Grab Bag Tasting @ my place

Casual tasting with David and Thijs.
Wines served single blind, except where noted

• 2006 Reichsrat Von Buhl Rosé Sekt Brut 88 Points

  Germany, Pfalz

  (non blind) Somewhere between pink salmon and golden yellow. Hardly any mousse in the glass. Salty, fresh and soft, sufficient body. Citrusfruit in the nose and a far impression of passionfruit and strawberries. Vaguely smoky too. Not overly long nor complex, but gorgeously refreshing and tasty. 16.5/20

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• 2007 Ansgar Clüsserath Riesling Steinreich 89 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Pale colour. Soft notes of springflowers, citrusfruit (lemon and lime). Stimulating levels of acid, which is not aggressive or obtrusive. Gooseberries and also lush exotic impressions. Slightly heady and spicy now. A promise for the future. Try again in 1 year. 17/20

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• 2004 Domaine Laroche Chablis 1er Cru Les Vaudevey 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Light golden yellow with a green tinge. Very interesting, complex nose which keeps on giving new impressions: rhubarb, green peas, pistaccio, lime. At first somewhat closed or reticent, later full steam ahead! Chalky minerality and only in the aftertase I notice the sensible use of oak. This wine is great now, but has some future in it. Fresh and brisk, no sign of oxidation or prematurity. It took us a while before we could pin down this wine. It's a very nice, mineral tinged, slender Chardonnay. 17.5/20

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• 2001 Weingut Knoll Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Ried Loibenberg 91 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  Bright gold. Fragrant, floral nose (honeysuckle, orchids, chamomille) in which a droplet of diesel is providing complexity. Also something resinous and soapy. On the palate it's very ripe, a distant touch of ancient foudre oak, leather, tobacco, lemon oil. This wine has an intriguing oily, sultry roundness and fills the mouth from front to back. Gorgeous bitters make the finish complete. Wonderful. 17.5-18/20

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• 1999 Château Lamartine Cahors Cuvée Particulière 88 Points

  France, Southwest France, Cahors

  Dark red, slightly translucent. Sweetish, phenolic very ripe nose of red fruit. Not overly perfumed, neatly composed, fresh, elegant and some prickling in the nose. Acidity is hardly perceptible on the tongue. The wine's aromatics seem to be searching direction, wandering. So were we. I was commuting between Tuscan Sangiovese and Morgon Gamay. Tasty wine, though. 16.5/20

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• 2006 Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon Franschhoek 90 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Franschhoek Valley

  Blueberry-jam, cherry-pie with gobs of cream, milkchocolate, warm damp earth. Roasted peppers, gingerbread, patisserie. Tightly-knit and with lots of stuffing, still very young but already extremely enjoyable. 17.5/20

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• 2003 Château Langoa Barton 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  Toasted oak, roasted nuts, leather, smoke, some poo... Fairly refreshing considering the vintage. Really losens up in the glass. Black fruits and licorice hiding underneath. Although it has a tiny mid-palate dip, this is very good stuff. 17.5/20

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• 1999 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 94 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Fabulous wine! Opening with easy-to-recognize aromatics like mint and eucalyptus; this has to be something from Down-Under! Some swirling reveals a bouquet with a frightening depth underneath. Black fruits, blue fruit, red fruit, brown fruit and even citrusfruit; it's all there. Truly amazing... The palate is completed with luxury hints of rosepetals, pipe-tobacco, earl-grey-tea, wet forestfloor, espresso and balsamic-notes. Some smoky undertones lift this muscular (but certainly not overconcentrated) heavyweight to an almost esoteric lightness and clarity. Impeccable balance and just entering its drinking window. Has got plenty of time (20 years?) to go. (18,5/20)

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• 2001 Giuseppe Campagnola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Caterina Zardini 89 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico

  Prunes and rosehips on the nose, forestfloor, ink, autumn nuances. VA? In the mouth alcoholic sweetness, caramel, cappuccino, hazelnut, citrus peel. Big and bold, but unfortunately not very typical or recognisable. We were all over the Mediterranean with our bets: Priorat? Languedoc? Douro? Bolgheri? Aglianico? It turned out to be an Amarone and I would never have guessed that. Thought that those were a lot sweeter? A nice and impressive wine, yet not very discriminate. 17/20

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• 1997 Vignobles Brisebarre Vouvray Demi-Sec 87 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

  Interesting and complex bouquet of hay, assorted nuts, orange, honey and apple sauce. There's also some sign of oxidation and strange impressions of tobacco, glue and hairspray. On the tongue this is clearly demi-sec. Flavours of tobacco, flowers, slightly oxidative notes and some bitterness that I cannot grasp. I found this wine to be austere and undemonstrative. And ambivalent. It is not sweet, and not dry either. And it lacked freshness and clarity. Seems hard to combine with food. To heavy as an aperitif and not sweet enough for dessert. Canard à l'orange, maybe? 16/20

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Personal WOTN: 1999 Moss Wood CS
No other wines to look out for.