Personal Wine Selection 2010
Chateau Haut - Bages Monpelou 2005, (Cru bourgeois supérieur), Pauilac AOC
( December 2010 )
An amazing morello-cherry colour with a full red meniscus, glittering. A smart, harmonious and alluring aroma of cocoa, chocolate, vanilla, baked bread crust, meat and soya sauce over a good fruit basis of morellos and black currant. For a Pauilac, it is already surprisingly accessible, with well matured tannins creating a magnificent frame for the vivid taste of dark forest fruit with a background of distinctive minerality. A long finish with spicy tones. You can relish this well-made representative of the prominent year already now, but it would be better to store it for next few years.
My evaluation (degustated 10/10) : 91 points
Tokaji Aszů 5 puttonyos 2004 "Hattyús", Hungary, Disznókö
( November 2010 )
Radiantly straw-coloured with a perfect sparkle, oily structure. In the nose it is fondly smooth, full of apricot jam and white blossoms, with a touch of wax and vanilla. Later, subtle tones of honey, coffee and bread appear. It is greatly smooth and flowing on the palate, vivid acids are nicely balanced with sugar and they promise a potential for further (longer) archiving. One can hardly resist the juicy taste of apricot compote and fresh tangerines - you can throw the cork away immediately after opening the bottle! It is a well made representative of the so-called reductive style, the production technique imported by French-Swiss investors, the introduction of which shook the foundations of literally the entire Hungary and provoked nationalistic passions not long ago. Today, both production techniques coexist in a calm symbiosis, fortunately for lovers of this European wine jewel.
My evaluation (degustated 10/10) : 92 points
Bettina Lobkowicz Brut, Mělník subregion, Vinné sklepy J. Lobkowicze
( October 2010 )
A shining, brightly golden colour, rich foam of a medium coarseness and persistence, abundant coarse sparkle and quite regular crown. A typical, fresh Riesling aroma (lime and other citruses, slight "smokiness", honey, later also peaches), which is fine and clear. The taste of lime and grapefruit is juicy, refreshing and medium-long. This wine is very well done including the adjusting of the bottle.
My evaluation (degustated 06/10) : 88 points
Gewürztraminer 2009, kabinett, Ramsthaler St. Klausen, Franken, Germany, G. & R. Baldauf
( September 2010 )
A magnificent, bright, glittering, light lemon-greenish colour. Despite the fact that the wine was too cold at first, an intensive smell of roses and oriental oils was forcing its way from the glass and by warming, this aroma was gradually pervaded by tones of tropical fruit (strongly overriped kiwi, lychee and mango), without lacking in freshness. The taste was dry in the Franken-like manner, strong and fresh, with a smooth structure of fine but live acids. It was persistent, enticing and delicious wine. What a joy it is to drink Gewürztraminer, which does not make you sleepy and moreover, it has been available in this great condition in several successive vintages!
My evaluation (degustated 07/10) : 90 points
Rulandské šedé 2009, pozdní sběr, Malé Žernoseky-Na Dobraji, Litoměřice sub., Vinařství sv. Tomáše
( August 2010 )
A light greenish glittering colour, slight sparkle. A vivid, fresh, typical and beautiful aroma of ripe oranges and pears with still noticeable tones from fermentation and a quite distinctive minerality. A slight spiciness increases its intensity as the wine is warming up. The taste is full of fruits, round, fresh, quite robust (14% of alcohol) and greatly balanced. A decent content of residual sugar just emphasizes the juicy deliciousness of this remarkable wine, concluded with a touch of cinnamon. Zdeněk Vybíral, saviour of the winemaking tradition of Malé Žernoseky has been producing his wines under incredible conditions for no more than a decade, however, his Pinot gris (at least) is already the leading wine of the Litoměřice subregion...
My evaluation (degustated 06/10) : 88 points
Reserva 2006, Douro DOC, Portugal, Quinta de Fafide (M&S)
( July 2010 )
A sparkling ruby colour, good viscosity. A silky smooth and vivid aroma is like a liquid essence of an enticing ice cream sundae – ripe forest fruit in a vanilla cream, sprinkled with caramel, drizzled with cocoa powder and decorated by liquorice. The wine is appealing to the palate by its persistent multi-layered taste brilliantly structured by matured tannins, full of playful acids of juicy forest fruit and crowned by the finish of coffee and graphite. Douro, a famous kingdom of Port wine has been showing for a long time its potential even for distinctive (dry) red wines, while the company Marks & Spencer has proved having a sensitive nose for distinctive producers.
My evaluation (degustated 12/09) : 92 points
"Cult" Brut, Moselle Luxembourgeoise AC, Luxembourg, Les Domaines de Vinsmoselle
( June 2010 )
An appealing golden colour with a markedly copper tinge. A good sparkle, rich medium-coarse foam, abundant tiny bubble chains and a regular crown. Fruit tones of sweet apples, pears and red currant and an enticing creaminess of an fresh apple pie in the nose are dominant to the fine, juicy, fresh and long-lasting taste as well. A smart, well-done Crémant. Cuvée consists especially of Pinot Noir.
My evaluation (degustated 04/10) : 89 points
Ryzlink rýnský 2007, pozdní sběr, Vetlá - Sovice, Litoměřice subregion, Czech republic, Lobkowicz
( May 2010 )
The wine attracts at the first sight by its shiny lemon colour, perfect sparkle and high viscosity. The concentrated aroma of apricots and pineapple, complemented by fine tones of a yoghurt cream, freshly baked butter streusel, beeswax and a hardly perceivable paraffin oil has a literally dessert, overripened character and therefore confuses the expectations arisen from the information mentioned on the label. Its taste leaves the same impression. One instinctively, but in vain, searches for a more distinctive residual sugar in the taste. Its beautiful vivid acids appeal to the palate for a very long time. Since I first known it in 2002, each new vintage of the Riesling from Sovice has repeatedly convinced me that it’s an extraordinary class – so it was a special pleasure for me to taste this last released just at the moment when I became a neighbour of an extraordinary vineyard and cellars, where its crop is processed. Vivat Roudnice!!
My evaluation (degustated 04/10) : 92 points
Cuvée Bertrand 2006, Langenlois - Kamptal, Austria, Schloss Gobelsburg
( April 2010 )
A rich ruby colour with red gleams and medium sparkle. An elegant smoked aroma with good fruitiness of morellos, blackberries, raspberries and cherries, after some time the glass is also filled with tinges of cocoa and coffee. The taste is somewhat muscular by alcohol, but still balanced. Live acids of slightly unripe forest fruits, delicate structured tannins and a good length with pleasant smoked finish, these are attributes of this well-made wine, which still has a few years to develop and proves in a not very ostentatious way that good red wines can be made even in our climatic conditions.
My evaluation (tasted 02/10) : 89 points
Ryzlink rýnský 2006, pozdní sběr, Liběchov - Budyně, Mělník subregion, Školní statek Mělník
( March 2010 )
A golden colour with greenish gleams, a light sparkle and a solid transparency. The style of aroma is quite unique for our region, it is literally a German-style aroma: grapefruit, peach, pineapple, scented by honey, paraffin oil and with an extraordinarily exposed minerality. Its first touch on the papillae evokes an illusive impression of sweetishness, steely acid goes through it immediately like a razor... Pure fruitiness of grapefruit, distinctive minerality, good length. If dry wines were a traditional product of Mosel, they would surely look like this. An obscure jewel, its price is just a laughing matter...
My evaluation (tasted 08/09) : 90 points
Koshu 2007 "Cuvée Misawa", Toriibira vineyard, Katsunuma - Yamanashi, Japan, Grace Winery
( February 2010 )
A glittering, very light silvery colour. A smart aroma combining decent fruitiness (pears, watermelon), distinctive mineral tones, touch of smoke, caramel, flower honey and camomile. A refreshing long body is based on firm but noble acids, high minerality and fruitiness of unripe tangerines and melon. Its refined but overally neutral expression strongly resembles of wines of the grape Chasselas from Swiss Grand Cru locations of Lavaux.
My evaluation (tasted 11/09) : 91 points
Sauvignon blanc 2008, VOC, Dobšice - U Hájku, Znojmo wine region, Lahofer Winery
( January 2010 )
A very light almost silverish colour, an excellent sparkle. A typical, highly fresh and attractive nose of gooseberry with a slight touch of salvia; it can easily compete with its New Zealand relatives. Its taste includes an imposing fruitiness of freshly squeezed out grapefruit and gooseberry tinctured with acid, which corodes the tongue as quickly as an unripe kiwi fruit and it compels you to keep pouring the bottle until it is empty. Just a few months ago, I was convinced that Sauvignon blanc from Znojmo wine region probably would not surpass Ardea Sauvignon of New Winery... If I were a doctor, I would recommend this to the heroin-addicted instead of Subutex!
My evaluation (tasted 07/09) : 91 points