WTN: Dinner and drinks in the middle of nowhere

Charles, Spencer and David came out to my new place in the middle of nowhere, CT yesterday for a casual house/kitchenwarming dinner. As usual, plenty of food and an excess of wine.

2008 Keller Riesling trocken von der Fels
This has a lovely cool minerally character to it with talc and white fruited flavours, but it's a bit disappointing (particularly given the price and my last experience of this wine) without much depth to the flavours. Nice wine, but not in the league of the other Rieslings opened.

2007 AJ Adam Hofberg Riesling
This on the other hand was really awesome. Exotic aromatics; floral and faintly spicy notes over melon, pears and minerals - and in the mouth it's fantastic with a polished, glossy texture, ripe melon and yellow plum flavours over a base of minerals and a very long finish. Really glad I have another bottle of this (and have space/budget for Adam's 08s ).

1998 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese
At last - I have a 98 from Donnhoff that's not corked or heat-damaged! This is amazing, literally liquid silk showing all the polish and elegance of Donnhoff with pure white fruits, touches of spice and smoky elements and a gentle creaminess on the back end with plenty of acidity underneath. Gorgeous wine, probably my favourite of the night.

1998 Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Berg Schloßberg Riesling Auslese
The best match for the spicier Indian dishes on the table with plenty of sweetness and richness. I love the flavour profile here; really complex with honeyed and spicy elements, bright peach and pear fruit and touches of smoky/petrol notes with a faint savoury earthiness underneath that emerges with time.

2005 Domaine de Bellivière Pineau d'Aunis Les Giroflées
Really lovely rosé; tasty and refreshing with bright, clear strawberry and cherry flavours, touches of earth and spice and a faint sweetness in the mouth that's balanced by bright acidity. Great with the food.

2001 Edmunds St. John Rocks and Gravel
My first experience with an older ESJ - damn, this was fantastic! Lots of youthful fruit here still; black cherry and red fruited flavours with some developed leathery, earthy and minty herbal notes and bright acidity underneath giving it a sense of real freshness. Delicious.

2005 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir Peters Vineyard
Slightly candied aromatics with sweet cherries, cinnamon and floral elements; in the mouth it's all bright red fruits with a dusting of spices, very rich, silky and polished in texture and very well balanced.

[David M. Bueker]

Thanks for hosting Salil. Yes it's the middle of nowhere, but it's a very neat space & the food and wine were at the usual fine level. It takes a lot to get me to eat baby corn.

Not much to add to the notes, but rather some general thoughts:

The Keller was nice but nothing more for me. I can't see paying the price it commands, but if offered one for free I will happily drink it. The Adam was very delicious, though I was hoping for some element of "Mosel-ness" rather than just a generic (albeit excellent) "Riesling-ness." Still, that is one I would pay for and drink. The Donnhoff was (expectedly) elegant, and no match for the food despite its obvious charms. It has aged very well, but I think it's at peak, and so will drink my bottle soon. The Leitz was a better match for the food, and very drinkable. Certainly the fact that it was an "old-school" auslese had a lot to do with that. I doubt a more massive, modern auslese would have matched nearly as well.

I'm not sure I liked the Domaine de Bellivière, as I found its sweetness a bit distracting, especially when combined with its obvious alcohol. Weird.

As for the two reds, the Anthill Farms was very good in an obviously California Pinot sort of way with all that fruit, but it also had very good balance. The Edmunds St. John was my preferred non-white wine of hte night, with all that earthiness and herb really taking center stage. Just lovely stuff. It did have trouble with the food though. The Anthill worked better there, as the sweetness of the fruit played off the food rather better.

As for the two reds, the Anthill Farms was very good in an obviously California Pinot sort of way with all that fruit, but it also had very good balance. The Edmunds St. John was my preferred non-white wine of hte night . . .

Was the Pineau d'Aunis not also red?

[David M. Bueker]

The Pineau d'Aunis was an off-dry Rosé.

The Pineau d'Aunis was an off-dry Rosé.

Aha, thanks.

Sounds like a nice collection of wines.

The Adam was very delicious, though I was hoping for some element of "Mosel-ness" rather than just a generic (albeit excellent) "Riesling-ness." Still, that is one I would pay for and drink..

What pradikat is the Adam? I assume it comes from a specific vineyard even though not labelled as such? So why is it labelled so generically?

It's from the Dhron Hofberger, although the label just reads "Hofberg" - it's basically imitating the Grosses Gewachs bottlings/labels. And in terms of quality it is up there with the top GGs I have tasted.

It's from the Dhron Hofberger, although the label just reads "Hofberg" - it's basically imitating the Grosses Gewachs bottlings/labels. And in terms of quality it is up there with the top GGs I have tasted.

So it's a dry wine?

Almost; it's slightly over the legal trocken limit (the Adam's 12 g/l rs) but pretty close. Only unfortunate thing is that the bottle is also one of those supersized tall heavy brutes they're using in Germany for the GGs.

That said I do have more of this wine, would be happy to open one if I'm out in MA anytime soon or if you're coming into CT again.

Sounds interesting. The conventional wisdom is that the Mosel is not the place for the best German drier-style wines but one does hear lots of good things about Adam and it sounds like he has figured out how to make it work. But this is not the bottling that is known as Dhroner Hofberg "GG"?

That said, do you agree with David's critique that is doesn't show any Mosel-ness?

Sounds interesting. The conventional wisdom is that the Mosel is not the place for the best German drier-style wines but one does hear lots of good things about Adam and it sounds like he has figured out how to make it work. But this is not the bottling that is known as Dhroner Hofberg "GG"?

Same one. It's not formally a GG as he's not in the VDP but made and presented as such (and just referred to as the "GG").

As far as the "Mosel-ness", it's not an issue for me. It doesn't have the low alcohol, lightness and the apple/lime and slate flavour elements I associate with the Mosel - but it did show a sense of distinctiveness with the same minerality and exotic floral/melon like elements I've gotten from the few other AJ Adam Dhron Hofberg wines (Spatlese and other sweet wines) I've had. At the end of it - it's a great bottle of Riesling, something fairly unique (in a style that I've seen only a few other producers do really well) and I am looking forward to buying a lot more from Adam in the future.

[David M. Bueker]

Looking back on it, my issue with the Adam may just be my innate prejudice against very ripe Mosel wine. I want apples and slate, not exotics/tropicals.

And Salil - that Arcadian you were horrified by (and thus I did not open): it's 13.8% alcohol Syrah, and I am drinking it right now. Lovely balance, some white pepper & lots of rich (but not pruney) fruit.

Which Arcadian Syrah, David?

I'm planning to open a 2004 Westerly next week - I'm not a big fan of California Syrahs, but I keep trying.

[David M. Bueker]

Which Arcadian Syrah, David?

I'm planning to open a 2004 Westerly next week - I'm not a big fan of California Syrahs, but I keep trying.

2001 Garys' Vineyard Robert O. Fleming Cuvee.

According to CT, I drank the 2001 Arcadian Garys' Pinot Noir in January - I have no recollection of it.

And Salil - that Arcadian you were horrified by (and thus I did not open): it's 13.8% alcohol Syrah, and I am drinking it right now. Lovely balance, some white pepper & lots of rich (but not pruney) fruit.

Yeah, well I drank the leftovers of the ESJ! Loved it - had it with some pasta and on its own/with some complementary food it really was wonderful, even more enjoyable than yesterday.

[David M. Bueker]

Glad you enjoyed it. I am looking forward to the next edition of Rocks & Gravel, as I am now out of '01, accidentally nearly out of '05 (it's somehow disappearing...), and have found the '03 and '04 to need some cellar time. Thus I am essentially Rocks & Gravel-less.

Salil, thanks for the note on the 2001 R&G. It reminded me I still have a few bottles so I pulled one out the other night and found it just as enjoyable as your bottle.