Preamble Tasting January
2002
Hairshirt Time
Conor McGuinness
After the excesses of the chairman's festive presentation Conor brings us back to earth (well, a bit anyway).
1. Unico Pfalz, Qba, Germany 1997 
Green gold, and a slightly
floral grapey Muscat nose. (It's actually Muscat and
Gewurtztraminer.) Good bite, bitter-sweet, pinedapple. Grapey finish
with some cream of tartar.
Octavius Fine Wines, and Findlaters €10.15
2. Jesuiten Hof, Kircheimer Steinacker, Scheurebe, Spatlese, QmP,
Pfalz, Germany 1999
Yellow green, nose of peaches
and a little lime. Peaches, flowers, sweetness balanced with good
acid. Lovely. The grape, Scheurebe, is a cross between
Sylvaner and Riesling. QmP is Qualitatswein mit Predikat.
Octavius Fine Wines €17.76
3. Thanisch, Brauneberger Juffer, Riesling Auslese, QmP, 1996 
Deeper greenish yeallow, hint
of buterscotch, beautifully concentrated, some petrol, dry with rich mouth
feel and great complexity. From Mittel Mosel.
Octavius Fine Wines €15.17
4. La Jolie Brise, Moulin de Gassac, VdT, Languedoc
Made for Chez
Youen. (I'll reserve judgement on the wine, but the restaurant
provided one of the worst culinary experiences of my life.) La Jolie
Brise is the name of a pizzeria in Baltimore, I'm told, which in turn was
named after the yacht that won the first Fastnet in 1925. Hint of
burnt/oxidised. Very light, watery pink. Grenache, Carignan,
Cinsault, Alicante - the slightly medicinal flavour coming from the
Cinsault. Not my cup of tea.
Youen Jacob, Chez Youen, Baltimore, Co. Cork €6.35
5. Chianti Colli, Fiorentino, DOCG, Azlenda Agricola
'La Spinosa', Tuscany, 1997
Served blind. Pale
orange red. Dry, a bit thin. Hint of sweetness. Some
mouth-puckering tannin. An organic wine, 85% Sangiovese, 10%
Canaiola, 5% Uve Complementati. Very good, complex,
ineteresting.Drink with food. 13% alc.
Octavius €12.63
6. Bosco del Merlo, 360 Ruber Capite, Rosso del Venezie, IGT, 1998
Deep clean
red. Intense nose, fruit and vanilla. Merlot but wit the smell
of something else in there. Quite a stern finish, loads of fruit,
well balanced, hint of doft tannin. Long finish. Organic.
Black fruit. Chewy. Heavy. Food wine. Very
good. 13%
Octavius €18.98
7. Enzo Boglietto, Barbera d'Alba, Vigna del Romani, DOC, Piedmont,
Italy, 1999
Really deep, very
slightly murky red. Pear-drops/esters. Fruit and alcohol!
Quite smooth but with good zing. Plums, prunes, toasty, long finish,
big burn (14.5%) Pity about the price.
Cabot Fine Wines €35.55
8. Fox Creek JSM Shiraz-Cabernet Franc, McLaren Vale, South
Australia, 1998
Deep, deep
non-transparent red with hint of orange. Nose of black fruit
pastilles (my favourite). Plum, blackcurrant, vanilla, slight
sweetness. Parker gave it 96/100 - the price will go up:(
Shiraz 70%, Cabernet Franc 18%, Cabernet Sauvignon 12%. 14% alc.
Cabot Fine Wines €20.95
9. D'Arenberg McLaren Vale Vintage Fortified Shiraz, 1998
Red Bubbles, slightly antiseptic nose. Quite sweet with a touch
of bitterness. Somewhat medicinal finish. Quite a lot of fruit
pastilles, good burn, liquorice, glycerie. Nice, complex but at this
price ... I'm afraid Tuke Holdsworth from Dunnes beats it into
a cocked hat.
Cabot Fine Wines €31.74