les weekend wines – week 25

27.6.2017billn

2015 Loosen Bros, Riesling
After a couple of 2011s, why not a 2015? There is a similar sweetness here to those older wines, but an appealing extra grapefruit vivacity – I still admit to drinking it ice-cold from the refrigerator though!

2011 Carrick, Central Otago Bannockburn Chardonnay
I did the harvest a couple of times (in Beaune) with someone from Carrick – this a souvenir. Normally I really don’t ‘get’ the aromatics of NZ chardonnay – there’s a kind of mineral hardness that is easy to spot, and hard to like. Perhaps it simply needs time – because this wine had none of it! Popped (screw-capped) and poured, this is light coloured and has just a touch of toasty reduction to the nose. Broad, tasty chardonnay flavoured – it does just what it says on the label! Whilst it wears its 14% rather well, my drinking companion spotted the alcohol – with a little head-fuzziness!

And here, an example of poor vintage checking!

2015 & 2014 Long-Depaquit, Chablis 1er Vaillons
I saw the 2014 on the shelf and immediately though ‘I’ll have one of those.’ On tasting I found it well textured, broad, minerally concentrated but ultimately rather dull(?) Only then did I realise that this was a 2015 – I was sure I’d bought the 2014! Two days later I was back in the coop, and indeed there were just two 2014s left on the shelf, surrounded by 2015s. The 2014 is more taut, refreshing and intense – it is, by comparison, absolutely delicious – I love it. Be careful with your vintages – hopefully the 15 will improve with age – but I wouldn’t buy another…

Agree? Disagree? Anything you'd like to add?

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