The autumn trade tastings are coming thick and fast and this has also been a good week for wines opened at home.
The first is my wine of the month with a place in my top 5 for the year so far. Domaine des Remizières (Desmeure Père et Fils) is not considered a leading estate but its Hermitage 1990 was superb; blind, I could have mistaken it for something from further South containing a healthy dollop of Mourvèdre; this is a measure of the wine’s generosity and complexity with its aromas of leather and tar tinged roses and sweet cherry enhancing excellent depth and fine mouth-fill; 17.5/20++.
(Lest anyone says that this was a flash in the pan for the producer because nobody could fail in 1990, let me point out that the 1991, all gone, was almost as good.)
One look in the glass of Château Haut-Monplaisir Prestige 2002 explains why Cahors is called “the black wine”; this was a very typical and good example showing little primary fruit but fascinating secondary aromas of tar, spice, forest floor, liquorice on a densely savoury body with bright acidity and firm tannic structure; unlike most Argentinian Malbec, this is too upright and austere to be a crowd pleaser but is an excellent wine to cut through rich preparations of lamb, duck or goose; 16/20.
The Chalonnais producer Domaine Henri et Paul Jacqueson is an excellent source of QPR red and white Burgundy (about € 20 for a 1er cru). This was the best bottle (but the last) of Mercurey 1er cru “Les Nargues” 2000 (R) with its attractive fruit dominated by cherry and a well balanced medium weight body now revealing good mouth-feel and the usual charm of the vintage having lost the metallic touch which marred earlier bottles; 16/20. On the other hand, I think that I kept Rully 1er cru “Grésigny” 1999 (W) too long (one more bottle); the entry is nicely mineral with some nutty white fruit but an excessive note of dry caramel emerged on the finish which I don’t recall from earlier bottles; 14.5/20 now.
Côtes de Brouilly 2006 – Domaine des Terres Dorées (J-P Brun) was an enjoyable but not outstanding Beaujolais cru. The nose is almost dumb and I cannot help wondering whether the black synthetic stopper, which Brun has misguidedly used, plays an aroma scalping role. On the palate the wine was eminently quaffable with lively minerals, nice but somewhat subdued plum and prune fruit and sufficient grip; with a natural cork or screwcap, I would give another year or so for opening up; barely 15/20.
Valdeorras “Val de Sil” Godello sobre lias 2004– Bodegas Valdesil was as expected more subtle and complex than the 2006 on which I wrote a few weeks ago and showed lovely aromas of white fruit, white meat, minerals and honey on a medium-full body enhanced by lively mouth-watering acidity; the honey notes are getting more prominent and I wonder if this a warning of imminent oxidization; very good, though, 16/20+. Another example of the excellent results from the Godello white grape in Valdeorras, North-Western Spain.