Dr. Loosen Riesling Spätlese #17 Ürziger Würgarten 1995
A bottle I opened for Remo and Patrick. Quite green colour. Citrusy herbs, soft spice, strong minerality, perhaps yet racier acidity than shown by the last bottle (which in contrast to this had travelled on the same day). Long, minerally finish. Lacks the reserve fruit at the core to improve in the fridge for a day or two, tasting medium-concentrated, a bit light-weight, minerally rather than fruity, and increasingly drier with prolonged airing. Also seems fully mature, in contrast to most 1995s I have had this and last year. Rating: 89-/88
Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réservé 2003
Thanks to Remo and Patrick. Lot L02. Rather transparent ruby-red with a faint purple hue, black reflections. Grenache-typical and quite well-concentrated (Remo even thought extremely so), but definitely not on the level of the top vintages of yesteryear. Sage, licorice, Kirsch, Port-like strawberry, black and green pepper, smoky earth. Soft beef, lavender and thyme. Williams pear spirit-flavoured acidity and finish. Quite finely-grained tannin, barely bitter for a 2003 CdP at all. Medium-plus length. More integrated with airing, soft tobacco leaf. A more garriguey but still red-fruity style of Rayas, but this lacks the rowan berry jamminess and perfume of pre-1996 vintages. One is tempted to call the terroir expression here if not more attractive, then perhaps more unique, but I find it sobering to realize the 2003 is no better than the Clos des Papes (prefer the alcohol integration in the Rayas, though) or the Marcoux of the same vintage. But a pretty wine, probably ageworthy enough. Sweeter and a little perfumier, more glyceric, yet smoother after a day’s airing in the decanter. Tasty now, but really deserves some bottle age. May be the most successful Rayas from the “modern” era, and yet, I am afraid even the 2003 may never show the complexity, intensity and depth of those wines that once made this one of my favourite producers. Rating: 92+/93(+?)
Greenock Creek Shiraz Barossa Valley Seven Acre 1996
A glass from a 12- to 18-hours open bottle thanks to Ned, a bit less coolly stored and thus a fraction more forward (other than that identical) than the bottle from my collection a couple of weeks ago. Wonderfully meaty, ever-so-slightly gamy fruit with sweet decadence. Thick, smooth, warming, very long on the finish. Convinced me even more that it should pay off handsomely if I hold on to mine for several more years. Stylistically, of course, the type of wine I would always only open for people who like it, especially because in contrast to Ned, I would never be able (as he did the evening before) to drink almost a whole bottle of a wine like this all by myself (nor would it cross my mind to have it on a hot summer night). Interesting to note that his wife Kathy would not have any of this, but loved (and more importantly, finished her glass of) the 1999 Jamet. Rating: 94+/95(+?)
(Jean-Paul & Jean-Luc) Jamet Côte-Rôtie 1999
Thanks to Ned. I got to pick, and since I had not had this wonderful wine in two years, could not resist. It is evolving admirably, drinking well enough, but still deserves more bottle age. Ruby with a purple hue, still opaque almost to the rim. Concentrated lavender, violet and fresh prune fruit, iron. Terrific depth to the tannin, beautiful body, alcohol integration and finish, smooth, yet firm and long. Minerally, with a suggestion of graphite. Still youthful, fairly open and sweetly ripe-tasting at first, this shut down with airing, thus seemed yet more youthful after a few hours. Smoke and tobacco leaf top notes. Complex, deep aftertaste that seemingly lingers for hours, this should develop more finesse with bottle age. Rating: 95+?
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
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„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti