Charvin Côtes-du-Rhône 2003
Thanks to my parents. Sweeter Kirsch and Burgundian raspberry seemingly every time I get to retaste this. The tender bitterness merely sets off the sweetness and seems to give this shape. Tasty, puts many Châteauneuf-du-Papes to shame. Rarting: 87+/88?
Vincent Girardin Volnay Santenots 1995
Thanks to my parents. Fully mature already for some time, the acid backbone appears to be surfacing gradually. Other than that same as always, quite sharply etched beef juice and brown spice raspberry fruit, quite long. Rating: 90-?
Guyon Chorey-Lès-Beaune Les Bons Ores 2005
A bit nutty and roasted tree bark oak to quite racy and finesseful, lightly peppery raspberry and red beet fruit. Showing so much better from the Riedel fishbowl than the (very good!) tasting glasses at the trade tasting. Wines may seem less dense from this huge stem, and the nose may become blurred, so that it is really only good for outstanding to great wines, but balance and tannin quality, for example, can be much better appreciated, even if qualitatively, the wine remains the same. If there is indeed any residual sulphur here, it sure does not hurt. Subtle minerality and forest floor earth. Good acidity. Medium-plus length. Can use some airing at this stage. No doubt a fine QPR buy, curious to see how it will evolve in bottle. Rating: 88+/89+?
Clos de Mangold Gypsum Vieilles Vignes Cornulus 2006
Thanks to my parents. Stéphane Reynard’s and Dany Varone’s winery in Savièse. A slightly more floral-limey and minerally/stone-dusty (calcium sulphate) Chasselas than most, nice little bitter note. This actually does seem to show a top note of Swiss chard (nomen est omen in “Mangold”?) or leaf beet. Rating: 83+?
Montepeloso Suvereto Nardo 1998
Thanks to my parents. A blend of Sangiovese Grosso and Cabernet Sauvignon. Back from a time when this was still a bit rustic, modern but not quite so polished. It is not true, by the way, as I have read elsewhere, that this was the first vintage of this bottling, as we have had the 1997. Full, somewhat brilliant purple-red. Dried blackcurrant and black cherry, smoky charcoal oak, ginger and a little dried oregano. A bit sweet and dry due to the lightly grainy-dusty tannin and low, dried blood-orangey acidity, not particularly lively wine, but not dull. Fairly mouth-cleansing, goes well with food. Good body, medium-plus length. Perhaps a fraction more minerally than similar wines from nearby Bolgheri, but just barely. Hard to tell if there is much to gain from cellaring this any longer, probably not. Expensive for what it is, but at any rate, more recent vintages have become yet more modernistic in style, yet less authentic. Rating: 89+/90-?
Nigl Riesling-Privat Senftenberger Piri 1999
My parents’ last bottle. Exactly the same as last time, drinking ideally now, still fresh and nicely limey with soft herbs and stone dust, medium-plus body and length. Tasty and refreshing, not too deep or intellectual, best with food. Rating: 90-
Robert Weil Riesling Spätlese #009 Kiedricher Gräfenberg 2006
Thanks to Remo. This is already closing down, seemingly drier as well as more viscous, with an emphasis on blackcurrant cough drop and cherry as well as apple blossoms, racy melon, showing more of its acid backbone. Rating: 92+/93+(+?)
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
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„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti