Biryani @ Salil's

Vernon, CT
Tasted Saturday, March 8, 2014 by mdefreitas with 397 views

Flight 1 - THE WHITES (4 Notes)

2001 Dönnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spätlese 92 Points

Germany, Nahe

Beautiful and youthful; not showing much in terms of secondary flavors, but perhaps shedding some of its sweetness. Bright, juicy and chiseled.

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1998 Schlossgut Diel Dorsheimer Pittermännchen Riesling Spätlese 93 Points

Germany, Nahe

My Riesling of the night. Flamboyant yet balanced. This displayed yellow plums, golden delicious apples, peaches and honey with a nice note of minerals on the snappy finish. Ripe but still shimmers on the palate. Delicious and lengthy.

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1976 Schloss Reinhartshausen Hattenheimer Wisselbrunnen Riesling Auslese Flawed

Germany, Rheingau

These old Schloss Reinhartshausen wines can be magical, but alas this one was not to be. Honey, apricots, slate and peach notes, but the palate was flat and dull. Probably oxidized and a darn shame.

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1985 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon Flawed

France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Coteaux du Layon

This displayed honey, minerals, kerosene, peaches and prominent bananas (which I often associate with oxidized wines). There was good acidity here, but I doubt this was a sound bottle, with the kerosene and banana notes. This even took on a weird chemical/plastic note. There seems to be good underlying material here, but this was tough to rate, as I doubt it was representative.

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Flight 2 - THE REDS (3 Notes)

1978 Torres Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Coronas Reserva Mas La Plana 91 Points

Spain, Catalunya, Penedès

This seemed like a very sound bottle. The fill level was good and the color showed appropriate signs of age, with a healthy ruby middle. When first opened this seemed a bit musty and reduced. This improved remarkably with air, showing saddle leather, walnuts, cedar and sweet dried cherry notes. Perhaps there was a touch of oxidation, but this was still very enjoyable, and it kept getting better with air. The tannins were fully resolved and this was like liquid silk on the palate. This started to resemble an elegant, mature claret. Perhaps the oak was a bit sweet, but it was just a side note to an otherwise complex drinking experience.

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2005 Paolo Bea Montefalco Sagrantino Secco Pagliaro 94 Points

Italy, Umbria, Montefalco, Montefalco Sagrantino

This was lovely when first opened, and it kept getting better with air. Dark fruits, like blackberry and plums, grilled herbs, iodine, tar and a just a hint of balsamic. This was rich, yet restrained. Layered on the palate with a cornucopia of dark fruits. Youthful, complex and lengthy. No problems aging this.

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2011 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon La Croix Boissée 92 Points

France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon

Very youthful and very structured, with grippy tannins. A strong green streak (asparagus/green pepper) mixed with lovely florals and crushed stones. No mistaking this for Loire Cab Franc. This needed air and did indeed improve with time, becoming less aggressive and more velvety. Packed with superb raw materials, this shows great potential.

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