Tastings galore

February 10, 2013

Last week saw another busy week of tastings in Dovehouse ahead of the start of our Livery Street Wine School this Tuesday.

Thursday saw us lining up 4 different Chardonnays and 4 Pinot Noirs in a "Connollys Challenge" tasting competition for a local PR company. Marimar Torres' Acero Chardonnay 2009 was startlingly good with gorgeous, ripe, citrussy fruit marrying beautifully with a wet pebble minerality whilst Thierry Matrot's St Aubin Fleur de Coteaux  2009 provided ample evidence of the quality that sees us returning year after year to his Meursault estate. This was beautifully balanced white Burgundy, multi- layered and bursting with character. A great reminder that, in the right hands, St Aubin can stand comparison with the best of its better heeled neighbours. Star of the show though was Christophe Perrot-Minot's Morey St Denis, en la rue de Vergy 2003. I have had one or two disappointments with 03s recently which have seemed to be tiring a little prematurely but this was just still youthful and full of ripe black fruit flavours - quite outstanding.

Friday was the latest in our series of Thirsty Friday tastings, another sell-out event in which we tasted 9 wines from South America. Interestingly the star of the show, in my mind at least, was not Concha y Toro's 2007 Don Melchor but Cousino Macul's Finis Terrae 2007; perhaps timing may have had something to do with it as clearly the Don Melchor is far from fully developed but the Finis Terrae is certainly something special and terrific value. Most interesting wine of the night by far was the Cuatro Manos 2011 Malbec. "Its Argentinian Malbec Jim but not as we know it!" Not the biggest seller on the night but certainly the  most thought provoking.

Mark has a great line-up of wines ready for Tuesday's Wine School which is all but sold out  - there may be a couple of places left if you are quick! You will certainly be in for a great night.

 

 

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