2004 Freiherr Heyl zu Herrnsheim Rheinhessen Riesling Spätlese Rotschiefer BIO (Rheinhessen, Germany) 12% – appears light pale gold, patches of spritz, super reflective, smell strong mineral and just plain rocks, blueberry steel slight, wafting and very pleasant nose, taste very acidic entry, awakening, refreshing, finish of excellent mineral of some depth which seems to last forever, quaffing this wine is quite easy, had it without in the food and it precisely fit my mood, believe it would work well with all sorts of food, the acidity is just wonderful, I did not notice it was a spätlese as that information is only on the back label, but I would have pegged this as kabinett—quite a surprise, it is light, refreshing, and so easy to quaff, at 9 euros, I really wish I had another bottle of this on hand
2005 Braun Niersteiner Hipping Rheinhessen Riesling Spätlese Trocken (Rheinhessen, Germany) 13% – appears medium gold, reflective, beautiful color, smell light minerals, very subtle, mouthfeel tiniest hint of spritz, edged toward thicker texture, but still dancing on palate, taste nice lively yet somewhat subtle acid, hints of fieryness throughout, wildly tart pineapple, bit overedged pepperyness, acid in the wine went quite well with salmon and Minnesota wild rice packets, but despite solid center this wine never sung for me, just felt too limited in its range, at 13 euro I regret the purchase—not enough bang for the currency unit
2003 Harvest Moon Russian River Valley Zinfandel (Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA) 15.8% – appears darker see-thru purple, smell strong tar and bit of blackberry, taste very cool fruit, kind of like jelly, but not like cooked or warm fruit, very pleasant and nuanced blackberry, finish rolls in with nicely toasted and roasted flavors, quite nice, this wine did not work so well with food, though this might be a matter of the correct dish—the coolness and tenderness and occasional tartness would suggest that it might pair with something, I did not notice the alcohol content until after I finished the bottle and saw the label, amazing—I would never guess the alcohol was that high, no kind of heat whatsoever on the palate and incredibly well integrated, quite impressive job with that, interesting enough wine, but at $24, I wouldn’t feel the need for another bottle, though I enjoyed this one. From producer: grown on the Pitts Home Ranch and by our neighbors along Olivet Road
2004 Ansitz Waldgries Südtirol Cabernet Sauvignon Laurenz (Alto Adige/Südtirol DOC, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy) 14% – 90 percent cabernet sauvignon, 10 percent cabernet franc – appears dark purple, slight lighter rim, thick on glass, smell pleasant sweet heavy plums, slight blueberry, very, very pleasant mix, taste cool tender fruit, very background and very nice, spice comes in nicely, lots of Indian savory flavors, the spice here accentuates and does not dominate, this is particularly noticeable with food, I paired it with a porterhouse steak and the spices which I noticed on the tongue when drunk alone were not there when I had it with food, instead those spices just intensely enhanced the flavors in an excellent steak, the wine with food was refreshing and oh-so drinkable, the wine without food is quite good and really enjoyable cool fruit and tender approach, the wine with food is an intensely savory experience, at 16 euros I would love to experiment pairing it with another dish
2006 Badger Mountain Columbia Valley NSA Organic Syrah (Washington, Columbia Valley, Washington, USA) 13.5% - No Sulfites Added – appears purple black, beautiful maroon halo, great color, leaves quite viscous film on glass, smell leather, cocoa, bit herbaceous, meatiness and spice, feels very alive, taste cool fruit, the fruit and spice are easy and obvious on this wine but what is most interesting is what is lurking behind, scrumptious meaty flavors, the wine just keeps shifting as you drink it—making it difficult to track and fun to drink, paired quite well with smoked beef ribs, fun decent wine, quick on its feet if not complex and it just feels like a living thing, but at $22 I wouldn’t feel inspired to buy another. From producer: The wine went into 2 to 4 year old French oak barrels for 5 months before bottling in March 2007. 1000 cases made
Kasztelanski Miód Trójniak (Poland) 13% – the first mead I have taken notes on, appears reddish caramel, thick on glass, quite beautiful, smell sweet slight pepper, mixture of sweat and barnyard, with air quite powerful nose, almost overwhelming, mouthfeel viscous but easy flowing, very easy to drink, taste pleasant savory spice, faint caramel, juicy at times, meaty (and sometimes wooden elements), best served with a bit of chill, pleasant enough, but as one glass pretty much delivers the experience—best to share with a large group, I think, unique stuff I liked but didn’t love, not shabby at 15 Zlotych (approximately 4 euro) for 750 ml