Saturday 13th April 2024 at 7.00pm : "Dry White Wines banned: A Tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sweet Wines" with Christopher & Elizabeth in Worthing

Christopher pulled all the stops out for this very special tasting of some higher quality and higher-priced wines than we would normally enjoy.  His generosity needs to be noted as does the fact that he also heavily subsidised this tasting for the benefit of all the lucky members who attended.  

[Note:  Retail wine prices shown are per bottle and represent typical retail cost at the time of our Tasting.  Christopher, however, sourced all the Wines for this evening from his cellar (with the exception of Wine #1), which were either originally purchased en primeur or at auction for lower cost.] 

Wine List

Cabernet Sauvignon:

1.   2022 Los Vascos Rosé, Valle de Colchagua, Chile; 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah; 13.5% abv 

Retail price per bottle £10

2.    2019 Restless River 'Main Road & Dignity'; Upper Hemel-En-Aarde Valley, South Africa; 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14% abv

Retail price per bottle £53

3.    2012 Cullen 'Diana Madeline', Margaret River, SW Australia; 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc; 13.5% abv

Retail price per bottle £94

4.    2004 Diamond Creek 'Red Rock Terrace'; Calistoga, Napa Valley, California, USE; 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; 14.1% abv

Retail price per bottle £445

5.  1967 Château Latour, Premier Grande Cru Classé; Pauillac, Bordeaux, France; 90%+ Cabernet Sauvignon; 12% abv

Retail price per bottle £490

Sweet Wines:

6.  1996 Bodegas Monovar 'Estes Donde Fondillón'; Alicante, Spain; 100% Monastrel; 17.5% abv

Retail price per bottle £66

This amazing wine tastes like a cross between a very mature Tawny Port and a top, aged Amontillado. It is transparent amber in appearance, with a complex, intense bouquet of toasted walnuts, maple syrup, liquorice root, fenugreek and black pepper. Utterly delicious, with just slight sweetness, offset by bright acidity, giving a sense of real freshness alongside its wonderful, mellow roundness. It has an appetising character like toasted almonds with smoked salt, alongside pleasant nuances of toffee, coffee, tobacco, carob bean, fig and crushed celery seed. Bodegas Monovar is a restoration of some of the oldest Fondillones in the world today. An example of minimal intervention at its best, bunches of the very best Monastrell are left to over-ripen on the vine, and are subsequently hand-picked, destemmed and left to ferment on indigenous yeasts until reaching a natural balance of sugar and alcohol. Maturation for 20 years in large casks made of Canadian oak allows the wine to evolve into something truly unique and unlike anything else on the planet. This comes in a 50cl bottle (drink within one month of opening).

7.  2009 Château d'Yquem, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France; 80% Semillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc; 14% abv

Retail price per bottle £390

8.   1988 Château d'Yquem, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France; 80% Semillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc; 13% abv

Retail price per bottle £190

9.   1959 Aszú, 6 Pttonyos, Staatsweingut Tokajhegyalija; Takaji, Hungary; 100% Furmint; 12% abv

Retail price per bottle £75

10.   2015 Vin de Constance, Klein Constantia; Constantia, South Africa; 100% Muscat de Frontignan; 14% abv

Retail price per bottle £75

11.   2019 'Lost & Found', Alheit Vineyards, Breedekloof, South Africa; 100% Hanepoot; 7% abv

Retail price per bottle £75

Supper was a Venison Stew followed by Lemon Tart and a Cheese Board - the Sweet Wines were served after the Main Course  

Supper Wines:

12:  2009 Echo de Lynch Bages, Pauillac; 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot

Retail price per bottle c. £55

13:   2009 Chateau Batailley, Pauillac; 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot  

Retail price per bottle c. £55

Page last updated 18.04.2024