2007 Dönnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spätlese- Germany, Nahe (9/4/2011)
This had the usual cavalcade of tangerines and cherries. Nice minerality. Maybe lacking some depth, but with Kirscheck I just enjoy the uttery purity of the fruit.
2004 Niepoort Douro Charme- Portugal, Douro (9/4/2011)
Funky. Tasted blind I really would assume Pinot with an earthy, sous-bois aspect. There is a dusky, husky aspect to this that is not quite Pinot stink, but the overall texture is more reminiscent of Burgundy that anything else I can put my head around. Really fascinating wine. (91 pts.)
2001 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape- France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (9/4/2011)
Wowza, this is really starting to strut. Popped and poured. This was screaming of grilled plum on the nose, moving to a surprisingly meaty palate. And then the lovely precision kicks in, white pepper, focus, pure Grenache, sappy and piney on the finish with that resin and garrigue. This bottle was more open and ripe that I have experience with this wine before, but nothing was out of proportion. Pure class, really such a gorgeous and distinct expression of Grenache. (94 pts.)
Wowza is right - I love this wine. I enjoy the combination of garrigue and fruit with still a rustic character to it. I wish I had more, but I’m down to only one bottle of the '01. I think these are totally singing right now.
Just two bottles left for me on the 2001 Charvin. Simply gorgeous wine and a must-have producer for any lover of Chateauneuf du Pape. I should frankly have a lot more Charvin in the cellar than I do.
Nice note on the Charvin, my favorite CdP producer. I have a lone bottle of the '01 I’m looking to open in the next week or two. Sounds like I’m in for a treat.
Andrew, you will be getting the wine in its mere adolescence, but I would be stunned if you didn’t really enjoy it. I hope yours shows as well as mine did the other night.
Your TN on the Niepoort doesn’t surprise me. Dirk Niepoort is a HUGE Burgundy drinker and isn’t afraid to go out on a limb when making Douro wines. I had the rare opportunity to taste almost all the current barrel sample components of Charme last year with him and it was a real treat learning about what he is seeking to express in this wine and about how he and his wine-maker respectfully disagree with each other on seemingly many things. An interesting dynamic not often seen in the Douro, or elsewhere for that matter, but it also has lead to Niepoort being not only a top Port producer but also one of the leading Douro wine producers as well.
FWIW, The 2004 was only the second vintage of this, 2002 being the first, and it was very well received by many professional reviewers…and my lowly self as well. A fantastic wine that would benefit from more cellar time and I only wish it wasn’t so hard to get here.
Andy, I must confess that, via Roy Hersh, and also meeting Dirk once, I know that the Charme is intended to be Burgundian. So at some level it is leading the witness. But darned if it isn’t true. I do have one more bottle that I hope to hide for at least another 5-10 years.
Thanks for the notes, Eric, especially on the 2001 CDP. This has been my vintage of choice these last couple of years, exceeding IMHO some of the more acclaimed vintages.
This Charme will easily hold for another 10 years at it’s current maturation rate, so no worries about burying it in your cellar till then. IIRC the story, Dirk put Charme double blind into a Burgundy tasting with some top Burg drinkers and reviewers and none of them realized it wasn’t a Burg. So I’d say the witness wasn’t being lead
And if you get a chance try his Tiara white wine. It’s about $20 or so and is pretty amazing for the price. I’ve still got some 2005’s that have gotten better as they age with Dirk saying “Let them age some more.”
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