No detailed notes on this as we drank it at dinner. I remember thinking it was a heavier Riesling - very dry, but with strong floral component and the perception of fruit which led it to come across as a bit softer. Paired well with a lobster sushi roll. Overshadowed quite a bit by the wines that came after, but makes sense as they were also different price points.

I should preface this by saying that a '98 Grange is one of my bucket wines and the expectations were pretty high. I'm happy to say this one really delivered. It's still a baby (funny that a 16 year old wine is, but that was clear). Drank over the course of a few hours and wish we'd thought to give it more time since it evolved quite a bit. An intense wine without being overpowering, it had all flavors. Deep dark black fruit, cinnamon, pepper, earth, meat.... This wine overshadowed everything else we had at dinner (either on the plate or in the glass). Just stunning. Can't wait to try ours, but given this experience will prob need to wait ten more years.

Paired against the Grange in a Syrah taste-off. Was originally going for the Guigal, but unfortunately supply had run out and so we had to find a back-up. A very meaty wine - has some of the funk that I associate with Northern Rhones, but relatively light on it's feet. Get some olives, bacon, damp earth. Paired with a chateaubriand pretty well. I was partial to the Grange, but this was a good wine.

Drank in the dessert room at Bern's. Our first eiswein (or true one from Germany anyway). Quite a bit of the sweetness had faded with time as had some of the acidity. Came across as mostly tart - a bit like a lemon with just a touch of the kerosene flavor that Rieslings sometimes have. It was a decent wine, but again, hard to compete with the Grange.