Might as well go out and drink and eat well on a cloudy cool Tuesday night, since summer seems like it will never show here in New England. Friends in from Lummi Island and Chris and company did their usual wonderful job!
The wines:
1978 Dr. Loosen Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett – From the estate’s own cellar, re-corked in 2006, so quite well stored. Quite closed and tart at first – very young. Subdued nose with just a lot of slate minerality. Sweet on the palate for a Kabinett, with a pronounced sweet tart like sweet/sourness on the finish at first. With some air, really started to strut its stuff. Honey, apricots, white pepper and slate on the nose. Honey peaches and pears on the attack with a nice crisp mineral laden finish. Blind, would have guessed 2008 instead of 1978.
1996 Havens Bourriquot -Tart cherry, pencil lead, mushrooms, Asian spices and black pepper on the nose. Great fruit on the attack - red cherry and blackberry intermingled. Perfectly balanced between primary and secondary tannins, some significant softening, but still a lot of strucuture and no signs of decline. As it opened up, even more sweet black cherry fruit began to predominate. Outstanding.
1997 Havens Bourriquot Very ripe nose of chocolate and rich black fruit. Quite a bit of tannic bite to it on the palate - still tasting quite young and a little untamed. An hour in the glass and food to accompany the wine really began to help it to show better. Coffee, licorice and pencil lead on the nose and much more intermingled dark cherry and blackberry fruit on the palate. Still a pretty tightly wound tannic structure on a long finish. I would say this is just starting to come into its drinking window.