In the order in which we drank them.
2009 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich GG. Popped and poured and then tasted over 7 hours! A great wine. At least two of the people who tasted this said it was the best Riesling they had ever tasted, and one of them has been a serious wine drinker/collector for over 40 years. Flower and white fruit on the nose. The palate s Granny Smith Apple, ripe Bartlett pear, a bit of peach and honey. There’s nice acidity, but it does not seem to translate to a citrus taste component, perhaps because the other fruits are so deliciously forward. There’s no sugar here, but the delicious fruit gives the appearance of sweetness. This is a fully-fermented trocken Riesling, but the ABV is still reported at only 11.5%, which surprised me. I just drank half of what was left 7 hours after opening and it is still a fantastic white fruit mélange, with the acid being a bit more apparent than before.
2006 Termes – Pop and Pour. It has lost the harshness that Termes displays when very young. It has been replaced by a strong fruit profile that evokes sweetness, even though there is no sugar. Some pepper spice. Still has years left in it. No real signs of adulthood. Just reaching into its teenage years.
2005 Hospice Auction Group Hospices de Beaune 1er Cru Volnay Santenots Cuvee Jehan de Massol. Eat your heart out, Michel. Popped, poured, and studied over the next 90 minutes. This is light compared to most of my cellar, but on the strong side for Burgundy. Cherry flavor with undifferentiated spice and a bit of tannic bite. There’s a lot of flavor brooding under the surface an ready to explode. How long until it does? I have no idea.
2006 Hospices Auction Group Hospices de Nuits 1er Cru Nuits St. George Les Didiers Cuvee Jacques Duret. Another wine to make Michel cry because he doesn’t have any. Pop and pour. My wife preferred this to the 2005, while I preferred the 2005. This was lighter and perhaps a bit more on the elegant side with cherry flavor and, in the background, to my surprise, a touch of Bordeaux Bandaid(??). Not obnoxious, but it was there. Smooth mouth fel with no tannic bite.
2008 Two Hands Charlie’s Patch. Decanted into one of those wide bottom duck decanters and then left outside to cool slightly and get some air. Excellent strong red fruit flavors, cherry and plum. Coffee and even a touch of chocolate. No astringent tannins. A whiff of oaky vanilla, but very faint in the background. Meaty smoothness with a rounded mouthy feel that covered the tongue. Very easy to drink.
None were kosher wines, but no one in my family cared.