Chateau Neurin 1998 AOC Bordeaux

Ok, its another Bordeaux wine for tonight's dinner, which I must say, was not very well paired with the dishes, as this bordeaux clashes quite strongly with the seafood such as the fish, cuttlefish as well as the vegetables. But of course, red wine : white meat is always a risk, so this one was a failure.

This bordeaux is from the Haut Medoc Appellation, which is basically more generic Bordeaux wine and is really quite light (12%). Coming from the district of Medoc, it is more southwardly, right below Margaux and is relatively known for producing value for money quality Bordeaux wines. From the Jancis Robinson journal, she states that 1998 was a very hot August followed by rain during the harvest, so there are riper grapes and more fruit characters.

APPEARANCE

It has a light dull ruby color with an attractive translucent core and clear rim. The color really shows its age and quite a dull clarity with evident sediments in the bottle.

NOSE

A very prominent dark fruit characters of violet, blackcurrants and berries, with interesting oak characters of dark moth balls, musty cupboard and forest woods. A very round nose of fruits & oak but has an interesting scent of metallic iron rust.

PALATE
The very light body, of course, gives really subtle tannin structure but has a good balance of aged acidity and fruit characters. The oak takes a background in the palate with just hints of rounded oak in the back palate. It has a surprisingly "hot" alcohol taste though.

CONCLUSION / EVOLUTION

A decent bordeaux, but not really much to talk about. Decent and pleasant to drink, with more prominent fruit characters of wild berries.

Gigondas Eloquence 2004 Tasting

I have found a new favorite wine tonight, and what's even better, its one that Roo's Cellar is the official distributor for! ok, before you shout, "Kelong!", its really a far judgement, because I REALLY love this style of wine and how it is presented.

And introducing the wine....GIGONDAS ELOQUENCE 2004!!! This wine is a blend of grenache (60%), Syrah (30%) and Mourvedre (10%), and was aged in French oak barrels for 12 months.

This wine is from the Southern Rhone Appellation of Gigondas, where the region was promoted in 1971 from a Cote du Rhone Village to Full region by itself, showing its own terroir characters and personality. Grenache is the basic plant of Gigondas, aided by mourvedre and syrah, and this fortunate combination ensures its panache and its life. Its strength and character, its ability to age allied to the invariable quality of its production has made Gigondas the pride of the Rhone Valley, and one of the great wines of France.

Ok, Tasting notes :

Appearance

Strangely matured dark ruby colour for its vintage, with a deep core and clear rims. Some tears are evident.

Nose

A prominent french oak nose of green moss and wet clay soil characters. Strangely light and elegant, coming from a region known for its full bodied reds.

Palate

A truly elegant blend of beautiful grenache grape characters of raspberries and ripe dark berries, however, it has a rather disappointing short finish, with subtle tannin structure. Truly balanced and wonderful fruit characters I must say.

Evolutions/ conclusion

Somewhat interesting wine with surprisingly elegant characters with beautiful fruits. Tannins get more subtle as the wine breathes, and I begin to see some spicy herby finish.