Cadman Fine Wines

I attended Cadman's recent tasting which was held in a wonderful private members club in the heart of Mayfair in Central London. The building was all you would expect with high ornate ceilings, grand windows and soberly dressed staff. It was a great location to showcase 41 of Cadman's wines ranging from an £8.49 Trebbiano to a £105 1996 Chateau Palmer. And it was a great tasting exercise for my WSET Diploma. 35 wines in 2 hours works out at 17 per hour. The unit 3 exam is 12 wines in one hour during which I also have to write extensive tasting notes and work out what the wine is. It's real challenge.

The tasting highlights from the event for me were a Touraine Sauvignon, a Beaune premier cru and the mature Bordeaux.

The 2006 Domaine Baron Touraine Sauvignon was, at £8.50, the second cheapest wine of the evening and showed, with its intense nose of gooseberry and nettles balanced by a refreshing acidity and good length, that the Kiwis don't have a monopoly on great sauvignon. By contrast the Will Taylor sauvignon from Adelaide Hills was disappointing but I can't see a reason to spend £13.99 on a bottle of 2005 sauvignon when the wine just begs to be drunk when it is young and vibrant.

The 2000 1er cru Beaune, Les Epenottes from Bouree at £22.49 had probably the best aromas I experienced all evening with intense fruit and undergrowth and was very well balanced fruit, acidity and tannins. It was rivalled by the Cos d'Estournel but at £99 per bottle that is way out of my league.

It pays to try the Italian wines with the labels that don't say Chianti or Brunello or Montepulciano. I loved Le Sorgenti Gaiaccia 2004, a Tuscan IGT made from sangiovese for £13.50. The nose of blackcurrants and spice was matched by good acidity and slightly drying tannins which would make this a great food wine. Speaking of Brunellos the La Serena Brunello di Montalcino 2000 at £27.50 needs a lot more time for the tannins to be subdued.

There was a 2002 Chateau L'Evangile from Pomerol, a Chateau Pontet Canet 1998, a Chateau Leoville Las Cases 1997, the 1996 Chateau Palmer and Chateau Cos d'Estournel 1996. These were all a great way to end the evening with and showed how the 2005 Bordeaux on tasting still have a long, long way to go to develop.

I was impressed with the whole organisation of the event and I can see myslef buying from them in the near future.