Last fall I had an evening with non-wino friends - with me taking the responsibility of the beverages (apart from a bottle of beer one friend brought with him).
The wines came from my cellar mainly in pairs: first the introductory bubbles; then two Rieslings 15 years apart; then an orange wine to mark the middle point; then two similar yet different reds that were poured blind; finally two stickies to finish the night off.
Unfortunately that Madeira was corked, but apart from that, people seemed to be pretty happy with the stuff we had!
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2013 Jean Moreau Pere et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (24.9.2022)
100% Pinot Noir from the Grand Cru vineyards in Ambonnay. 12% alcohol.
Moderately deep lemon-yellow color. Rich and moderately toasty nose with aromas of sweet honeyed notes, some autolytic nuances of brioche and oat biscuits, a little bit of bruised apple, light nutty tones and a hint of juicy citrus fruit. The wine is firm, quite broad and moderately full-bodied on the palate with ripe, somewhat toasty and quite dry-ish flavors of honey-and-oats cookies, some nutty notes of chopped almonds, a little bit of bruised apple, light stony mineral notes, an autolytic hint of brioche and a touch of crunchy citrus fruits. The overall feel is moderately high in acidity with a gentle, soft mousse. The finish is dry and crunchy with a long and moderately toasty aftertaste of ripe citrus fruits and bruised apple, some autolytic notes of brioche, a little bit of saline minerality, light nutty tones and a hint of leesy yeast.
A classic, broad-shouldered Blanc de Noirs with a somewhat toasty overall feel. Definitely not a light and delicate Champagne by any means, but neither is this a big, heavy or too ripe effort either. The flavors have a somewhat sweet edge to them, even if the dosage here is at the Extra Brut level, but I suppose that's just the ripeness of Ambonnay fruit talking. Good sense of balance. I guess the wine could continue to evolve for at least a handful of years more, but as the wine feels pretty toasty and vinous already now, I really don't think any further aging is necessary. Solid stuff, priced according to its quality at 38€.
(91 points) -
NV Mikkeller Baghaven Gift from Demeter - Denmark, Copenhagen (24.9.2022)
Blend 2 - this is a "rustic Dansh shipyard spelt ale" brewed at the Mikkeller Baghaven ("backyard") brewery-blendery located at Refshaleøen, Copenhagen. Aged for 8 months in old Chardonnay oak barrels. Best before March 2026. 5,2% alcohol, 8,7 g/l acidity.
Hazy lemon-yellow color with faint green highlights. The nose feels somewhat funky and slightly phenolic with some zesty citrus fruit tones, a little bit of bretty leather, light woody tones, a hint of yeast and a touch of earthy spices. Although the nose is quite nice and attractive, the beer feels more aggressive on the palate with a moderately sour overall feel and quite angular flavors of pithy grapefruit, quite pronounced metallic bitterness, a little bit of yeast, light bretty notes of leather, a hint of grassy greenness and a touch of phenolic spice. The carbonation feels soft and mellow, but although the hop bitterness doesn't feel that high, the sourness turns it very angular and aggressive, overwhelming the finer nuances. The finish is dry, aggressively bitter and very long with flavors of pithy grapefruit, some grassy herbal tones, a little bit of leathery funk, light phenolic nuances and a hint of lemon juice.
It feels like this would've been a lovely, funky and enjoyably rustic farmhouse ale, if it weren't for the aggressive hop bitterness. I really don't mind high hops in a proper environment, like a West Coast IPA, but in a sour ale the low pH makes the hop bitterness feel very aggressively bitter and metallic - which is exactly what happens here. With a very modest hop bitterness the flavors would've had enough room to shine, while the sourness would've accentuated the bitter notes enough so that the beer would've been bitter enough. However, as a heavily bittered sour ale, this is just something very unbalanced with its unpleasant, aggressively metallic and angular bitter notes. I must say I'm not a fan. Definitely not worth the 20,57€ for a 0,75-liter bottle.
(79 points) -
1992 Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein Winninger Röttgen Riesling - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (24.9.2022)
11,5% alcohol.
There seemed to be quite a bit of deposit (well, wine crystals) in the bottle, so it was decanted carefully into a carafe. The wine has a surprisingly youthful and relatively pale yellow-green color - especially if compared to the much deeper 2007 Heymann-Löwenstein we had at the same time! The nose feels quite closed and reticent at first, but it slowly opens up to reveal somewhat evolved aromas of rubbery reduction, some beeswax, light appley tones, a little bit of zesty pomelo, petrolly hints of a car repair shop and a touch of lemon marmalade. The wine feels dry, fresh and relatively light-bodied on the palate with flavors of lemony citrus fruits and steely minerality, some beeswax, a little bit of rubbery reduction, light honeyed tones, a sweet hint of apple jam and a touch of petrol. The finish is dry, lively and quite acid-driven with a long aftertaste of lemony citrus fruit, some beeswax, a little bit of apple jam, light reductive notes of rubber, a hint of petrol and a touch of incisive steely minerality.
A dry Mosel Riesling that has kept remarkably well for 30 years - the wine felt much lighter, younger and more focused than the Heymann-Löwenstein vom Blauem Schiefer that was only half as old as this wine was! At first the younger wine seemed much more impressive as it was open right from the get go, whereas this wine was quite closed and just slightly rubbery at first. However, with enough air this wine really got its game on and ultimately turned out to be pretty lovely and precise in character. I guess at the moment the 2007 vom Blauem Schiefer was the better wine, but that was mainly due to its evolved complexity - it felt like a wine at its peak, whereas this wine seemed still surprisingly young with still some way to go before its apogee. Perhaps with enough aging, this wine will turn out to be the better out of these two after all! At 26€ for two bottles, this was a steal.
(91 points) -
2007 Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein Riesling von blauem Schiefer - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (24.9.2022)
12,5% alcohol.
Moderately deep golden yellow color with an amber-orange core. The nose feels rich, expressive and somewhat toasty with quite evolved, almost dessert wine-like aromas of bruised apple, some toffee, a little bit of orange marmalade, light beeswax tones, a hint of lemon curd and a touch of caramel. The wine feels broad, concentrated and very ripe on the palate with a rather full body and off-dry flavors of lemon curd, some bruised apple tones, a little bit of caramel, light honeyed tones, a hint of orange marmalade and a touch of cooked cream. The wine feels very big and quite fat for a Riesling, although the moderately high acidity manages to keep the wine still quite nicely in balance. The finish is rich, ripe and slightly sweet-toned with a lengthy aftertaste of beeswax, some toffee, a little bit of bruised apple, light petrolly nuances, a hint of tangerine and a touch of orange marmalade.
Well this was a surprisingly big powerhouse - although it shouldn't have been a surprise, as it was 2007 after all - a vintage known to produce some very big, ripe and weighty wines. This wine seemed to be not only ripe, but perhaps also show some botrytis influence, as the wine had a striking dessert wine-feel to it! Even though this wine should represent the entry-level tier of the Heymann-Löwenstein quality ladder, the overall feel was that of a Goldkapsel Auslese or even a Beerenauslese - only with very low level of residual sugar! I don't know if age had done its own job making the wine how it was, or if it was more or like this when it was young, but I feel the wine has more or less reached its maximum level of complexity and it won't develop much - or any - further from here. Nevertheless, a terrific blockbuster Riesling, if there ever was one! A superb purchase at 78€ for a case of 6 bottles (ie. 13€ per bottle).
(92 points) -
2020 Domaine Gérard Neumeyer Gewurztraminer Stierkopf Taureau Macération - France, Alsace (24.9.2022)
100% organically farmed Gewurztraminer from 33-yo vines in lieu-dit Stierkopf, literally "Bull's head". Taureau (lit. "bull") is a parcel within Stierkopf, owned by the Neymeyer family. The wine is fermented spontaneously and macerated with the skins for two week in stainless steel tanks. Bottled in July 2021, after 9 months of aging on the lees. 16% alcohol, 0,3 g/l residual sugar and 4,3 g/l acidity.
Quite deep reddish-orange color. Robust, ridiculously expressive and immensely powerful Gewurztraminer nose of rosewater, resinous notes of phenolic spice, some beeswax tones, a little bit of boozy alcohol, light strawberry nuances, a hint of lychee and a touch of sultana raisins. The wine is immensely concentrated, powerful and rather hot on the palate with a tiny bit of CO2 prickle and a medium-to-moderately full body. Even though the wine is technically bon-dry, the overall feel is still slightly off-dry with its intense and slightly sweet-toned flavors of caramel and ripe orange, some apple jam, light strawberry tones, a little bit of honey and beeswax, a slightly bitter hint of phenolic spice and a touch of rosewater. The wine feels somewhat viscous and a bit ponderous; the medium acidity keeps the wine somewhat in balance, but doesn't do much about freshness or structure. The finish is rich, heavy and slightly sweet-toned with bold and very persistent flavors of honey and caramel, some apple jam, light floral notes of roses, a little bit of juicy strawberry, a warm hint of boozy alcohol and a touch of exotic spices.
A very singular wine that is probably bigger and more concentrated than any Grand Cru Gewurztraminer I've ever tasted! Even if the wine is definitely very orange wine in character, the skin contact hasn't overwhelmed any of the varietal qualities of Gewurztraminer - on the contrary, this feels more like a wine in which the varietal characteristics have been only amplified along with the additional nuances that have come from the skin contact. I only wish the wine wouldn't be so ridiculously high in alcohol, because the boozy tones distract quite a bit from the pleasure - although this is not an "easy wine" by any standards, apart from its high ABV, this is quite enjoyable for a monolithic blockbuster Gewurztraminer. All in all, a fun experience, but probably not a re-buy. I might reconsider if they make this again in some other vintage where the level of alcohol would be more reasonable. At just 13,90€, this was a good purchase.
(88 points) -
2014 Allegrini Palazzo della Torre Veronese IGT - Italy, Veneto, Veronese IGT (24.9.2022)
Originally Palazzo della Torre was made with fruit sourced from the 25-hectare Palazzo della Torre cru, but today only a part of the grapes come from this cru that was replanted in 1962. A blend of Corvina (40%), Corvinone (30%), Rondinella (25%) and Sangiovese (5%). Since 1990, inspired by the Ripasso method of Valpolicella, the Corvinone portion has been left to dry and the raisined grapes are pressed much later; this sweeter, more concentrated must is added to the already-vinified wine for a re-fermentation. Aged for 15 months in 2nd-use barriques, then blended and aged for 2 months before bottling. 13,5% alcohol, 6 g/l residual sugar, 5,4 g/l acidity.
Dark, dense and almost fully opaque blackish-red color with a tiniest bit of rusty evolved hue towards the rim. The nose feels quite bold, powerful and slightly sweetly-fruited with aromas of pouch tobacco and licorice root, some ripe black cherry tones, a little bit of plummy dark fruit, light notes of blackberry marmalade, a hint of blueberry, a touch of toasty oak spice and a whiff of jammy red fruits. The wine is dense, textural and slightly sweet-toned on the palate with bold flavors of dark fruits and licorice, some blackberry marmalade, light spicy tones, a little bit of blueberry, a hint of meaty umami and a touch of savory wood spice. The medium-to-moderately high acidity feels a bit soft, but the moderately grippy medium-plus tannins keep the wine firm and enjoyably chewy. The finish is rich, bold and moderately long with a slightly sweetly-fruited aftertaste of black cherries, some blackberry marmalade, a little bit of savory wood spice, light peppery tones, a hint of soft dark plum and a touch of blueberry jam.
A rich, bold and still relatively youthful Super-Veronese that was noticeably better than 4½ years ago, when I last tasted the wine. Back then it was a bit too primary for pleasure, making the wine come across as excessively sweetly-fruited, soft and not really distinguishable from a generic Ripasso. Now, however, the wine seems to have soft some of its baby fat and even if the appassimento portion of the grapes have given the wine a little bit of sugary sweetness, it doesn't really come across as raisiny, even with some bottle age. Seeing how the wine has improved over the years and it still comes across as pretty youthful for its age, I can imagine this will continue to improve with further cellaring. Not really my style of wine, but turning out to be quite a decent effort, after all. Still, I wouldn't say the wine is worth its price at 27,30€.
(87 points) -
2017 Villa Belvedere Amarone della Valpolicella - Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella (24.9.2022)
A blend of Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella. 15% alcohol, 3 g/l residual sugar and 5,5 g/l acidity.
Quite youthful and somewhat translucent cherry-red color. The nose feels a bit restrained and somewhat simple with aromas of cherries, some strawberries, a little bit of raspberry juice, light candied notes of red fruit jellies and a hint of something vaguely fish-y. The wine is dry-ish, somewhat understated and moderately full-bodied on the palate with flavors of cherries, some cranberry jam tones, a little bit of sour cherry amaro, light tart lingonberry tones, a hint of alcohol heat and a touch of candied red fruit. The wine is medium in acidity with moderately grippy tannins. The finish is quite hot and somewhat grippy with a medium-long aftertaste of sour cherries, some cranberries, a little bit of boozy alcohol, light tart lingonberry tones, a candied hint of raspberry jellies and a touch of cherry marmalade. The wine ends on a slightly bitter amaro note.
Meh. A rather simple, understated and generic Amarone that lacks depth, intensity and length. Basically the slightly sweet-toned fruit and high alcohol are the only things that make this wine feel even vaguely like an Amarone - and those are basically the main characteristics why I dislike Amarone. A disappointing wine. At 25,70€, this isn't expensive for an Amarone, but still it doesn't deliver for the price.
(81 points) -
2014 Blandy's Madeira Malmsey Harvest Colheita - Portugal, Madeira (24.9.2022)
Made with Malvasia Branca de São Jorge grapes sourced from São Jorge on the northern side of the island. The grapes are fermented for approximately 1-2 days. Then the must is rectified to approx. 20% ABV with 96% ABV grape spirit to halt the fermentation, after which the fortified wine is transferred to old American oak casks. The wine is aged in Canteiros, ie. in warm warehouses, in which the wines age in casks that are never topped up. Bottled filtered in 2020. 19% alcohol, 111 g/l residual sugar, 6,34 g/l acidity and 0,36 g/l VA.
Luminous reddish coppery color. Dull, underwhelming nose of raisins, some syrupy tones, a little bit of mildew, light dried apricot tones, a hint of dusty attic and a touch of bruised apple. The wine feels sweet, full-bodied and quite rich on the palate with somewhat dull flavors of apple jam, some raisiny tones, a little bit of cardboard, light nuances of caramel, a hint of dried dates and a touch of something dusty. Medium-to-moderately high acidity. The finish is rather short and somewhat sticky with sweet flavors of raisins, some syrupy tones and a little bit of dried dates.
A corked bottle. Shucks. The wine was 29,50€ for a half-liter bottle and I'm not sure if it had been worth the price even if the wine had been in prime condition.
(NR/flawed) -
NV Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo Chinato Vino Aromatizzato - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo Chinato (24.9.2022)
The wine is based on two portions of Barolo; in one portion 46 different herbs, spices and other aromatic elements - including bark from two different varieties of Cinchona tree - are steeped over a period of time ranging from 35 to 70 days. Afterwards the spiced wine solution is filtered and left to settle for a few months. The other portion is sweetened with the addition of white sugar and burnt sugar. After the spiced infusion is blended with the sweetened Barolo, the concoction is fortified to 16% and left to age in concrete tanks. The wine is filtered prior to bottling. I have no idea how old this bottle is, but its lot number is L17515, so probably it was bottled in 2017 or 2015 or based on either of those vintages. 16% alcohol.
Luminous, quite translucent and somewhat evolved pomegranate color. Wonderfully fragrant and herbal nose with aromas of red Vermouth, cherry marmalade, some cool notes of peppermint, a little bit of peppery spice, light strawberry tones, a hint of bilberry jam and a touch of medicinal herbs. The wine feels rich, sweet and textural on the palate with a moderately full body and complex flavors of quite pronounced medicinal herb bitterness and cherry marmalade followed by more subtle nuances of strawberries, some peppermint, a little bit of vanilla and other sweet spices, light bilberry tones, a hint of sour cherry and a touch of cranberry juice. Although the wine feels quite viscous on the palate, the rather high acidity and subtly grippy tannins lend it good sense of firmness, structure and balance. The finish is sweet, rich and gently grippy with a remarkably persistent aftertaste of cherry marmalade and blueberry, rather pronounced herbal bitterness, some strawberry jam tones, a little bit of peppery spice, light cooling green notes of peppermint, hints of medicinal herbs and Vermouth and a sweeter touch of exotic spices.
A fantastic, wonderfully complex and very characterful wine - this feels like a red Vermouth, but instead of feeling something you'd want to base a cocktail on, this is a complete drink on its own! This is not unlike a blend of red Vermouth and Fernet Branca flavored with late-harvested Nebbiolo. I'd really love to see how these fantastic concoctions age - although admittedly they are pretty darn delicious even in their youth! I can understand people who can't enjoy these wines, but this combination of sweetness, quite pronounced quinine bitterness and aromatic herby tones is really in my wheelhouse! At 32,30€ for a half-liter bottle, this was a great purchase.
(94 points)
Posted from CellarTracker
But it really seems that when pouring this stuff to real wine geeks, it really is a love-it-or-hate-it scenario. I myself never needed a 2nd sip, I loved the style from the first drop! I wish we had them better available over here.