Mostly Rieslings

A group of friends and I had some tasty Chinese food and a whole bunch of delicious, food-friendly wines. Riesling, gewurz and spicy, vegetable-heavy Chinese food means I'm a happy camper.

• 2005 Pehu Simonet Champagne Grand Cru Brut Sélection 90 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Aromas of bread, biscuits, minerals, a powerful but elegant nose. Tangy and zesty on the palate with focused minerals. Big and full of hazelnut, biscuits and a slight mushroom note. Very expressive and showing some nice age characteristics for such a young Champagne.

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• 1993 Peter Lauer Saar Riesling Brut Reserve 91 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Very fizzy in the glass. Aromas of gummy peach, rich honey, apricot and a hint of salt. Huge acid on the palate, wth exciting minerality and verve. There's a wonderful toasty, hazelnut, caramel aspect that comes from the long lees aging, and I really like it. (This wine was disgorged in February of 2013, so it spent nearly 20 years on the lees!) Apricots and lemon peel on a long finish. This was a hit all around, and it went so well with different Chinese foods.

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Young, new, sweet, dry, we had a great mix of really unique rieslings.

• 1966 Wachstum H. Schweiszthal Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling 86 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  A bit musty on the nose, but also some nice notes of apricot, dried mango, orange rind and crushed rocks. Still going on the palate, with flavors of apple sauce, sweet tea and dried mango. Soft and reserved, but some minerals still show through. Considering this wine is almost a half-century old, I'm impressed.

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• 1975 Weingut Fritz Allendorf Rauenthaler Steinmächer Riesling Spätlese Flawed

  Germany, Rheingau

  Gold-honey-apricot color. The nose smelled musty and old, like basement with mildew. There was some debate about this wine, with some thinking it was corked (I was one of them) and some thinking it was just old and musty. Whether it contained TCA or not, the wine just didn't hold up. Some dusty, cement notes mix with bitter apricot and orange peel on the palate. Just tired and very musty. Oh well.

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• 2002 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Loibner Berg 90 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  Golden apple colored. Aromas of oil, marmalade, minerals and peanut brittle. Dry with bracing minerals on the palate. The acid is a little lower than other bottles I've had, but it's still there. Lots of apricot, mango and peach, backed up by earthy, spicy, tobacco notes. Seriously, I get flavors of chewing tobacco and mushroom, especially on the finish. Very unique and funky, but perhaps time to drink up.

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• 2011 A.J. Adam Hofberg Riesling Kabinett 92 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Intensely floral and fruity on the nose. Deep and complex, with pineapple, melon, slate and orange peel. Steely acid on the palate, but lots of rich fruit, especially for a kabinett. Apple cider, cinnamon and mango mix with slate and a rush of minerals. Long, focused finish. Delicious now, but this has the stuffing to age wonderfully for five to ten years without a problem.

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• 2001 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese 92 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  This riesling is in a superb place right now. Complex, deep aromas of white peach, lime, white flowers. The palate is rich and honeyed, with apricot and caramel, but the acid never quits. Lovely mineral, lemon peel and smashed rock flavors. Long finish with the perfect amount of sweetness. Nowhere near the end of its life.

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• 2002 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese 93 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Smells amazing: lime, dried flowers, minerals, pineapple, lamp oil. The palate is rich and full of honey and apricot, but the acid keeps it balanced. The mineral, crushed rock aspects are great, and matched with flavors of sweet caramel apple and lemon peel. Long finish. Delicious stuff. I think it's fair to say every other person at the tasting loved this wine.

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• 2004 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spätlese 91 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Love the aromas: intense flowers, peaches, pears and a hint of salt. The sweet peach, marmalade and green pear fruit is matched with live-wire acid. Delicious bruised apple and honeysuckle lingers with lots of minerals on the finish. A pleasure to drink, and I imagine this will continue to improve for years.

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• 2007 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Spätlese 91 Points

  Germany, Nahe

  Another awesome riesling from Schäfer-Fröhlich. Very light gold color. Aromas of lime, papaya, mango and honeysuckle. Juicy and full on the palate, with pineapple, guava and lemon meringue flavors. Medium acid and crystal clean minerals and slate balance out the sweet fruit. A riesling built for the long-haul, as this has a ton of complexity to unpack .

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• 1976 Schloss Vollrads Riesling Matuschka-Greiffenclau Spatlese rosa 88 Points

  Germany, Rheingau

  Orange-golden color. Smells like oil, apricot marmalade and wax. On the palate, chunky mango and dried pineapple meets medium acid. Caramel, wax and nougat notes add complexity. Not subtle, but yummy. Well-aged but still alive.

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• 1990 Kerpen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese * 88 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Rich golden color. Smells of cantaloupe, apricots and honey. Full of creamy apricot and white peach fruit. Zippy acid makes this easy to drink. Nutty, apricot jam flavors last long onto the finish. I'm generally a big fan of 1990 rieslings, and even though I liked this, I was expecting a bit more.

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• 2002 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese ** 93 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  A beautiful auslese with a very long life ahead of it. Smells like apple cinnamon cake, pineapple, lemon peel and I pick up a chalky note as well. Intoxicating and rich, but balanced by medium acid. The yellow apple, apricot, lemon pie and nougat flavors are deep and pure. Pretty chalky and mineral tones. Long finish. Absolutely delicious.

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• 1967 Hugel Muscat Réserve Exceptionnelle 85 Points

  France, Alsace

  Deep gold color. Smells of dried apricot, white cherries, peanut shell and caramel corn. I was surprised this was still alive on the nose. Low acid on the palate, with favors of dried pineapple, lanolin and orange rind. The flavors are soft, subtle and aged, but I'm amazed that this Muscat is still relatively alive considering its older than punk rock.

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• 2002 Domaine Weinbach Gewurztraminer Cuvée Théo 91 Points

  France, Alsace

  Bright gold color. Complex and inviting nose of apricot, lychee, wax, rose tea and a bitter, peppery note. Medium acid, full bodied, with a waxy mouthfeel. The apricot jam, tangerine and orange peel flavors are rich and deep, and blended with butterscotch and an herbal flavor that reminds me of celery seed. The complexity and spicy nature of this wine really impressed me. I like the combination of pungency and elegance in this wine. Delicious with Chinese food.

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• 1993 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl 90 Points

  France, Alsace

  Golden orange color. This well-aged pinot gris is showing lots of complexity, but it's not over the hill yet. Waxy on the nose, along with dried apricot, yellow apple peel and honey crystals. Dry on the palate, full of wax, apricot and a rich orange flavor that reminds me of Grand Marnier. I'd like this more if there was a little more acid, but it's still a very pretty wine.

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• 1989 Müller-Catoir Gimmeldinger Meerspinne Gewürztraminer Auslese 95 Points

  Germany, Pfalz

  My wine of the night, this dessert Gewürz showed incredibly well. Beautiful golden honey color. The nose is rich and intoxicating, with lychee, mixed nuts, honey, peanut oil and an herbal spicy kick. Rich and buttery on the palate, with enough acid to cut through. The lychee, tangerine and apricot flavors are matched by savory spices of sage and rosemary. Nutty, honeyed and floral on the finish, which never ends. The longer this was opened, the better it got. Probably the best Gewürztraminer I've had, period.

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These three reds added a little depth to the tasting.

• 2011 Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon

  A young Morgon, but it's showing very well. Surprisingly expressive aromas of berry compote, roses, violets and pepper. Fine tannins on the palate, balanced by ripe red fruit and snappy acid. Flavors of berry compote and highlighted by iron and graphite. Equally bright and ripe, this wine's a joy to drink. I'll hold off on trying another bottle for a year or so, but this is really good stuff.

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• 1989 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape 94 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  What a beauty, this CdP is in a perfect spot. The nose shows smoke, incense, dried violets, fennel and earth over top mixed berries. On the palate, fine tannins and balanced acid coalesce around the black cherry and currant fruit. The flavors of dusty earth, dried flowers, smoke meat, olive brine and minerals are deep, complex and inspiring. Such a long finish full of savory spices.

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• 2001 Domaine de Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Aromas of smoke, tobacco and pine tree mix with berry compote and beef broth. A really interesting nose that shows a lot of different elements. The palate shows fine tannins and medium-to-high acid. The beef broth, bay leaf and pepper flavors complement the tart strawberry and red currant fruit very well. Flavors of pine, sage and tobacco carry the finish. Quite elegant and restrained at this point in its life, this wine went very well with pork belly and an eggplant dish.

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