One busy afternoon at work, I received a newsletter from my favourite wine merchant that they are organizing a tasting for their wine bar’s 6th anniversary that evening. Looking at the four wines on the list and then at the numbers, I decided to go. Definitely, tonight’s going to be an interesting night.
First wine: spices, dry cherry and a bit of plum. Cool subtle minty and very spicy nose. On the palate, good and beautiful fruit with refreshing acid. Very elegant. Smooth middle body with ripe and firm tannin. Long good finish. Probably a Bordeaux but … not this one.
I entered the cosy, yet classy, wine bar at around 19:00. The wooden furniture was dark brown with light cream leather upholstery. The shelves and cabinets, placed along the walls, were of the same tone and full with bottles of fine wines and liqueurs. Right in the middle stands the bar. Wine glasses were placed neatly on its top in four rows waiting to be filled. The guest is just arriving and, since I went alone due to short notice, a waiter with a familiar face kindly asked me to be seated with another guy who also came alone. I thought to myself, “A guy…!!?! One on one!!?! What the hell. Drinking fine wines alone is like doing a hat trick with no one cheering on the stadium… And we who walk through the cold rainy winter evening just to take two sips of four wines each normally speak the same language and get along quite well. After some awkward conversation and a glass of tasty welcome Sekt, we decided to begin the flight of four which, of course, one of them will be my first Petrus. And, guess what……. it’s going to be blind.
Second wine: plum, black cherry and bit dirt with meaty and animal smell. On the palate jammy, almost fruitcake-like and very concentrate; yet, the fruit is very pure, beautiful and elegant. The plumy character is very precise and dominant. The body is middle to full with exceptionally silky and very ripe tannin. The finish is middle long, very firm and elegant. Although this is a very fine wine, I felt it lacks a bit of something. Could this be it? I wonder.
The list I read in the newsletter contains four wines, one from Ribera del Duero, one from California, one from Saint Emilion and the last one from Pomerol. To be more precise, a 2007 Flor de Pingus, a 2006 Sine Qua Non Raven Syrah, a 2005 Chateau Patris and a 2002 Petrus. Not a very good vintage though. 2002 is probably among the most moderate in the last decade and my experiences with Bordeaux wines from this year have always been so la la ones. Besides, the other three wines are as well excellent wines with fame, especially the SQN Raven Syrah. Still, I hope. it’s a Petrus… I should be able to distinguish it somehow. I read it somewhere long long ago. The soil the grapes were grown on is rich of blue clay.
to be continue.
