These notes are from a casual summer pool party back in mid-August.
2002 Metz Riesling Alsace Vielles Vignes Fruehmess. This wine sports an interesting and appealing nose of waxy fruits, lemon peel, lanolin, musk melon and kerosene. It is pleasant enough, but not quite so interesting in mouth, where it feels a bit flat on the entry before managing to grow and freshen a bit through the middle. It gains a bit more lift the longer it sits in the glass, with flavors of tart lemon, pomegranate, and blood orange gently flowing in a narrow beam across the palate. It is gentle and not too serious--drink up.
2003 Chateau Ste. Michelle Johannisberg Riesling Columbia Valley. Very quiet and shy on the nose, with perhaps scents of soft apples and pear flesh. It is fairly bright with a bit of zip in the mouth, but really not very focused. It has some oddly sweet notes that don’t seem to fit quite right and it ends with a bitter grapefruit taste. There is not much here to recommend.
2004 Inman Pinot Gris Russian River Valley. As always, the nose is very fine and interesting—with scents of smoky pear, complex minerality, quinine, lemongrass and nectarine pit flowing in and out. I have to say, though, that I think this is beginning to hit the wall on the palate. It is decidedly more aggressive and angular than it has been in the past, with a sharp rap of acidity carrying along pinched flavors of grapefruit, peach pit and bitter herbs. It is very dry on the finish, with a sort of odd gooseberry note poking in. It is not nearly as pleasurable as it has been over the years. I think I remember Kathleen telling me this is the only vintage she ever did of this wine in stainless, and she was not especially pleased with the results. I would imagine she’d agree that it ought to be drunk up now. At least that is what I plan to do.
-Michael