'Tall bottles' (Austria, Germany, Alsace) with Thai food

Hartford, CT
Tasted Saturday, August 23, 2008 by salil with 642 views

Flight 1 - Starter champagne (1 Note)

Flight 2 - Dry whites (with starters) (6 Notes)

  • 2006 Paul Blanck Riesling 87 Points

    France, Alsace

    A pleasant nose shows flowers, green apple, citrus and some smoky notes. More green apple and grapefruit flavours follow on the palate with moderate acidity and a clean medium length finish. Enjoyable to sip on, but not particularly complex.

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  • 2002 Weingut Spreitzer Oestricher Lenchen Riesling Erstes Gewächs 91 Points

    Germany, Rheingau

    Light yellow colour. Tightly wound at first, but this opened with some air and time to show seamless flavours of earthy minerals, grapefruit, lime, pear and some petrol/smoky notes. Lots of power and richness on the palate with a silky mouthfeel and good acidity. Medium length finish.

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  • 2006 Sybille Kuntz Riesling Gold-Quadrat Trocken 90 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    This is a real surprise - trocken Mosel Riesling from 06, that too with perfect balance. Very pale straw colour. Loaded with stony minerals, lime, grapefruit and smoky notes on the nose and palate. This has a rich, creamy texture in the mouth with plenty of acidity underneath. Elegant and long.

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  • 2000 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Ried Kellerberg 94 Points

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    Bright gold colour. Fantastic nose with lots of petrol, peach, citrus fruits, earthy minerals, brown spices and hints of honey. This is just spectacular on the palate. The flavours echo the nose but are seamlessly integrated with lots of power and intensity. Full bodied with a creamy texture, good acidity and an incredible finish that leaves the mouth filled with honeyed earthy flavours for almost a minute. Stunning.

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  • 2006 Freie Weingärtner Wachau / Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner Terrassen Federspiel 88 Points

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    Elegant and light with lots of pepper, spicy citrus and peach flavours over high acidity and chalky mineral notes. Pleasant, but not particularly complex - this probably didn't benefit from being poured alongside the Pichler GV.

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  • 2001 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Ried Kellerberg 92 Points

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

    Intense, perfumed nose shows lots of spices, green beans, herbs, white pepper and limes. Lots of focus and precision on the palate with high acidity and more flavours of pepper, green beans, citrus fruits and other greenish/vegetable notes. Clean long finish.

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Flight 3 - Sweeter whites (with main courses) (6 Notes)

I felt the Italian whites were outclassed by their counterparts from Alsace and Germany. The pair of Kofererhofs just didn't seem to show the same complexity, depth or elegance as the others with the Kerner coming across as a little austere and tart, and the Gewurz showing some alcoholic warmth that I found offputting.

  • 2000 Domaine Barmes-Buecher Riesling Hengst 91 Points

    France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru

    Deep golden-yellow colour. Complex, layered nose shows lots of petrol, stony minerals, dried white fruits and some grapefruit and lemon zest. Full bodied on the palate with broad, rich flavours of smoke, citrus and white fruits over quinine and mineral notes. Finishes dry with good length.

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  • 2007 Weingut Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Drachenstein Riesling Dragonstone 89 Points

    Germany, Rheingau

    Another awesome Dragonstone. Lots of apple, citrus, peach, flowers and mineral flavours that keep opening with time. Light bodied, elegant and very easy to drink with bright, refreshing acidity and a clean finish. I need to buy lots of this.

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  • 2006 Dönnhoff Kreuznacher Krötenpfuhl Riesling Spätlese 93 Points

    Germany, Nahe

    Pale yellow colour. Lovely nose with lots of floral notes, pineapple, apple, peach and some earthy notes. Broad and powerful in the mouth showing lots of ripe youthful fruit - peach, apple, pineapple and lime flavours dominate with some minerality coming out with time. Quite sweet but elegant and very well balanced with bright acidity. Clean lengthy finish.

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  • 2004 Müller-Catoir Gimmeldinger Schlössel Rieslaner Spätlese 90 Points

    Germany, Pfalz

    Didn't give this enough attention at the table with the Donnhoff poured alongside it. Shows flavours of spiced peach, limes and some dried white fruits over herbal notes. Complex and layered with lots of depth, good acidity and a medium long finish.

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  • 2006 Köfererhof Kerner Valle Isarco / Eisacktaler 87 Points

    Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Alto Adige, Valle Isarco / Eisacktaler

    Very pale yellow colour. Complex nose with lots of minerals, spices, earth, grapefruit and lemon zest. Dry on the palate with lots of minerality, slightly austere citrus and white fruit flavours and high acidity. Finishes clean and bone dry - certainly interesting to explore, but I didn't find it all that enjoyable.

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  • 2006 Köfererhof Gewürztraminer Valle Isarco / Eisacktaler 88 Points

    Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Alto Adige, Valle Isarco / Eisacktaler

    Classic Gewurz aromatics with lots of perfumed spice, flowers, musk and some lychee and grapefruit. Medium bodied on the palate with broad flavours of lychee, spices and citrus and white fruits over good acidity. Feels a little disjointed on the finish with some alcoholic heat showing.

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Flight 4 - Lone red (1 Note)

Flight 5 - Dessert (3 Notes)

All of these were spectacular. The ZH SGN and the Rotlay were my wines of the night, and I imagine these could be truly mindblowing in a couple of decades.

  • 2005 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 'Rotlay' 95 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    This is all about minerality. The nose is fantastic - just a TON of slate, crushed rocks and earth mingled with bright white fruits, peaches, apples and some cinnamon. Equally brilliant on the palate with waves of slate and rocks over citrus fruits, peaches, spiced pears, apples, smoke and hints of honey and spice. This has plenty of acidity, fantastic precision and balance and feels almost weightless in the mouth with a long, clean finish. Thrilling - this is why I love Mosel Riesling.

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  • 2004 Domaine Ostertag Gewurztraminer Fronholz Vendanges Tardives 94 Points

    France, Alsace

    Bright gold colour. Intense aromas of apricot, flowers, lime, honey, spices and musk on the nose. Incredibly rich and sweet on the palate with almost Sauternes-like intensity and flavours of apricot, dried fruits, honey and brown spices over low acidity. Long, slightly sticky finish.

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  • 2000 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Heimbourg Sélection de Grains Nobles 95 Points

    France, Alsace

    Dark orange-gold colour. The nose is wild - incredibly intense and complex and loaded with honey, peach, apricot, dried berries and spices. This gets even better on the palate - in the mouth it's full and slightly viscous, crammed with peaches, plums, apricot marmalade, some orange peel and lots of honey and spicy notes. Very sweet yet perfectly balanced with good acidity and an amazing long finish. Breathtaking.

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