2002 Müller-Catoir Haardter Bürgergarten Pfalz Riesling Spätlese (Pfalz, Germany) 9% – appears very reflective pale gold, few clingers on glass, smell pretty much nothing but rotisserie chicken, delicious, perhaps some apple and lime, but barely, mouthfeel bit heavier interesting texture, taste nice sweetness, essence of sweet tarts, great lively background, some suggestion of fizz, nice crunchy acid background, simple flavors but great tart and lime base, did not pair so well with steamed clams dipped in butter, but superb with lobster dipped in same, at 12 euros I was pleased—though the wine did not branch far beyond its profile
2006 St. Urbans-Hof Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Riesling Spätlese (Mosel Saar Ruwer, Germany) 9% – appears pale reflective gold, smell basic apple, lots of pleasant and inviting rock smells, quite pleasant nose, mouthfeel medium thick texture, taste sweeter basic, much more basic than nose would suggest, bit of unpleasant burn coming through—whether from alcohol or acidity I cannot tell, the wine does not feel balanced to me, and in any case, though I tried hard, I didn’t find much redemption in the wine, as this was the first wine that I have bought in a while based on a retailer recommendation alone, I was quite disappointed—alas, I’ll have to probe further into such recommendations in the future, at the $20 I paid, I really would not consider buying this wine again
2006 Ridge Sonoma County Three Valleys (Sonoma County, California, USA) 14.3% – 80 percent zinfandel, 10 percent petite sirah, 5 percent carignane, 5 percent grenache – appears dark crimson, reflective, smell dark tobacco, coffee, herbs, dark and quite nice nose, taste at first overblown fruit, within 10 minutes or so this had burned off and what lay underneath was quite nice, savory flavors, tartness, suggestive but not over-the-top spicyness, rich but not sweet, fruit but not jam, oddly enough this wine had some elements which I find common in cheap bulk California wines—but there they were complete turnoffs, where it feels like this wine flips those elements on their heads and makes them blossom and mature, rich deep fruit, heavy tannins that lurk but do not overpower, smoothness and richness and comfortable mouthfeel without feeling manufactured or engineered, I love seeking out zinfandels from California that strike my fancy and this one did, but in a way that was unexpected.
From producer: bottled 10/07. “Three Valleys” is the proprietary name for the only Ridge wine blended from multiple vineyard sites. We select softer, more accessible lots from our single vineyards, and, taking the role of winemaker literally, create a character we find most appealing. Younger vines from Lytton Estate provided most of the fruit; older vines on five small Alexander Valley vineyards and one Russian River vineyard make up the rest. The grapes fermented on their own yeasts in small-capacity tanks. Pressed, on average, by the seventh day, they completed a natural malolactic fermentation. The wine was then racked to American oak barrels, whose staves had been air (not kiln) dried for twenty-four months. We blind-tasted all the lots in spring, creating this elegant blend. Our sixth vintage of Three Valleys contains the highest percentage of zinfandel to date. Sensuous structure and rich fruit give this wine immediate appeal; it will be most enjoyable over the next five years