TN: Old friends and great wine part 2 (Hirtzberger, Trimbach, Penfolds, Juge, Produttori, Catoir, Muller)

WINE TALK
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Part two of the “reunion” weekend started with lunch, and a delicious focaccia that Salil made, accompanied by:

2009 Hirtzberger Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Hoivogl
Unmistakable as both Gruner Veltliner and as Hirtzberger. Plenty of white pepper and cress to go along with very rich fruit. Maybe a touch heavy for my preferences, and the back label noted harvest dates all the way into mid-November, so likely botrytis influence as well. That said it’s impressive and delicious, but these days I prefer a fresher style (e.g., Gobelsburg).

1999 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune
Sadly, this bottle was extremely advanced. Yes, it’s nearly 25 years old, but the caramel color and oxidative aromas and flavors were not appropriate for a bottle purchased on release from a high-quality retailer and cellared at 53 degrees since purchase. Down the drain it went. On a positive note, the winery reached out to me based on an Instagram post, so maybe sometime soon I can try this wine again.

Salil prepared lamb biryani and some dal makhani for dinner (not to mention the canelés for dessert!), and we were once again joined by Ken Vastola, and also his wife Amy. Great to see Ken again, and wonderful to have a chance to meet Amy!

And of course, we had wine.

1998 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707
The second bottle from an unopened 6 bottle OWC from my dad’s cellar, and just as good as the first that I opened last year. Deep fruit, cedar and earthy elements, and still strong framing tannins. I loved this.

2014 Marcel Juge Cornas
No need to drink this, just inhale. Olives, smoke, red meat fresh off the grill. Gorgeous. Bright acidic structure kept this light on its feet and very food friendly. My favorite pairing with the biryani.

1967 Produttori del Barbaresco Riserva Speciale ‘Rabaja’
Another birth year wine graciously provided by Ken. This was just as good as the 1967 Conterno from the prior night, but with more tertiary cedar and dried flower notes. Still sustaining red fruit, even over the course of a couple of hours. Lovely stuff, but I needed to just sip it on its own to fully capture all it had to give in its quieter voice than the other reds.

1990 Muller-Catoir Musbacher Eselhaut Rieslaner Auslese
Typical fully mature Rieslaner, with a ton of baking spice aromatics as well as dried pineapple and eventually just the tiniest hint of chili powder. This was quite dry for Auslese, with the residual sugar adding just a dusting on top rather than being a centerpiece. I had sip with the dal makhani, and that worked very well. It was nowhere sweet enough to go with the Canelés.

2009 Egon Muller Scharzhofberger Riesling Spatlese
Young but very delicious and drinkable right now. Notably sweeter than the Catoir, and stuffed with peach and apple fruit, as well as a hit of lime zest and a bright blast of acid on the finish. Perfect balance for long-term aging, but impossible to resist right now.

Two great nights with wonderful people and fabulous food and wine. I need a nap!

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My thoughts on day 2 -

  • I loved the Gruner, but felt it very Hirtzberger and I didn’t think the GV character showed through as clearly (though I will also admit I drink far less GV than you, especially the older stuff). It was a terrific wine, but if you had served it blind and told me it was a Hirtzberger Chardonnay, Grauburgunder, or Weissburgunder, I wouldn’t have argued. The botrytis did show through quite a bit which perhaps threw me off. (Aside, it did remind me that I have a bunch of the 09 Alzinger Steinertal GV - we’ll have to open one next time we drink, and hopefully that won’t be another ~7 year wait.)

  • Bin 707, oh yes. Beautiful. Absolutely loved this. Just textbook Cabernet and as much as I loved the Grange on Friday, I think I got more sheer pleasure drinking this. The last glass at the end of the night was the best.

  • Juge - old school Cornas flavors on a frame that really did feel Burgundian - so lightweight, gentle, and silky. I love what Juge does in these lighter/less ripe vintages (I remember having similar impressions of the 2011 years ago.)

  • Not much I can add to your description of that Rabaja. Hauntingly beautiful aromatics, that old wine sweetness on the palate, just stellar.

  • As for that Egon - loved it (you know how I generally feel about those wines), though it still seemed so young. Just the start of developing savory/smoky flavours, but the fruit still felt incredibly youthful. I’m glad I have a few more - like the '01 Prum from Friday, I’m not planning to touch another for likely another decade or so. That wine is built for the very long haul.

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Nicely done gents. Two great line ups.

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Nice lineup. I’ve got a singleton of that Bin 707 Cab and the decision of when to drink it is killing me. It sounds like it might be time-adjacent.

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I think you’ve got plenty of time to wait, even though it’s drinking very well now (with some air). It still showed plenty of structure and held up very well over a few hours. I thought it actually showed the youngest of all 3 reds (the Juge had far more mature flavours/much less tannin).

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I still have four more, so I suspect there will be a few checkups in the relatively near term.

Watch this space for updates!

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We have found severe premox problems at Trimbach around the turn of the century.

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Yup. Many have run into that issue.

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I had a mag of 2006 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile that showed brilliantly, but a 750 was premoxed.

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2006 is a completely funky vintage. I didn’t trust any of the wines to age.

My issues with Trimbach premox end in 2000/2001 depending on the wine. Not had a single prematurely advanced wine from 2002 or later.

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Here are my notes and some pix, though I failed to get a photo of David.

DAVE B VISITS ALBANY, DAY 2 - Salil’s, Albany, NY (1/27/2024)

Dave B came to visit Salil for the weekend, so Salil planned two dinners. This was the second one. This time, my wife Amy was able to join us.

Photos and more details can be found on my website.

Whites

  • 2009 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
    [Pop and pour.] Light yellow color. Nose of peaches and petrol. Juicy peaches in the mouth. Still young. Great depth and length. Needs years to fully show all it has. 95-??
    Two hours later: Stunning nose of peaches, minerals, and citrus. Gorgeous in the mouth. Really opening up. Expansive, complex, and very long. 96 (96 points)
  • 2009 Franz Hirtzberger Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Honivogl - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
    [Opened around 1pm. Tasted around 7:30pm.] Heavenly nose of apples and apricots. Gorgeous in the mouth. Expansive and complex. I could drink this all night. Really goes well with the biryani. (95 points)

Reds

  • 1967 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
    [Double-decanted for a half hour around 6pm. Cork saturated. Some schmutz under the capsule.] Nose of mint and cherries. Fully mature, but still long and complex. Lovely stuff. A wine of meditation. (94 points)
  • 1998 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 - Australia, South Australia
    [Pop and pour.] Big, smokey, black fruit nose. Rich, complex, and long. Smooth and delicious. Should drink well for another decade. (95 points)
  • 2014 Marcel Juge Cornas - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
    [Pop and pour.] Spicy red fruit nose. Quite mature. Mulch, spice, olives. Not that appealing to me. Maybe it was just that I should have had this before the Penfolds 707.

Dessert

Click here to see the dessert and wine.

Conclusion

This was another gloriously diverse set of wines. Another wonderful evening.

Posted from CellarTracker.

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Dodging cameras is one of my skills.

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