Current exchange rates: 100 SEK = 11.17 EUR = 15.36 USD = 9.32 GBP

599. Dec 27, 2013: Vintage Port. Anders Lidén

1. 1995 Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port. 329 SEK
Very dark red, brickred rim. Fine, maturing yet fruity nose, raisins. Sweet, crisp, fruity taste, nuts, soft tannins (16p)

2. 1998 Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port. (320 SEK?)
Very dark red, dense red rim. A bit closed on the nose, but lots of fruit. Very full, sweet, compact, tannic, intense taste in Graham's house style (16p).

3. 1999 Porto Rocha Vintage Port. 100 SEK
Dark red. Fine fruity nose, spices, leather. Full, sweet, crisp taste with some tannins. Super price!(15p)

4. 2003 Dow's Vintage Port (540 SEK?)
Very dark red. Fine, very fruity nose, raisins, spices and a touch of oak. Full, crisp, intense, long, sweet very fruity taste, still very young. Clearly the wine of the evening (17p)

5. 2007 Taylor's Late Bottled Vintage. 169 SEK
Dark red. Fine, fruiy, slightly oaky nose with a whiff of volatile acid. Full, maturing taste, crisp, well balanced (15p)

Comments: Good company, good wines. Port do not appear so frequently in this group, at least not in comparative tastings. The wines were quite similar in style and it took a while to discern their subtle differences. But after a while the Dow stood out among the others. The Porto Rocha was the bargain of the evening. It was purchased on a recent Port sale at Philipsons Wine in Denmark. It seem to have sold out rapidly!

1. 2000 Lat 42 Gran Reserva. La Rioja Alta. 99 SEK
Dark red, brick-red rim. Pleasant, vanilla, oaky, dill, cassis. Medium full, crisp acidity, mature with some tasty fruit. Good aftertaste, but a touch of volatile acidity (but who cares..!) Classic and excellent for this price. (14p)

2. 2005 Conde de Valdemar Gran Reserva. 119 SEK
Dark red. Fine, a bit closed, fruity nose, pleasant oakiness. Full, crisp, quite tannic, well balanced, very fruity aftertaste (15p)

3. 2005 CUNE Imperial Gran Reserva. 319 SEK
Dark red, deep, lots of pigment. Lots of dark fruit, cassis, lots of toasted oak. Fruity taste, tannic, crisp acidity, lots of oak, tarry, almost bitter. Kind of impressive, but frankly too much oak to my taste. Others liked it better.(15p).

4. 1998 La Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva. 299 SEK
Poor bottle, TCA. Not rated, but had an excellent structure.

5. 2000 Faustino I Gran Reserva. 155 SEK
Dark red. Very fruity nose with cassis, plums and balanced oak. Full, fruity taste, acidity and tannins in fine balance (16p)

Comments: Second tasting of Riojas in this year! Rioja Revival. Lots of nostalgia, mature Riojas were for many of us what opened the gate to the fine wine world in the early 1980ies.

1. 2010 le Volte dell'Ornellaia. IGT Toscana. 159 SEK
Dark red. Fine, fruity nose with cassis, plums and some oak. Full, creamy fruit, cassis. Well balanced tannins and acidity and a nice aftertaste. Drink soon. (14p)

2. 2008 Le Difese. Tenuta San Guido, IGT Toscana. 117 SEK
Dark red. Medum nose, at first a bit closed but opened up. Dark, plummy fruit, cassis and oak. Full, rich, mouthfilling fruit and balanced tannins. Good aftertaste. (15p)

3. 2010 Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia. Bolgheri. 395 SEK
Dark red. A bit closed but pleasant fruit and well integrated oak. Full, very rich, fruity taste, quite tannic. Good, very promising but needs some time. (15p)

4. 2010 Guidalberto. Tenuta San Guido, IGT Toscana. 295 SEK
Dark red. Sligtly closed on the nose but developed well in the glass, plums, cassis and blackthorn. Some oak. Full, delicate, well balanced taste, aromatic, quite complex taste. Long aftertaste. Will benefit from a few more years in the cellar. (16p)

5. 2009 Ornellaia. Bolgheri. 989 SEK
Dark purple red, almost opaque. Rich, fruity nose with cassis and some toasted oak. Full, quite tannic, concentrated, layers of dark fruit, quite tannic but lovely balance and a super aftertaste. Very tasty to drink now, but will most certainly improve over the years. Many years of life ahead, and may earn further points. (18p)

6. 2008 Sassicaia. Tenuta San Guido, Bolgheri. 945 SEK
Dark red. Fine spicy nose, cassis and other dark, fruity flavours, a touch of oak. Full, lots of ripe fruit, balanced tannins, long aftertaste, very elegant and has a potential to develop further. (17p)

Comments: A lovely tasting, and a most enlightning one. Quality at all levels! Le Difese was a super bargain, but in comparison with a top Bordeaux Cru, the prices for these Italian top wines are actually reasonable. It should also be noted that this was the first time Sassicaia impressed upon us!

1. 2012 Leth Grüner Veltliner. Wagram, Austria. 79 SEK
Pale yellow. Fruity nose with melons, gooseberries and a touch of white pepper. Medium full, crisp, fruity taste, clean and fresh. (13p)

2. 2012 Winkl Sauvignon. Alto Adige, Italy. 139 SEK
Pale yellow. At first a bit closed, apples, nettles a touch of rubber. Crisp, medium full, pure fruit, citrus, a slightly bitter aftertaste (14p)

3. 2011 Chablis Prem. Cru Montee de Tonnerre. J.M. Brocard. 169 SEK
Pale yellow. A bit restrained, wine gums, bread, burned sugar. Medium full, very crisp, well defined acidity, minerals. Long aftertaste. (15p)

4. 2012 Sancerre Les Baronnes. Henri Bourgeois. Loire, France. 159 SEK
Very pale yellow. Very fruity nose, pears, gewürtzish flowery. Medium full, fruity, crisp taste and a good aftertaste (14p)

5. 2012 Paul Cluver Riesling. Elgin, South Africa. 109 SEK
Pale yellow. A bit shy but interesting nose which may develop. Full, good fruit, minerals, flinty, balanced acidity, citrus. Good aftertaste. Not much petrolelum but nevertheless a good wine. (14p)

Comments: One of the subthemes of this tasting was wines that recently recieved positive reviews by Swedish wine writers in the two journals Allt om Mat and Dagens Industri. And it was easy to see why the hype. They were all very well made with pure fruity flavours, crisp and balanced.

Scored and commented by Lars Jonsson:
1. 2011 Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel. California. 99 SEK
13p    

2. 2009 Bonterra Zinfandel , Mendocino, California. 139 SEK  
13p    

3. 2012 Mauro Primitivo , Puglia, Italy. 60 SEK     
12p    

4. 2011 Mauro Americano Zinfandel Reserve, California. 89 SEK          
12p

5. 2010 A Mano Primitivo , Apulien, Italy. 79 SEK        
13p

Comments: The grape and its wines were not identified by anyone, although we tested the grape just a few weeks ago. We did not recognise any blackberries in any of the wines, they had more character of red berries, of raspberries, cherries and currants, maybe reflecting the grapes ability to get different flavours in different conditions. The first three of the wines had smoky, spicy and peppery flavours. Most spicy character and a strange aftertaste was found in the odd wine Mauro Americano. For some of us it was a little bit too much of this. The last wine tasted A Mano had an easily found character of cherries, red currants and of the cherry-infused Lambic beer Creek, and according to one of us of "Sultan raisin". Fonterra and A Mano did improve in the glasses. Mauro Primitivo (the bottle wine was tasted, not the box wine) was extremely good for its price. An easy drinking wine for a very low price. Bonterra slightly disappointing, good but not better then most of the other wines

1. 2011 Ravenswood Vintners Blend. Acampo, California. 99 SEK
Dark red. Young, very fruity, jammy nose, blueberries, slightly burned. Full, fruity taste, crisp, moderate tannins. (13p)

2. 2009 Fetzer Barrel Select. Mendocino, California. 125 SEK
Dark medium red. A bit knit nose, some oak, maturing fruit, cherries, raspberries, marzipan. Full, crisp acidity, noticable tannins, fruit and oak. (13p)

3. 2010 Bonterrra. Mendocino. 139 SEK
Dark red. medium nose, cherries, dark fruit and some oak. Full, fruity taste, cherries, crisp and some tannins, well balanced (14p)

4. 2011 Girard Old Vine. Napa, California. 159 SEK
Dark red. Lost of dark berries and toasted/burned oak on the nose. Full, fruity taste, crisp and quite tannic, lots of oak, a tad too much. (13p)

5. 2011 Seghesio. Sonoma, California. 179 SEK
Dark red. Fruity aromatic nose, some complexity here. Well integrated oak. Full, crisp taste, quite tannic, good fruit, well balanced and elegant (15p)

Comments: A nice selection, liked by all. But we had some initial difficulties to identify them as Californian Zinfandels. Most guesses were on south Italy which of course has some logic. Zinfandels can be tricky at times and we did not notice so much of the blackberry flavours that can be so characteristic.

1. 2001 Château Montus. Madiran. 149 SEK in 2004
Dark red, very dense rim. Slightly odd flavours, closed, cellar but improved slightly in the glass. Full, very tannic, slightly maderised dark fruit. Controversial, others liked it better. (13p)

2. 1999 St. Joseph, Dom. Remizieres. 98 SEK in 2001
Dark medium-red, tan rim. Mature bouquet, oozing fruit, dark berries, some oak. Full, mature, soft tannins, crisp acidity, good fruit and a reasonable aftertaste. (15p)

3. 1999 Château Chasse Spleen, Moulin-en-Médoc. 202 SEK in 2002
Dark brick-red. Nice, pleasant bouquet, ripe fruit, cassis and oak. Full, tannic taste, fully mature, complex and a fine aftertaste. Mature, drink now (16p)

4. 1994 Janus. Pesquera. Ribera del Duero. 335 SEK in okt 1998
Intense oaky bouquet, plums and dark berries. Medium full, oaky taste, intense, long, plummy fruit, well balanced. The level was only mid-shoulder, the cork was soaked and showed signs of leaking. Given this, the wine was surprisingly fresh and drinkable, but I wonder what it would have been like with a better cork? (16p)

5. 1997 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Rancia. Chianti Classico Riserva (price?)
Dark medium-red. A bit closed on the nose, oak, plums, leather, brett. Tannic, some fruit, leather, high acidity, slightly austere. Good, but beginning to fade. (15p)

Comments: In dispair I had to locate some semi-oldies in the cellar as it became impossible to present the tasting I originally had planned for. Most of these wine have appeared on previous occasions some ten years ago. How had they all fared? Quite well as it seem, and there were not too many complaints from those guys who normally prefer younger wines. It may be noted that I scored them slightly higher on previous occasions. I did also taste a Janus from a bottle with a better cork a couple of years ago and it was just lovely.

1. 2006 Rosso Riserva Vigna Pedale, Torrevento. Castel del Monte, Puglia 119 SEK
Dark red. Lots of oak, good fruit, dark fruit and raisins, maturing. Full, fruity taste, crisp, moderate tannins, quite good, passable wine (13p)

2. 2009 Synthesi. Paternoster. Aglianico del Voltore, Puglia. 109 SEK
Dark red. Very oaky but good fruit below, cherries. Full, quite tannic, slightly austere, but interesting taste with acidity. Might develop (13p)

3. 2010 Montefalco Rosso. Antonelli San Marco. Montefalco, Umbria. 119 SEK
Dark medium-red. Very fruity nose, young, juicy, undeveloped. Medium full, crisp, some balancing tannins, a bit hollow in the middle but a decent aftertaste (13p)

4. 2010 Rosso di Montalcino. Tenuta Il Poggione, Toscana. 149 SEK
Dark red, brick-red rim. Medium nose, fruit and oak, a bit yeasty. Full, very tannic taste, mature and maybe loosing fruit, slightly bitter aftertaste. Much better with food. (13p)

5. 2011. Dal Tralcetto. Cantina Zaccagnini. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. 99 SEK
Dark red. Good, rich nose, fruit and flowers, some oak. Full, fruity taste, some oak and fine balance. Attractive wine and a fair price (13p)

Comments: As always Italian wines go so well with food and some of my ratings may be a bit conservative, in particular for wine 2 and 4.

1. 2012 Cafê Culture Pinotage, KWV. 89 SEK
Dark purple-red. Young, juicy-jammy nose, vanilla and toasted oak. Full, rather sweet, fruity and oaky taste. High acdity, moderate tannins. (11p)

2. 2012 Coffee Pinotage, Diemersfontein. 89 SEK
Dark red. A bit closed on the nose, juicy fruit, toasted oak. Full, fruity, juicy, full-bodied taste. Not my cup of tea (pun intended), but better than the previous one. Somewhat short aftertaste (12p)

3. 2011 Eikendal Pinotage. 99 SEK
Dark red. Medium nose, young, fruity, dark berries, leather, wet wool, slightly yeasty and some oak. Full, crisp, tannic taste, minerals and decent fruit. Slightly odd flavoured but OK (12p)

4. 2010 Kanonkop Pinotage. 229 SEK
Dark red, purple rim. Medium nose, good fruit and oak. Full, fruity taste, blackberries. Excellent balance between fruit, tannins and acidity and a good aftertaste (15+p)

5. 2010 Stellenzicht Golden Triangle Pinotage. 99 SEK
TCA. Not rated.

1. 2008 Club Privado Reserva. 103 SEK
Dark red. Medum nose, spicy fruit, some oak and maturing aromas. Full, crisp, tannic, fruity taste. Nice, straight-forward wine (12p)

2. 2007 Viña Pomal Reserva. 119 SEK
Dark red. Medium nose, spicy fruit and oak. Full, tannic, very fruity taste, still youthfull and a bit edgy, slightly bitter, yet good aftertaste. May have a potential to develop further. Good with food (13p)

3. 2005 Conde de Valdemar Gran Reserva. 119 SEK
Dark red. A bit restrained, but a nice, interesting bouquet. Spices, blueberries and mint with balanced oak. Medium full taste, well balanced acidity and tannins. Lots of fruit; raspberries, blueberries and blackberries. Surprisingly fruity for a GR. Lots of wine for the money (14p+)

4. 2001 Marques de Arienzo Gran Reserva. 145 SEK
Dark red, maturing. Medium nose, at first a bit closed, quite oaky yet with nice fruit, slight volatile acidity. Full, fruity taste, well structured and a good aftertaste.(14p)

5. 2006 Marques de Murrieta Reserva. 129 SEK
Dark red. Maturing bouquet, dill, oak, dark berries, butterscotch. Full, fruity taste, excellent balance and a good aftertaste (15p)

Comments: I had a cold and my nose was not working properly. The scores should be taken with some caution. The Marques de Murrieta was retasted a week later and it was very good on that occasion as well.

Ratings by Lars Jonsson:
1. 2009 Castillo de Molina Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva. Rapel, Chile. 89 SEK
14 -p

2. 2006 Castillo de Molina Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva. Rapel, Chile. 89 SEK
14+p

3. 2007 Castillo de Molina Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva. Rapel, Chile. 89 SEK
13p

4. 2010 Castillo de Molina Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva. Rapel, Chile. 89 SEK
14p

5. 2005 Castillo de Molina Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva. Rapel, Chile. 89 SEK
14+

Comments: A tasting to show that this wine usually has a potential to improve with some bottle age. Compare with the tasting in 2009

1. 2007 Mercer Merlot. Columbia Valley. 175 SEK
Dark red. Very fruity, flavory nose, dark berries and oak. Full, crisp, sweet fruit, balanced taste. Medium aftertaste (15p).

2. 2006 Northstar Merlot. Columbia Valley. 250 SEK
Dark red. Subdued nose, but opened up a bit, plums, cassis, violets, oak. Very full, very fruity and mouthfilling taste, maturing with a good grip. (16p)

3. 2006 Horse Heaven Hills, Columbia Hills Merlot. Columbia Valley. 120 SEK
Dark red. Creamy, fruity taste, vanilla, blueberries. Full, soft tannins, butterscotch, blueberries, good aftertaste, well balanced, not without elegance (15p)

4. 2005 Chateau Ste Michelle Merlot. Columbia Valley. 90 SEK
Dark red. Odd oxidised flavours, flawed. Over the hill or poor wine making?(not rated)

5. 2002 Northstar Merlot. Columbia Valley. 260 SEK
Dark red. Fine, fruity nose which opened up after a while. Full, soft tannins, mature taste with complexity.(16p)

Comments: It was easy to find the grape but difficult to guess the district. The wines, apart from no 4, were quite impressive on the palate but a but closed on the nose.

1. 2003 Poggio Valente. Morellino di Scansano. Fattoria Le Pupille. Elisabetta Gepetti. 180 SEK
Dark red, maturing rim. Rich, fruity nose, cherries, dark berries, toasted oak. Full, tannic, fruity taste, good acidity with a mature, good aftertaste. (100 % Sangiovese?) (15p)

2. 2006 Morellino di Scansano. Moris Farms. 78 SEK
Dark red, red rim. Medum nose, creamy fruit, violets, vanilla. Medium full, soft tannins, mature taste. Good, but no great length. Good value though. (90 % Sang, 10 % Merlot/Syrah)(14p)

3. 2005 Poggio Maestrino. Annosettimo. IGT Toscana. Erik Banti. 100 SEK
Dark red. Slightly odd flavours, high volatile acidity, fermenting plums, cherries. Medium full, mature taste, well balanced and a reasonable aftertaste. (60 % Sang, 30 % Merlot, 10 % Cab S) (13p?)

4. 2006 Avvoltore. Moris Farms. IGT Maremma. 260 SEK
Dark red. Very fruity, intense, aromatic bouquet, complexity, plums, blueberries, violets, cassis. Some oak. Full, elegant taste, pleasant fruit and balancing tannins and acidity. Very good. (75% Cab S, 20 % Sangiovese, 5 % Syrah)(16p)

5. 2003 Ultimosole. Poggio Gagliardo. DOC Montescudaio Cabernet. 142 SEK
Dark red. Rich, powerful nose, cassis and oak. Full, rich, fruity taste, satisfying long aftertaste. Very good if not so elegant as the previous one. (60% Cab S + 40% Cab F) (15,5p)

Comments: These wines really appealed to the Ansvar taste! It was not so easy to tell whether they were Italian or from Bordeaux - the last two ones were really Bordeauxish.

1. 2011 Te Kairanga. Martinbrough, New Zealand. 179 SEK (BiB, 1.5 l) Bright ruby. Medium nose, strawberries and some oak. Medium full, pure, fruity, crisp, refreshing taste, strawberries and a touch of oak. One of the better BiBs on the Swedish market. (12,5p)

2. 2009 Bourgogne Rouge Cuvée Saint-Nicolas, Patriarche. 179 SEK
Ruby red. A bit closed and restricted fruity nose with oak. Medium full, firm, slghtly tannic, maturing, slightly dry taste and bitter oak. Quite OK but too expensive! (12p)

3. 2011 Stoneleigh Pinot Noir. Marlborough, New Zealand. 129 SEK
Ruby red. Medium, quite nice and fresh fruit and with some spicy oak. (13p)

4. 2011 Saint Claire Pinot Noir. Marlborough. 99 SEK
Pale red. Quite nice, fruity nose with a touch of toasted oak. Medium full, nice fruit, crisp taste, nice balance. (13p)

5. 2011 Rua Pinot Noir. Akarua Winery, Central Otago. 159 SEK
Pale red. Not big, but a pleasant, fruity nose, strawberries and raspberries, well integrated oak. Medium full, nice, rich fruit, crisp and backing tannins. A little bit more of everything. Good aftertaste. (14p)

Comments: The wines were very similar in style and appearance and not difficult to identify as Pinot Noirs. France and New Zealand were quite easy guesses.