Current exchange rates: 100 SEK= 10.77 EUR = 15.27 USD = 7.48 GBP

1. 2003 Palmberg, Domaine et Tradition. 76 SEK
Medium yellow. Fruity nose, peaches and minerals. Medium full, semi-dry, fruity taste, almonds. Medium acidity (12p)

2. 2004 Mertert Herrenberg, Grand Premiere Cru. 53 SEK
Medium yellow. Nice, fruity and flowery nose. Medium full, dry, fresh taste. (13p)

3. 2004 Nussbaum, Grand Premiere Cru. 53 SEK
Mdeium yellow. Nice, fruity and minerally nose. Medium full, slight spriz, good fruit, citrus not without elegance (13p)

4. 2005 Palmberg, Domaine et Tradition. 88 SEK
Medium yellow. Quite fruity, pears. Medium full, crisp taste, semi dry (13p)

Comments:Nice, if not terribly exciting wines. The more expensive wines were slightly sweeter in style, but not superior to the less expensive ones. All wines were puchased in the summer of 2007 at the wineyard.

Ratings and comments by Lars Jonsson

1. 1986 Guimaraens Vintage Port, Fonseca
Fruity with typical nose and taste of mature Port, figs, bullace, plum, caramel and christmas cakes. 15 p.

2. 1987 Graham's Malvedos Vintage Port. 245 kr
Darker and less mature in colour, raisins, figs, violets, plummy, smoky oak, walnut shells. 16 p.

3. 1980 Graham's Vintage Port 225 kr
Dark, mature with a brick rim, fruity bouquet and taste of old plums, leather, figs, raisin, chocolate and some ethyl acetate . Very good length. Sweeter than Warre´s, but also with tannins. A typical Graham´s Vintage Port. 17 p.

4. 1980 Warre's Vintage Port 266 kr (1995)
Dark, mature, with brick rim, almost leather coulored, not as fruity or sweet as Graham´s but still a heavy Port with a lot of extract, plums, raisin and figs. Good length and excellent balance, tannin rich. Will keep for very long time. 17 p.

Vintage Port was a bargain ten years ago in Sweden. Unfortunatly not so now. All the wines tasted had, for me, a boquet and taste typical of old mature Port. But most of the others thought those wines to be something else, some inferior Port copies from another part of the world. And later told that the wines were real Port also thought none to be a Vintage Port, but something less impressive. One in the group was very negetive, maybe reflecting a distaste for sweet red wines. If all this was because leader of the tasting for the evening recently had been to South Africa or some other reason is not clear. According to Decanter 1980 is a good underrated year for Vintage Port, given by them ***. Both Graham´s and Warre´s are as suspected among the highest rated Vintage Port for 1980. According to Decanter "1980 is something of a Cinderella vintage, delicious for drinking now and over the next ten or more years". Had those wines already past their best? Are Vintage Port ageing faster today or have are taste change to younger wines? "Sweet and strong AND good" L J.

1. 2005 Ch Gratien. Saumur-Champigny, Loire. 79 SEK
Dark red. Open, aromatic, creamy fruit, black berries, cassis, some oak. Fullish, young, fruity taste, tannic, high acidity, a bit disharmonic but might improve with some age. (13p)

2. 2005 Ch La Reyne Prestige. Cahors. 90 SEK
Deep red, lots of pigments. A bit closed on the nose, some spicy, young fruit, plums. Full, harsh, tannic, acidic, slightly stalky taste but good fruit underneath. Might improve with some age.(13p)

3. 2003 Domaine Tempier. Bandol
Dark red. Interesitng nose with some maturity, sweet frut and atouch of oak. Full taste, good fruit, high acidity and lots of tannins. Interesting, but still a bit disjoint. (13p)

4. 2002 Domaine du Vieux Lazaret. Châteauneuf-du-Pape. 150 SEK
Medium red. Fine, delicate nose with warm, spicy, slighly meaty fruit, blueberries. Full, well balanced taste, elegant and tasty. Mature. (14p)

5. 1999 Ch Verdignan. Haut-Médoc. 150 SEK
Dark red. Fine, maturing nose with cassis, cedar and toasted oak. Full, aromatic taste, well balanced acidity and tannins. Cassis, leather and a reasonably long aftertaste. Mature. (15p)

1. 2004 Villa Kassar Grand Cru. Mornag. Tunisia. 74 SEK
Dark red. Young, very fruity nose. Medium full, crisp taste, red berries, moderate tannic, unpolished, rather short finish. (11p)

2. 2004 Tiger Hill Merlot. Sahyadri Valley, Maharashtra. India. 86 SEK
Dark red. Well developed nose with dark berries and a touch of oak. Full, fruity, plummy taste, well balanced acidity and tannins. Some oak in the aftertaste. Nice and a pleasant surprise (13p)

3. 2005 Yarden Mount Hermon Red. Syria/Israel. 101 SEK
Dark medium-red. Young, fruity, jammy nose, strawberries, apples, cinnamon. Full, ripe, jammy, fruity taste, crisp, some tannins. (12p)

4. 2004 Badel Ivan Dolac Barrique. Plavac mali. Croatia. 298 SEK
Dark red. Rich, fruity nose. Spicy, ripe fruit, cloves and well integrated oak. Full, fruity taste, dark berries backed up by good acidity and firm tannins. Well balanced and a long aftertaste, but a bit too expensive. Classy, interesting wine and Plavac mali is believed to be closly related to Primitivo and Zinfandel. It fits! (16p)

1. 2000 Nerolo Syrah. Torres. Catalunya. Price ?
Dark red. Good, rich fruity, oaky nose, spicy, cassies and cherries. Full, quite tannic and good acidity. Plenty of fruit but surprisingly short finish. (13p)

2. 2000 Côtes du Rhõne "Cuveé Philipsson". Guigal. (88 SEK in Denmark)
Dark red, maturing. Medium nose, a bit closed, som nice fruit. Full, meaty fruity taste, spicy, crisp taste, Typical Shiraz, slightly bitter finish (14p)

3. 1998 Norman's Old Vine Shiraz. Mc Laren Vale (Price ?)
Medium red. Very fruity nose, oak and mint. Full, very fruity taste and slightly sweet. Crisp and medium tannins. Oaky aftertaste. Typical Australian. (13p)

4. 1998 Rosemount Mountain Blue Shiraz. Mudgee (125 SEK in Denmark)
Dark red. A bit closed nose but pleasant ripe fruit and oak. Full, oaky taste, tannic, plenty of fruit, lots of everything but balanced. (15p)

5. 1998 Rosemount Show Reserve Shiraz. Mc Laren Vale. Longorn Creek (125 SEK in Denmark)
Dark red. Fine, maturing nose, still fruity, some oak. Full, oaky taste ripe fruit, lots of extract. Quite tannic, well balanced (16p)

1. 1995 Ch Montus. Madiran. A. Brumont. 162 SEK (in 1998)
Dark red, with a brick-red rim. Mature, medium bouquet, slightly meaty and spicy. Developed nicely. Medium full, maturing and tannic taste, crisp acidiy, leather and a medium-long, nice aftertaste. A bit austere but opened up in the course of the evening. (15p)

2. 1995 Ch Clerc Milon. 5. Cru Classé. Pauillac. 180 SEK (in 1997)
Dark red, well pigmented brick-red rim. Medium bouquet, maturing, cassis and oak. Full, tannic taste with cassis fruit. Well balanced. Mature, oaky, long aftertaste. (16p)

3. 1995 Ch Ferriere. Margaux. 3. cru Classé. 160 SEK (in 1997)
Dark red. Fine, fruity nose, oak and almost minty. (Some in the group complained about the levels of volatile acity) Full, fruity taste, medium tannins, well balanced acidity and a nice aftertaste. Elegant. (16,5p)

4. 1995 Ch Lafon Rochet. St. Estephe. 4. cru Classé. 160 SEK (in 1996)
Dark red, mature rim. Rich, soft bouquet, maturing but still fruity. Full, mature taste, spicy oak, well balanced, soft but yet long aftertaste. Perfectly mature by now. (16p)

5. 1996 Ch Lafon Rochet. St Estephe. 4. cru Classé. 200 SEK (in 1997)
Dark red, lots of pigments. At first a bit closed but opened up. Tight and fruity with nice oak. Massive, full taste that needed time to open up. Lost of fruit; dark berries and cassis. Well built, rich tannic taste in balance. Will keep for several years. (17p)

Comments: Well liked by all in the tasting group and the majority found the 1996 Lafon Rochet the best

1. 1997 Delheim Grand Reserve. Stellenbosch, RSA. 149 SEK
2. 2003 Beaumont Shiraz. Walker Bay, RSA. 129 SEK
3. 2003 Anura Syrah. Mourvèdre Paarl, RSA. 89 SEK
4. 2004 Neil Ellis Cabernet Sauvignon. Stellenbosch, RSA. 155 SEK
5. 2005 L'Avenir. Stellenbosch, RSA. 99 SEK

1. 2005 Bonterra. Mendocino, USA. 135 SEK
Dark red. Young, very fruity, spicy, buttery flavours. Medium full, crisp, fruity taste, butterscotch, some oak, reasonable aftertaste. Not liked by all. (13p)

2. 2004 Wolf Blass Yellow Label. South Australia. 99 SEK
Dark red. At first a bit closed on the nose but opened up. Slightly minty cassis, dark berries and oak. Full, minty fruit, cassis, crisp, medium aftertaste. (13p)

3. 2004 L'Avenir Classsic. Stellenbosch South Africa. 99 SEK
Dark red. Rich, maturing nose with toasted oak and stable-yard. Full, mature taste, leather, high acidity and balancing tannins. Good. (14p)

4. 2003 Ch Hourtin-Ducasse. Haut-Médoc, France. 99 SEK
Dark red. Young fruity nose, dark berries, cassis and a touch of oak. Fullish, maturing taste, medium fruit, dry tannins in the aftertaste. Quite good. (13p)

5. 2001 Raimat. Costers del Segre, Spain. 92 SEK
Corked but might have been a nice wine.

1. 2006 Dom. Lamargue. Rousanne. VdP d'Oc. 109 SEK
Medium yellow. Fresh, aromatic, flowery, aromatic nose. Fullish, crisp, good fruit, slightly bitter and a bit short finish. (12p)

2. 2004 Trimbach Riesling. Alsace. 109 SEK
Pale yellow. Medium nose, grapes and herbs. Medium full, medium crisp, slightly bitter, apples and a sweet touch. Not up to its usual standard. (11p)

3. 2004 Ch de Rochemorin. Pessac-Leognan. 125 SEK
Medium yellow. Aromatic, pleasant fruit, minerals and oak. Full, pleasant taste with good fruit, almonds. Well balanced and a long aftertaste (15p)

4. 2005 Henri Borgeois. Les Baronnes. Sancerre. 144 SEK
Pale yellow. Fresh, fruity nose with elderflowers, and minerals. Full, crisp taste, minerals and fruit, well structured. (14p)

5. nv. Bourgogne Chardonnay. JC Boisset. 99 SEK
Medium yellow. Pure, straightforward fruity nose with minerals and a touch oak. Medium full, well balanced and elegant taste. Good value. (14p)

1. 1981 Ch Coutet. Barsac. (c100 SEK /half bottle many years ago)
Deep amber. Rich, fruity nose, slightly burned. Sweet taste, crisp, some fruit, caramelised, quite tasty but past its best. Did not develop so well in the glass. (13p)

2. 1980 Ch Climens. Barsac. (c100 SEK? in 1985)
Deep amber. Burned, caramelised honyed fruit, some oak and coconut. Sweet, crisp taste, still fruity, but also past its best (14p)

3. 1999 Ch Menota. Graves Supériures. 100 SEK in 2002
Dark amber. Peaches, fruit, quite aromatic. Sweet, fruity taste, peaches, good aftertaste, but a bit one-dimensional. Good for the price. (14p)

4. 1999 Ch Climens. Barsac. 419 SEK in 2003
Golden yellow. A bit closed, fruity nose, flowers, oak. Sweet, rich taste, lots of fruit and botrytis, orange liqueur, peaches and seville oranges. Long aftertaste with a good grip. Might develop further. (17p)

5. 1999 Ch Suduiraut. Sauternes. 326 SEK in 2002
Golden yellow. Rich, fruity nose, plums, apricots and botrytis. Very sweet, rich taste, balancing acidity, lots of tropical fruit, bread and a long complex aftertaste. Lovely! (18p)

Comments: Yummy. And as an extra, 1999 Guiraud was served. Probably the best extra wine we have ever had (17p or so).

1. 2005 Rapitalà Piano Maltese Nero d'Avola. 77 SEK
Medium-dark red. Young, very fruity nose with red berries. Medium full, crisp, fruity taste, some tannins with edges, but OK. Short aftertaste. 11p

2. 2006 Rapitalà Nero d'Avola. 67 SEK
Dark purple-red. A bit closed nose but decent fruit, raspberries and vanilla. Fullish, quite tannic, lots of fruit (12p)

3. 2005 Raccolto Nero d'Avola-Cabernet sauvignon. MGM Mondo del Vino. 82 SEK
Dark red. young, fruity nose, red and dark berries, oak. Full, fruity taste, well balanced and a reasonable aftertaste with a touch of oak. (13p)

4. 2005 Canaletto Nero d'Avola-Merlot. Casa Girelli 62 SEK
Dark red. Medium nose, slightly jammy fruit. Full, fruity , jammy taste, crisp (11p)

5. 2004 Santagostino Nero d'Avola-Syrah. Firriato. 58 SEK
Dark red. Good nose with fruit, oak, red berries and bacon. Full, fruity, quite tannic, crisp taste (12p)

Comments: Well made, satisfying wines and with very reasonable prices. Ideal for this summers BBQs

1. 2005 Syrah. Weingut Rebhof-Sommer. Burgenland. Austria. EUR 9,60
Dark purple-red, lots of pigments. Young, very fruity, spicy nose. Dark berries. Young, full, fruity, crisp taste, soft tannins, slightly bitter. (14p)

2. 2005 Allesverloren Shiraz. Swartland. South Africa. 96 SEK.
Dark medium-red. Warm, fruity nose, oak, spices, burned rubber. Full, fruity, chewy taste, fine acidity, soft tannins, full bodied, well balanced. Very attractive. (15p)

3. 2001 Syrah-Kotsifali. Lyrarakis, Crete. Greece. EUR 12,50
Medium red. Unclear. Mature and volatile acids. Oxidised. Not rated.

4. 1999 Crozes Hermitage. Alain Graillot. 145 SEK
Dark red. Rich bouquet, fruit, meat and spices. Full, spicy taste, fruit, very high acidity, tannic. Feels still unready. Very diverging opinions among the tasters, but this is essentially a wine to drink with food! (16p)

Comments: The Austrian wine was a pleasant surprise, and much better than expected. On the other hand did the Greek wine perform less than well. The bottles looked OK, and there were no signs of any leaking cork. Something must have gone wrong in the winemaking process. Lyrarakis can do much better than this, as some previous bottles brought home from Crete showed. PS added on Oct 6, 2007. Discovered another bottle of the Lyrarakis wine in my cellar, but of vintage 2002. A completly different wine! Dark red. Nice, spicy bouquet. Full, quite tannic taste. Good fruit, and a reasonable length.

1. 2005 Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel. Lodi. 87 SEK
Medium-dark red. Medium nose, young, fruity, unpolished. medium full, good, fruity taste, crisp, red berries, soft, sweetish aftertaste. (12p)

2. 2005 Cline Zinfandel. 87 SEK
Medium-dark red. varm, fruity nose, some oak, cherries. Fullish, soft, fruity, crisp taste. Medium aftertaste. (14p)

3. 2004 Ravenswood Vintner's Blend Zinfandel. 116 SEK
Medium-dark red. A bit closed, undeveloped, young fruity nose. Full, crisp, medium fruit. (14p)

4. 2004 Bonterra Zinfandel. Mendocino. 125 SEK
Medium-dak red. Medium nose, warm, fruity, tobacco and coconut. Full, round, well balanced with some tannins. (14p)

5. 2005 Seghesio Zinfandel. Sonoma. 159 SEK
Dark red. Fine, rich fruity nose, black-berries and new oak. Full, fruity taste, cassis and oak, balancing tannins and a good aftertaste (15p)

Comments: Good wines in a popular style and reasonably priced, but this group of grumpy old men were not overwhelmed. Most found them (the wines) a bit too high in alcohol (14-15%) and lacking finesse.

1. 2004 El Portillo Elevado Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Mendoza. 89 SEK
2. 2003 Bodega Norton Privada Estate Reserve. Luján de Cuyo. Mendoza. 149 SEK
3. 2005 Finca Flichman Caballero de la Cepa Syrah. Mendoza. 79 SEK
4. 2005 Alamos Malbec. Catena Family. Mendoza. 89 SEK

1. 2004 Campolieti Ripasso. L. Righetti. 79 SEK
Dark medium red. Oaky-fruity nose, young, almost portish. Fullish, crisp, moderate tannins, good fruit, oaky aftertaste. Attractive but perhaps lacking structure. (13p)

2. 2002 Ripasso Classico. Sciriani. 99 SEK
Dark red. A bit spicy nose, not very developed, berries, raisins. Maturing, crisp, some tannins and fruit, cassis, somewhat short aftertaste. (13p)

3. 2003 Monti Garbi. Tenuta San Antonio. 97 SEK
Dark red. A bit closed, buit nice oaky, fruity nose with raisins. Quite tannic, full, rich, well balanced, long aftertaste. Pleasant fruit. (14p)

4. 2003 i Castei. Castellani. 113 SEK
Dark red. At first a bit unfresh but developed quite well: cassis and oak. Tannic, fruity taste, crisp. (13p)

5. 2003 Zenato Ripassa. 154 SEK
Very dark red. Very fruity nose, with oak, young, undeveloped. Full, crisp taste, moderate tannins, lots of fruit. Good potential to develop. (14p)

Comments: A nice selection of good wines, which also have been well recieved in the Swedish wine press. But I have to admit that we hade some problems with identifying them; where were the cherries?

1. 2004 La Petite Ruche. Crozes Hermitage. Chapoutier. 116 SEK.
Medium red. Young, juicy, spicy, very fruity, strawberries, raspberries. Medium full, crisp, juicy taste, some tannins, unpolished, slightly disjoint, a bit hollow mid-taste, but may develop (12p)

2. 2004 Brown Brothers Shiraz. Victoria. 106 SEK
Dark red. Lots of ripe fruit, smoke, spice. Full, fruity, crisp taste, dark berries, cherries, oak but not without some elegance (14p)

3. 2004 Clos de l'Echo. Couly-Dutheil. Chinon, Loire. 134 SEK
Dark red. A bit closed on the nose, plums and some oak. Medium full, very tannic, bitter taste, leather, but with an interesting aromatic aftertaste. Needs cellaring a couple of years. Good with food (13p)

4. 2000 Di Fabio The Old House. Cabernet Franc. McLaren Vale. 194 SEK
Dark red, mature. Open, fine, fruity flavours on the nose, violets, maturing. Full, fruity taste, smooth taste, oak, lots of sweet fruit. Very pleasing but perhaps a bit anonymous if one should be critical. (15p)

5. 2004 Penfolds Koonunga Hill. 87 SEK
Dark red. Deep, fruity nose, blueberries and cassis, some oak. Full, quite tannic taste with a refreshing acidity. Nice fruit, slightly minty and rich body. Not terribly complex but very satisfying and good value (14p)