Next to the 2014 CFE, this was surprisingly the more Alsatian of the two, with its rounded, yellow fruit and modest hint of sweetness. It doesn't quite have the oiliness of Alsace, but stylistically this is a much broader and fruity wine than I expected. But here, my old preference for the sweet Dönnhoff wines comes through. For whatever reason, this is just made in a style that cries out for a little bit more residual sugar.
Atypical for CFE. This drinks far more like a white label in style -- so lean, mineral, and precise, and very much unlike the CFEs I'm familiar with. So sharp and incisive, this would have been more at home as a Mosel GG than an Alsatian wine. Go figure.
Disgorged July 2021, 3 g/L dosage. Very high acid, with a little bit of Fuji apple on the nose. Lean and lacking breadth on the palate for my taste. Feels like it's missing depth and weight here, really not my kind of Champagne.
One of the sleeper wines tonight -- this is unmistakably rustic riesling in this modern day and age. Chewy with its extract and concentration, this handles the vintage in a really dignified way, controlling the acids and sugars. Massively sized for a Merkelbach wine, but relatively demure in the context of peers. I'm a huge fan of this, with an extra soft spot for having tasted it with the Brothers Merkelbach back in 2016.
Very ripe and sweet, drinking more like a light Auslese or straight-up Spätlese, which was pretty much expected. Still quite fruity, with a little more bent towards tropical fruit than Midwest orchard fruit. A modest spice note, and quite forward with the fruit and flavour profile. Given the level, not a huge surprise this isn't as complex on the palate as many other wines tonight.
Very advanced dark colour, but this was much better than the colour would have you think. Lacking brightness, this feels like a wine in the shadows, where the acidity and freshness are now starting to fade. It doesn't have the electricity and excitement, and this feels like it's already in its twilight years. I'd be opening and checking my bottles if I still had any.
This is even better than I remember this bottle being in the past. It's built in that old school, rustic Mosel way where it's not super clean, and yet it doesn't feel dirty either. There's a distinct lack of polish here that I really like, kind of like raku pottery. That said, this is intensely mineral-driven, taut, and complete on the palate. Structurally built around minerality with just the right amount of sweetness. Truly one of the great lineups of 2001, along with Müller-Catoir's.
Eymael's version is a huge step down from Hans-Leo's. Sweet and big, as a lot of 2003s are (so admittedly there is a handicap there) and while this seems to retain some of that mineral core, this is relatively simplistic and straight-up sweet without enough counterweight. To be clear though, I'm not accusing this of being too sweet or lacking acidity. It's just not complex enough to handle the amount of sugar it has.
Looks even worse than the 2001 -- it's super dark in colour, but tastes far better than that worrying look. Honeyed and somewhat soft, this is missing the trim and cut that riesling really ought to have. Partially I'm guessing the vintage is doing it no favours, but this is another wine in the theme of advanced-looking Dönnhoff tonight.
Every time I drink a Prüm Himmelreich, I ask myself why it is I generally only buy Sonnenuhr, and I have no sane answer to that question, because this is a phenomenally good wine year in year out. The mineral intensity here is fantastic, and forms the core around the fruit, sweetness, and acid. Almost chewy in that minerality, which I really love.
This just seems to be getting better and better. Primordially young, this doesn't show 18 years whatsoever. It's light and crisp, more sweet and fruity than you would expect for a Prüm of that era, and drinking deliciously. It's obvious there is plenty of long-term potential here, but with the secondary characteristics still yet to emerge, you can somehow still enjoy an 18-year-old riesling in the throes of youth.
I think others liked this more than I did; I found this a little gentle and missing the intensity and excitement of the 2001 GH. This has a little more of a creamy quality, and with that gentle, less intense acidity mark this well as a product of the 2002 vintage. This is admittedly far more accessible right now, but I still prefer the mineral core of the prior vintage.
Very sweet and lower acid than is typical for this wine, and it's quite likely this is a product of the vintage. It's still very minerally and primary, and frankly just drinks like a young Prüm. Decent now, but high potential, and given that this is a little trickier to replace, I'd be more inclined to let this age a decade or two more to let it develop some more interesting characteristics. Because you might as well just drink a bottle of the current vintage instead right now.
Hard to get a read on this tonight with so much riesling, and nebbiolo isn't exactly a good pairing with Sichuan food either. Comes off with high alcohol and a really disjoint character (and I tried to clear out my palate as best I could). Now this has always been the perennial dog in the Produttori lineup, but I couldn't really distinguish whether it was that playing out again tonight.
Shows a little bit of oxidation, even if the acidity of the vintage is clearly on display here. Somewhat angular and disjoint, and the magic of Gerard Potel doesn't seem to come through here. Likely not a totally sound bottle, made even less compelling with Sichuan food.
Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Not my cup of tea. Distinct Chinese medicine/amaro notes on the midpalate and finish that are really unpleasant, though the nose which shows some candied red fruit is quite entrancing. Obviously hot on the palate, but the sweetness makes this more drinkable.
Another very dark-coloured Dönnhoff. Really, what's going on here? Despite the colour, far more than amply drinkable. High acid and lots of chewy minerality with the rough edges smoothed over at this point. I love the concentrated mineral quality here, though I wish the fruit profile was a little fresher.
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Laurelwood District
A little bit of strawberry on the nose and palate, as typical for Oregon pinot. Crunchy with plenty of young pinot tannin. Probably more interesting with a few years so those youthful tannins can calm down.
Very intense and rich, dense, and concentrated, with no roasted flavours at all. Modest botrytis tones, and lots of assorted pear and apple notes on both the nose and palate. Very sweet but not cloying. An impressive effort.
Inky dark out of the bottle. The nose shows a slight raisinated character (that further shows up on the palate). This is a wine that still shows a lot of fruit and incredible freshness for the age. On the palate, this does come across as mildly porty with more dried stone fruit notes than I tend to like in my cabernet. A treat to try but for me more of an intellectual curiosity than a wine that brings drinking pleasure.
2002 Pommery Champagne Cuvée Louise Brut 90 Points
France, Champagne
Very intense notes of toasted bread and biscuity quality. Shows the ripeness of the vintage and has pretty good balance overall.
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2010 Dönnhoff Hermannshöhle Riesling Großes Gewächs 90 Points
Germany, Nahe
Next to the 2014 CFE, this was surprisingly the more Alsatian of the two, with its rounded, yellow fruit and modest hint of sweetness. It doesn't quite have the oiliness of Alsace, but stylistically this is a much broader and fruity wine than I expected. But here, my old preference for the sweet Dönnhoff wines comes through. For whatever reason, this is just made in a style that cries out for a little bit more residual sugar.
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2014 Trimbach Riesling Frédéric Emile 90 Points
France, Alsace
Atypical for CFE. This drinks far more like a white label in style -- so lean, mineral, and precise, and very much unlike the CFEs I'm familiar with. So sharp and incisive, this would have been more at home as a Mosel GG than an Alsatian wine. Go figure.
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NV Pierre Gerbais Champagne Extra Brut Bochot 88 Points
France, Champagne
Disgorged July 2021, 3 g/L dosage. Very high acid, with a little bit of Fuji apple on the nose. Lean and lacking breadth on the palate for my taste. Feels like it's missing depth and weight here, really not my kind of Champagne.
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2015 Alfred Merkelbach Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese #9 'Urgluck' 93 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
One of the sleeper wines tonight -- this is unmistakably rustic riesling in this modern day and age. Chewy with its extract and concentration, this handles the vintage in a really dignified way, controlling the acids and sugars. Massively sized for a Merkelbach wine, but relatively demure in the context of peers. I'm a huge fan of this, with an extra soft spot for having tasted it with the Brothers Merkelbach back in 2016.
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2001 Weingut Robert Weil Riesling Kabinett 88 Points
Germany, Rheingau
Very ripe and sweet, drinking more like a light Auslese or straight-up Spätlese, which was pretty much expected. Still quite fruity, with a little more bent towards tropical fruit than Midwest orchard fruit. A modest spice note, and quite forward with the fruit and flavour profile. Given the level, not a huge surprise this isn't as complex on the palate as many other wines tonight.
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2001 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese 90 Points
Germany, Nahe
Very advanced dark colour, but this was much better than the colour would have you think. Lacking brightness, this feels like a wine in the shadows, where the acidity and freshness are now starting to fade. It doesn't have the electricity and excitement, and this feels like it's already in its twilight years. I'd be opening and checking my bottles if I still had any.
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2001 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese ** 98 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
This is even better than I remember this bottle being in the past. It's built in that old school, rustic Mosel way where it's not super clean, and yet it doesn't feel dirty either. There's a distinct lack of polish here that I really like, kind of like raku pottery. That said, this is intensely mineral-driven, taut, and complete on the palate. Structurally built around minerality with just the right amount of sweetness. Truly one of the great lineups of 2001, along with Müller-Catoir's.
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2003 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese ** 90 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Eymael's version is a huge step down from Hans-Leo's. Sweet and big, as a lot of 2003s are (so admittedly there is a handicap there) and while this seems to retain some of that mineral core, this is relatively simplistic and straight-up sweet without enough counterweight. To be clear though, I'm not accusing this of being too sweet or lacking acidity. It's just not complex enough to handle the amount of sugar it has.
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2007 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese 90 Points
Germany, Nahe
Looks even worse than the 2001 -- it's super dark in colour, but tastes far better than that worrying look. Honeyed and somewhat soft, this is missing the trim and cut that riesling really ought to have. Partially I'm guessing the vintage is doing it no favours, but this is another wine in the theme of advanced-looking Dönnhoff tonight.
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2001 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese 95 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Every time I drink a Prüm Himmelreich, I ask myself why it is I generally only buy Sonnenuhr, and I have no sane answer to that question, because this is a phenomenally good wine year in year out. The mineral intensity here is fantastic, and forms the core around the fruit, sweetness, and acid. Almost chewy in that minerality, which I really love.
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2005 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 95 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
This just seems to be getting better and better. Primordially young, this doesn't show 18 years whatsoever. It's light and crisp, more sweet and fruity than you would expect for a Prüm of that era, and drinking deliciously. It's obvious there is plenty of long-term potential here, but with the secondary characteristics still yet to emerge, you can somehow still enjoy an 18-year-old riesling in the throes of youth.
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2002 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 93 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
I think others liked this more than I did; I found this a little gentle and missing the intensity and excitement of the 2001 GH. This has a little more of a creamy quality, and with that gentle, less intense acidity mark this well as a product of the 2002 vintage. This is admittedly far more accessible right now, but I still prefer the mineral core of the prior vintage.
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2009 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 93 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Very sweet and lower acid than is typical for this wine, and it's quite likely this is a product of the vintage. It's still very minerally and primary, and frankly just drinks like a young Prüm. Decent now, but high potential, and given that this is a little trickier to replace, I'd be more inclined to let this age a decade or two more to let it develop some more interesting characteristics. Because you might as well just drink a bottle of the current vintage instead right now.
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2008 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Hard to get a read on this tonight with so much riesling, and nebbiolo isn't exactly a good pairing with Sichuan food either. Comes off with high alcohol and a really disjoint character (and I tried to clear out my palate as best I could). Now this has always been the perennial dog in the Produttori lineup, but I couldn't really distinguish whether it was that playing out again tonight.
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1996 La Pousse d'Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Bousse d'Or
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Shows a little bit of oxidation, even if the acidity of the vintage is clearly on display here. Somewhat angular and disjoint, and the magic of Gerard Potel doesn't seem to come through here. Likely not a totally sound bottle, made even less compelling with Sichuan food.
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1998 Tommaso Bussola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Tb 85 Points
Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Not my cup of tea. Distinct Chinese medicine/amaro notes on the midpalate and finish that are really unpleasant, though the nose which shows some candied red fruit is quite entrancing. Obviously hot on the palate, but the sweetness makes this more drinkable.
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2004 Dönnhoff Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube Riesling Spätlese 93 Points
Germany, Nahe
Another very dark-coloured Dönnhoff. Really, what's going on here? Despite the colour, far more than amply drinkable. High acid and lots of chewy minerality with the rough edges smoothed over at this point. I love the concentrated mineral quality here, though I wish the fruit profile was a little fresher.
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2001 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese #6 Flawed
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Corked.
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2021 Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Noir Laurelwood District 88 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Laurelwood District
A little bit of strawberry on the nose and palate, as typical for Oregon pinot. Crunchy with plenty of young pinot tannin. Probably more interesting with a few years so those youthful tannins can calm down.
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2003 Weingut Reinhold Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel Auction 93 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Very intense and rich, dense, and concentrated, with no roasted flavours at all. Modest botrytis tones, and lots of assorted pear and apple notes on both the nose and palate. Very sweet but not cloying. An impressive effort.
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1970 Gemello Cabernet Sauvignon 35th Anniversary 90 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Inky dark out of the bottle. The nose shows a slight raisinated character (that further shows up on the palate). This is a wine that still shows a lot of fruit and incredible freshness for the age. On the palate, this does come across as mildly porty with more dried stone fruit notes than I tend to like in my cabernet. A treat to try but for me more of an intellectual curiosity than a wine that brings drinking pleasure.
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