Berserker Mike Mikowicz and his lovely friend Jess visited us last night to taste Mike’s 2007 Dauvissat La Forest Chablis among other wines. Lots of fun and impressive wines were had by all. As the following notes (in order of the appearance of the wines) reflect, there were no flawed or under-performing bottles in my opinion.
2001 Zind-Humbrecht Clos Windsbuhl Riesling – This is hitting on all cylinders at the moment. Dark straw color, honey and pear on the nose, this wine delivered slate and minerals, along with more honey, pear and a little orange rind on the palate. Long, penetrating finish. Outstanding! Probably my wine of the night if I were forced to make such a call.
2007 Shafer Frohlich Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Spatlese – Very pale color in the glass, appearance of some spritz, and only 7.5% abv on the label. On the palate, a touch of spritz that diminished over time. The wine was sweet but not palate-heavy, with some tropical fruit and melons waiting to take the stage with a little more sideways time. This is a pleasurable drink now, but it will improve with age.
2007 Dauvissat La Forest Chablis – Look, we all knew we were drinking this too young. It’s science, dammit! We were trying to confirm that it would be a good idea to buy the allocation that Mike obtained for his store. On opening, this wine was reticent on the nose, with a slightly cloudy, pale color in the glass. As predicted, it was hard as nails initially, not giving much insight into its potential. After a half-hour or so, some steel, oyster shell, earth, green apple and quinine emerged. This wine was not even near its optimal window, but it is clear that it will be impressive a decade or more from now.
2002 J.J. Christoffel Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese** – This was one of those situations where we had not really planned what was going to be opened after the Dauvissat, so we just went and picked something out of the cellar. And a good choice it was. This still sports some overt sweetness, but it is silky and light in the mouth with all kinds of kinky fun in the flavor profile. Nuts (I think macadamia), petrol, tropical fruit, marzipan, etc., and then some. Still young, but a joy to ponder now.
2005 Pax Griffin’s Lair Syrah – After four bottles of white wine between four people, there was great demand for something red. This selection was made on the spur of the moment again, when it was revealed that Jess appreciates a good Cali Rhone Ranger. Of the many times I have tried this wine, last night’s showing was probably the best. The wine is still pitch dark in the glass, and the nose presents dark fruit and pepper. In the mouth there is still some tannic grip (in an enjoyable way), along with scorched earth, grilled meat, and red fruit. Among descriptors I wrote down were “animalistic” and “intense”. Fun now, but lots of life ahead.
Again, all of the wines performed well considering where they were in their lives, and I would be glad to drink any of them again (although I would wait at least 5 or 6 years to revisit the Dauvissat). Hopefully Mike will see this post and add his notes soon.
Cheers!