I enjoyed this quite a bit. It had a nicely pleasant nose to begin with, where some red apple fruit and more lemony aromas mingled with shades of mineral and white flowers. A very cool, understated bouquet - rather un-new-worldlish. The same could be said of the palate. It was fresh and citrussy on the attack, with lemony notes fleshing out into white fruited notes on the midpalate. A bit simple maybe, but there was a nice bit of depth to this wed to superb balance. In fact, with its lovely clarity and well-integrated acidity, this could well have been a good Puligny village instead of a Kiwi Chardonnay. A bit of well-judged oak then shaded into a decent finish. Still young, still a bit one-dimensional, but I thought this was actually really nice. Bottled under screw-cap, this should age very nicely, perhaps even into the next decade.
This was a really nice NV rose. It had an attractive nose of strawberries and red apples touched by a bit of yeast and a nice floral character. A bit simple maybe, but quite pretty. The palate though was a step-up. I was surprised at the amount of fleshy depth here, with yummy red-fruited and a crunch of ripe apples held up by decent acidity and a persistent, beady mousse. There was a nice twist of complexity on the finish as well, with a citrus lemon lift running under a stream of spice and mineral spice with just a little floral kiss lingering at the finish. Nice.
Very nice indeed. Every now and then, I get a reminder of just how great a Riesling vintage 2005 is, and this wine was a great example. I have not had this for some time, and it seems to be developing very nicely indeed. I liked the nose, with its sweet little scents of white peach and apples, white flowers, nectar, and very typical WS vanilla accents – all this drizzled with a few drops of petrol. The palate sill had a rather primary feel on it, but it was already so drinkable - a brilliantly bright, fresh, balanced package, with energetic flavours of ripe apples and more citrussy candied lemons emerging alongside a charming waft of white flowers and honey. With a bit of air, it started showing even more, with a clear backdrop of solid mineral surfacing towards the finish. Grippy, super-fresh, and nicely structured with that firm minerally backbone – this is starting to get seriously yummy, but it is still years and years away from peak.
2008 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté's Vineyard 91 Points
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu
I enjoyed this quite a bit. It had a nicely pleasant nose to begin with, where some red apple fruit and more lemony aromas mingled with shades of mineral and white flowers. A very cool, understated bouquet - rather un-new-worldlish. The same could be said of the palate. It was fresh and citrussy on the attack, with lemony notes fleshing out into white fruited notes on the midpalate. A bit simple maybe, but there was a nice bit of depth to this wed to superb balance. In fact, with its lovely clarity and well-integrated acidity, this could well have been a good Puligny village instead of a Kiwi Chardonnay. A bit of well-judged oak then shaded into a decent finish. Still young, still a bit one-dimensional, but I thought this was actually really nice. Bottled under screw-cap, this should age very nicely, perhaps even into the next decade.
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NV Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Grand Rosé 91 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
This was a really nice NV rose. It had an attractive nose of strawberries and red apples touched by a bit of yeast and a nice floral character. A bit simple maybe, but quite pretty. The palate though was a step-up. I was surprised at the amount of fleshy depth here, with yummy red-fruited and a crunch of ripe apples held up by decent acidity and a persistent, beady mousse. There was a nice twist of complexity on the finish as well, with a citrus lemon lift running under a stream of spice and mineral spice with just a little floral kiss lingering at the finish. Nice.
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2005 Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch (Müller-Burggraef) Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 93 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Very nice indeed. Every now and then, I get a reminder of just how great a Riesling vintage 2005 is, and this wine was a great example. I have not had this for some time, and it seems to be developing very nicely indeed. I liked the nose, with its sweet little scents of white peach and apples, white flowers, nectar, and very typical WS vanilla accents – all this drizzled with a few drops of petrol. The palate sill had a rather primary feel on it, but it was already so drinkable - a brilliantly bright, fresh, balanced package, with energetic flavours of ripe apples and more citrussy candied lemons emerging alongside a charming waft of white flowers and honey. With a bit of air, it started showing even more, with a clear backdrop of solid mineral surfacing towards the finish. Grippy, super-fresh, and nicely structured with that firm minerally backbone – this is starting to get seriously yummy, but it is still years and years away from peak.
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