ch raymond-lafon

Two sweet and one strong from Europe

~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

2015 DV by Ch Doisy Vedrines
Sauternes (second label) and not a wine I have tried before.

Pale gold colour with green tints- cumquat, vanilla, pure, fresh; light peach and apple on the palate, but there is not much persistence. Authentic but not  thrilling (served blind, from half- bottle)

Drink now, 88 points

2013 Ch Raymond Lafon 13%
Sauternes (80% semillon, 20% sav blanc)

Sauternes. Deeper gold colour, wax and honey; supple with much more texture – orange citrus and tropical notes. Apricots and light nuts – this is a serious wine, with vibrancy and conpelcoity (served blind, from half- bottle)

Drink to 2032, 92 points

2005 quinta do noval silval vintage port 19.5%
Portugal

Single Quinta wines from – generally – undeclared years can combine huge pleasure with VFM. Anyway, this shows delicious juicy blueberry and red cherry, there’s some “putty” in the spirit, a touch of almond meal. There’s substance and texture, but tannins are fully resolved and “diffuse”. Clear Portuguese style, but lacking the presence and intensity of a generally declared year. No complaints, buts it’s a drink soon proposition.

Drink to 2030, and 90 points

Three blind beauties

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2011 sauternes pair

2011 Chateau Suduiraut 13.5%
2011 Chateau Raymond-Lafon 13.5%

This pair was served blind; and I was called on to describe and assess (towards the end of a terrific EOY dinner). Both were a healthy bright gold colour, and the apricot and vanilla notes instantly took me to Sauternes.

The first wine (Suduiraut) displayed just-ripe apricot, quince, dusty botrytis with terrific presence and drama; and a touch of floor polish. Lots of vanilla on the palate, honey, ginger, and abundant fruit power from a ripe year. Very sweet (138 g/l), but balanced. (93% semillon,  7% sav blanc).
Drink to 2035, 93 points.

The second wine (Raymond-lafon) had a slightly less developed colour, with greater tropical and pineapple notes. This wine had the magic combo of florals, citrus and balance (149 g/l rs); delightfully fresh and authentic. Pressed, I went for Barsac on this one – likely Ch Coutet – I was wrong but what a nice surprise!
Drink to 2038, 94 points

2007 quinta do vale meao

2007 Quinta do Vale meao 19.5%
Portugal. Also served blind, this was a vivid deep color. Blueberry, violets, dark cherry, elegant and with vivacity. Plus a producer I don’t recall trying. Portuguese for sure, early 2000s. But hard to concentrate at the end of a long night! Quality with aplomb.
Drink to 2034 . 92 points.

One dinner – four masked wines

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2013 sauternes pair

2013 Ch Raymond-lafon 13.5%
Sauternes (from half bottles) 80% semillon, 20% Sauv blanc.

Bright gold colour, showing pineapple rind and guava, vanilla icing, with slight volatility that usually accompanies the style. Pear and orange blossom are evident on the fresh and creamy palate, with some attractive bitterness, and some green herbs. Oak is present but balanced. Unmistakeably Sauternes, and guessed around ten years old. Pretty similar description to that from late last year but a slightly better bottle- but I didn’t pick the producer, alas. Always good VFM.

Drink to 2030, 93 points

2013 Ch Suduiraut “Castelnau de Suduiraut” 13.5%
Sauternes (from half bottles), and the second label of Suduiraut (96% semillon, 4% Sauv Blanc, 148 g/l residual sugar).

Darker gold than the other wine. Certainly, more volatility and floor with more warmth, viscosity, melon, coconutty oak and bitterness. Attractive alpine herbs too.

Under diam, which is another big plus. Another ten y/o Sauternes? Yep. A bit blousy and plain. Others liked it more than me, maybe less critical of the bouquet.

Drink to 2027, 88 points.

2000 vp pair

2000 Stanton and Killeen vintage fortified 17.7%
Rutherglen 38% Touriga, 24% tinta cao, 18% tinta barocca, 14% Shiraz, 6% Durif.

Vintage rated 8/10 by the winemakers.

Morello cherry, redcurrant, wild raspberry fruitcake spices and some almond. VP style for sure. Palate has red and dried fruits, red fruits, milk chocolate and excellent spirit. The wine is fresh, and light on its feet. Sweetish, and around twenty years old, Australian. Touriga makes a contribution – maybe Stanton and Killeen? Very good wine!

Drink to 2035, and 93 points

2000 Dow’s Vintage Port 20%
Portugal

Drier style. Youthful dense colour. Almond, pecan, plum, violets. Power and grace. A complete, fascinating wine with many years ahead. Portuguese, vintage, maybe 2000? Or is it a single quinta?

Drink to 2040, 94 points

One dinner – four from Europe

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First up, Australian winemaker John Vickery died recently. He was a gentleman, an expert winemaker and had huge influence on winemakers here. Riesling was his forte, with many memorable wines made at Leo Buring,  Richmond Grove and the eponymous Vickery label. He kickstarted my interest in wine, and my early tribute is here.

A recent dinner I attended had a plethora of interesting wines (all served blind), and I will try to describe a few.

1993 christoffel EP

1993 Christoffel-Berres Erdener Pralat Riesling Auslese*** 8.5%
Mosel. Light gold colour- petrol, tropical fruits, blackcurrant. Creamy palate, fresh with terrific balance. Lovely wine from a great site in Mosel. Wines are no longer produced, but there is (or was) a fair stock of wines from 1987-97. This was apparently an auction wine, and the *** indicates greater richness in the style.

Drink to 2033, and 93 points

2011 2013 sauternes

2011 Ch Haut-bergeron 13.5%
Sauternes. Really Interesting to see this after the 2001 tasted recently.

Gold colour, bursting with vanilla, apricot, pineapple rind, Palate is slinky with vanilla bean, marzipan nuttiness and cumquat. Ripe, fresh, dense and dramatic. At least a decade in front of it. Oak plays an important structural role here, but the fruit is winning.

Drink to 2035, and 93 points

2013 Ch Raymond-lafon 13.5%
From half bottles – Slightly duller colour, with nettle and herbal elements. More savoury than the previous wine, palate showing guava, pineapple and passionfruit. Several winemakers present suggested some ignoble rot (aspergillus/penicillium) but in the amount involved won’t affect really enjoyment except for the truly ultra-fastidious.

Drink to 2030, 91 points

2000 Fonseca Vintage Port
Portugal

Sketchy notes made under time pressure “deep ruby colour, almond, spirit a bit hot; red and dark fruits, mellow – Portuguese – early 2000s”. A second bottle was not as good, and the third bottle had vanished before I could assess.

A bit disappointing for Fonseca on the night– drink to 2033, and 90 points

Two enjoyable sweeties

~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

2009 ch raymond lafon

2009 Ch Raymond-Lafon 13.5%
Sauternes, 136 g/l residual sugar. Half bottle

80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc, aged in new barrels for three years. Bright deep gold colour, pear-juice meets apricots, white peach and marmalade, backed up with a solid citrus line. Honey and spices resound on the opulent palate with some almond and marzipan. Voluptuous, fresh and morish. A reliable bargain VFM producer. Authentic.

93 points, and drink to 2027 while its fresh. Full bottles will have a longer life span.

2016 tim adams botrytis

2016 Tim Adams botrytis Riesling 11%
Clare Valley. 87 g/l residual sugar. Snapped up this half bottle recently from my local DM for $13.

Light bright clear gold colour; apricot and yellow peach, dusted with cinnamon and ginger; palate is syrupy/viscous but beautifully fresh with a zingy citrus finish. Good mix of botrytis while retaining varietal character. Really doesn’t need more time and will match up a treat with a fresh fruit platter.

Drink to 2027, and 90 points