For starters we had squash pancakes with prosciutto on top - an invention of my sister's and her Italian boyfriend -, which sounded strange to me but worked well! The saltiness and earthiness of the prosciutto countered the frothy texture and umaminess of the squash pancake. The full bodied Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2006 (13,5%; 21,90€) managed to add yet one more balanced voice to the counterpoint of all the other aromatics and textures of the dish. The nose was very refreshing and mineral, with some lovely grassy and lime notes and delicate nuttiness - nothing in the nose seems to be from the blisteringly hot South! The palate is rather a surprise also in being almost as acidic and tannic as the Texier I recently wrote about. Yes, it is plump and has a waxy finish, but frankly, if served blind, I wouldn't probably go to the Rhône. I think aromatically this seems more like a lightly oaked Burgundy than anything else.
I don't have much experience with S. Rhône whites, but this (and the Texier CdP) certainly aren't the types of wine I was expecting! Are these really the norm for white S. Rhônes, or did I just get lucky in finding two that fit my taste? What are white CdPs like?
For a main dish we had filet of beef in a marinade of peppers and balsamico. I opened up one more bottle of Bründlmayer Zweigelt 2004 just to make sure I like the wine. I do. It is ripe yet leafy and tangy and refreshing yet upright in structure; like a hypothetical combination of Syrah and Pinot. Perhaps a more flamboyant and Italianate wine would have been ideal with the dish, but this worked also. What a delightful wine at 12€ (and "only" 12% abv)!
With a dessert of assorted cheeses (Fouchtra, baby Stilton, 2yo Gouda, Brie de Meaux) we had the remains of the Kerpen Wehlehner Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2006 (120g/l RS; 8,2g/l acidity; 9% abv; 20,20€).
From David Bueker's description, I was expecting a more BA style - it certainly does have leaning in that direction, but at least from the weighty vintages that have been available here, this is perfectly acceptable under the Auslese label also. A nice touch of botrytis, but it isn't overpowering, more a delicate honeyed/floral nuance than full blown orange skin. It was strongly mineral upon opening, but the mineral tones decreased over time (IIRC, BenRo said that the sensation of minerality was some sort of sulphur compound? So it can blow off? - I'm very confused about the whole sensation of minerality. Sometimes the note gets stronger over time, sometimes it blows off, yet both smell exactly alike to me.)
There is nothing delicate about the palate. It is thick and heavy, sweet but refreshing enough even when warm, though it doesn't seem as high in acid as Alko's technical notes would imply. Long and mineral, with a honeyed finish. A heavier wine than I usually prefer, but in the utter absence of any other Mosel wines here, I think I'll be buying a fair number of these.
To aid digestion we had a small drop of Bruichladdich 3D3 (Islay, Scotland; 46%abv). This has a very interesting nose: super peaty, but - unless my nostrils deceive me - I don't find all that much smoke in it! There are lots of toffeed notes (American oak, is it?) also. Despite all these bass notes, there are some lifted/citrussy scents also.
All this follows on the palate, except there is a remarkably strong sweetness to it. I guess that's the oak and the alcohol? Yet the 46% is surprisingly restrained. Good.
-O