First bottle was corked, but the backup was outstanding. A thrilling aromatic profile with bloody, meaty, violet and peppery scents combining into a great fragrance, though the palate doesn't show quite the same complexity just yet- there's pure dark fruit tinged with more savoury and meaty characteristics, but it doesn't have quite the 'wow' factor of the aromatics which seem more developed right now.
All about purity and freshness; a core of bright dark fruited flavours tinged with green herbal notes, savoury earthiness and higher toned floral elements. There's good depth and fantastic balance, and it's very enjoyable though among Baudry's regular bottlings, I think I'm still rather partial to the Grezeaux and Croix Boissée.
Not quite as seamless and stunningly fragrant as my first experience with this a year ago. Initially it comes across more blocky than I remember, seeming a little closed with rich red fruited flavours and some floral elements, but time and air bring out more nuance and textural complexity. There's great depth and finesse here, more structure than I'd ever think possible in a Gamay and while it certainly needs a lot of air/patience right now, I imagine this will be something quite special with time.
First impressions are of a very pure, refreshing but not overly complex wine with incredibly fresh red berried flavours tinged with earth, but not a whole lot else showing. With air this really develops as the fruit gains a sense of remarkable transparency and purity and savoury and mineral notes emerging around it. Really impressive.
Unfortunately not the knockout that my last bottle was; comes across fully mature again with an overlay of burnished smoky and savoury flavours around the ripe white fruits, but it doesn't show the seamlessness or aromatic complexity I experienced in this a few months ago. Pairing with moderately spiced Szechuan food didn't help either.
Another awesome bottle. Incredibly primary right now, all youthful Riesling fruit and minerality with gentle floral and herbal accents, and conveyed with a sense of remarkable energy and precision. There's superb balance here between the youthful sweetness and vibrant acidity, remarkable length and I'm glad I have more.
Enjoyable but not a whole lot more; again a fairly advanced showing for this wine with the fruit again showing very ripe and sweet and framed by maturing smokiness, though the flavours here lack the harmony and balance I normally expect from Muller's wines.
Incredibly young. There's lovely fresh Mosel fruit, slate and florality present here, but it's clouded a little right now by a veil of sulfur and sponti-yeast aromas. There's good balance with bright acidity beneath the fruit, and I imagine this'll be excellent with some time once the sulfur clears.
Drinking really nicely with bright, fresh fruit showing a slight sweet and sour tang and combining with herbal, smoky and other developed flavours into a seamless whole. There's excellent balance and a sense of understatement and lightness here that makes it very easy to drink; I'm always impressed by how well these older Karthäuserhofs seem to show.
Classic Mosel Riesling; pale, fresh citrus and apple fruit tinged with floral and mineral flavours on a lightweight frame with gentle sweetness and a powerful spine of acidity. It's not overly complex and more about sheer refreshment right now, but there's excellent focus and clarity to the flavours and it's all too easy to drink.
AP #4. This is remarkably fragrant right upon opening, and only gets better with air conveying pretty much everything I'd expect in a young Riesling (though the richness and sweetness here are closer to Auslese). There's a spectrum of bright fruit ranging from more classical citrus, apple and pear flavours to riper, more exotic tropical notes, vividly floral and mineral accents and just outstanding balance with the flavours and structure all coming together flawlessly. Absolutely stunning wine.
1996 Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
First bottle was corked, but the backup was outstanding. A thrilling aromatic profile with bloody, meaty, violet and peppery scents combining into a great fragrance, though the palate doesn't show quite the same complexity just yet- there's pure dark fruit tinged with more savoury and meaty characteristics, but it doesn't have quite the 'wow' factor of the aromatics which seem more developed right now.
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2009 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Le Clos Guillot 90 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon
All about purity and freshness; a core of bright dark fruited flavours tinged with green herbal notes, savoury earthiness and higher toned floral elements. There's good depth and fantastic balance, and it's very enjoyable though among Baudry's regular bottlings, I think I'm still rather partial to the Grezeaux and Croix Boissée.
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2007 Jean Foillard Morgon Cuvée 3.14 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon
Not quite as seamless and stunningly fragrant as my first experience with this a year ago. Initially it comes across more blocky than I remember, seeming a little closed with rich red fruited flavours and some floral elements, but time and air bring out more nuance and textural complexity. There's great depth and finesse here, more structure than I'd ever think possible in a Gamay and while it certainly needs a lot of air/patience right now, I imagine this will be something quite special with time.
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2010 Jean-François Ganevat Côtes du Jura j'en veux 91 Points
France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
First impressions are of a very pure, refreshing but not overly complex wine with incredibly fresh red berried flavours tinged with earth, but not a whole lot else showing. With air this really develops as the fruit gains a sense of remarkable transparency and purity and savoury and mineral notes emerging around it. Really impressive.
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2001 Weingut Willi Bründlmayer Riesling Lyra Zöbinger Heiligenstein 89 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal
Unfortunately not the knockout that my last bottle was; comes across fully mature again with an overlay of burnished smoky and savoury flavours around the ripe white fruits, but it doesn't show the seamlessness or aromatic complexity I experienced in this a few months ago. Pairing with moderately spiced Szechuan food didn't help either.
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2010 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett 93 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Another awesome bottle. Incredibly primary right now, all youthful Riesling fruit and minerality with gentle floral and herbal accents, and conveyed with a sense of remarkable energy and precision. There's superb balance here between the youthful sweetness and vibrant acidity, remarkable length and I'm glad I have more.
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2006 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett 87 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Enjoyable but not a whole lot more; again a fairly advanced showing for this wine with the fruit again showing very ripe and sweet and framed by maturing smokiness, though the flavours here lack the harmony and balance I normally expect from Muller's wines.
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2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Incredibly young. There's lovely fresh Mosel fruit, slate and florality present here, but it's clouded a little right now by a veil of sulfur and sponti-yeast aromas. There's good balance with bright acidity beneath the fruit, and I imagine this'll be excellent with some time once the sulfur clears.
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1981 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Sang Riesling Spätlese 92 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Drinking really nicely with bright, fresh fruit showing a slight sweet and sour tang and combining with herbal, smoky and other developed flavours into a seamless whole. There's excellent balance and a sense of understatement and lightness here that makes it very easy to drink; I'm always impressed by how well these older Karthäuserhofs seem to show.
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2010 Alfred Merkelbach Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Spätlese 89 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Classic Mosel Riesling; pale, fresh citrus and apple fruit tinged with floral and mineral flavours on a lightweight frame with gentle sweetness and a powerful spine of acidity. It's not overly complex and more about sheer refreshment right now, but there's excellent focus and clarity to the flavours and it's all too easy to drink.
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2005 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese 95 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
AP #4. This is remarkably fragrant right upon opening, and only gets better with air conveying pretty much everything I'd expect in a young Riesling (though the richness and sweetness here are closer to Auslese). There's a spectrum of bright fruit ranging from more classical citrus, apple and pear flavours to riper, more exotic tropical notes, vividly floral and mineral accents and just outstanding balance with the flavours and structure all coming together flawlessly. Absolutely stunning wine.
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1990 Müller-Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Rieslaner Auslese
Germany, Pfalz
Dried out, tiring and not showing much character other than old botrytis flavours. A '90 Eselshaut Riesling Auslese wasn't much better either.
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