I had saved this last bottle of the case for my recent 60th birthday.
A bit over the hill?
Maybe, but the wine was still drinking well.
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Chapel Down Bacchus 2018
Crisp and minerally with surprisingly decent body for this style of wine. Feels good to be drinking wine from down the road in Kent.
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Chateau Langoa Barton 2000
A wine from earlier in the week, as the pictures show a bottle in London and a bottle in Yorkshire shared over video. Very classy claret. Lovely ruby core fading to a dark garnet at the rim. Beautiful nose, cassis and dark cherry, cedar, tobacco, liquorice and a refreshing blackberry leaf mintiness. Sublime palate, rich velvety mouthfeel, dark red fruits, blackcurrant, cherry, plum, superb tannins, cedar and tobacco, fine acidity, intense flavour and lots of complexity, subtle spices enhance the fruit and tannin. We’ve been drinking some very nice clarets recently, at time of drinking this was Kell’s favourite of them, although the 2008 Léoville Barton we shared last night reclaimed the crown for the wine we’ve been drinking a lot of recently.
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Got a 2015 in the cellar
Ooh yes, i picked up on this from @Richard.Dane but he had the Chardonnay. But i got the Brut, silly me…but it was rather fine. They do great wines from south of me in Colchester.
And yes, the Chardonnay, when i found it…very nice.
But the vineyards here are expanding.
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Very very nice, give it a good few years. The ‘08 was still very young.
Im new to the fine stuff. So another 12y ? Thanks
2015 was a stunning vintage, so I’d expect it to take longer to reach drinkability than the ‘08. That’s needed all the time since the vintage to be open, I’d guess the ‘15 will probably get into its stride around 2030.
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wow cheers.
@Rod_Smith might give you different advice, I have an “English” palate, I like my wines with a good amount of age, Rod might suggest drinking it younger.
You can’t be right or wrong here, it’s all personal preference. Although I’d far rather drink a wine too young than too old!
I agree that it will be drinking beautifully in 10 years time. But it might be approachable before that. The way they make the wines these days - softer extraction, gentler pumping over, less handling and ever-riper grapes (coupled with warmer vintages) means that today’s wines will probably hit their sweet spot from about a decade onwards. Likely half of what it once was.
But as you say 2015 was a great year - and it’s a very good property, the wine will stay the distance for sure.
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I had forgotten about this wine, and the labels are beginning to deteriorate. A Laithwaite’s bargain … their wine notes suggest that I should have drunk this by now but as it’s from 2010 I thought it might last a bit longer. I don’t normally buy non-chateau bottled wines but I did not read the small print.
This wine still smells of fresh fruit, cherries, but it is loosing its colour although there are still purple tinges. I drank it with pan fried chicken, and later with cheese, which disguised the tannins which are just softening. 2 hours later, black currants are emerging on the nose and palate. Half a bottle for tomorrow - looking forward to it.
I have a few more bottles left, which will keep me going until the end of the year, if I drink a bottle every month or so.
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Used to see Bin2 everywhere in the UK 20 years ago. Haven’t seen it for years…
Wednesday’s bottle, Codorniu Anna Blanc de Blancs
A change from my normal style, I’ve been rearranging the cellar to make it easier to find wine (in other words moving all the random cardboard cases holding bottles to organised locations and cataloguing the contents), and came across 4 of these from a 6 I bought at a tasting a couple of years back. An unusual “Cava” with 70% Chardonnay. Nice bright colour, good bubbles. Light attractive nose, yeasty notes and citrus. Palate opens with buttery Chardonnay, then the fruity acidity balances it, not over-sweet. It’s not particularly complex, but very pleasant to drink, nice cheap bubbles for a sunny day.
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1997 opened a few weeks back and a game of two halves. Difficult start but after a week tasting great. As I have 98, 99, 02 & 04 as well I think a treat is on store.
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My most enjoyable Pinot of 2020 - but the year is young! It is from the Hemel-en-Aarde but definitely not new world style much more Burgundian. Cracking start to the weekend.
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Many belated happy returns. 
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I’ve just bought a case of 2005 Médoc (Château Cantemerle Haut Médoc 5ème Cru Classé) at an auction. I am undecided whether to keep as an investment, or drink. Any thoughts on whether it is likely to increase in vale sufficiently to justify keeping rather than drinking? (Not something I’ve ever done before.)