Life is too short to drink bad wine

Two wines by Montille from Beaune, both 2009, which was compared to the ones by Albert Morot and also a Pinot Noir by Copain from California. Beaune 1er cru Les Perrieres 2009 Montille This is a very elegant wine with lots of direct red fruit and minerality. A bit smoky but oh so delicious on the nose. Elegant aftertaste with firm taste that is balancing perfect in the mouth. Beaune 1er cru Les Greves 2009 Montille Yet another lovely wine from Beaune.Lots of minerality and delicious red fruit. More body than the Perrieres and a super nice balance and acidity. Lots of power and energy inthis wine. Super super nice. Copain Kiser En Bas 2009 Anderson Valley This is a slightly sweeter Pinot but without being too sweet. Very friendly style and super easy to drink. Velvet. Dark cherries of the gracious kind. A lovely lovely wine.

I have been dying to write about a Krug tasting I attended back in November last year, but I never seems to have the time. The Champagne that were tested were as follows: - Krug Grand Cuvee (Jereboam sized bottle) - Krug 1981 - Krug  1982 Selection - Krug 1985 (magnum) - Krug 1988 - Krug 1989 - Krug 1989 selection An amazing selection that had been gathered by Frank Sanden. We all had our different favourites but we all agreed it was a fantastic evening. Below follows some explanations from the website as well as personal notes. Krug Grande Cuvée is the archetype of Krug’s philosophy of craftsmanship and savoir faire: A blend of around 120 wines from ten or more different vintages, some of which may reach 15 years of age. Blending so many vintages gives Krug Grande Cuvée its unique fullness of flavours and aromas, its incredible generosity and its absolute elegance - something impossible to express with the wines of just a single year. Its exceptional finesse...

Old coloured wine, tawny like. Smell of old cellar, like an old Bordeaux really. Dusty old sweet cherries on the nose. Nicely balnced wine but perhaps a bit short on the length with no more tannins left and quite an innocent acidity. Still a very nice wine and totally clearly a Bordeaux according to the whole panel. So when did you last mistake a Burgundy for being Bordeaux Parker once asked. The answer is 16 October in this case as the wine is a Beaune Premier cru from the Cent Vignes parcel. Beaune 1er cru Cent Vignes 1997 Beaune Louis Dufouleur Ca 25£ Total score 16.20 Second wine very similar to the first but with much more acidity and fruit to it. The colour was deeper red and younger. Nose was packed with red fruit. Smooth and quit a long balanced aftertaste. A much nicer wine and some debate in the panel as to where. In fact same producer same plot justa 2003 vintage. Which in itself is a bit surprising as the acity is very pronounced and for 2003 (warm ...

The first wine at the St.Julien wine tasting. Sorry for the label as this one comes from the cave in Paris where the humidity is just a bit too much. Branaire-Ducru is a small St.Julien Chateaux with the aim to produce fruity and fresh wines with finesse. 2004 is a very drinkable vintage right now and this as well. Straight forward nose with red fruit, some cedar and oak. A del balanced taste with a nice acidity. Not a big wine but it provides a nice enough experience for around 30-35€. Ch. Branaire-Ducru 2004 St.Julien

The second wine of the tasting as well as the second wine of Leoville-Lascases. This also from 2004. A very dark purple colour and a much more complex nose and taste as compared to the Brainaire-Ducru. Delightful smell of dark, fruit, hint of cedar, spice and some pencil case. Big, complex, delightfully balanced with firm soft tannins. A great acidity as well. A lovely wine! Clos du Marquis 2004 St.Julien

I have had this one for some time in the cellar and now it was time to compare it to the 2004. A very surprising dark colour with very limited sign of aging. Lovely complex "Bordeaux" nose with a brilliant long taste and great smooth tannins. A delightful wine with a lovely acidity, fruit and balance. Very good value for money and a great Bordeaux which is still young. Clos du Marquis 1996 Saint-Julien

Ch. Leoville Poyferre is a 2nd Grand Cru classee which is often more reasonably priced than it's neighbours. Two thirds of the terroir is of exceptional quality opposite those of Leoville Lascases. Again a dark colour and a complex delightful Bordeaux nose filled with red fruit, blackcurrant, coffee and mocca. The taste was also well balanced with a nice acidity although it was somewhat short which can be caused by the vintage. 2007 is not the best vintage around. A great wine anyway. Ch.Leoville Poyferre 2007 Saint-Julien High price

Oh what a wine! We are getting close to heaven I think. Delicate, complex and wonderful Bordeaux nose. Lots of fruit, cedar, tobacco and coffee. Old cellar. Lovely. The taste is big, subtle, beautifully balanced, long and ever so smooth. Incredible really! How are any of the remaining wines going to match this ? Ch. Leoville Poyferre 1995 St.Julien High price ca 150€

So we decided to start with the 1985 and take the 1989 at the end. The 1985 was just fantastic. The nose was super elegant with all the complexities of  Bordeaux. More old cellar and wet wool type aromas, but ever so good and heavenly. The taste was just enormous with an incredible balance and length. It's definitely at peak right now and will not get better through further storage. A truly great wine. Massive stuff!!! Leoville Lascases 1985 St. Julien Very high price

The last wine of the tasting and what a wine! I thought it was going to be tough to surpass the Poyferre 1995 and then the 1985 Lascases, but this was like the 1985 but with more energy and power. Same complex nose, but the taste has more energy and power due to more tannins being present in the wine. Gourgeous wine with a massive long and elegant taste that goes on for ever. A wine that can be kept for another 5-10 years. Leoville Lascases 1989 St. Julien Very high price

The rose version is made from only Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Lovely pale salmon colour. Smell is filled with delicious red fruit, wild strawberries and some red cherries. Great balanced and refreshing taste with a soft aftertaste filled with red fruit. Aperitif or with sea food. Ca 280 NOK or 27€

This is the Blanc de Blancs version by Nomine-Renard, i.e just 100% Chardonnay. Medium straw color and with a bouquet more towards ripe apples, wet breadcrumbs and some citrus fruit. Well balanced taste, with medium + acidity and a kind finish. A bit more expensive than the brut version, but one step up in terms of quality. Ca 270kr or 25€.

This is a delightful white Burgundy. Pronounced smell of lime, butter and minerals. Perfect balance with a balance between fruit and acidity. Simply great stuff and a must buy if you ever comes across a bottle at your local wine shop. Try with white fish or as pure meditation.... Meursault 2010 Ch. de Puligny-Montrachet Ca 40€

I just love Rose Champagne! The beautiful colour which reminds you of a rose wine on a warm summer night on the terrace (or in the garden) mixed with bubbles are just a great combination. This Rose by Bollinger is very fruity and full bodied and should really be enjoyed with food. Yeast and redcurrant on the nose and a complex full-bodied long fruity taste. A truly wonderful Champagne….but oh so expensive…. Bollinger Rose  Champagne Ca 40-60€

This is a super lovely Hermitage which is drinking beautifully already now. Dense dark fruit with a small hint of spice (pepper) on the nose. Delightful full bodied taste packed with delicate dark fruit and a velvety long finish. This is just sooo delicious! Expensive , but this must be one of the top Hermitage available outside France. Hermitage 2010 Domaine du Colombier Ca 40-60€

Regnard makes two cheap unoaked Bourgougne Rouge and Blanc, which makes it easy to understand the grape character. Nice to buy in connection with winetastings, but simple wines. This one though is from the great white Burgundy village of Meursault and it has all hallmarks of a wonderful Meursault. Lime and butter on the nose and a big solid glycerine "fat" taste. A nice minerality is also noticeable. Avery good wine indeed. Meursault "Terres Blanches" 2009 Regnard Ca 40-50€.

Some good white Burgundies as well at the tasting. This Beaune 1er cru from the plot called Clos des Mouches, also well known red plot, was a delightful example. Pale lemon  green colour. Nice bouquet of citrus, ripe apples and minerals. Medium body with a nice balanced Burgundy texture with a long crispy aftertaste. The dry whites by Seguin-Manuel are most of the time direct, crispy, clean and mineral like in the style. More Chablis like in a way…. If you are a fan of "fat" Burgundies then this producer may not be the wines for you. Beaune 1er cru 2011 Clos des Mouches Domaine Seguin-Manuel Ca 50-60€

The best red Burgundy was however my old favourite , Chambolle Muisgny. A premier cru by Domaine Taupenot-Merme. Very attractive nose of red fruit, vanilla and cherries. A just amazing balance with an aftertaste that goes on and on. A shame really to drink such wines a in small tasting glass as such wines truly need a big Burgundy glass to attract all the flavors. Chambolle-Musigny 1er cru " La Combe d'Orveau" Domaine Taupenot-Merme Ca 70-80€

This was one of the absolutely best Burgundies during the tasting. Delicious elegant flavors of cherries, chocolate and liquerice. A super balanced velvety long taste that begs for the glass to be refilled. Great stuff. Just buy…. Nuits St George "Clos de la Marechale" J F Mugnier Ca 70€

This premier cru from Monthelie by Leflaive also raised a few eyebrows. It was however getting bit late at this stage, but the taste was beautifully balanced and long. Dark fruits rather than red fruit on the nose with an overall complex style. Monthelie 1er cru Sur la Velle Leflaive Ca 40€