1996 Josmeyer Pinot Gris Brand

Community Tasting Notes (1) Avg Score: 92 points

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  6/18/2014 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points

  Melvyn's 50th Birthday Bash (Hua Ting, Orchard Hotel): First time I have had an Alsace from a magnum – one wonders how the extremely tall, elongated bottles are stored. That aside, the wine was very good. It had a lovely honeyed nose, with beeswax and nectar aromas dripped over a core of white peaches and nectarines, and then some higher-toned suggestions of green mango and a twist of orange peel, all drifting along a nice chalky base, with a little curl of smoky mineral at the very edges. Lots of subtle complexity to that bouquet, very pretty. With time, a lanolin note that made me guess Chenin Blanc floated out as well. I thought the palate was rather Chenin-like too, maybe slightly more oily textured than you would expect from a Loire, but the flavour profile certainly fooled some of us – there were sweet lemons and green apple flesh, quince jam, and a little taste of blood orange, all lined with a touch of mineral and spice and just a little drift of smoke at the finish. There was a real shift of gear from nose though. While the bouquet suggested sweetness, this was absolutely dry, with the stirring acidity of the 1996 vintage sill ringing beneath the wine’s pretty flavours – this helped to make a really good pairing with Cantonese roast pork belly incidentally. Really nice stuff, with a great sense of depth wed to lovely energy, and it kept getting better in the glass too – I really like this. It is still very young though, and quite primary at some points. In a magnum format at least, it needs a good 6-8 years more.

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