Deep golden color; bordering on light amber. On the nose kerosene and fyrne which becomes more evanescent with exposure to air. On the palate slightly bitter and more fyrn. After a while those impressions subside. The wine, never more than middle weight is svelte and has good balance. Has surpassed its apogee quite a few years ago but has kept surprisingly well in view of the not overly great year. Mt wife liked it more than I did. tis was my last bottle of 6 originally bought. All the others wer drunk in the eighties and early nineties.
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very smooth and elegant, not in-your-face or powerful at all. Still lively some 1½ hours after decanting, with lemon citrus and some flint. Great acidity balance with some maturity to tone things down.
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Muted nose of petrol, flowers, yellow fruits, apricots and tropical flavors. Still a good amount of energy and great balance. Plenty of acidity left. Has a ways to go.
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Wonderful aged Riesling, no petrol, no oxidation just pure fruit with proper development traits. You get some rockmelon and mango and a squeeze of lime. The palate is shapely with a bit of custard lactic action. It has fruit sweetness but finishes with pungent minerality and has remarkable persistence.
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I was ready for the worst, but hoping for the best. Fortunately, this was on the "best" end of the scale. An ethereal and elusive nose of light spice and an indescribable light tropical fruit. This showed delicacy, yet great depth, and an ever changing range of light yet intense flavors. This was not a "wow" wine, but impressed with its drive and subtle complexity. The fruit is clearly waning, leaving the finish a bit high in acid, but overall this was a wonderful drinking experience. A fascinating look at a 33-year old dry riesling.
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Canlis celebration to welcome Dan Polivy (Seattle, WA): We took a stab at this off the wine list. Intriguing even if not utterly compelling. Diesel and honey tones on the nose. Funky wet stone on the palate. As I hoped, this started a little flat but with chill and some air the acid came into line. Of course very dry in the Trimbach style and yet with the regal aspect of a Clos St. Hune. At this age, this one was just a bit tired.
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Sydney Offline: Birthyear Wines: A shimmering light gold colour. My first sniff straight out of the bottle was not promising - very sulphurous, but given some air time, I felt that it really started to open up with wax, straw, petrol and citrus emerging. The palate was where the class and finesse of this wine really shone through though - super balance, style, structure and length! Might be one of the few '81s that will stick around for my 30th birthday
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8/12/2022 - Bandreas wrote:
Deep golden color; bordering on light amber. On the nose kerosene and fyrne which becomes more evanescent with exposure to air.
On the palate slightly bitter and more fyrn. After a while those impressions subside. The wine, never more than middle weight is svelte and has good balance.
Has surpassed its apogee quite a few years ago but has kept surprisingly well in view of the not overly great year.
Mt wife liked it more than I did. tis was my last bottle of 6 originally bought. All the others wer drunk in the eighties and early nineties.
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3/30/2022 - Peech Likes this wine: 93 Points
very smooth and elegant, not in-your-face or powerful at all. Still lively some 1½ hours after decanting, with lemon citrus and some flint. Great acidity balance with some maturity to tone things down.
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1/28/2018 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 93 Points
Muted nose of petrol, flowers, yellow fruits, apricots and tropical flavors. Still a good amount of energy and great balance. Plenty of acidity left. Has a ways to go.
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1/24/2018 - tinybubbles wrote: 89 Points
Beginning to oxidize. Much better on nose and palate for the first 30 mins versus thereafter. Rich honeyed complexion. Drink soon. 89-
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4/3/2016 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Wonderful aged Riesling, no petrol, no oxidation just pure fruit with proper development traits. You get some rockmelon and mango and a squeeze of lime. The palate is shapely with a bit of custard lactic action. It has fruit sweetness but finishes with pungent minerality and has remarkable persistence.
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4/27/2014 - xwine wrote:
I was ready for the worst, but hoping for the best. Fortunately, this was on the "best" end of the scale. An ethereal and elusive nose of light spice and an indescribable light tropical fruit. This showed delicacy, yet great depth, and an ever changing range of light yet intense flavors. This was not a "wow" wine, but impressed with its drive and subtle complexity. The fruit is clearly waning, leaving the finish a bit high in acid, but overall this was a wonderful drinking experience. A fascinating look at a 33-year old dry riesling.
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11/7/2012 - dcwino wrote: 93 Points
Pre WWS 2012 GJE dinner at Devero Ristorante - 85 La Las, 09 DRC VR and etc (Devero hotel - outskirts of Milan): Rather delicate despite apple tart like slightly over matured nose. Fully matured complex nose displaying caramel, a hint of petrol, apricot, smoke and ginger. Medium body wine that is drinking beautifully. Another wine with the great provenance speaking through.
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10/13/2012 - Eric wrote: 89 Points
Canlis celebration to welcome Dan Polivy (Seattle, WA): We took a stab at this off the wine list. Intriguing even if not utterly compelling. Diesel and honey tones on the nose. Funky wet stone on the palate. As I hoped, this started a little flat but with chill and some air the acid came into line. Of course very dry in the Trimbach style and yet with the regal aspect of a Clos St. Hune. At this age, this one was just a bit tired.
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7/20/2006 - CamWheeler wrote: 93 Points
Sydney Offline: Birthyear Wines: A shimmering light gold colour. My first sniff straight out of the bottle was not promising - very sulphurous, but given some air time, I felt that it really started to open up with wax, straw, petrol and citrus emerging. The palate was where the class and finesse of this wine really shone through though - super balance, style, structure and length! Might be one of the few '81s that will stick around for my 30th birthday
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