Wendouree, Gaja, Krug, LLC, Alion, Leroy, Rousseau, Leflaive
Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 4:06 pm
Brief impressions of some wines at Restaurant Sojourn in Balmain. Not up to usual standards (in fact quite disappointing) – a lot of the food seemed tired and too dry to me, although the quince pudding was delicious!
MV Krug Grande Cuvee
Excellent precision and focus of primary flavours - rich lemon sherbet, lemon meringue, hazelnuts. No complexity as yet. Long length. Not a very vigorous mousse.
92/100
2005 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling-Auslese #09
Freaking exquisite and gorgeous. Man I would seriously buy a pallet of this if I could. Power packed honey, lemon, and peaches. Closer to BA than Auslese. Drinking awesomely well now. Delightful.
93/100
1997 Domaine Vincent et Francois Jouard Batard-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes
Guess?
NR
2001 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatieres
Light gold. Lovely minerally dried lemons. Balanced and medium bodied. Not a long termer. Drink now and over next 3 years. Lacks acid.
87/100
1998 Domaine Armand Rousseau Ruchottes Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes Monopole
Earthy and red berries on a lovely nose. Lean palate however with little depth, length, acid or tannins. Boring wine.
86/100
2000 Domaine Leroy Nuits-St.-Georges Les Boudots
This is much more like it! Deep fruited and intense with lovely structure and acidity. Long. Finely cloaked tannins. My type of Burg and I’m not usually a fan of Leroy (esp. the GCs). Lovely balance. Expressive and drinking well.
92/100
1993 Gaja Barbaresco
Blacker fruits with excellent length and honed acidity. Cross between Bordeaux and Burgundy and I liked it a lot! Classy wine.
91/100
1982 Chateau Langoa Barton
Ripe, sweet blackberries. Beautiful textbook St.-Julien balance and refinement. A typically glorious 82. Still so youthful yet a pointe. Loved it.
93/100
1983 Château Léoville Las Cases
Wasn’t paying much attention to this one sadly as I had to skull my glass to make way for the other wines coming! But it was clearly good. Deeper and more youthful than then Langoa. Bigger framework with more richness. Palate finishes with clean, chalky tannins. But I preferred the Langoa while others preferred the LLC. No hurry to drink this one either.
91/100
1995 Bodegas y Viñedos Alion Cosecha
More oak evident here than anything and quite new worldish. Finishes tannic and quite bitter dry. Needs some time?
87/100
2004 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro
Deep and hauntingly beautiful candied blackberries and five-spice. Seamless. Amazing balance. Iron fist in silk gloves. No hint of Clare eucalypt/menthol. Not as brutal as past vintages of Wendouree. Very, very classy stuff and more than acquitted itself in illustrious company. Mark redeemed himself after that enamel-ripping 1996 Wendouree Shiraz! Drinks well now but tannins bit disjointed but still oh-so velvet and pure.
92/100
1995 S. A. Huet Vouvray 'Cuvée Constance'
Nose a touch dirty and feral. Palate sweet but not overtly so. Excellent length with lots of acid and deep poached dried fruits. Very nice. But not the table lifter and genuine legend that the 1989 (and potentially the 1997) is, lacking its profound intensity, concentration, complexity balance and length.
91/100
Hard to pick a WOTN for me. I was more concerned wit enjoying the wines and night rather than analytical note taking. So I’ll pick the 4 I liked most and couldn't separate (in no specific order): Fritz Haag, Leroy, Langoa and Wendouree.
MV Krug Grande Cuvee
Excellent precision and focus of primary flavours - rich lemon sherbet, lemon meringue, hazelnuts. No complexity as yet. Long length. Not a very vigorous mousse.
92/100
2005 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling-Auslese #09
Freaking exquisite and gorgeous. Man I would seriously buy a pallet of this if I could. Power packed honey, lemon, and peaches. Closer to BA than Auslese. Drinking awesomely well now. Delightful.
93/100
1997 Domaine Vincent et Francois Jouard Batard-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes
Guess?
NR
2001 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatieres
Light gold. Lovely minerally dried lemons. Balanced and medium bodied. Not a long termer. Drink now and over next 3 years. Lacks acid.
87/100
1998 Domaine Armand Rousseau Ruchottes Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes Monopole
Earthy and red berries on a lovely nose. Lean palate however with little depth, length, acid or tannins. Boring wine.
86/100
2000 Domaine Leroy Nuits-St.-Georges Les Boudots
This is much more like it! Deep fruited and intense with lovely structure and acidity. Long. Finely cloaked tannins. My type of Burg and I’m not usually a fan of Leroy (esp. the GCs). Lovely balance. Expressive and drinking well.
92/100
1993 Gaja Barbaresco
Blacker fruits with excellent length and honed acidity. Cross between Bordeaux and Burgundy and I liked it a lot! Classy wine.
91/100
1982 Chateau Langoa Barton
Ripe, sweet blackberries. Beautiful textbook St.-Julien balance and refinement. A typically glorious 82. Still so youthful yet a pointe. Loved it.
93/100
1983 Château Léoville Las Cases
Wasn’t paying much attention to this one sadly as I had to skull my glass to make way for the other wines coming! But it was clearly good. Deeper and more youthful than then Langoa. Bigger framework with more richness. Palate finishes with clean, chalky tannins. But I preferred the Langoa while others preferred the LLC. No hurry to drink this one either.
91/100
1995 Bodegas y Viñedos Alion Cosecha
More oak evident here than anything and quite new worldish. Finishes tannic and quite bitter dry. Needs some time?
87/100
2004 Wendouree Shiraz Mataro
Deep and hauntingly beautiful candied blackberries and five-spice. Seamless. Amazing balance. Iron fist in silk gloves. No hint of Clare eucalypt/menthol. Not as brutal as past vintages of Wendouree. Very, very classy stuff and more than acquitted itself in illustrious company. Mark redeemed himself after that enamel-ripping 1996 Wendouree Shiraz! Drinks well now but tannins bit disjointed but still oh-so velvet and pure.
92/100
1995 S. A. Huet Vouvray 'Cuvée Constance'
Nose a touch dirty and feral. Palate sweet but not overtly so. Excellent length with lots of acid and deep poached dried fruits. Very nice. But not the table lifter and genuine legend that the 1989 (and potentially the 1997) is, lacking its profound intensity, concentration, complexity balance and length.
91/100
Hard to pick a WOTN for me. I was more concerned wit enjoying the wines and night rather than analytical note taking. So I’ll pick the 4 I liked most and couldn't separate (in no specific order): Fritz Haag, Leroy, Langoa and Wendouree.