Dinner at Imperial Treasure Nan Bei

Third time eating here in 2 weeks! Good food, free corkage, nice stems, ice buckets etc is hard to come by. This time, had dinner with the Mrs, Lionel and Rachel and Alex. Two pretty interesting wines bought on the cheap.

• 2007 Reichsrat Von Buhl Deidesheimer Kieselberg Riesling 90 Points

  Germany, Pfalz

  Boy oh boy, these 2007 dry Rieslings are a revelation, even at the QBA level. A beautiful nose. Cream soda, pineapples, lychee, chalky mineral, white flowers - lots of depth coupled with a nice freshness. With time, some deeper yellow fruit tones like jackfruit came to the fore. Like the nose, the palate was fresh. Or should I say "Fresh!!" Laser like acidity zipped along through very citrus flavours of limes, lemon zest, fresh oranges and white flowers with tons of minerals. Finish was medium lengthed. Super minerally, slightly assertive, but it fades quickly to leave musky white flower and chamomile notes. When we started, it seemed someone had hit a mute button over all the flavours, but the wine did open up very nicely with the meal. Great with food now, should get better with time. 89-90

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• 2006 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Côtes du Rhône Lieu-Dit Clavin 89 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

  Very decent wine at its price - from vines all older than 70 yrs, this was a Chateauneuf du Pape lite. Lifted nose, with cherries, violet flowers and sappy cherries at the fore. A touch of alcohol here and there, but that swirled away with time. Along with the higher-tone notes, there was a very Provencal feel to this, with rusty mineral, dried earth, sawdust and garrigue and fresh herbs and spices. Just the smell in the air one gets when driving through the vineyards of Southern Rhone. Palate was fresh and elegant, with dusky cherries, slightly dried raspberries and a nice dustiness. A bit on the light side compared to 2006 CdPs, but certainly not lacking in sap and concentration when compared to wines in its class. Tannins were silky and well shaped. I thought the finish was a little curt, closing with a burst of rusty mineral and smoke. Otherwise, this was a nice wine and wonderful value at S$28 (US$20) - nicely balanced, good freshness, elegance, good with food. What more could one ask for from a CdR?

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