Somewhat quickly thrown together tasting with a focus on Riesling but as usual other stuff too. Brief impressions of what I tasted.
2012 Larmandier-Bernier Chardonnay, Champagne, Terre de Vertus Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature. Minor mousse upon the pour, dissolves quickly. Sparkly yellow straw color, slight brown tint, nothing unusual, no visible fizz. Apple, pear, peach prominent in the nose by default, mildly chalky, lemon zest, hint of toast, moderate length. Light to medium-bodied, quite crisp with strong pétillance. Very lemony, even more so than chalky. Sharp apple, pear flavors. Does show a bit of honey on the back end. Finishes short. Likely a young showing.
2010 Grosset Riesling, South Australia, Clare Valley, Polish Hill. Light white-green straw color, average shine but really pools down into the glass. As expected, big dose of petrol and rubber in the nose, gentle florals, lemon peel, the apricot to peach scents quiet and in the background. Medium-bodied, thick web of acidity squeezes hard right off. Bright lemon, lime citrus. The petrol weaves in better. Nice edge to the peach, pear, green apple fruit. Very long finish, energetic. Many miles ahead. (Screwcap)
2002 Trimbach Riesling, Alsace, âCuvĂ©e FrĂ©dĂ©ric Ămile.â Solid gold color, strong into the rims, not looking that aged, good shine. Aggressive swirling action in the nose, lemon to blood orange citrus, sharp diesel notes, ferrous in a way, mixed orchard fruit, nothing particular jumps out, dense enough to linger. Medium-bodied, dry extract with a solid acidic punch. Metallic unto salami accents, surging pink grapefruit. Here merges more into clear peach, apricot, borderline fruity for what it is. Very long and drinking great.
2012 Wolfram Stempel Riesling, Mosel, Maringer Honigberg, MHT21 Trocken [Landwein]. Light gold hay hue, empty rims, good shine, about average. Nose offers some variety, citrus, bubblegum, peach to cherry fruit, stream water, ends with a slight yeasty quality. Medium-bodied with a very strong, if blunt, acidity. Leads with tangerine, grapefruit citrus. That yeast element more obvious. There is a crest of sweetness in the center. Something akin to lanolin and licorice at the end. Taut orchard fruit. Painfully young.
2017 Selbach-Oster Riesling Mosel, Zeltinger Sonnenuhr, âUrâ alte Reben SpĂ€tlese Feinherb AP #26. Medium gold color, fairly consistent core to rims, average shine. The nose shows steady lift as well as a swirling quality, strawberry, cherry, apricot scents, even some melon, before it dissolves gets a rising minerally quality. Medium to full-bodied, rose petal, licorice gives it a pretty profile. Pear, apricot, yellow apple, persimmon fruit. Slate, wet stone. Acidity is moderate, doesnât stand out. Unique profile, hard to say where itâs going.
2001 Josef Leitz Riesling, Rheingau, RĂŒdesheimer Kirchenpfad, SpĂ€tlese AP #3. Bright golden color with a green glint, good density with a shiny top. Broad nose, creamy with tangerine, pink grapefruit out the wazoo, tropical pineapple, mango, kiwi scents, keeps chugging along in the nostrils. Full-bodied with the acidity to carry it. Big citrus, big tropical fruit, bodacious. Whipped cream, vanilla fudge. At times garden herbs. Decent residual sugar, fits the profile. In a very good place.
2022 Falkenstein Riesling, Mosel, Niedermenniger Im Kleinschock, Kabinett AP #20. All but clear water, lightest white straw, shows some residual fizz long after opening, average shine at best. Light and bouncy nose of grapefruit, florality, wet stone dust, apricot, melon, stiffened after being open for some time. Light to medium-bodied, the acidity gets out ahead of the body. Then the semi-tropical fruit starts to fill the crevices. Tangelo, pink grapefruit, white grapefruit starts revving from mid-palate to finish. Some creaminess on the aftertaste. Coquettish.
2020 Julian Haart Riesling, Mosel, Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Kabinett AP #2. Close to hueless, bright and sparkly. Gossamer nose of spun sugar, rose water, honey and a waft of smoke, apricot, pear fruit, most impressive for its delicacy. Medium-bodied, straightforward presentation, zips forward. The acidity moves it long rather than slice it into pieces. Mixed grapefruit, blood orange, just close to explosive. Kiwi, pineapple, papaya. Manages to turn dry by the finish and stay true to its PrÀdikat. Has the ability to go a good long way and keep its general profile.
2020 Joh. Jos. Prum Riesling, Mosel, Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett AP #12. White green straw, sort of dull, fills the glass. Nose smoky with diesel, big apple fruit aspect, honey, large scaled without a lot of nuance right now. Medium-bodied, feels bigger than Kabinett. Sweet peach, apple, apricot fruit. Equally sweet citrus. Acidity comes off as so-so. Weird experience.
1993 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Riesling, Mosel, Ărziger WĂŒrzgarten, Auslese*** Auction AP #19. Bronzed with yellowish rims, layered with clean shine. Nose of curd, herbs, molasses, brown sugar, poached peaches, expresses volumes of sweetness, sort of burly. Full-bodied, layered and firm, borderline muscular. Candied orange peel, lactose, garden herbs. Acidity turning sluggish under the weight of material. Dried apricot, nectarine, pineapple fruit.
2002 Huet Chenin Blanc, Loire Valley, Vouvray, Le Haut-Lieu, Demi-Sec. Opened with the usual suspects to split opinion. Most could agree that the palate showed better than the nose. Amber color, looks older than its age, pools deep into the glass yet does offer shine on the surface. Lanolin, caramel, witch hazel, has a medicinal edge, candied oranges, to me the milkiness or doughiness is not pervasive, whatâs curious is the absence of fruit scents. Medium-bodied plus, holds its weight from start to finish and in no way heavy nor sluggish. Premoxed or not, the acidity is definitely there. More orange to tangerine citrus. Concentrated more than âdried fruitâ pineapple, peach, guava fruit. Again, to me, any oxidative flavors are not disproportionate. And thereâs always the âprematureâ versus âmatureâ oxidation at this age question. Regardless of pristine Huets from the 40s, etc. It was alright.
2021 Yaban Koletif (100% Sungurlu), Turkey, Ăorum, Sungurlu AyaÄıbĂŒyĂŒk. Pale golden straw, quality shine. Bright, fresh nose with a lemony edge, good florals, vaguely honeyed, snappy pear, apple, apricot scents, nice lift, would be great for a blind tasting as itâs very ânormalâ and Iâd venture to guess NO ONE would guess the grape. Medium-bodied, good interplay between sappiness and acidic cleansing. Lemon, grapefruit citrus. Lilacs to chamomile tea. Just ripened orchard fruits. Very clean on the palate, no clue about Ă©levage. Sticks around nicely through the finish, particularly the sweet ânâ sour citrus. Easy to drink and could see it quite versatile at the dinner table. Who knew?
2012 Domaine Pavelot Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Savigny-Les-Beaune, La Dominode. Retains a lot of ruby but mutating into a more matured reddish hue, clarity is fine. Nose is earthy while stopping short of âsous boisâ and the red fruit has a roast but has richness per se. Medium-bodied, semi-sour red fruits, mild herbaceousness. Still gosh darn tannic, tends to throw a blanket over the proceedings. That said, the level of energy and thrust is quite admirable. After consideration, the fruit probably isnât going to outlast the structure. So Iâd drink up.
2021 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, Occidental Ridge Vineyard. Bright violet magenta, flush rims, moderate clarity. Heavy raspberry, blueberry, blackberry fruit to the nose, baking spices, pie crust, floral dew, lots of fullness. Full-bodied, spicy and close to high-toned. Sweet mixed berry fruit. Big and brassy, makes itself known from the first sip. Doesnât really move, shift so becomes monochromatic. Hence thatâs all there is to say.
2002 Karl Lawrence Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. Opaque purple core, not quite black, rims rich scarlet, clean overall. Minty, mentholated nose, rich black currant, cherry scents, minimal toast, more cedar, spice box, has a pleasing overall freshness. Medium-bodied with a fluid shape, great pacing. Tannin resolved and not much wood tannin, toast here either. Kind of smoky. The currant, plum, cherry fruit remains in full force, pushes fully through the finish. Itâs not insanely tertiary, enough to say it has reached the place it will. Very easy to drink. 78% Morisoli Vineyard, 15% Herb Lamb Vineyard, 7% Beckstoffer-To Kalon Vineyard.
2000 Damilano Nebbiolo, Piedmont, Barolo, Cannubi. Black, grimy core, washed out yellow rims. Leather, damp earth, cured meats, anise seed, peanut shells, thereâs some volatility going on, the fruit plum/prune to cherry, at the juncture offering more heft than complexity. Full-bodied and bottom heavy, has little verve left. Any tannin feels ground into dust, no structuring ability left. Fully matured if not roasted fruits. Leather, tarry and muddy earth, nothing pretty about its maturation. If anything, it is volatile as in the nose and unraveling. Perhaps an example in bottle variation as the last one I had in November 2019 was rustic but not falling apart. Or the five more years really mattered. Any way you slice it itâs on the downward slope.
2005 François Pinon Chenin Blanc, Loire Valley, Vouvray, âCuvĂ©e Botrytis.â Light amber color, nothing excessively advanced, a bit visually flat. The nose comes across as if it has tightened up some, more concentrated per se than sweetly so, apricot paste, beeswax, tarry smoke, if it makes sense pushes forward more than lingers, just canât help the momentum. In the mouth itâs medium-bodied and fairly supple for its sweetness. Candied orange peel, honey, brown sugar frame the mouth entry. Dried apricot, peach, pineapple ensues. Some vanillin notes when it warms. You can luxuriate in the sugary goodness because the acidity is on patrol to temper any excesses. The finish is clean, arguably short. In some ways reminds me of the âNovemberleseâ style of wine. Happy mindset. 500 ml bottle.
2001 Baumard Chenin Blanc, Loire Valley, Coteaux du Layon, Clos de Sainte Catherine. Darkened amber orange with a glossy shine, fully transparent, diminished at the rims. Smoky nose, honeyed pie crust, notes of ferrous minerality and salami, rich peach to apricot fruit, touch of rubber but oddly not getting any citrus accents, surges forward more than lifts. Full-bodied, immediately starts with cinnamon and crystalized ginger and then the expected candied orange peel. Slight vanillin undertone. More caramelized brown sugar. The sweetness of the apricot, pear, cherry, pineapple fruit brings it to the fore. Moves briskly and cleans up remarkably at the finish. Many Loire âsweetiesâ start getting drier over time and I suspect this has done so. Yet in a way that clearly leaves this in the dessert wine category. Very much enjoyed.
There was also a 2008 Dagueneau Silex that was shot, I didnât taste it or such. It seems decanting did not help. And a forgotten bottle turned experiment, a 1996 Deiss Pinot Blanc (Bergheim?). Brief encounter, for what it is/was not bad at all and there was some group interest in it. Canât recall any other flawed/OTH wines.