Tasting notes

Tasting notes are the stock in trade of wine writers and critics. But, as anyone who has ever tried writing one will know, it is can be hard to describe tastes and smells in words alone. However, until the advent of scratch and sniff patches that work for wine, the notes that follow are my best attempt at conveying to you my impressions about the wines I have drunk.

• Icon wines at The Sampler, rare, expensive treats (December 2012)

• Old and rare Australian wines: a tasting back to 1884 (October 2012)

• Pontet Canet 2000-2009, vertical tasting (September 2012)

• Côte Rôtie: a tasting of some leading wines (August 2012)

• Cult Californian wines at Roberson (March 2012)

• Leading Families of Wine a tasting with wines back to 1953 (February 2012)

• 35 years of Jacob's Creek (January 2012)

• Taittinger Comtes de Champagne vertical (December 2011)

• Icon wines at The Sampler, with some rare, expensive bottles (December 2011)

• Champagne offline - some high end fizz (November 2011)

• Bordeaux 2000, how have they evolved? (May 2011)

• 1961 Bordeaux, a small horizontal (May 2011)

• Chateau Rayas and friends at Roberson (March 2011)

• Chateau Batailley vertical back to 1949 (Jan 2011)

• Wendouree - 14 wines back to 1990 (November 2010)

• Armand Rousseau at Roberson (November 2010) 

• Pomerol (Bordeaux) including 1952 Petrus (November 2010)

• Volnay (Burgundy) tasting (May 2010)

• Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier vertical tasting: (September 2009)

• The Berlin tasting in London (May 2009)

• Icon Sauvignon Blanc (May 2009)

• Mount Etna wines, Sicily (February 2009)

• Iconic wines at The Sampler (December 2008)
• German wines from Fortnum & Mason, November 2007
• Bordeaux 2005, assessed from bottle, October 2007
• Rustenberg John X Merriman vertical, May 2007
• Rhone blends from South Africa, May 2007
• Clare Valley Cabernet, April 2007
• Chateau Palmer vertical, April 2007
• 2004 Reds from AXA, with Christian Seely, March 2007 
• Portugal's top wines, February 2006
• Neal Martin's celerabration bash, December 2006
• Malbec from Argentina, September 2006
• New Douro 2004 vintage, May/July 2006
• Ribera del Duero, April 2006
• 2005 Bordeaux, April 2006
• Pinotage tasting, April 2006
• Portugal's leading wines, February 2006
• 11 from LM wines,  February 2006
• Swiss wines, January 2006
• Gilles Barge vertical, January 2006 
• Petaluma vertical, October 2005
• 2003 Bordeaux, October 2005
• More 2003 Vintage Ports, September 2005
• Joseph Swan vertical, May 2005 
• 2003 in the Rhône, May 2005
• 2003 Vintage Ports, May 2005 
• Italian wines from Les Caves de Pyrene, April 2005
• Cadman Fine Wines, April 2005
• 60 years of classic Claret, March 2005
• DRC 2002 released, February 2005
• The winery at Liberty, January 2005
• 2003 Burgundy, January 2005
• The new Douro, November 2004
• 2002 Sauternes, October 2004
• Languedoc-Roussillon vs. France's finest, September 2004
• Grüner Veltliner: Austria's white grape, May 2004
• 2001 in the Languedoc: tasting 30 top wines, May 2004
• Beaucastel Vertical, 1985-2002, April 2004
• A weekend in Porto: tasting some seriously good wine, March 2004
• Barossa Valley Garage Wines, January 2004
• 1998 Australian Reds: including Grange, October 2003
• Vintage Ports from 2000: nine assessed, October 2003
• Wine Report tasting: 18 unusual wines, September 2003
• Organic wines from the new world: 32 from Vintage Roots, June 2003
• Leading Languedoc wines: 36 of the best, May 2003
• Rhône 2001: OW Loeb tasting, March 2003
• Northern Rhône 2001: Bibendum tasting, March 2003
• Waitrose (UK supermarket) press tasting, October 2002
• Majestic wine winter press tasting, October 2002
• South African red blends, September 2002
• Priorat, La Vigneronne, September 2002
• Spanish white wines, La Vigneronne, August 2002
• Douro table wines, June 2002
• Spanish fine wines, May 2002
• Portuguese wines, La Vigneronne, May 2002
• Berry Bros & Rudd press tasting, April 2002
• Majestic wine summer press tasting, April 2002
• Côte Rôtie: wine anorak tasting 1, April 2002
• Domaine Font Caude, Langeudoc, March 2002
• Bibendum Rhone/Languedoc/Provence 2000 en primeur tasting, March 2002
• 2000 White Burgundies, February 2002
• Spanish wines, February 2002
• Silvio Jermann, Collio, Italy, February 2002
• Champagne Gosset vertical, 1952-1996, January 2002
• La Vigneronne Bin End Sale: 12 wines tasted, January 2002
• Bunch tasting, January 2002
• Burgundy 2000: 85 wines assessed, January 2002 

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