Some recent wines had with dinner.
Pinot blanc dry 2004, Dönnhoff
AP: 31 05, 12% alc. Light straw/greenish colour. Lightly vegetal nose with hints of flowers, hay and light minerals. Fullbodied pinot blanc in the mouth with some fatness in the entrance. Good concentration. Quite neutral fruit with some flowers and hay. Not aromatic. Typical pinot blanc. Some citrus in the finish. Decent acids and good length. All in all a very nice pinot blanc that drinks nicely now and is versatile with food. One of my favourites lately. I prefer this wine to Dönnhoff's much more expensive grauburgunder.
Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle riesling spätlese trocken 1999, Dönnhoff
From a magnum. AP: 03 00, 11,5% alc. Light straw/greenish colour. Mineral nose with hints of slate, petrol and vegetal notes. Medium bodied in the mouth. Mineral and quite slim riesling. Racy and mineral fruit. A little evolved. Fine concentration. Medium acids for this grape and medium length. Fine balance. Drinks well now, can age another 3-5 years. This is a good wine with interesting aromas, but for me Dönnhoff is a winemaker all about elegance. This 99 lacks this elegance, possible due to a little warmer year. The little lower acid makes this dry riesling a little more rustic.
Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle riesling spätlese 2004, Dönnhoff
AP: 10 05, 8,0% alc. Straw/greenish colour. Intence and fruity nose. A little complex. Hints of white fruits, white flowers. Some slate. Sweet and fruity in the mouth. Fine balancing acids and with the typical Dönnhoff-elegance. All kinds of fruits and some slate. Citrusy finish and closing towards the end. Looks like it is closing down. Let it rest for another 5-6 years. This is a very good riesling spätlese, especially the structure and elegance is amazing. The fruit could have had a little more concentration and some more mineral depth. Hope it will show more with time.
Hunter River semillon reserve Bin 8650 1995, Lindemans
91% semillon, 9% chardonnay. The semillon unoaked, the chardonnay oaked. 11,5% alc. Deep yellow colour. Nice and complex nose. Hints of wax, citrus, mushrooms and herbs. Slim semillon in the mouth with fine acidic structure. Unoaked mature fruit. Shows wax and more citrus and herbs on the palate. Refreshing long taste. This wine has developed very nicely and even better than I hoped. Drinking well now and can probably age longer. Great wine for the price. More australian whites like this please.
Savuto Vigna Mortilla 1995, Odoardi
I have had nice Savuto from Odoardi. But this top-cuvee from the 95-vintage just never was one of them. Last bottle emptied. Brick-red colour. Not deep. Nose is leathery and evolved with some hints of coffee and red berries. Medium bodied wine and lacking in fruit. Rather thin. What is there is mature and leathery. Traditional style. Decent acids and some tannins in the back. Just lacking. This is going nowhere but down. Drink up.
Teroldego Rotaliano 1997, Foradori
Dark red colour. Fine nose of anise, dirt, cherries some eucalyptus and oak. More akin to a french wine than an italian. Good body and slightly fatness in the mouth. Good concentration of fruit. Somewhat evolved, some complexity. Shows more floral and with high notes on the palate. A little oak. Medium to low acids and light tannins in the finish. Still a fine structure. Good length. Still a little on the young side. Give it a couple more years.
Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Clefs d'Or 1999, Jean Deydier
A gift I received some years ago. The wine had a deep red, slightly bricking colour. Fine nose of leather, red berries, anise and slight earth. Medium bodied for a Chateaneuf-du-Pape. Good concentration. Slightly sweetness in the entrance. Fruit shows some mature notes. Quite leathery, some red berries and earth. Traditional making. Decent acids and not much tannins in the back. Not a great Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but a nice wine drinking well now.
Ghemme Collis Carellæ 1994, Cantalupo
The wine was aired for 4 hours in a Barolo-decanter. Served in Riedel vinum burgundy-stems. The colour was deep brick red. The nose a bit closed first, but opened up with some more time in the glass. Quite leathery and complex with hints of old dust, tar, cherries, some coffee. Powerful and dry Ghemme in the mouth. Shows more fruit on the palate. Also some tar and leather. A little low concentration of fruit. But with time it shows a little more. High cleansing acids and very dry and tannic finish. Obvious nebbiolo-structure and quite a hard one. But I like it. I will give remaining bottles 2-3 more years.
Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese Bricco Mondalino 2001, Bricco Mondalino
Light transparent brownred colour. Very nice and complex nose. Shows leather, cherry-stones, floral high notes. Medium bodied. Fruitdriven and unoaked wine. Fine fruit, quite evolved showing red berries and a little leathery. Fine floral notes. Acidic and cleansing structure. A little rustic and biting tannins in the back. On top now. Drinking very fine. As beautiful as grignolino can be. Great wine.
Moscato d'Asti 2005, G.D.Vajra
Light straw colour. Fine, small bubbles. Muscaty and citrusy nose. Some flowers and spice. A structured and citrusy Moscato d'Asti in the mouth. Quite fine mousse. Simple and refreshing fruit. Citrusy, some spice. Good length. A structured and elegant Moscato d'Asti with finer mousse than the norm. This is very fine moscato.