Christmas Season Wine Picks - What are yours?

Nice. There are a lot of worse places to be stuck in a snowstorm than near a cellar well-stocked with German wine.

Just packing my bags for the tropics. Will be spending Christmas/New Years with my family there, so given hot, sunny weather and likely lots of satay and good Indian and Chinese food (dim sum! ), I've just packed a 1999 Zind-Humbrecht Rangen Pinot Gris VT and a 2004 Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Spatlese in the suitcase. Plenty of other fun choices where I am headed as well, a lot of which will be in taller German bottles.

Charles,

I think that you may be early on the '01 Prum Auslese. We opened one in June. While it was quite good, I think the overwhelming acidity will make it very nice around 2015, or beyond. Definitely give it at least an hour in a decanter to allow the acid to blow off.

PS: What Peter said. I didn't see his note until I had alread written mine.

Peter and Sam,
Happy holidays and thanks for trying to save me from myself. But this is my largest individual wine holding, and I'm not getting any younger.

My first bottle bit the dust New Year's Eve 12/31/2008:
"Plenty of R.S. there I'm sure, but quite racy despite the ripeness of the year and the pradikat. Really fine. Minerals and yellow fruits. Surprised to find it drinking so well now, but clearly will evolve over many years."

So I think I'll have one each New Year's Eve until it either closes down or demands drinking with greater frequency.
Charles

So I think I'll have one each New Year's Eve until it either closes down or demands drinking with greater frequency.
Charles

Enjoy! Please post your note.

For the Prum, I think it all depends on preferences/holdings/personal age/etc.. (Can it get any more obvious than that!)

To add another (only semi-tangential) note, we had the 01 WS Auslese GK back in July and it was very fun. Sure there is a lot more evolution ahead of these wines but Charles seems to know what he's doing and probably won't be disappointed!

Charles seems to know what he's doing

Rahsaan,
I long ago developed the ability to seem like I know what I'm doing.
Now if I can just get to the point where I actually know what I'm doing.
Charles

Christmas is by tradition a Bordeaux affair at my parents house. They have been receivers of some generous gifts from a friend who collected Bordeaux in the 70s and eraly 80s, unfortunately not always picking the winners. So, we had a lot of mediocre or worse from the likes of Mouton, Ch. Margeaux, etc.. but there were also some beauties. The supply is running out now, so we may have to get one of the last beauties, the 66 Haut-Brion, which was quite superb a few years back, even though la Mission would have been a smarter buy in those days - not to speak of Latour-Haut Brion...

I've really enjoyed the 66 HB. Classic, beautiful Graves. After the 64, the best truly mature Haut Brion I've had.

Bill B, I'm also thinking about Pierre Peters, I have a mag of the '99 if I decide a 750 of Champagne isn't enough to welcome folks Christmas Day.

Fun to read everyone's thoughts. I look forward to notes (included the '01 Prum!)

[David M. Bueker]

We just finished an "emergency" snowbound dinner at Beth's with '07 Sleight of Hand Archimage, a 2002 Morlet Champagne & 2002 Grunhaus Abstberg Spatlese. Not bad for being stuck in an unexpected place.

This year NJ and I will be visiting with my Mom. Sure, we will open some wines, but the best part is enjoying Mom's company. That's my season pick.
'Winger

David, I will not spill the beans until you and Laura get here the 26th!