Went over to David and Laura Bueker's home for dinner and a long lineup of interesting wines last night with Thor Iverson joining us. A great time as usual between the company, food (that pesto pizza was really amazing) and a LOT of wine between the four of us.
1990 St. Urbans-Hof Wiltinger Schlangengraben Riesling Kabinett (AP #19-91)
Very pale yellow colour, amazingly youthful in appearance for a 19 year old Kabinett. This is all about minerality - a mass of flint, gravel and rocks dominate the aromas and palate with gentle lemon and white pear flavours underneath. Incredibly light and precise in the mouth with lots of acidity and a sense of real refreshment.
2007 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese
Beautiful spicy aromatics of flowers, white fruits, herbs and minerals. Intensely bright, clear fruit flavours on the palate over spices and herbs with a sudden mineral infusion at the back end, finishing long and spicy. Delicious, but feels a little soft in contrast to other vintages without the acidity and chiselled stoniness I normally expect from Brücke.
1998 Trimbach Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile
Incredibly tightly wound and unyielding at first, but opens with time to reveal intense minerally flavours with rocks and stones dominating gentler flavours of lime, lemon and touches of honey. Tremendous precision and clarity here with bright acidity and an almost solid, rocky texture in the back of the mouth that builds with time. Awesome - I can only imagine what this will be like when mature.
2000 Hiedler Gaisberg Riesling
Light gold colour, surprisingly advanced aromatics with some petrol, brown sugar and honeyed notes over smoke and white fruits. Feels slightly soft in the mouth, mingling petrol, marshmallow and white fruited flavours and finishing with some residual sweetness.
2005 St. Urbans-Hof Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese
Unyielding at first, but with air opened out to show honey-drenched white fruits, pineapples and minerals on the nose and palate. Elegant, long and really delicious (although this really needs to be left alone for a while.
2003 Carema Nebbiolo White Label
Lovely scents of cherry, spices, herbs and tar raise expectations, but this doesn't quite deliver in the mouth with simpler flavours of red fruits and earth and a faint caramelized note on the back end. Pleasant, but not overly complex or interesting.
1999 Wendouree Shiraz-Malbec
Dark red in colour with a fabulous nose - starts out smelling of bourbon, smoke and earth, then with more air aromas of eucalyptus, cinnamon, beetroots and dark fruits emerge. Layered and complex on the palate with savoury red and dark fruits and beetroot flavours over bitter anise and earth notes. Good acidity underneath adds lift, although this isn't as structured and forbiddingly tannic as the '99 Shiraz-Mataro I opened recently and (thankfully) a lot more approachable now.
2002 Fromm La Strada Pinot Noir
Some red fruit and earth here but fairly muted with a little bit of TCA mustiness. Darn.
1994 Domaine Tempier Bandol Cuvee Speciale La Tourtine
A late night visit from Mr. Ed. Quite funky and barnyardy on the nose, a fair amount of brett as well as the Mourvedre meatiness and red fruit. Despite the brett it's quite pleasant to drink (although just at the edge of my tolerance level for brett) with red fruits over leathery and herbal nuances showing beneath all the funk. Good acidity and a medium length finish.
Thor also brought along a South African dessert wine (which David's posted a note on) - by the time that was opened though I was just barely managing not to fall asleep into my empty plate, so called it a night and headed off to the guest bedroom soon after.
