Tasted last night with friends & good food.
1999 Donnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett (Nahe, Germany)
I am usually not impressed by the way this bottling ages, but this one was a significant exception. It's just starting to show some secondary development, with a cremy texture, a touch of smoke & petrol, and still plenty of youthfull fruit to complete the picture. Some of the 1999 puppy fat has finally burned off, and while this wine will never have six-pack abs, it does now show a solid core. Not the last word in complexity (I would not expect that from Leistenberg), but very fine nonetheless. Those who have this in a cold cellar do not need to drink up rapidly.
1994 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley, CA)
Initially cold (pulled from the cellar immediately prior to opening), this took a long while to open up. Once it did there was a fine perfume of black cherry, earth, flowers and even a touch of mint. The balance is good, and the fruit is still the dominant flavor, so overall a very nice drinking experience now, but still some upside for development. I would wait on this wine (again from a cool cellar). Predictably great with rare strip steak.
Both of these wines would seem to be at an age where they would be in their prime drinking window, yet both still seemed to need a touch more cellar time. That's what a cold cellar will do.