Wonderful evening last night visiting a good friend in Wichita, on his birthday. I made Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon for the occasion.
Manni Nossing, Gruner Veltliner, Sudtirol Eisacktaler 2015
From Alto Adige. Nice color, sparkly light golden yellow. Excellent nose, ripe apple and peach, white melon, and sweet lemon curd, with a touch of stone. On the palate, loads of fresh, ripe apple, nectarine, white melon, loads of lemon, and salty/stoney mineral. Full bodied, ripe and rich, with fantastic succulent/salty texture, and fantastic citrus/steely acidity; wonderful, rich, succulent/savory finish. You can see the kinship between this and Alto Adige Pinot Grigio. Wonderful! 3.5 Stars [12/28/17]
Weingut Max Ferdinand Richter, Riesling Kabinett, Veldenzer Elisenberg, Mosel 2015
Light, pure yellow. Awesome, deep nose, loads of oily petrol with some JJ Prum style sulfur, fruit is lower key but lots of honyed pear, stone fruits, a wonderful note of honey, and tons of slatey mineral; wow! On the palate, tons of sweet, tart citrus curd, ripe, honeyed pear and apple, generous tropicals (guava, starfruit), loads of nectar and honey, with loads of slatey, salty mineral lingering on the finish. Full bodied and penetrating, extremely fresh, very sweet for a Kabinett but balanced by huge, sweet-tart, steely acidity, all with a ripe, honeyed texture. Wonderfully impressive. With this impressive high end balance between sugar and acid, this can age for 20 to 30 years. Wow! 4 Stars [12/28/17]
Louis M. Martini, Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 1, Napa Valley 2004
For the Premier Napa Valley auction. Great color, pure, almost impenetrable ruby, no maturity showing at all. Phenomenal nose, pure, deep, rich, blackberry and cassis, lovely dried roses, sweet cured tobacco leaf, loads of Napa leather and dusty, sweet earth, all with deep notes of gravel and black, loamy soil; like a rose garden on a late spring day; wow!!! On the palate, loads of dense, rich, penetrating blackberry, black raspberry, black currant, a bit of red plum, wall with liqueur notes, then loads of bittersweet chocolate, cured tobacco leaf, lots of rich black soil, some leather, and loads of mineral-laden earth, before a long, intense, finish of rich, dark fruit, with a lingering note of tomato paste. Huge body, wonderful purity and polish, with a rich, savory/succulent texture. Such freshness and purity, befitting a Louis Martini Cabernet, and with incredible polish. Similar to a modern version of a classed growth Margaux. A truly great Napa Cab, with 20 to 30 years ahead of it. 4.5 Stars [12/28/17]
Opus One, Napa Valley 1994
Wonderful color, still, dark garnet, pink then clear at the rim, showing maturity but no bricking. Gorgeous, mature nose, rich, heady, dried blackberry, dried cherry, red currant, cured tobacco, saddle leather, cocoa powder, generous mint, dusty Napa earth, aromatic roses and cured cedar, and loads of mineral, all with a lovely note of mature forest floor notes; you can spend so much time just smelling this. On the palate, tart, fresh blackberry, lovely dried currant, bittersweet chocolate, fresh tobacco leaf and mint, suede, and then peppery mineral and tannin on the finish. Very full bodied and penetrating, but with elegant balance, flows surprisingly lightly across the palate; wonderful, sweet, spicy, fleshy texture. Wonderful quality, a beautiful old claret. Fully mature but not going to die anytime in the next few years, still remarkably fresh and rich. 4.5 Stars [12/28/17]
Chateau Nairac, Barsac 2009
Wonderful color, orangey gold. Awesome Sauternes nose, huge dried apricot, dried orange rind, burnt toffee, honeysuckle, white chocolate, loads of mineral-laden honey, lovely toasted hazelnut, and loads of botrytis-imparted mace and cinnamon; lordy, that is a wonderful Sauternes nose; some hints of fruitcake emerge later On the palate, huge notes of candied orange rind, equally huge notes of candied peach and apricot, with toffee, candied ginger, all drenched in mineral-laden honey, with strong notes of mace/cinnamon. Intense body, and incredible concentration, extremely thick and rich and yet balanced by equally huge sweet-tart citrus acidity; incredible honeyed texture. Very primary still, 20 solid years ahead, perhaps longer, and I expect it will achieve a wonderful tertiary maturity. 4+ Stars. [12/28/17]