WTN: Let's dispense with some wine impressions

I was in Raleigh and Durham over the weekend and stopped in at The Wine Merchant in Raleigh to buy some wine and to taste some wines from their dispensing machine.
2007 Domaine Servin Chablis, France
Pale buttercup color with slight green tone. Aromatic with lime, possibly kiwi. Nice acid balance and nice finish. I liked this.

2002 Chateau Haut Batailley, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Cordovan color. Nose evokes red currant, black currant and berries (boysenberry?) Some unresolved tannin but still very enjoyable. Fruits contribute to the flavor in a restrained way with hints of leather perhaps to come with more maturity. Tried two days in a row. Would have purchased a couple bottles at $32 but they were out of stock on the 2002. The 2003 was priced at $41 and I didn't want to spend that much for a wine I hadn't tasted in an atypical year.

2006 Numanthia Termes, Toro, Spain Tempranillo grape. Dark red to red-brown color. Some transparency. Light on the palate but finishes with a hearty kick. Flavors suggest plum, some prune or raisin. (Bottle description also lists plum.) Tannic finish.

The next day I tried the 2007 Domaine Chapelle Pouilly-Fuisse (Chardonnay grape) France. Pleasant sipper, fine for summer but no real notes on it.

2006 Kilikanoon Killerman's Run, Australia (Shiraz/Grenache blend) I didn't enjoy this as much as the Kilikanoon Medley which I've had--a blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre.

I bought one bottle each of a 2007 Dr. Loosen Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese, Mosel, Germany, a 2006 Monchhof Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett, Mosel, Germany, a Hendry Napa Valley Pinot Noir (Calistoga) and a Lucien Crochet Sancerre Pinot Noir Rose' (Loire Valley). They were out of the Lucien Albrecht Cremant d'Alsace Rose'(sparkling wine from Alsace) and the Can Blau Montsant from Spain. I will probably try the 2006 and 2007 German wines soon to get an idea about future purchases. 2006 is said to be a more classical vintage and 2007 a riper vintage with more approachable wines that may not age as long. (Is that the short version of the vintages, David?)

2006 is said to be a more classical vintage and 2007 a riper vintage with more approachable wines that may not age as long. (Is that the short version of the vintages, David?)

Not David, but 2006 is anything but classical. There was massive botrytis in a lot of the riper wines, so most of the Kabinett and Spatlese I've tried come across like baby Auslese or sometimes BA. 07 is ripe but not as incredibly extreme as 06, more consistent overall but IMO, the better wines from both vintages are going to last a long while (and there are some real beauties from the better producers in both years - that said I thought 06 really shone for the sweeter wines or anything from Nahe, and 07 is fantastic when dry wines are concerned).

That said I did have Monchhof's 06 Wurzgarten Kabinett some time back and really liked it. I'm really liking the (few) wines I've had from that estate in the last couple of years.

Thanks, Salil.

[David M. Bueker]

Salil has it right.

2006 is pretty unusual. I tasted a bunch of 2007 last night & they are very typically Riesling, just not as racy as I prefer. That said they are real crowd pleasers.