Tesco Finest Gavi 2008 DOCG

Variety: 100% Cortese
Country of origin: Italy
Wine appellation: Gavi
Vintage: 2008 Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet: lime, green pear
Taste: medium body, refreshing taste with dominant lime acidity and green apples, at the end light touch of white grapefruit, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: Salads
Overall score: 82
Price CZK119
Stopper: cork
Refreshing Gavi with dominant lime acidity. Drink now.

Chateau Valtice Sylvánské Zelené 2007 pozdní sběr

Variety: 100% Szlvaner
Country of origin: Czech Republic  
Wine appellation: Moravia, Mikulv sub-appellation, Valtice village, Za humny vineyard
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: medium yello
Bouquet: minerality, spices, lime, freshly cut grass
Taste: light to medium body, dominant mineral character accompanied by nice spiciness and lime acidity, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: fish
Overall score: 84
Price: CZK 149
Stopper: cork

Landskroon Sauvignon Blanc 2007

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Country of origin: South Africa
Wine appellation: Western Cape
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol content: 12.0%
Color: very light yellow
Bouquet: grass, touch of gooseberry
Taste: light body, citrus characteristics are dominant with a hint of spiciness and gooseberry, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: fish
Overall score: 80
Price: CZK 199
Stopper: cork
Light bodied and reasonable SB for hot summer afternoon. It is more grassy than peachy style.

Les Vignerons de l'Enclave Des Papes Cotes du Rhone Villages 2009

Variety: Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvedre
Country of origin: France
Wine appellation: Cotes du Rhone Villages
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 14.0%
Color: medium ruby red with violet hues
Bouquet: predominantly fruity nose with sour cherries and hint of blackberries
Taste: medium body, dominant sour cherries underpinned by blackberries, alcohol standing out at the back of the mouth, less complex, a bit edgy, medium  finish
Recommended food pairing: casserole
Overall score: 80
Price: CZK 99
Stopper: cork
Reasonable CDR fruity wine with less complexity.

Le Bine Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso 2008 DOC

Variety: Corvina, Rondinella
Country of origin: Italy
Wine appellation: Veneto
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: dark black ruby red
Bouquet:  sour cherry towards jam tones
Taste: full body, round, dominant ripe sour cherry character with pleasant tannins, medium finish
Overall score: 82
Price: CZK 349
Stopper: cork
More powerful, but less fruity than the previous sample.

M&S Valpolicella Ripasso 2008 DOC

Variety: Corvina, Molinara
Country of origin: Italy
Wine appellation: Veneto
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: dark ruby red
Bouquet: overripe sour cherry
Taste: medium to full body, dominant sour cherries, nice velvety tannins, round and smooth, medium finish
Overall score: 85
Price: CZK 249
Stopper: cork
Very nice fruit and silky tannins combined with fuller mouth.

Falkenburg Riesling 2007

Variety: Riesling
Country of origin: Germany
Wine appellation: Pfalz
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol content: 12.0%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: restrained, touch of linden tree and mirabelle
Taste: light body, mirabelle, slightly higher residual sugar, at the end bit of bitterness,  medium finish
Recommended food pairing: BBQ
Overall score: 75
Price: CZK 149
Stopper: plastic cork
Supermarket type of Riesling, semi dry, no complexity, regular quaffer. 

Louis de Montgérac Réserve Bordeaux AOC 2003

Variety: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
Country of origin: France
Wine appellation: Bordeaux
Vintage: 2003
Alcohol content: 12.0%
Color: medium garnet red
Bouquet: canned cherries sour cherries with the hint of oak
Taste: lighter to medium body, cherries, hint of marmalade, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: dry salami
Overall score: 79
Price: CZK 179 in 2005
Stopper: plastic cork
Already going down, I suspect the main culprit being the plastic cork.
The pic is from web, the bottle looks exactly the same, it is just different vintage.

Cowra Estate Kangaroo ridge Shiraz 2002

Variety: Shiraz
Country of origin: Australia
Wine appellation: South Eastern Australia
Vintage: 2002 
Alcohol content: 14%
Color: medium red with brown meniscus
Bouquet:  vanilla, cinnamon, canned blackberry, spiciness
Taste: medium to full body, canned forrest fruit, visible vanilla, spices,  round, alcohol slightly burining at the end, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: medium rare steak
Overall score: 82
Price: CZK 249
Stopper: cork
I had this wine more than one year ago in November 2009 tasting here, where you can find the pictures of the bottle. This time the wine is more towards vanilla tones and canned fruit. It started to go slightly down, so remaining 3 bottles will be drunk this week.

Undurraga Aliwen Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Country of origin: Chille
Wine appellation: 70% Curico Valley, 30% Leyda Valley
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: very pale yellow
Bouquet: very expressive, black currant leaves, passion fruit, tropical fruit
Taste: medium body, gooseberry, white currant, excellent crispy lime acidity, at the end white grapefruit medium finish
Recommended food pairing: fish
Overall score: 87
Price: CZK 159
Stopper: cork
Absolute positive surprise to me. I do not know whether it is because of the part of the SB is from Leyda Valley, which is cool climate region, but this SB is just excellent and considering the price it is stunning price/value ratio wine.

Vinidi Chardonnay výber z hrozna 2008

Variety: Chardonnay
Country of origin: Slovakia
Wine appellation: South Slovakia,  Strekovská sub-appellation, Rúbaň village, Oreghegy vineyard
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 12.0%
Color: light yellow
Bouquet: restrained, citrus fruits 
Taste: lighter body, slightly higher acidity, lime, green apple, slight minerality, medium finish
Recommended food pairing: Chicken steak
Overall score: 77
Price: CZK 160
Stopper: cork
Design of the created quite a lot of expectation, but the content of the bottle showed just normal more citrussy and lime type of chardonnay. 

Nier Fine Wine Tokaji Aszú 5 puttonyos

Variety: Furmint, Hárslevelű
Country of origin: Hungary
Wine appellation: Tokaj
Vintage: 2000
Alcohol content: 11.5%
Color: bronze
Bouquet: expressive, aged tones, orange marmalade, honey
Taste: light to medium body, very round profile, dry orange peel, honey, nuts, long finish
Recommended food pairing: foie gras
Overall score: 88
Price: ?? (gift)
Stopper: cork

Very nice complex and properly aged Tokaji Azsu. We opened it after returning from Tokaj wines seminar where we had excellent presentation and tasted 5 samples. when we came home we realized that we had foie gras and one bottle of this 5 puttonyos Tokaji Aszu. What a lovely combination!

Plantagenet Omrah Pinot Noir 2005

This is very very nice Pinot, so gentle and properly aged that it is a pleasure to drink it. I checked the description from one year ago here and I will not reproduce it as it fits perfectly. The score I gave it today is 87 points.

Znovín Znojmo Ryzlink rýnský 2002 pozdní sběr

Variety: 100% Rhine Riesling
Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Znojmo sub-appellation, Podmolí village, Šobes vineyard
Vintage: 2002
Alcohol content: 12.4%
Residual sugar: 3.1g/l
Acidity: 5.4g/l
Color: straw yellow
Bouquet: expressive, minerality, dry hey, complexity
Taste: medium body, enjoyable taste with very round profile, nice matured tones of proper Riesling, dry apricot, medium to long finish
Recommended food pairing: pork
Overall score: 85
Price: CZK 220 in 2006
Stopper: corkstunning bouquet showing matured and complex tones accompanied by the pleasant acidity and smooth round feel. Last time I tasted the same wine in December 2010 and before that in June 2010.


This is the last bottle of this Sobes premium vineyard I had in my cellar. It has

Arte Vini Green 2008

Final bottle of this wine tasted in February 2011, May 2010 and February 2010. This time the characteristics are almost the same as in February 2011 so I will not reproduce them. Final score 83

Modrý sklep Veltlinské zelené 2006 pozdní sběr

Variety: Gruner Veltliner

Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Znojmo sub appellation, Kraví hora vineyard
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol content: 14.0%
Color:  medium to straw yellow
Bouquet:  less expressive, almost invisible with touch of minerality
Taste: medium to full body, round, almonds, a bit of grapefruit at the end ,medium to longer finish
Recommended food pairing:
Overall score: 79
Price: CZK 149 in 2008
Stopper: cork
Very interesting as I drunk it at the same time with 2007 vintage tasted here. I did my small vertical tasting, both wines are from the same producer, same village and same vineyard, the only difference is the vintage, where 2006 was much hotter than 2007, hence the alcohol is higher.  Personally I prefer 2007 vintage, which has more liveliness and pleasant acidity in it. 2006 is more food style of wine and is too heavy for GV.

Modrý sklep Veltlinské zelené 2007 pozdní sběr

Variety: Gruner Veltliner

Country of origin: Czech Republic
Wine appellation: Moravia, Znojmo sub appellation, Kraví hora vineyard
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: green pepper, green apple, touch of almonds
Taste: light to medium body, refreshing acidity, lime,spiciness, very drinkable, medium finish
Recommended food pairing:  pork schnitzel
Overall score: 82
Price: CZK 129 in 2008
Stopper: cork
Excellent  value for the price nice example of GV, which combines very good freshness and spiciness at the same time.

Secano Estate Pinot Noir 2009

Variety: Pinot Noir
Country of origin: Chile
Wine appellation: Leyda Valley
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol content: 14.0%
Color: medium garnet red
Bouquet: very expressive, red cherries, smoke, tart, complex
Taste: full bodied, ripe cherries yet with smoky and mainly toasty character, still young, but excellently destined to the aging, medium to longer finish
Overall score: 86
Price: CZK 299
Stopper: cork
Amazing Pinot Noir, for sure dedicated to go to the cellar, it will only gain, soften up and rounds. I really liked it.More and more I like the vines from Leyda valley, the cooler and sophisticated part of Chile. This wine was made by Viviana Navarrete working in Vina Leyda. Excellent article was written about the appellation here.

Stormhoek Chardonnay Viognier 2008

This wine I tasted for the first time here in November 2009 and later on in February 2010 here. It actually rounded a bit now and shows overripe mango an pungent tropical fruit in the nose and orange, mango and apricot in the taste. I recommend to chill it a bit due to higher alcohol. Comparing to previous tastings it got more Viogniery like than Chardonnay style. Now it is not fresh citrusy wine, but rather food style of wine.

Robert Mondavi Twin Oaks Chardonnay 2005

Variety: Chardonnay
Country of origin: USA
Wine appellation: California
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: golden yellow
Bouquet: very ripe and canned gooseberry
Taste: medium body, dominant bottle aged tones, not pleasant, medium finish
Overall score: 74
Price: CZK 199
Stopper: plastic cork
Clearly behind its zenith, most likely caused by this horrible plastic cork, which is based on my experience the worst sealer in the world to be used as it allows much higher amount of oxygen than the real cork and screw top.

Woodhaven Chardonnay 2008

Variety: Chardonnay

Country of origin: USA
Wine appellation: California
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: medium yellow
Bouquet: fruity, hazelnut, tropical fruit
Taste: light to medium body, higher lime acidity, hazelnut, medium finish
Overall score: 76
Price: CZK cca 199

Stopper: Plastic cork
Definitely a disappointment of the evening. Average Chard, not typical from Marks and Spencer selection.

Novella Chardonnay 2005

Variety: Chardonnay
Country of origin: USA
Wine appellation: California, Paso Robles
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Color: golden yellow
Bouquet: canned pear, touch of toast
Taste: medium body, ripe pear, decent bottle aged tones, medium finish
Overall score: 84
Price: CZK 260
Stopper: cork
This bottle shared the second and the third place. Excellent ripeness, definitely to drink NOW.

Trapiche Chardonnay Oak Cask 2008

Variety: Chardonnay

Country of origin: Argentina
Wine appellation: Mendoza

Vintage: 2008

Alcohol content: 13.5%

Residual sugar: n/a

Acidity: n/a

Color: medium yellow

Bouquet: very expressive, toast bread, fresh ripe pineapple

Taste: medium body, ripe apple accompanied by cinnamon and hazelnut, medium finish
Overall score: 86
Price: CZK 199
Stopper: cork

This is unofficial winner of Chardonnay tasting, the only problem was that it was supposed to be from California and I believe Andrew did not manage to find Californian and brought this one:) It is musch cheaper than the others and on blind tasting clearly the winner:)