Fun wine, elegant and light on its feet with bright citrus and pear fruit accented by hay/straw and more savoury, almost leesy notes. Lively acids beneath the fruit keep it focused and refreshing.Nice way to start the evening.
Another very impressive showing. Fresh, pure pear and citrus fruit flavours tinged by florality and herbal notes, turning more savoury and briny/saline with air. Barely dry with a very faint tinge of sweetness on the back end as it warms up a little, but very precise and refreshing with plenty of acidity beneath.
AP #09-02. I liked but didn't love this, and this is a rare disappointment for a producer where I'm normally blown away. The flavour profile is surprisingly mature with ripe orange, peach and citrus fruits tinged with savoury burnished and smoky notes with a flinty edge beneath, and bright acids. There's also a touch of spritzy CO2 on the palate that gives it a sense of refreshment and precision, but it doesn't show the depth or complexity I usually expect from Müller's Scharzhofberger.
Still very youthful, with the fruit barely showing any development in this bottle. It's all about youthful peach, citrus, apple and pear flavours accented by flowers and slate, and beneath is bright acidity that balances the sweetness very well. There's incredible intensity and length here, and as it warms a little, it takes on a very seamless, creamy texture though never losing its sense of focus and refreshment. Great wine, but so, so young right now. I'm leaving my bottles buried for a good while longer. (AP #25-02 again.)
Goddammit, this is drinking so well now that I'm regretting opening most of my bottles a few years ago. Power matched with finesse, ripe peaches and red apples tinged with floral and honeyed notes and faint touches of maturing smokiness, yet so light and racy on the palate with a powerful acid spine beneath. Outstanding.
I've liked this a lot in the past, but this was poured in really tough company. It seems somewhat closed on the nose, not showing the depth or aromatic complexity other bottles have shown in the past, and while there's bright orchard fruit and florality here, it was tough paying much attention to this with the trio of '01 Spätlese alongside.
Fantastic. So complex, layered and seamless; sweet red fruits, old oak, spice and more savoury earthy and cedary notes all coming together into a beautiful fragrance that's echoed on the palate. Polished and medium weight with the tannins fully resolved and bright acids keeping it very fresh. Wow.
Pleasant, but really struggled when poured alongside the stunning '64 Bilbainas. There's some sweet red fruit, dusty earth and cedar here, but it also shows some slightly balsamic/oxidative qualities on the nose, and the fruit feels a little faded. An elegant older Rioja, but this bottle seemed to be on the downslope.
One of the better bottles I've had of this. No brett at all, just pure, sappy red berried fruit accented with green herbs, tobacco, and more savoury earthy notes on a medium weight frame. The richness of the fruit and the tannic backbone suggests there's a lot of time ahead here, but after a double decant this was drinking very well.
Really liked this. There's lots of complexity here, all sorts of nutty, smoky and figgy notes coming together on the nose and palate, but what really stands out here is the acidity. It's very precise and light on its feet, racy even with the sweetness kept in check by the bright acid spine, finishing long and savoury.
A real treat, thanks Marco. A rather high toned fragrance with minty and herbal notes (someone says 'wintergreen') framing complex flavours of old wood, figs, spice, and candied citrus peel, moderately sweet on the palate and very elegant with a polished, glossy palate presence and bright acids beneath.
This is really compelling. There's a spirity, brandy-like fiery character to the nose, yet on the palate it's remarkably similar to an old Fino with almond oil, roasted nuts, lemon pith and figgy notes conveyed with a very glossy, round texture. There's incredible intensity and power on the palate, yet it feels very light on its feet with really powerful acidity beneath, finishing with just a touch of alcoholic warmth.
Second time I've had this wine, and the second time I've been absolutely blown away. It has the appearance and consistency of motor oil, and unreal complexity and depth. It's impossible to fully catalogue the flavours here - layers of caramel, roasted nuts, figs, coffee, dark chocolate, all sorts of deeper and more savoury earthy and woody notes... so complex, powerful and intense with palate-staining concentration, absurd acidity that keeps this remarkably well balanced despite its immense sweetness, and a finish that I was tasting many minutes after my last sip. Monumental.
2013 Dirty and Rowdy Sémillon 89 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Yountville
Fun wine, elegant and light on its feet with bright citrus and pear fruit accented by hay/straw and more savoury, almost leesy notes. Lively acids beneath the fruit keep it focused and refreshing.Nice way to start the evening.
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2010 Nikolaihof Neuburger 92 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Another very impressive showing. Fresh, pure pear and citrus fruit flavours tinged by florality and herbal notes, turning more savoury and briny/saline with air. Barely dry with a very faint tinge of sweetness on the back end as it warms up a little, but very precise and refreshing with plenty of acidity beneath.
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2001 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese Auction 90 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
AP #09-02. I liked but didn't love this, and this is a rare disappointment for a producer where I'm normally blown away. The flavour profile is surprisingly mature with ripe orange, peach and citrus fruits tinged with savoury burnished and smoky notes with a flinty edge beneath, and bright acids. There's also a touch of spritzy CO2 on the palate that gives it a sense of refreshment and precision, but it doesn't show the depth or complexity I usually expect from Müller's Scharzhofberger.
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2001 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 93 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Still very youthful, with the fruit barely showing any development in this bottle. It's all about youthful peach, citrus, apple and pear flavours accented by flowers and slate, and beneath is bright acidity that balances the sweetness very well. There's incredible intensity and length here, and as it warms a little, it takes on a very seamless, creamy texture though never losing its sense of focus and refreshment. Great wine, but so, so young right now. I'm leaving my bottles buried for a good while longer. (AP #25-02 again.)
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2001 Weingut Reinhold Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese 93 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Goddammit, this is drinking so well now that I'm regretting opening most of my bottles a few years ago. Power matched with finesse, ripe peaches and red apples tinged with floral and honeyed notes and faint touches of maturing smokiness, yet so light and racy on the palate with a powerful acid spine beneath. Outstanding.
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2007 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Spätlese "Schmitt" 88 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
I've liked this a lot in the past, but this was poured in really tough company. It seems somewhat closed on the nose, not showing the depth or aromatic complexity other bottles have shown in the past, and while there's bright orchard fruit and florality here, it was tough paying much attention to this with the trio of '01 Spätlese alongside.
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1964 Bodegas Bilbainas Tempranillo Rioja Viña Zaco 95 Points
Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
Fantastic. So complex, layered and seamless; sweet red fruits, old oak, spice and more savoury earthy and cedary notes all coming together into a beautiful fragrance that's echoed on the palate. Polished and medium weight with the tannins fully resolved and bright acids keeping it very fresh. Wow.
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1970 Berberana Rioja Carta de Oro Reserva 87 Points
Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
Pleasant, but really struggled when poured alongside the stunning '64 Bilbainas. There's some sweet red fruit, dusty earth and cedar here, but it also shows some slightly balsamic/oxidative qualities on the nose, and the fruit feels a little faded. An elegant older Rioja, but this bottle seemed to be on the downslope.
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2002 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses 92 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon
One of the better bottles I've had of this. No brett at all, just pure, sappy red berried fruit accented with green herbs, tobacco, and more savoury earthy notes on a medium weight frame. The richness of the fruit and the tannic backbone suggests there's a lot of time ahead here, but after a double decant this was drinking very well.
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1974 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Came across rather tired and dull. Some red fruit and developed tarry/earthy elements here, but oxidative/maderized notes dominate here.
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NV Barbeito Madeira Malvasia Lote Especial 30 Anos 93 Points
Portugal, Madeira
Really liked this. There's lots of complexity here, all sorts of nutty, smoky and figgy notes coming together on the nose and palate, but what really stands out here is the acidity. It's very precise and light on its feet, racy even with the sweetness kept in check by the bright acid spine, finishing long and savoury.
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1856 Leacock Madeira Bual 94 Points
Portugal, Madeira
A real treat, thanks Marco. A rather high toned fragrance with minty and herbal notes (someone says 'wintergreen') framing complex flavours of old wood, figs, spice, and candied citrus peel, moderately sweet on the palate and very elegant with a polished, glossy palate presence and bright acids beneath.
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NV Leacock Madeira "A" (undated) 91 Points
Portugal, Madeira
This is really compelling. There's a spirity, brandy-like fiery character to the nose, yet on the palate it's remarkably similar to an old Fino with almond oil, roasted nuts, lemon pith and figgy notes conveyed with a very glossy, round texture. There's incredible intensity and power on the palate, yet it feels very light on its feet with really powerful acidity beneath, finishing with just a touch of alcoholic warmth.
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NV Valdespino Moscatel Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Toneles 99 Points
Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry
Second time I've had this wine, and the second time I've been absolutely blown away. It has the appearance and consistency of motor oil, and unreal complexity and depth. It's impossible to fully catalogue the flavours here - layers of caramel, roasted nuts, figs, coffee, dark chocolate, all sorts of deeper and more savoury earthy and woody notes... so complex, powerful and intense with palate-staining concentration, absurd acidity that keeps this remarkably well balanced despite its immense sweetness, and a finish that I was tasting many minutes after my last sip. Monumental.
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