Monday, 1 November 2010

Saintsbury 1998 Pinot Noir

Thanks to Ian & Jo for dinner, Boeuf Bourguignon was accompanied by a choice of three reds, but this was the outstanding one for me.

C: Cherry, fawn rim. Surprisingly red for the bottle age, and promised good things to come.
N: Cherry fruit immediately, but quickly followed by complex mushroom and forest floor.
T: Red fruit initially, quickly drying out giving very very prolonged middle of robust tannin before hint of cherry at back of palate.

The tannins were almost overwhelming, and I felt a bit led down after the fascinating nose. It lacked a bit of integration in the mouth, which was a shame. The fruit flavours came forward and were better integrated with food though, and despite all the above it was a really fascinating wine.

I tried to decide whether this was wine on the way up or way down. The colour said it had time, but after tasting it my neighbour at the table and I thought time was not going to help it much more. Probably best drunk soon (like I'm going to have any more to worry about).

Excellent. 17.5/20.

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