Wines that have got 4,5 NJP of 5,0 NJP, part 2 of 2
Only the wines that still have aging potential (the largest majority of the wines here) and the few others that have no aging potential but are still in really good condition to drink are shown here. This applies regardless of the year in which the wine/wines was/were tasted. Note that if some wine has aging potential, it appears from the wine's description.
Wines that have got 3,5 NJP of 5,0 NJP Wines that have got 4,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP Wines that have got 4,5 NJP of 5,0 NJP Wines that have got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP
Part 1 of 2 Part 2 of 2
Morlet Family Vineyards, Ma Princesse, 2015, white dry wine, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, North Coast, California, USA, 4,5 NJP of 5,0 NJP (95 points of 100 points) (07-12-2019 by Nenad Jelisic)
Wow! This wine belongs to one of the most complex, flavourful and concentrated Chardonnay-wines that I have tried so far. Both the wine's aroma and flavour grow/develop in the glass without stopping and its aftertaste lasts forever in the mouth. The interaction between the wine's acidity, sweetness, minerality and fruitiness is fabulous. The aroma is big, concentrated and complex. In it one finds freshly baked brioche, vanilla, yellow pears, tropical fruits, walnuts, yellow apple and minerals (wet stones). The flavour is fruity, big, concentrated and complex. In it one finds citrus fruits, minerals, vanilla, tropical fruits, white pepper, yellow apples and creamy tones. The soil on which Wente Chardonnay-grapes for this wine grow consists of sandy silty clayey soil, sandstone and small volcanic rocks. The Wente Chardonnay, which is a clone of Chardonnay-grape, gives small grapes that both improve the wine's concentration and complexity. The grapes for the wine are hand-harvested and carefully selected during both the harvest and upon arrival at the winery. After the selection, the grapes are pressed very gently and when the pressing is complete, the must is poured into new 225 litre oak barrels from France where the fermentation begins. The fermentation takes place under a controlled temperature around 20 degrees. Only the natural yeast, which comes from vineyards, is used. After the fermentation and the malolactic fermentation, the wine is aged in the same oak barrels as it was fermented for at least 12 months. During the aging, the wine is in contact with its lees (sur lie) and the lees is stirred (bâtonnage). After the aging, the wine is bottled, without filtration, and aged for at least 12 more months. Morlet Family Vineyards Ma Princesse 2015, which is a 100% Chardonnay-wine, will be developed for at least 10 more years i.e. until at least 2029. It should be drunk at about 8°C from large Burgundy glasses from Orrefors, Spiegelau or Riedel. It can be enjoyed as a wonderful aperitif or with grilled salmon, if possible, not farmed salmon, with white wine sauce and buttery mashed potatoes or with Bouillabaisse or with a creamy seafood and fish gratin. With this wine, Luc Morlet proves again that his wines are impossible to characterize because they all are truly unique and stand out from all possible wine norms and frames. It is really wonderful that we have a such unique and brilliant wine producer as Luc Morlet, but unfortunately there are extremely few of them in today's wine world.
Morlet Family Vineyards, Force de la Nature, 2014, red dry wine, Oakville, Napa Valley, North Coast, California, USA, 4,5 NJP of 5,0 NJP (95 points of 100 points) (06-10-2019 by Nenad Jelisic)
As usual, Luc Morlet goes outside of all reference frames. This time with this wonderful 100% Cabernet Franc. Regardless of that I have been tasting a lot of Cabernet Franc-wines over the past 30 years, Luc Morlet proved to me that his version of Cabernet Franc-wine belongs to a completely different category of Cabernet Franc-wines. To the category of powerful, austere and nuanced wines where none of the other Cabernet Franc-wines, which I have been tasted before, had been categorized. Freshly ground dark roasted coffee, black pepper, tobacco, cocoa-rich dark chocolate, dried green spices and dried fruits appear clearly in the aroma. While cocoa-rich dark chocolate, black pepper, tobacco, dark berries and dried green spices appear clearly in the flavour. The wine's rock hard tannin structure, really good acidity, good concentration and fruitiness signals that Force de la Nature 2014 will develop for at least 15 years more, i.e. until at least 2034. For that one should fully experience this wonderful wine one should drink it with a calorie and flavour rich pizzas such as Capricciosa with extra ingredients such as black olives, red onions, finely sliced beef fillets and finely grated Parmesan cheese or with grilled beef fillet/entrecôte with Café de Paris-sauce and potato gratin or with reindeer stew with buttery mashed potatoes or with grilled pork chops with grilled red peppers, yellow onions, tomatoes and béarnaise sauce or with pasta Carbonara. Force de la Nature 2014 should be served at 18 to 19°C in Bordeaux glasses, if possible, from Orrefors, Kosta Boda, Spiegelau or Riedel. Another alternative is to serve it at 16°C (when room temperature is over 20°C or outdoor temperature is over 23°C) and then enjoy it when it starts to grow in the glass. If the wine would be drank today, it should be decanted for an hour. The grapes for the wine are harvested by hand. After very careful selection in both vineyards and winery, careful destemming and pressing, the wine is fermented/macerated in stainless steel tanks and puncheons (454 litres oak barrels). Only the natural yeast, which comes from the vineyards, is used. After the fermentation and the maceration, the wine is aged in new puncheons for 16 months and finally in a bottle for a few weeks. The wine is not filtered. The soil on which the grapes for this wine grow consists of gravelly, sandy, silty and clayey soil. Taking into account everything that was written before, Force de la Nature 2014 has a good potential to reach 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points) within a few years. But even then, it will be a unique Cabernet Franc-wine. Bravo Luc Morlet!
Nederburg, Noble Late Harvest, 2018 (9 EUR/10 USD in Sweden; 375 ml) white sweet blend wine, Western Cape, South Africa, 4,5 NJP of 5,0 NJP (95 points of 100 points) (04-05-2019 by Nenad Jelisic)
Nederburg Noble Late Harvest 2018 is the best sweet wine that I have tasted so far from South Africa. If NJ Wines had a point scale between 4,5 NJP and 5,0 NJP, this wine would have gotten 4,7 NJP of 5,0 NJP i.e. 97 points or 100 points. The wine is also one of the best wines made of noble rot’s (Botrytis cinerea) attacked grapes that I have tasted. I am very surprised that South Africa can make such an excellent wine of the noble rot’s attacked grapes, a wine that is better than most similar wines from Sauternes in France. I am even more surprised that such an extraordinarily good wine can cost just 99 SEK (9 EUR/10 USD). The aroma of the wine is very sweet, complex and nuanced. Citrus fruits, raisins, dried apricots, honey, orange peel and orange marmalade appear clearly in it. The flavour of the wine is very sweet, complex, fresh and nuanced. Citrus fruits, honey, orange marmalade, orange peel, dried apricots and raisins appear clearly in it. Balance between the sweetness and the acidity cannot be better. The aftertaste is wonderful, both sweet and sour. Nederburg Noble Late Harvest 2018 should be drunk at 8°C from Riedel Vinum Extreme Rose/Icewine or Orrefors Difference Sweet or Orrefors Elixir. The wine will fit really well with a fruit salad consisting of fine chopped kiwi, orange, green sweet seedless grapes, passion fruit, mango and pear or with cheeses such as Roquefort and Stilton or with butter fried goose liver or with less sweet American apple pie. Or just enjoy it without any food at all. The grapes for the wine come from vineyards in Durbanville and Paarl. The vineyards are located at a height of between 120 and 160 meters above sea level. The vines were planted there between 1984 and 1993. Nederburg Noble Late Harvest 2018 consists of four grapes: 48% Chenin Blanc, 30% Muscat de Frontignan, 18% Grasa de Cotnari and 4% Riesling. The grapes may hang well beyond their maturity whereupon the noble rot (Botrytis cinerea) attacks the grapes. The noble rot’s attack causes water in the grape to evaporate while sweetness, acidity and flavours get a higher concentration. The noble rot’s attacked grapes are harvested/destemmed and selected by hand in the field. After the harvest, the grapes are delivered to the winery and pressed. Then the must is fermented at 16°C in stainless steel tanks for six weeks. Then the wine is aged, for a few weeks, in the same stainless steel tanks that it had been fermented in. After bottling, the wine is aged for a few more weeks. Nederburg Noble Late Harvest 2018 can be aged for at least 6 years i.e. until at least 2025.
