95+ tasting 2007

This year a newfangled thing were implemented on the tasting.
Participants were allowed to either :

I tried to manage in the background that these two options were about equally used. So there are two flights to present, the first flight with wines being tasted before and the second flight with wines newer tasted.

Flight being tasted before

96 - 1982 Ch Gruaud Larose, St Julien

Dark brick colour. Typical Bordeaux in the smell, very distinct and intense stable and horse tones, almost vulgar as dung. A dry taste with good fruit, a lot of sweaty horse and decayed leaves. A lovely aftertaste, with marked and elegant acidity. All the tasters were celebrating the wine and gave 94 - 97 points. Our description from 2005 is almost saying the same, but were assigned a better point of 98 - 100 at that time. Discussions took place, what might be the deferens, was it a better bottle 2005, is this wine over the hill and loosing fruit or are we mean with our judgment today.

98 - 1996 Shafers Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select, Napa

Extremely dark ruby red colour. Ginger bread, spices, currant, but not very much an inflated new world cabernet. The taste was indeed strong and broad, very tasty, with a fine integration, and soft even in the finish. Very good wine, taking 96 - 98 points from all. Apart from being 4 years younger 2003, the wine was similarly described by us. We then noted new world Cabernet, soft and focused, not for the shy and deserving Parkers 98 points.

94 - 96 - 1995 Ch Montus, Madiran

Extremely dark, rather brick red colour. A bit shy in the smell, attractive, very clean with cinnamon and clove. A lot of tannins in the taste, which misled some of the tasters to think of more well known districts such as Bordeaux, Piedmont etc. Very broad and space consuming, with a silky tone underneath. This was much tighter and dryer then than Shafer above, but despite this, most tasters were very impressed by the wine, with a point around 97. Since tasted at 1998 the wine has mature a lot. By then we described the wine as a balanced Bordeaux, and most tasters were positive with 96 - 98 points. As for myself, I really liked it young in 1998 with 99 points, but I now decrease it to 94, caused by the huge tannins.

97+ - 1994 Alvaro Palacio, l'Ermita, Priorat

Very dark brick colour. Soft cabernet fruit in the smell, very attractive, marzipan and nougat. Lovely wine on the classy side, rather dry but with a fat finish. Unfortunately somewhat bitter at the end. Most of the tasters had points in the 95 to 97 interval. As the Montus above, this wine has matured a lot since we tasted it in 1998. Then it was shy and course, tight and backward but scoring about the same 96 to 96 points. Ch Montus has (for me) gone from harmonious balance to naked tannins, but this l,Ermita has made the opposite, matured from a raw unbalance wine into a graceful balance. This is very tricky to understand in advance, an make wine tasting so exciting :- )

95 - 1990 Gaja, Barolo Sperss, Piedmont

Rather dark, brick red colour. Fine, clean smell, not so pronounced, with truffle and liquorice, mixed with decayed leaves. Very refined, seductive, lovely and silky in the taste. We all were forgiving the tannins despite being a wee bit too high. All tasters gave 95-96. If going back to 1998, the tasters then were separated in a "too much tannin" school giving around 92 points and an "accept the fight" school giving 96 points. To our surprise, on this tasting there were nobody left in the fight school and I concluded that this was the first time ever a Barolo were appreciated by everybody on a wine tasting that I have been part of.

97 - 1990 Chapoutier, Barbe Rac, Chneuf du Pape

Medium depth, brick colour. Mature smell, if not even over mature. But no salubrin or oxidation whatsoever. The fruit was so smooth, so I took it to be pale. This was not at all shared by most of the tasters, saying that the wine has a marvellous graceful maturity of a 97 to 99 point level. I was evidently overly criticising this wine, and got glad to conclude from the tasters that maturity is now an in-thing. Remarkably, the opposite happened 1998, were many people were worried by a slight oxidation they found in the smell, but me at that time was the maturity defender with 99 points.

99 - 2000 Domaine du Clos du Caillou Chneuf du Pape Reserve

Dark, ruby with some brick red colour. Gingerbread, spices, baking for Christmas, bushy and stunning, fat and creamy in the smell. Surprisingly refined and smooth in the taste, soft and pliable. Low acidity and high alcohol from the warm vintage. All tasters were impressed with 97 to 99 points. Going back to the 2002 tasting didn't give much more to add, apart from that we were impressed by the power resulting in the same point as this time. Note that Parker has re-evaluated this wine since we tasted it 2002 and now give 99 points.

Flight newer tasted before

98 - 1990 Latour, Pauillac

Dark brick colour. Once again typical Bordeaux in the smell with perfect stable, stately and rather mature, with some cabernet cassis feeling. Lovely indeed. Sturdy taste, dry but balanced, fruity with real buttery after taste. This is rather similar to the 1982 Ch Gruaud Larose above, but one size bigger in everything. All taster agreed on nearly perfect points (up to 99).

98 - 2003 Bonnes Mares, Jadot, Bourgogne

Medium depth,  ruby red colour. Fruit driven smell, not sour or hard, no excessive strawberries, but with lovely crispy and toasty oak. Nice structure in the taste, but need some more age to get grown-up. Many tasters guessed new world, due to the rich and creamy appearance. Everybody agreed on the Parker point. Claes also brought Burgundy glasses made by Riedel, that showed to make the difference for such wine like this to compete with more full-bodied things.

94 - 96 - 1996 Bonnes Mares, Jadot, Bourgogne

Medium depth,  ruby with brick red colour. Lovely and classy Pinot smell, rotten strawberries and dill. Very good balance, this more on the classic side, well made and fruity. I was very glad this wine has matured in so good manner, and all tasters agreed with assigning slightly less then to the 2003 above.

100 - 2003 Vieille Julienne Cuvée Reserve, Chneuf du Pape

Very dark, ruby red colour. A bit sour in the nose, herbaceous, somewhat port-like, warm tar, spicy wood, a toasted tone and apple pie. Totally smashing in the taste, resolute Harlan-like box in the mouth. Enormously after taste and huge alcohol of 16,5 %. All tasters were lyric with this wine, and 100 points is a couple of points too less.

95 - 2004 Two Hands Shiraz Angel's Share, McLaren Vale

Extremely dark, ruby red colour. Well behaving smell, not excessive eucalyptus and mint, but rather more a chilly forest perception. Fat and lovely taste, somewhat disturbed by sour and metallic components. Remarkably, the Vieille Julienne above had clearly a fatter body than this Aussie bomb. However, this wine was very good at a level of 95 - 98 points.

1997 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red, Napa

Very dark, ruby red with some brick colour. Lots of finesse, refined smell with dignity, cabernet with dill and strawberries. The taste is really hitting the mouth, if it's not a full Harlan-box, it is at least an half. Superb balance, well made and long in the finish, very enjoyable, thick and creamy. Points up to 99 for this wine. What a final on a mind-boggling flight.

Conclusion

The new rules that allow taking already tasted wines were quite good and amusing. Maybe we will go back some more times to this rule.

This was a real good 95+ tasting, one of the best ever.
I have try to find out what makes a real good 95+ tasting, and I think there are two simple prerequisites

So, thanks a lot for bringing real extravagant bottles together with your overwhelming minds.