Rieslings and Pinots - Impromptu Dinner at Brad's

It had been a very busy week, and I met up with Kelvin who also needed a break. A short trip to Brad's shop later and we found ourselves making plans for an impromptu dinner that he generously prepared for us. Four wines, unusually not-blinded, but all very enjoyable nevertheless.

• 2010 A. Christmann Gimmeldinger Biengarten Riesling trocken 87 Points

  Germany, Pfalz

  This was not easy to drink at the moment. It seemed to be well-made, but it had so much acidity that it was actually a bit punishing without food. The nose really flattered to deceive - it was really attractive, showing a whole spectrum of almost exuberantly pure fruit aromas - guava, lychee, white peach - and then lots of dried flower petals and a nice earthy minerality and just a touch of grass at the edges. A beautiful nose which got my expectations up. The palate was a rude awakening unfortunately. Super high acidity here, with almost searing lemon and lime notes puckering the sides of the mouth on the attack, and a seriously citrus backbone running through the rest of the wine even as it opened up into slightly riper, rounder notes of green apple and white peach on the midpalate. The finish was a bit short and seemed to lack a bit of depth, but I did like the fresh energy of the wine. All that acidity made the wine a good pairing for grilled honey pork belly though, with the meat drawing up an underlayer of ripe Pfalz fruit, but without the food the wine was just a bit tart. This needs time yet, plenty of it. I do get a feeling that it will be far better in 10 years' time, but it is just not too friendly at the moment.

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• 2010 A. Christmann Königsbacher Ölberg Riesling trocken 91 Points

  Germany, Pfalz

  I enjoyed this very much - a very good trocken at this level, and certainly miles better than the super-acidic Gimmeldinger Biengarten from the same vintage. This had a very nice nose as well - minerally scents of talcum power, chalk and stony ran alongside pure white fruit, apples and a touch of peachiness, all ringed with a lovely halo of white flowers. Certainly fruity, but rather more subtly so than with the pervious wine. Like the Biengarten, the palate here showed a lot of energy, all bright and zippy, but this was less lean, less mean, a bit rounder and a lot more stylishly balanced, so that you were not greeted by a burst of searing acidity, but rather nicely integrated flavours of white peach, green apples and lemon peel held in a a nice tension. There was a sense of minerality and extract as well, especially as the wine pulled away into a long finish licks of stony and some citrus fruit pulp. With a bit of time, a final waft of flowery perfume started emerging. I really liked this - a wine of character.

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• 2002 Domaine Humbert Frères Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Poissenot 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Good. This was a very pretty Gevrey - still needs a lot of time, but already very yummy. I thought it was a touch modern when first nosing it, with its hints of toffee-ish oak and sweet aromas red cherries and strawberries and a touch of ripe prune. There was a nice, fresh purity to those scents though, and this was accompanied by a very pleasing Gevrey-ness when more savoury notes of red meat, some metallic blood accents, earth, mushrooms and whiffs of spice and fresh cut flowers swirled out with time. Nicely developed, nicely complex, the nose was really attractive. I did not think the palate was quite as good, showing just a bit less depth than I would have expected from a 2002 1er Cru, but it was nonetheless very pleasant. Bright, fresh and very lively, it showed ripe fruited flavours of dark cherries, red plums and slightly dried raspberries - again very Gevrey, but with a touch of modern ripeness to it. With time though, the sweetness came down somewhat, and the wine seemed at once more subdued but also more elegant. Here, classic notes of earth and again some bloody red meat mingled with pretty dried flower nuances towards a fresh, clean-cut finish lined with really fine, almost silky tannins. Yummy. Not a great wine, but certainly a good one, and a really nice representation of Gevrey too. With the still primary fruit, the structure and balance on the wine, and the way it developed in the glass, my feel is that this has a good 3-4 years to go at least before it really starts opening up and showing its full potential.

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• 2006 Louis Latour Corton-Grancey 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

  This was excellent. A little tight at first, but after 2 hours in the decanter, it was a surprisingly forward and very delicious young Corton. There was a beautiful nose here, with pure aromas of dark cherries and blackberries, damp loamy earth, some red meat, spice and dried flowers and, most of all, a lovely, stony minerality that underlined the whole bouquet. The palate, tight when first poured, opened up wonderfully in the decanter to show lovely rich Grand Cru fruit, with dark cherries, black berries showing a lovely ring of purity as it the midpalate pulled away in a beautiful wash of spice, earth and mineral. Everything was in place with this wine, down to its pitch perfect balance with juicy acidity and super-fine, velvety tannins. Lovely, long finish too. Full, round, generous and warm. There was still a noticeable firmness to it and it was still a bit tight at the core, so this clearly needs time yet. However, it was absolutely delicious even on the night.

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