WTN: 05 Prum Spat, 06 Alesia San Mateo & 04 Bocchino

2005 S.A. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (12/20/2008)
Had this over 3 nights. It seemed to get better each day. An easy wine to have a glass of. Tasty. I really loved the fruit that overshadowed the sweetness. I didn’t find this cloying at all. (90 pts.)

2006 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir San Mateo County - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, San Mateo County (12/18/2008)
Loving the sweet fruit, toast and earth. Mainly fruit showing at the moment. Seems like some whole cluster as well, at least on the first day. It was 2 days later when I finished the wine and I didn’t notice the WC. The fruit is big on the palate. A big wine that has nice balance. Parts of this wine really reminded me of Oregon pinot. The finish is going to need time to sort out from being a bit clipped and slightly bitter. I have seen others refer to this as a light wine but I found this on the heavy side and showing a touch of heat. Overall, we really enjoyed this wine. It was spicy and festive. I’ll pop one more before too long but the rest of my bottles will sleep until the summer of 2010. (91 pts.)

2004 Eugenio Bocchino Nebbiolo d'Alba La Perucca - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Nebbiolo d'Alba (11/29/2008)
Tried a bit when I opened and then decanted for 4 hours. The wine has an amber twinge to it. The aromatics never fully developed. They remained subtle, restrained and a bit musty. Wow, big gripping tannins at the start and finish. Interesting light flavors right through the middle. This wine was right in the pocket for my wife but some of our guests struggled with it. I found it very appealing but way too young. I would like to see more complexity but my guess is it will develop. There seems to be an abundance of fruit under the tannin. Showing light but I would not call it pretty. (91 pts.)

2004 Eugenio Bocchino Nebbiolo d'Alba La Perucca - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Nebbiolo d'Alba (11/29/2008)
Tried a bit when I opened and then decanted for 4 hours. The wine has an amber twinge to it. The aromatics never fully developed. They remained subtle, restrained and a bit musty. Wow, big gripping tannins at the start and finish. Interesting light flavors right through the middle. This wine was right in the pocket for my wife but some of our guests struggled with it. I found it very appealing but way too young. I would like to see more complexity but my guess is it will develop. There seems to be an abundance of fruit under the tannin. Showing light but I would not call it pretty. (91 pts.)

The 2001 version of this had too much new oak flavor for me to enjoy. It may have been shut down so that the wood dominated everything else, but I'm not optimistic. Did you notice any new wood on the 2004?

2005 S.A. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (12/20/2008) I didn’t find this cloying at all.

Did you expect to find it cloying? Not something I would expect from S.A. Prüm.

The 2001 version of this had too much new oak flavor for me to enjoy. It may have been shut down so that the wood dominated everything else, but I'm not optimistic. Did you notice any new wood on the 2004?

I didn't really notice ... but I am a bad person to ask as I am often not bothered or too sensitive about it. The tannins or perceived tannins were more at the front but perhaps some of that was oak tannin. Time will tell.

Jason

Did you expect to find it cloying? Not something I would expect from S.A. Prüm.

I guess after I first tasted it, I did expect to find it cloying by the end of the glass. But I am not Riesling drinker ... despite me really enjoying it, my wife hates it so it is a very occasional wine for me and I have no experience with S. A. What is the general style?

J

I have no experience with S. A. What is the general style?

In my experience they are the lighter side of Mosel. Fans might call them 'elegant' and detractors might call them 'dilute'.

In my experience they are the lighter side of Mosel. Fans might call them 'elegant' and detractors might call them 'dilute'.

Hmmm... well with just one taste, I think I would fall on the fan side ... but I guess I don't know how this wine could be considered dilute. I picked up a few of these when winex blew them out ... not sure if it was a good price or not but at $16.99 I was very happy with my purchase. I'll try another and then save a few.

Jason

[David M. Bueker]

Not a lot of dilute 2005s from the Mosel.

Hmmm... well with just one taste, I think I would fall on the fan side ... but I guess I don't know how this wine could be considered dilute. I picked up a few of these when winex blew them out ... not sure if it was a good price or not but at $16.99 I was very happy with my purchase. I'll try another and then save a few.

Jason

Expanding on what I think David meant, I wouldn't necessarily expect this 05 spatlese to be dilute but I also wouldn't expect it to be cloying, given the producer.

I don't buy the wines because I like different producers but that price does seem pretty good.

When I noticed the subject was the 2005 Prum Graacher Himmelreich, I read the note with interest since I have a few bottles. Then I noticed it is S A Prum, and that is not what I have. I wonder how J J Prum's GH Spatlese differs.

I have the Alesia San Mateo, which I should have opened last night instead of the 2004 Rhys Family Farm, which I did open. That wine has been notorious for the amount of brett it contains. Some may not object, but I found it too overpowering. The San Mateo sounds good and easy to drink.