A pulsating North London derby last night: Spurs fist win for 11 years! What would it have looked like in 3D I wonder - Neil must be jumping...Two reds were also sampled.
1st up was a 2006 Chateau Dubrand. I bought three of these in the final, fateful order from wineandco. One which was handled with such spectacular ineptness that I vowed to avoid them evermore.
The wine is still young and I think it may be possible to attribute it's somewhat disappointing taste to this feature. I say that because, whilst there was some initial fruit (I'm not able to say what exactly), the experience was dominated by rather strong rough tannins. I r
ead that these should soften with age and that softening process will change the overall flavour into something more harmonious. However, given that I couldn't detect much identifiable fruit (pleasant or otherwise) at this stage, I'm not convinced it will improve a great deal. It may end up like some the the aged Chateau Beaumont's I've drank with my Old Man - smooth but characterless with little discernible fruit. At £9 p/bottle it doesn't disgrace itself. It will be interesting to come back to it in a couple of years (I now have two remaining).2nd up was an Fleurie of notable distinction: Domaine du Point du Jour's Cuvée Vieilles Vignes (2006) which came in at £12.61 per bottle. Massive depth of flavour here. Could this be the Vieilles Vignes effect at last? Violets and raspberries up front with a oaky, complex finish. Very high quality in every sense and must be considered a real contender to the straight Thivin - certianly as good in terms of value. This a a world away from the Deuboeuf Fleuuries I've had this year, far far more harmonious and interesting. I think the Duboeuf was about £9 a bottle (or maybe £8 on a multibuy from Majestic?) so it it worth the extra £3-4? I would say so.
