WTN: Old Friends & Great Wine (Grosset, Penfolds, Collin, Conterno, Prüm, Dönnhoff)

WINE TALK
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After too many years, finally got together with Salil again, and also Ken Vastola who I hadn’t seen in about 20 years. Salil provided some spicy smoked chickens and accompaniments, and Ken brought delicious cheeses and pate. And yes we drank some wine.

2022 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling (Clare Valley, Australia)

Ever wonder what it would taste like if you blended lemons and rocks, liquified them and added 12% alcohol? Well it would taste like this Riesling. Bracing and refreshing.

1995 Penfolds Grange (South Australia)

Hello mint! Did somebody blend a splash of Heitz Martha’s Vineyard into this? Still quite the beast in terms of weight, but very drinkable. The longer it was open the more the fruit emerged, but that mint note was always there. Delicious wine.

Ulysse Collin Champagne Maillons Extra Brut (2016 disgorgement)

Full toasty and full delicious. Piercing acidity that kept it fresh, and some fruit emerged after a half hour or so. I can’t really see the current pricing for these wines, but I really enjoyed this bottle.

1967 Giacomo Conterno Barolo

Ken graciously brought a birth year wine for me. It needed some time to stretch it legs, but eventually all the rose petal, pine sap (don’t call it tar lest Otto notice) and the sweetness that only comes from very old wines came together as a whole. The chicken, at least the less spicy bits, was a lovely foil for this wine.

2001 J. J. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese (auction bottling)

So incredibly fresh and delicate, yet also full flavored and complex. Captivating wine. After a couple of sips all I could think was “my God, it’s full of stars.”

1998 Dönnhoff Oberhauser Brücke Riesling Auslese (auction bottling)

Full botrytis spice with electric acidity keeping the high sweetness under control. On a mature plateau where it will likely stay for a very long time. Really hard to follow that Prüm, but the completely 180-different expression allowed this wine to claim its own spotlight.

Fantastic evening. And this was only night one.

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Well, that was awesome. Just an incredibly fun evening where the wines were all stellar in very different ways, but each showing a clear sense of place, grape, and winemaking style. The Grange was a joy to sit and actually follow over a dinner. At first it was all structure (beneath those minty aromatics), but I was surprised at how much of it came from acidity. But it bloomed into a lovely wine.

The Prüm was well, just flat out wow. Still had some of the youthful spritziness I find in very young bottlings, but just an amazing array of flavor and depth. Lightning bolts in a bottle. I am very glad I have a few more, but I will probably not touch another for a decade at least given how young it felt.

The Conterno was another that’s hard to put into words. The aromatic complexity, sense of seamlessness on the palate, that old wine sweetness - just wow. Ken has got me hooked on Nebbiolo since I moved here and that was a lesson in why I should be patient with the ones I’m buying. Really great seeing you again after so many years.

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If you had asked me to blind guess the vintage on the Prüm I would have been about 15 years too young on it. So amazing.

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Glad to hear of this reunion! :cheers:

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@David_Bu3ker who you callin’ old? :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

It was a great evening and great seeing you again. The last time we were together was May of 2005.

I will post my notes here when I finish them.

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Would have loved to be a fly on the wall (and then fly into the glass). Those are three guys I really look up to on these forums as a Riesling lover myself. Sounds like a wonderful evening. The wine sounds spectacular, but the company sounds even better.

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Me!

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DAVE B VISITS ALBANY, DAY 1: AUCTION RIESLINGS, 95 GRANGE, 67 G. CONTERNO - Salil’s, Albany, NY (1/26/2024)


@David_Bu3ker came to visit @salilb in Albany, NY for the weekend, so Salil planned two dinners. This was the first one.

Photos and more details can be found on my website.

Starter

Cheese, country pâté, tapenade, sourdough bread, and Salil's fresh gougères.

Dinner

Salil's smoked chickens and roasted carrots with tahini.

  • 2001 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese Auction - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
    [AP#17-02. Pop and pour.] Gorgeous nose of peaches, citrus, and petrol. Complex, expansive. Wow! (97 points)
  • 1967 Giacomo Conterno Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    [Double-decanted around 4:30 for one hour.] More mature than my previous bottles. Ever so slightly starting the down slope. Still, a terrific wine of serious character. Nose of mulch and dried cherries. Long and complex. (95 points)
  • 1995 Penfolds Grange - Australia, South Australia
    [Opened around 5:30pm. Tasted around 7pm.] Huge nose of black fruit and mint. Full in the mouth with loads of mint and black fruit. But the mint isn't overbearing. Long and complex. Another great Grange with many years ahead. (96 points)

Dessert

  • 1998 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel Auction - Germany, Nahe
    [375ml. AP#21-99. Pop and pour. Served blind.] Stunningly complex nose of botrytis, honey, and apricots. Hugely extracted, but incredible balance and harmony. Super long. I was sure this was a TBA. Incredible. Even better the next evening with Salil's heavenly Canelés de Bordeaux. (99 points)

This was a gloriously diverse set of wines. Dave and I last met in 2005, so we had lots of catching up to do. Another wonderful evening.

Posted from CellarTracker.

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Thanks so much for that Conterno. As a ‘67er there are only a few good regions for birth year bottles and Barolo/Barbaresco top that list.

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Could you have said the same about the Grange, too?

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Maybe, but Grange has been expensive for a long time, and has largely stabilized.