Tesco Finest Vouvray ’08, Demi-sec
I liked the cool, toasted pear flavour of this wine. The sweet, oilyness was calmed after a good chill and the cleansing zip of the Chenin ran wild. A very pleasant start to the evening.


Château Cambon La Pelouse ‘05 Haut-Médoc
Another big Bordeaux disappointment. Dryer than a popcorn fart in summer with little else to get excited about. What is the point of these wines? Young? Possibly, but I didn’t detect enough acid or fruit to suggest this is one for the future. What fruit there was evaporated into the nose, leading you into a false sense of anticipation.
With food only? In gravy perhaps.

Sip, swirl, swallow, then sit back and experience the joy of those grainy tannins removing a layer of skin from the top of your mouth followed by enough oak to rebuild the Cutty Sark. No thanks.

Waitrose claret may have lost its way at this price level as well ! However Jancis gave the wine a 16/20, although I would not have bought at £15 per bottle - I did say it had to be correct or it goes back. Have you considered that the bottle may have been corked. How did the cork smell, appearance ? was there any creep...had this bottle been stood-up in the store lights for too long ?

GK, as reported last week, there is a distress parcel HM cru bourgeois 2003 at Maj for £7.99 which is delicate and a lighter style, yet correct, and pleasing without food.

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Duncan

2003 was a very hot year, delicate? OK, will take your word for it

Majestic is the one retailer I dont have access to, the nearest branch is a 45min drive away.

Yeah GK, I'll stick with that "delicate" business, gentle in the context of a firm Haut Medoc. Beef Bourginon (spelling) would destroy it ! Indeed 2003 produced super ripe fruit, this wine is not over oaked and the Cab / Merlot mix did not produce a lot of tannin in the must. The wine is early maturing, so that the cut & thrust on the pallate, and the back bone of the wine is ebbing. The coulor and texture of the wine is garnet, and now clearer than opaque ! Nevertheless a lovely flavour.

Now look here GK - I know many 2003's. I have as you well know in '08 & '09 and more recently, described best Beaune & NSG 2003 as lush and exotic - Now BBR are using that lingo for their 2003 Cote d'Or stock ........na nana na na.

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Duncan

oooooooowhhhhoooo....

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Duncan