Bibendum Christmas wines

This write-up is a bit late for Christmas, but new year, perhaps? Some interesting wines from UK merchant Bibendum, tasted 24 November 2003.

Trimbach Riesling Frederic Emile 1999 Alsace
Intense limey nose with a subtle nutty edge. Concentrated, dense palate is quite classy with limey fruit and just a hint of honeyed richness. Approachable now, this is savoury with high acidity. Very good/excellent 90/100 (£20.95)

Dr Loosen Riesling Kabinett Urziger Wurzgarten 2002 Mosel Saar Ruwer, Germany
Forward appley nose with a sweet limey edge. The rich palate shows vivid limey fruit with some sweetness. Deliciously rich style (medium sweet).  Very good+ 89/100 (£11.36)

Château Montrose 1996 St Estephe, Bordeaux
Ripe, forward blackcurrant fruit nose with a lovely chalky, minerally edge. The palate is firm and savoury with good fruit and earthy complexity. Very good+ 89/100 (£38.19)

Château Leoville Poyferré 1994 St Julien, Bordeaux
Deep coloured, fading at the edge. Sweet ripe nose. The palate shows savoury, minerally berry fruit with a spicy tannic finish. Drinking well now. Very good+ 87/100 (£23.99)

Château Haut Brion 1992 Graves, Bordeaux
Faded colour with a browning rim. Evolved, earthy nose. Spicy palate is savoury and minerally with some interesting old wine notes. Tasty and savoury, this is old boy’s claret. Very good+ 88/100 (£68)

Guigal Côtes du Rhône 2000
This is really quite attractive, with spicy earthy, peppery fruit. Interesting. Very good+ 88/100 (£7.05)

Coudoulet de Beaucastel 2000 Côtes du Rhône
Earthy and spicy with good density. A solid, savoury effort.  Very good+ 87/100 (£10.58)

Paul Autard Châteauneuf du Pape 2000
Lovely earthy, spicy nose is quite forward. Nice density of savoury, spicy fruit on the palate. Minerally edge. Very good/excellent 90/100 (£19.14)

Rouget Echezeaux 1999 Burgundy
A full, rich, sweetly fruited style of red Burgundy. Rich ripe, full nose is spicy and rich with sweet berry fruits. The palate is full, elegant and spicy, showing rounded ripe berry fruit with velvety smooth tannins.  Very good/excellent 93/100 (£120.93)

Artadi Vinas de Gain 2001 Rioja, Spain
Quite appealing ripe fruit nose. Lovely dense spicy palate with some firm tannins. Lots of character. Very good+ 88/100 (£9.99)

Falesco Vitiano 2002 IGT Umbria, Italy
Forward spicy nose is quite rich. Very appealing spicy style with juicy fruits and a dusty texture. Very good+ 88/100 (£6.99)

Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel 2001 California
With 17% Petite Syrah and 7% Carignan in the blend, this is a lovely more-ish wine with quite a bit of complexity to the spicy berry fruit. It's rich and dense but there's some savoury structure, too, together with some herby notes. Expensive, but worth the money. Very good/excellent 91/100 (£18.49) 

D'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Viognier 2002 McLaren Vale, Australia
I'm a little hesitant about recommending this, simply because it is a wine in a very distinctive style that some will like but others will hate. The nose is sweet and ripe with seductive berry fruits. The palate shows lovely rich, sweet fruit with some spicy tannins: very forward and offering immediate gratification. Very good/excellent 90/100 (£11.26)

Contact details:

www.bibendum-wine.co.uk
Tel: 020 7449 4120

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