660. Château Langoa Barton, Saint-Julien, 1988 
659. Beaulieu Vineyard, Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, 2000 
658. Bodegas Guelbenzu, Lautus Ribera del Queiles VdlT, 2004 
657. Podere Brancaia, Il Blu IGT Toscana, 2004 
656. Marc Colin, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru “Les Vide-Bourses”, 2006 
655. Domaine du Colombier, Hermitage Blanc, 2007 Disappointing
657. Podere Brancaia, Il Blu IGT Toscana, 2004
Overall, fairly good but a little disappointing – either faintly corked or overrated. Deep ruby, with a medium garnet rim. Medium+ intensity, slightly grubby …
649. Lopez de Heredia-Viña Tondonia, Viña Bosconia Rioja Gran Reserva, 1991
I wonder if this bottle – stored close enough to the wine shop’s light to be warm on purchase – might have been a …
619. Sonoma-Cutrer, Pinot Noir Russian River Valley, 2007
So, the second of my attempts at cool(er) climate California Pinot Noirs, to see if I’m mistaken… And a second similar result – just …
610. Domaine Latour-Giraud, Meursault Cuvée Charles Maxime, 2000
A very frustrating wine – first bottle showing some age / oxidation (but drinkable), but the second corked so I could neither check, nor …
576. Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken, Saarburger Rausch Riesling Kabinett Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, 2001
Over the hill, I think – sadly. I’d heard good things about Zilliken as perhaps the Saar producer, but ultimately this didn’t reflect that …
544. Grover Vineyards, Sauvignon Blanc India, 20??
Sadly I managed to throw the bottle away before getting the modern-style label from this Indian wine. To judge by the packaging, this …
527. Joseph Drouhin, Beaune Clos des Mouches, 2002
One of the potential highlights of my WSET prize case, but sadly for its vintage, it wasn’t showing at its best, I suspect, because …
523. Felton Road, Pinot Noir Central Otago, 2006
This was a bit disappointing. I picked up a bottle when visiting the vineyard in 2008, and had enjoyed their wines. But this came …
522. Salicutti, Brunello di Montalcino Piaggione, 2002
On from my Hors Concours case, and yet another ‘almost’ wine – on paper at least: a Brunello di Montalcino, yes, but from one …
521. Château Pichon-Longueville Baron, Cru Classé Pauillac, 1997
Anne-Marie, SJ and I had a roast lamb dinner together, so I served this ‘almost’ good wine from my Hors Concours case (good / …