Had a nice dinner on Saturday night with colleagues Will Lyons and Joe Wadsack at the home of Daniel Primack of Around Wine. I wouldn’t be so indiscreet as to recount the topics of the lively conversation, but I wanted to post on the excellent wines we enjoyed freshly plucked from Daniel’s well stocked Eurocave.
Cape Point Isliedh 2006 South Africa
Regular readers will know of my admiration for Duncan Savage’s Cape Point wines. This, a blend of Sauvignon and Semillon fermented in oak, is drinking beautifully now. There’s a nice combination of green herbal notes with grapefruit freshness, in a very sophisticated, elegant context. Everything just holds together so well here. 93/100
Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 2002 Hunter Valley, Australia
Taut, fresh and precise, and still just a baby. Very bright with just a hint of creamy, dairy character under the intense citrus fruits. Yet to develop the toasty aged characters that Hunter Semillon is so famous for. This was cork sealed. 92/100
Château Haut-Bages Libéral 2001 Pauillac, Bordeaux
This is why we buy Bordeaux. Classic and elegant with lovely blackcurrant and cherry fruit. It’s fresh with a gravelly, savoury edge. Nicely elegant style with good acidity and just 12.5% alcohol. Mineral, fine and lovely. 94/100
Michel Torino Altimvs 2005 Cafayete, Argentina
Blow me down! An elegant wine from Argentina! This blend of Cabernet, Malbec, Bonarda, Tannat and Syrah is ripe but balanced with ripe berry fruits and good structure. It’s also quite mineral, without any over-ripeness, and fresh berry and cherry fruit playing the dominant role. Quite a serious effort. 93/100
Fritz Lang Gewürztraminer Beerenauslese 1999 Neusiedlersee, Austria
Wonderfully intense, sweet and viscous with lovely grape and apricot fruit, as well as spicy, nutty, waxy complexity. Lovely depth and length. 93/100
Great tasting notes and let’s not forget Billy & Bolly.
Oh yes! How could I forget? We started off with a lovely double combination of billy and bolly – Billecart Salmon and Bollinger Rose. Both were very good – my preference was for the Bollinger Rose, which was lovely.