Dinner at Home

This was a special dinner at home with close friends.

I've had both of these before, but they showed particularly well today. I was struck by how the Spatlese seemed to have both more complexity and also more acidity than the Kabinett without necessarily having more sweetness. I don't know if the Kabinett showed less acid because of its age (had the acid integrated?), but the spatlese was a winner between this pair.

• 2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 90 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Lemon to lemon-green; nose has excellent petrol, great balance, mineral, slate; palate is light bodied, good but not over-the-top acidity, well integrated at this point, flavors fade just a tad through the midpalate; finish is medium. Very nice, this is at or near peak. 90-91

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• 2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 92 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Medium-deep golden color; riper fruit nose with white fruit, less minerality but still some slate, less obvious petrol but balanced; palate has some residual sugar but doesn't taste as obviously sweet as I expected, has perhaps as much or more acid than the kabinett, high acid, flavors persist better through the midpalate; finish is medium-long length. Very, very nice. 92-93

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My first taste of Haut Brion Blanc, and quite possibly my last given its price. The key standout characteristics were its texture, integration, overall balance, and interest. I was also struck by the intensity of the aromatics, the nutty character, but still the freshness and slight grassiness (well integrated) on the palate. This was an excellent wine, very enjoyable, and a very special experience, but still one that didn't quite live up to a >$600 experience.

• 1998 Château Haut-Brion Blanc 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Cork was in beautiful condition. Color is a rich deep golden; nose has nutty caramel, high intensity, slight orange peel, good complexity, definitely a little oxidative but not overly so; palate is medium-full body, has great richness, but also has superb high acidity throughout that keeps it fresh, here I get very slight grassiness on the palate, some savoriness, flavors persist through to the finish; finish is medium-long. This was really interesting and not an experience that I am likely to have again. I think this was consumed at the perfect stage of maturity... I don't think this will last another 20 years like the best vintages. This wine was very much about the texture and balance maybe more than the complexity on the palate, though the nose did have unique flavor and intensity. Very nice. 94-95

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This is a very enjoyable, classic Bordeaux/Pauillac. I didn't spend too long on the notes because I wanted to focus on other wines and I've tried this twice in the past few weeks, with roughly the same expression of the wine.

• 1995 Château Clerc Milon 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Brief note on this one since I've tried it twice recently. Classic bordeaux, nose is medium intensity, blackberry, classic left bank; palate is medium bodied, great fresh acid, nice blend of fresh fruit and secondary complexity, high acid; medium finish. 91

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Both from halves. As always, the sauternes flight rocked. The Rieussec was classic and consistent with past vintages of 1996: Excellent in the full bodied, no-holds-barred intensity while still being fresh and having great balanced acidity, and the 1996 in particular continues to have some of the purest saffron I've ever sniffed and tasted in a wine. But while the intensity was classic Rieussec, I was also impressed by the integrated complexity of the Yquem. The nose was great with early hints of secondary and tertiary notes while still largely being young but with so much depth, but the real standout was the palate, which showed racy, fresh acidity, untold complexity, and length that persisted through the midpalate and well beyond an extensive finish. The 96 Yquem is a real winner, especially at today's prices, and if the nose picks up a bit more this could fit in with one of the greats... for now it sits only a half-step behind the legends.

• 1996 Château Rieussec 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  From a 375. Deep gold color with just a hint of copper, just a tad darker than the 96 Yquem; huge intensity with saffron, very complex (though dominated by saffron), white fruit, great botrytis; palate is full bodied, appropriate sweetness, again huge saffron, white fruit, tropical fruit, spice, fades just a tad through the midpalate; finish is medium length. 93-94 with plenty of life left. This is just a fantastic wine.
  Day 3: Lower intensity on the nose but still clear saffron, spice, botrytis; palate is balanced, rich but fresh acid, consistent with past note including slight hollowness through the midpalate; medium finish. Very consistent with note from when it was first opened, and it was at least as good then and has not improved with 2 days of air. Superb value at $35/half retail right now. 92 today.

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• 1996 Château d'Yquem 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  From a 375. Deep gold, just a slight hint less dark than the Rieussec; deeper, brooding nose more than the Rieussec which is more forward, this has more complexity, still moderate to high intensity, baking spice; palate is full bodied, wonderful complexity on the palate with layers of spice, peach, slight sweet orange, botrytis, density through the midpalate but still fresh throughout, high acid; long finish. Superb. This still has its youthful sweetness but also very nice complexity on the palate, the nose is slightly reticent (will try decanting...), but overall this is an excellent Yquem only a half-step behind the best vintages. 95-96
  3 hours decanting: the nose has opened up a tad more with some honey, but the palate is still the true highlight. Just wonderful complexity, flavors changing from one to the other with fabulous acidity, persistent; long finish. Based on my tasting, this is very enjoyable but just barely in early maturity with at least 2 decades of development ahead. 95-96
  After tasting, I looked ate Neil Martin's note from January 2012, and he is dead-on. Look up his note for the details, but a few phrases: he notes the reticent nose that opens up, the "tensile" palate, the mandarin and Seville orange. All of that is consistent with what we found.
  Day 3: Nose continues to be fairly wound up but what does show is complex; palate continues to have vibrant ridiculous acidity, mandarin orange peel (is this the Seville orange Neil Martin refers to?), excellent complexity, honey, fruit, spice; finish is long. I was hoping that the nose would open up more with a few days of air (that is the only thing holding back this wine) but it did not. Nevertheless, a superb Sauternes and an excellent Yquem. As much as I like the Rieussec, there is a large difference between the palate on the Rieussec and the Yquem in terms of complexity. 95 today.

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