13.5%
A bright, orangey gold.Lovely fresh
nose, if a bit simple.Complex palate
with lots of citrusy fruit.But it lacks
depth, especially on the finish.Good
length though.88/100
1983 Dürkheimer
Schenkenböhl Huxelrebe Trockenbeerenauslese, Winzergenossenschaft
Vier-Jahreszeiten Kloster Limburg, AP Nr. 5 160 331 095 84
This looks like a light PX – a dark mahogany core fading
to a yellow-green rim.It looks
completely cooked!The nose has no
obvious sign of maderisation: it’s sweet and slightly custardy with dried
apricots and banana flesh.Very sweet
attack (hardly surprising), and it doesn’t feel in the slightest
cooked/maderised.There’s a huge, almost
monstrous acidity which gives it balance and a quite unexpected freshness.Nice flavours.Surprisingly good.90/100
2000 Gewurztraminer
Jubilee, Hugel,
Selected by Berry Brothers & Rudd, 13.5%
A delicious, ripe, rich nose, not overladen with gewürztraminer character.On the palate it’s decent enough, but a bit
on the hard side.I was expecting more
from the Jubilee level.86/100
1998 Gewurztraminer
Hommage à Jean Hugel, Hugel, 13.5%
A ripe nose with some lychee and rose character, but quite subtle.On the palate it’s a rich, complex, layered
gewürztraminer with huge depth.Really
nice balance.Very good finish with
excellent length.93/100
1969 Gevrey
Chambertin Les Combottes Tête de Cuvée Premier Cru, Remoissenet Père & Fils
A lovely attractive nose – old with some interesting bilberry fruit and a
fungal note.Really nice on the palate:
good balance and depth and still with some life ahead of it.Lovely wine.92/100
1977 Graham’s
Vintage Port
Open nose with charming black fruits and some odd lemon grass lift.Nice, clean palate with good balance and a
rich, velvety, cosseting feel.92/100
1977 Delaforce
Vintage Port
This feels much more evolved than the Graham’s.It almost has a tawny feel to it, with some nutty oxidation. 88/100
Williams Humbert Don
Guido Rare Old Sweet Pedro Ximenez Solera Especial, Aged 20 yrs
Cocoa husks and treacle on the nose.On
the palate … well, it’s PX.But it’s a
very good one.Rich, thick, heavy and
luscious, but by far not the most cloying PX that I’ve tasted.90/100
Numerous
wines were provided by those attending - on occasion they came thick
and fast! Of necessity some of these notes are rather brief!
More or less in the order drunk.
1998 Champagne
Clos Cazals, Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs, Claude Cazals
Lovely, precise nose: vibrant lemon acidity with hints of yeast.Very good palate: very precise and focussed,
but also with a lovely depth.91/100
1992 Meursault Blagny, François
Jobard
A gorgeous yellow gold colour.Fresh,
precise roast butter nose.Very elegant
palate.Very, very pure and intense.92/100
1984 Saint-Joseph blanc, J-L
Grippat
Quite a slight nose – very subtle white Rhône character, which really opens up
as it warms up.Lovely palate with good
elegance initially.A slightly hard edge
comes along, but quickly dissipates leaving a smooth, very, very long nutty, creamy
finish.Very elegant.91/100
1989 Côtes du Rhône Blanc, Château
de Fonsalette
A rich nutty, almondy sweet nose with just a hint of spirity peach at the
end.Rich, pointed palate with some
spice.For me it lacks a little of the
elegance of the Grippat, but is still very enjoyable.88/100
1995 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling
Auslese, J. J. Prüm,
AP Nr. 2 576 511 2 03
Wet gravels and a bit of petrol on the nose.Lovely integrated palate.Spot
on.92/100
2006 Guru, Wine & Soul Lda, Douro
A big fresh, nutty nose.This is a firm
bodied, full flavoured wine with lots of interesting character.92/100
1953 Vosne Romanée Les Suchots,
shipped and bottled by Averys
There’s just a bit of lift on the nose.SweetVA
is all that remains on the palate.Dead.Not rated.
1996 Vosne Romanée 1er Cru Les
Suchots, Robert Arnoux Very attractive
nose – really lovely with very subtle fruit and earthiness.It feels very young.There’s lots of lovely acidity and a nice,
satisfying, savoury edge.A very fine
wine.91/100
1999 Pavillon Blanc de Château
Margaux, AC Bordeaux
Rather an extracted nose with green peas and cabbagey notes.Good palate: it alternates in the mouth
between freshness and richness, lemon and cream, vegetal and almost tropical
fruit.Interesting and enjoyable.90/100
2005 Pinot Noir, Château des
Charmes, NiagaraPeninsula VQA
A stinky, sweaty nose with red fruit behind.This has a nice light fresh pinot noir palate.Spicy oak dominates the finish.86/100
1976 Rioja Gran Reserva I,
Faustino
There’s a fairly Burgundian feel to the nose.Nice mature palate.Fairly
sweet.Very long.90/100
1982 Château Gruaud Larose, AC St
Julien
This has a deep and remarkably youthful colour.Lovely restrained, leafy nose with plenty of black fruit.The palate is refined with a very integrated
feel.Damn good claret.94/100
1976 Prado Enea, Bodegas Muga, 12.5%
A rather over-old nose with just a slight lift.On the palate this feels like very, very old Rioja.Dried out and past it.Not rated.
1996 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling
Auslese, J. J. Prüm,
AP Nr. 2 576 511 14 97
A lovely, maturing riesling nose.There’s some vibrancy immediately on the palate.Then a lovely rounded finish.Very dry finish.93/100
1994 Tignanello, Antinori
Very vegetal nose with some tarry notes.Rather tired palate.83/100
1997 Tignanello, Antinori
The nose has sweaty black fruits and some leather.Very complex palate with some concentrated
black fruit, some fresh fruit flavours and a significant quality tannic
structure.92/100
1997 Roagna Barbaresco Riserva,
Pajé (en magnum)
There is slightly astringent red and cherry fruit on the nose.Vibrant palate.There’s an astringency that, as usual, I
don’t like in Barbaresco.88/100
2001 The Clan, Capercaillie, SE Australia
A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and petit verdot.Not an over-the-top in-your-face nose, but
what’s there is some jammy, very raspberry fruit.Round, juicy fruit is very much to the fore
on the palate, again with largely raspberry flavours.Spicy on the finish with a firm tannic
structure.88/100
1999 Terra Vinya, Chapoutier, AC
Banyuls, 16%
Very open nose with blackberry fruit and a nice perfume.Chocolatey blackberry pastille palate.A nice drink.Fairly simply, but it works well.89/100
1995 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva
Especial, Marqués de Murrieta
An evolved, woody, but not oaky nose with clove and cinnamon spice.Beautiful palate.Very integrated and gorgeous.95/100
2006 Vannières, Vin de Table,
Château Vannières
Mental and menthol nose with fragrant blackcurrant fruit.Fresh, vibrant, fragrant sweet fruit on the
palate.There’s a bit of alcohol on the
finish.Mad but lovely.91/100
1993 Zind Humbrecht Rotenberg
Wintzenheim Pinot Gris Sélection de Grains Nobles
Quite a subtle nose really – sweet and honeyed.But it really doesn’t live up to the promise on the palate.It just feels rather clumsy.86/100
2001 Eschendorfer Lump Riesling
Trockenbeerenauslese, Horst Sauer, AP Nr. 4 397 02 9 02
A very deep, almost bronzey colour.Fragrant honey and apricots on the nose.Very nice, but it seems to lack the really bracing acidity of the
2002.I’m very disappointed in this
bottle, and wonder if there’s something wrong with it.It’s just not right.I wonder if there’s a touch of
oxidation?88/100
1997 NiepoortVintagePort
Initially the nose is rather simple, though with time it opens up and develops
some very attractive fragrance.On the
palate, it’s really over-spirity: the spirit completely dominates, making it a
very hard drink.Maybe an extended
decanting time would have helped?This
might have been uncorked and poured straight away.84/100
1995 Brauneberger Juffer Riesling
Kabinett, Fritz Becker Erben, 8%, AP Nr. 2 577 015 2 96
Quite a mature Mosel riesling nose with a
slatey minerality that outweights what’s left of the fruit.Very minerally on the palate, feeling a
little over-mature.A bit simple and a
bit short.86/100
1992 Hermitage La Chapelle, Paul
Jaboulet Aîné
On the nose there’s ripe, yet restrained black fruit with some leather.Quite forward and mature on the palate; and also
there’s a bit of greenness there.A
touch astringent on the finish.It
doesn’t appear to have much structure left.87/100
2005 La fage Cahors, Domaine Cosse
Maisonneuve
A very deep, young colour.On the nose
there are big, ripe perfumed black fruits.Big, full palate: some sweet black fruit initially, which is quickly
overtaken by a massive tannic structure.There’s some style to this … in a Cahors way.87/100
