Albino, Andrea and Rainer just returned from another tour through wine country, this time Austria, Germany and Hungary.
Castello di Ama Vino da Tavola L’Apparita 1993
100% Merlot. Quite a lot of sediment, needs decanting. Awesome opaque pruney garnet, large garnet-red at the rim. Spicy coulis-like nose, rusty iron, clove, nutmeg and vanilla, peaty pepper, dried laurel, dark chocolate, curranty plum and black cherry, dried blood orange, most attractive sweet and dry aromas, even the leafy tobacco tannin can be smelt. Consistent on the palate, very complex indeed. Mouthwatering and palate-cleansing tannin that is not too dry. Pretty acidity, and a minty freshness setting off gorgeous charcoal-scented minerality. Dried violet with a rosy sweetness. Fairly full body. Quite long finish. The earlier, almost Australian fat and exotism are gone, this seems rather classic now, though also drier. Some sweet leather with a little airing. Aromatics are more complex than those of the 1990 we re-tasted in February, while in turn, that earlier vintage seemed denser and smoother with fruit, thus almost more youthful. As impressive as the 1993’s colour and tannin are, it seems to become drier with bottle age. Probably best enjoyed before or until it reaches age twenty. Rating: 94-?
Willi Haag Riesling Beerenauslese #10 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr 2005
Thanks to Rainer. The standard BA, even if wearing a golden capsule. Medium yellow-green colour. Sweet flinty vanillin slate, a bit earthy, spring flowers and sweet fennel, seemingly dry botrytis, a grapefruit bitter aroma to partly green, partly aged apple, slightly closed on the nose at this stage. Ever so faint blackcurrant top note. Sweet and creamy for a Willi BA, rather viscous, slatey-minerally, firm acidity, lovely prominent lemon rind bitter note. Nicely thick, quite well-concentrated wine compared to the Willi wines of the past. One of the longest wines ever from this producer, Rainer observed. A bit loose when allowed to warm up in the glass. Rating: 92+?
Jean Grivot Clos de Vougeot 2002
Thanks to Rainer. Ruby-black with a purple hue, ruby-pink at the rim. Pepper and oak-spiced beef, slightly decadent meat with sweetness. The spice notes became increasingly reminiscent of mulled claret, oaky perhaps only on the aftertaste, nicely fleshy but also a bit charcoal-tinged. Cherry and marzipan like a Barolo, as Rainer noted, but certainly a wine of nice density and quite full body. Nuits-like steel, but also lead and iron to the minerality, characteristics shared by the tannin, which I would have preferred more finesseful, or capable of greater potential subtlety. Soft leady shallot-flavoured acidity. Balanced and powerful finish of above medium length. Tastes as if macerated/fermented at a warmer temperature, reminiscent of Vogüé in this respect, if without the same candied smoothness. At the same time strangely reminiscent of Grivot’s 1993 Clos de Vougeot. I am not entirely sure I like the style, but this is undeniably a tasty wine, and a fine vintage at that, structured to age. Rating: 91+/92?
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
