Current exchange rates: 100 SEK= 9.60 EUR = 14.04 USD = 8.63 GBP

1. 2007 Corvina. Veronese. Vinea. 89 SEK
2. 2006 Campofiorin. veronese. Masi. 105 SEK
3. 2006 Valpolicella Superiore. Allegrini. 99 SEK
4. 2000 Costasera Amarone Classico. Masi.
5. 1997 La Poja. Allegrini 350 SEK

1. 2004 Tokaji Szamorodni. Babits. 1190 HUF (47 SEK)
Pale amber. Madium nose, fino-sherry styled, apples. Semi-dry, crisp, slightly oxidised taste, interesting but controversial. (12p)

2. 2001 Tokaji Aszú 3 puttonos. Pro-Vino Szölöbirtok 1729 HUF (68 SEK).
Medium amber. A bit closed, apple, apricots and spices. Sweet, crisp, medium full, some apricots. Quite good but not exciting. (13p)

3. 2001 Tokaji Aszú 4 puttonos, Tokaj Kereskedöhas. 3100 HUF (122 SEK)
Amber. Quite a rich nose, apricots, berries, some honey and botrytis with an oxidised tone. Sweet, slightly burnes, plums, apricots and a reasonable aftertaste. (14p)

4. 2004 Tokaji Aszu 5 puttonos, Ch Dereszla. 149 SEK
Pale amber. Fine, very fruity nose, apricots, citrus, cocos, honey. Full, crisp, sweet taste, grapes, fresh and a long aftertaste. (16p+)

5. 2000 Tokaji Aszú 6 puttonos, Ch Dereszla. 299 SEK
Medium amber. Rich, fruity bouquet, lots of bortytis-honey, apricots, marmalade. Very sweet, yet balanced, crisp acidity, full, fruity, complex and a long aftertaste. (17p)

6. 2000 Tokaji Aszú Eszencia, Ch Dereszla. 15000 HUF (590 SEK)
Medium amber. Rich, creamy nose, fruit, dry berries, peaches, apricots. Very, very sweet, nice acidity, plenty of fruit. Impressive, very good, sweetest, but not better than the 6 putts. (17p)

Comments: Very likable wines. The Ch. Dereszlas were clearly closer in style, more modern, fresh and fruity.

1. 2008 Gustos Cabernet Sauvignon. Flichman. 85 SEK
Very dark purple-red. Young, jammy nose, raisins, dark berries, raisins, wine gums. Full, sweetish, jammy fruit, some tannins and acidity. (12p)

2. 2007 Las Moras Shiraz. San Juan. 95 SEK
Dark red. Rich, fruity nose, black berries and oak. Full, fruity taste, good acidity and quite tannic, oak in the finish. (14p)

3. 2007 Broquel Cabernet Franc. Trapiche. 95 SEK
Dark red. Closed, undeveloped nose, surprisingly weak. Medium full, quite tannic, high acidity, undeveloped. (13p)

4. 2007 Finca Las Palmas. Malbec-Cabernet Sauvignon. Trapiche. 149 SEK
Dark red. Fine, rich, fruity nose and a touch of oak. Full, fruity taste, quite tannic but well balanced, fine aftertaste (15p)

5. 2006 Tapiz Reserva. Malbec. San Pablo. 105 SEK
Dark purple-red. A bit closed but opened up. Fruit and oak, still young. Full, tannic taste, lots of fruit; dark berries, long aftertaste but undeveloped. Fine potential to developed. (15p)

Comments: Generally tasty and satisfying wines, nice prices, but perhaps lacking definite varietal characters.

2. 2007 King Fish Cabernet Sauvignon. Delicato. 55 SEK
Dark red. Medium nose, juicy, jammy fruit, some oak. Fruity, medium full, soft Merlotish taste, berries and some oak. Kind of an OK wine in a popular style, but why bother?(12p)

3. 2007 Garnet Pinot Noir. Saintsbury. Carneros. 185 SEK
Medium - dark red. Medium nose, attractive fruit, strawberries and raspberries, Some Pinot-cabbage and a touch of oak. Medium full, good fruit, crisp taste if a bit sweet in style, yet pleasant, attractive and a good aftertaste. (15p)

4. 2007 Fetzer Barrel Select Zinfandel. 119 SEK
Dark red. Slightly vegetal nose with a hint of geraniums. Full, quite tannic, red currants and blackberries, geraniums. Controversial, others liked it better. (13p)

5. 2006 Kenwood Cabernet Sauvignong. Sonoma. 165 SEK
Dark red. Rick, fruity nose, cassis, mint, a bit jammy, some oak. Full, fruity aste, cassis, blueberries, mint oak, well balanced tannins. (15p)

1. 2006 Ch Menota. Graves Supériures. 72 SEK
Medium yellow. Medium nose, Sauvignon Blanc, peaches. Sweet, crisp, medium full, straight-forward taste. Sauvignon Blanc-fruit. (13p)

2. 2005 Ch du Juge. Cadillac. 75 SEK
Medium yellow. Medium nose, some honeyed fruit, citrus. Medium full, sweet taste, well balanced, apricots. (14p)

3. 2007 Ch Grillon, Sauternes 128 SEK
Medium yellow. Fine, open fruity nose, plenty of Botrytis, peaches, apricots. Fine, full, intense taste, lots of ripe fruit, long aftertaste. Yummy. Excellent and good value. (16p)

4. 1996 Ch Raymond-Lafon, Sauternes 206/250 SEK (Feb 2002)
Deep golden yellow. Medium nose, botrytis and a slightly burned fruit. Gets better in the glass. Medium full, slightly restrained, but nice sweetness and good acidity to balance. Perhaps a bit disappointing, but developed well and the remains in in the bottle smelled good on the morning after. (15p)

5. 1986 Ch Rieussec, Sauternes 173/250 SEK (Jan 1990)
Amber. Fine bouquet, but initially a bit closed. Lovely bouquet: honeyed fruit, plenty of Botrytis and a touch of oak. Full, rich, sweet taste, excellent balance, developed during the evening. Long complex aftertaste. Was also beautiful the day after. (17p)

Comments: All wines were from half-bottles and not decanted. Perhaps they should have? Anyway, I believe they were well liked by all.

1. 2005 Les Brunes. Dom des Creisses. VdP d'Oc. 249 SEK
Very dark red. Medium nose, very pure, fruity nose, black-berries and oak. Full, tannic, fruity taste, dark berries, cassis, black-berries, cherries. Balanced acidity, needs time. (16p)

2. 2000 Mas de Daumas Gassac. VdP d'Herault. 273 SEK
Dark red, maturing. Medium nose, fruity nose, interesting, quite complex, a touch of oak. Medium full, quite tannic, maturing, reasonable aftertaste (15p)

3. 1999 Mas de Daumas Gassac. VdP d'Herault. 241 SEK
Dark red. Medium bouquet, quite fruity with some oak. Full, quite fruity, cassis, balancing tannins and acidity (15p)

4. 1998 Mas de Daumas Gassac. VdP d'Herault. 14.88 GBP
Dark red. Fine aromatic bouquet, ripe dark fruit, oak. Full, aromatic, oaky taste, tannic, nice fruit, cassis and cherries, liquorice. (16p)

5. 1990 Mas de Daumas Gassac. VdP d'Herault.
Deep red. Nice mature bouquet, liquorice, aniseed, cherries. Full, tannic, a bit closed, some oak. (16p)

Comments: We had some problems with identifying these wines. They were predominatly Cabernet Sauvignons but we noticed some distinct cherry flavours as well!? Anyway, they were good, but with a certain austerity to them. Very tannic, and did not really open up during the evening.

1. 2000 Aprelis. Podere San Luigi. IGT Toscana. 10 EUR.
Dark red. Fine, medium nose, maturing with some oak. Plums, blueberries and cassis. Fullish, mature taste, crisp and tannic but well balanced. Nice aftertaste. Not a heavy weight, rather elegant. Excellent value! 70% sangiovese, 30% Cabernet S. (16p)

2. 2000 Poggio Maestrino. Annoquinto. IGT Toscana. Erik Banti. 165 SEK
Deep red. Very mature bouquet, tobacco and raisins. Medium full, very tannic taste, developed quite well in the glass. OK if you like the style. 90% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot. (14p)

3. 1999 Aprelis. IGT Toscana. Podere San Luigi. 10 EUR
Dark red. Slightly closed on the nose, some fruit, cassis and cherries, woody - oak and fir. Fullish, full bodied, quite tannic and high acidity. Some fruit. Not as elegant as the ´99, but good. (15p)

4. 2001 Montesodi. Chianti Rufina. Frescobaldi. 340 SEK
Very deep red. A bit closed but developed well. Fruity, chocolaty taste, well integrated oak. Full, chewy taste, high acidity very tannic well balanced. Very good and might develop further. 100% Sangiovese. (17p)

5. 1999 Tignanello. Antinori. IGT Toscana. 600SEK
Dark red. At first a good, medium sized bouquet, good fruit and some oak. Medium full, very tannic taste. Did not develop well in the glass, the bouquet disappeared, only tannins and tart acidity remained after some 20 minutes. What a disgrace! Something may have happened to this particular bottle, but this was not the first time that Tignanello failed to impress. 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc. (Not rated)

1. 2006 Rocca Guiccicarda. Chianti Classico Riserva. Barone Ricasoli. 139 SEK in 2009
Dark red. Good, youngish, fruity, creamy nose, some oak. Full, fruity taste, crisp, straightforward, unpolished taste (13p)

2. 2005 Rocca Guiccicarda. Chianti Classico Riserva. Barone Ricasoli. 129 SEK in 2008
Dark red, maturing rim. Maturing nose, rich, good fruit and plenty of toasted oak. Fullish crisp taste, some oak, reasonably long aftertaste. (13p)

3. 2004 Rocca Guiccicarda. Chianti Classico Riserva. Barone Ricasoli. 129 SEK in 2007
Dark red. Rich, interesting aromatic nose, maturing, a touch of oak. Full, quite tannic, fine fruity taste, well balanced and a good aftertaste (14p)

4. 2003 Rocca Guiccicarda. Chianti Classico Riserva. Barone Ricasoli. 129 SEK in 2007
Dark red. Well structured, but a touch of TCA and thus not rated.

5. 2002 Rocca Guiccicarda. Chianti Classico Riserva. Barone Ricasoli. 109 SEK in 2006
Dark red. Maturing nose, fine bouquet, cassis, cherries, raisins and a touch of oak. Full, well balanced taste. Good fruit. Excellent! (15p)

Comments: Here is another tasting to show how well many moderately priced wines can develop with some bottle age.

Notes may appear in due course.

1. 2005 Castillo de Molina. Curico, Chile. 89 SEK
Dark red. Nice, fruity nose, cassis and oak. Full. quite tannic, aromatic, cassis, some oak, well balanced if not terribly complex (13p)

2. 2006 Castillo de Molina. Curico, Chile. 89 SEK
Dark, purple-red. Medium nose, very fruit, butter-scotch, coffee, leather oak. Full, tannic, lots of ripe fruit, oak.(13p)

3. 2000 Castillo de Molina. Curico, Chile. 89 SEK
Dark brick-red. Fine bouquet, spicy, fruity, oak, maturing. Full, fruity, oaky, tannic, leathery taste, good aftertaste. Mature, not without complexity (14p)

4. 2001 Castillo de Molina. Curico, Chile. 89 SEK
Dark red. Fine, mature nose, rich fruit, dark berries, maturing. Full, tannic, balanced taste, long aromatic with plenty of ripe fruit (15p)

5. 2007 Castillo de Molina. Curico, Chile. 89 SEK
Dark red. Very young nose, juicy, fruity. Full, young, fruity taste, quite tannic, unready. (12p)

Comments: A good wine, not so much of the obtrusive Chilean black-currants. And obviously it develops well with some bottle age.

1. 2006 Gsellman & Hans Blauer Zweigelt. Burgenland, Austria. 85 SEK
Dark medium-red. Young, fruity nose, juicy, butterscotch. Medium full, crisp, fruity taste, red berries and elder. Quite nice. (13p)

2. 2006 Josef Lentsch Pinot Noir. Burgenland, Austria. 145 SEK
Light red. Youngish, grapey, spicy nose, cabbage and some toasted oak. Medium full, fruity, red berries, crisp, well balanced oak. Good. You can't get a nice Burgundy for that price! (15p)

3. 2007 Kloster Eberbach Pinot Noir Edition Trocken. Reingau. 149 SEK
Light red. Cabbage, fruit and oak. Medium full, some fruit, lacking in mid-taste, very oaky finish, over-oaked. (13p)

4. 2005 Tüskö Domb Cabernet Franc-Merlot. Tolna, Hungary. 259 SEK
Dark red. Rich fruity nose, blackberries and raspberries, some oak, high volatile acidity. Full, fruity taste, dark berries, some tannins, slightly sweet finish. An ambitious effort, but probably overworked and spoiled by the high volatile acidity. (14p)

1. 2005 Palandri Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Margaret River. 99 SEK
Dark red. Medium nose, pure cassis, some oak. Full, fruity taste, quite tannic, acidity and a reasonable aftertaste. (13p)

2. 2004 Palandri Estate Shiraz. Margaret River. 99 SEK
Dark red. Rather developed nose, good fruit, some oak, perfumed and berries. Full, soft fruit, medium tannic (12p)

3. 2005 Clairault Cabernet Merlot. Margaret River. 150 SEK
Dark red. Young, fruity nose, cassis, toasted oak. Full, fruity taste, crisp, tannic, yet balanced and a fairly long aftertaste Good.(15p)

4. 2005 Sandalford Element Shiraz. 142 SEK
Dark purple. Fruity nose, red berries, cherries, strawberries. Fruity taste, moderate oak, juicy, blackberries, raspberries (13p)

Comments: Quite nice and well balanced wines,

1. 2007 Terra Andina Reserva. Rapel. 79 SEK
Dark red. Very fruity nose, cassis and lots of toasted oak. Full, fruity taste, well balanced. Lots of oak in the aftertaste. (12p)

2. 2006 Alta Tierra Reserva. Elqui. 89 SEK
Dark red. Very fruity, sweet, creamy, distinct black currants and oak. Full, sweet fruit, cassis. Well balanced. (12p)

3. 2007 Arboleda. Colchagua. 99 SEK
Dark red. Medium nose, black currants and moderate oak. Fullish, nice balance, reasonable long aftertaste. (12p)

4. 2006 Ventisquero Quelat Gran Reserva. Maipo. 102 SEK
Very dark red. Oaky nose, cassis. Full, oaky taste, dark berries, soft tannins, OK aftertaste (13p)

5. 2006 Morandé Edition Limitada. Maipo. 149 SEK
Dark red. medium nose, cassis and well balanced oak. Full, young, slightly jammy taste, cassis, good acidity, fine tannins, balanced oak. Potential to develop here (14p)

Comments: OKish wines in a popular style, but some were a bit overoaked to my taste. Not terribly complex either.

1. 2005 Château Labadie. Côtes de Bourg. 129 SEK.
Deep red. Good, fruity nose, plenty of oak. Full, full-bodied (14,5%), fruity taste. Quite tannic and high acidity. Slightly short aftertaste and probably not for keeping. Surprisingly good. (14p)

2. 2006 Château Cissac. L. Vialard. Haut Médoc. 159 SEK.
Dark red. Medium nose, raisins, some oak, a bit closed, but developed in the glass. Fullish, quite tannic, high acidity, cassis and a touch of oak. A bit restrained, but a very classic B'x. Not exactly any over-alcoholic fruit-bomb (12,5%). Opened up a bit. Should develop further (14p)

3. 2006 Château Mazeyres. Pomerol. 220 SEK.
Very dark red. At first, a rather weak nose, but developed. Raisins, plums, toasted oak. Full, rich, fruity taste, raisins, slightly burned. Tannic, slightly bitter, high acidity. At present a bit rustic and disjoint but a good potential to develop. (15+p)

4. 2004 Château Cantemerle. Macau, Haut-Médoc. 310 SEK.
Deep red. Fine, rich nose, plenty of cassis and nice oak. Full, tannic, well balanced, aromatic, good aftertaste. Pleasant to drink already now, will develop. (16p)

Comments: It was a long time ago since we last tasted young Bordeaux. They were all violently ("shaken, not stirred") decanted 4 hours prior to the tasting, and most likely benefited from this. In addition, they worked well with food.
We do not drink so many young Bordeaux wines, partly so as recent vintages seem so expensive. But are they really? Look at the following example where the initial price (in SEK) is also compensated with the Swedish Consumers Price Index (CPI). It is true for wines like Pichon Lalande, and maybe for a "petit chateaux" like La Tour Clanet but for wines like Cantemerle, prices are actually not higher today.

1. 2003 Finca el Puig. Priorat. 179 SEK
Deep red, purple rim. Rich, fruty nose, oak, butter-scotch. raisins, a touch of volatile acidity. Full, oaky, youngish taste, good acidity, tannic, a bit disjoint, intense but a somewhat surprisingly short aftertaste. Needs time and may earn a higher score in due course (15p)

2. 2001 Conde de Valdemar. Gran Reserva. Rioja. 129 SEK
Dark red. Medium nose, butterscotch, fruit - cherries, violets and oak. Medium full, soft tannins, nice acidity, plums, strawberries, some oak. Well balanced, elegant, burgundish, nice (15p+)

3. 1998 Marques de Arienzo Gran Reserva. Rioja. 145 SEK
Dark medium-red. Medium nose but developed a bit in the glass. Pleasant fruit. Medium full, elegant taste, soft tannins, some acidity, black-berries, slightly short finish. Nice, but hardly exciting. (14p)

4. 2004 Montecastro Llanahermosa. Ribera del Duero. 240 SEK
Very deep red. Young, very fruity nose, dark berries, spices, pepper and oak. Full, loads of soft tannins, good acidity, lots of fruit, chewy, intense long aftertaste. Excellent and a potential to develop (17p)

1. 2006 Pajaros Pintados (Tannat/Syrah) Rio de la Plata SEK 73 (2007)
2. 2006 Pajaros Pintados (Tannat/Syrah/Viognier) Rio de la Plata SEK79 (2007)
3. 2005 Tannat-Merlot Reserve Rio de los Pajaros SEK 85 (2006)
4. 2005 Syrah Reserve Rio de los Pajaros SEK 87 (2006)
5. 2004 Vina Barrancal Reserva Alta (Tannat) Peach Orchard Hill SEK 109 (2006)

1. 2001 Lenz Moser Trockenbeerenauslese. Neusiedlersee, Austria. EUR 14
deep amber. Rich nose, with peaches, apricots, honey and plenty of botrytis. Very sweet, creamy taste, intense fruit, good acidity and a long aftertaste. Liked by all, but some found the sweetness almost cloying. (16p)

2. 1999 Randersacker Pfülben Rieslaner Auslese. Juliusspital. Franken, Germany EUR 12
Golden. Medium nose, pleasant fruit. Semi-sweet, crisp taste, a bit short. (13p)

3. 2001 Gimmeldinger Schlössel Rieslaner Beerenauslese. Müller Cattoir. Pfalz, Germany.
Medium yellow. Medium nose, improving in glass, aromatic, grapefruit, honey. Full, very crisp, sweet taste, distinct, long, lovely intense, fruity. Wonderful balance. (16p)

4. 2000 Ch Menota, Graves Superieure, Bordeaux, France.
Deep yellow. A bit closed nose, slightly odd caraway flavours and wax. Full, sweet, crisp taste, apples. OK, but rather unexciting. (12p)

5. 1995 Moulin Touchais. Coteaux du Layon, Loire, France. SEK 199
Medium yellow. Fruity nose with arrack and marzipan. Full, sweet, fruity taste, good acidity, elegant long, kept well in the glass (15p)