Norheimer Kirschheck riesling spätlese 2004, Dönnhoff Nahe, Germany
AP: 13 05. Very light straw/greenish colour. Fine nose, perhaps a bit shy. Hints of sweet flowers, blackcurrant-leafs, mineral; some slate and earth. Powerful and quite sweet in the mouth. More concentration of fruit than other 2004's from Dönnhoff. A bit "wilder" and perhaps not as elegant wine, a little more rustic. But very interesting. Blackcurrant-leafs, sweet flowers, slate, light earth and citrusy finish. The structure is great with long acidic finish. Cleansing. I really like this a lot. I seem always to like the Kirschheck. The Dönnhoff spätlese from 2004 I have tasted that drinks best now. One of my favorites. Very fine.
St.Aldegunder Palmberg-Terrassen riesling auslese 2001, Weingut Stein Mosel, Germany
AP: 8 02. Yellow colour. Fine nose of yellow fruits, flowers, botrytis, honey and earth. Slight petrol. Medium bodied for an auslese. Some botrytis in the fruit. Fruit quite different from other Mosels. This shows more yellow fruit and earth, than slate and white fruits. A little more rustic. Quite sweet in the mouth but with fine acids. The alcohol noticable higher than the norm, would have been better with a little less. Still it is a fine and interesting wine. Probably needs another 3-4 years of age.
Barbera d'Alba Vigna San Lorenzo 1997, Bartolo Mascarello Piemonte, Italy
Deep red colour. A touch bricking. Nose shows some red berries, floral high notes and minerals. Medium bodied barbera in the mouth. Fruit a bit on the way down. Shows fine mineral notes, some red berries and floral notes. But a little thin and probably better a couple of years ago. Traditional style with no oak. Fine acids and a good food wine. Little tannins. Drink up.
Pouilly Fume Domaine Thibault 2004, Andre Dezat Loire, France
Light straw/greenish colour. Fine and typical Mineral Pouilly Fume with flinty nose and some hints of green leafs and gooseberry. Medium bodied, clean and mineral sauvignon blanc in the mouth. Fine and refreshing acids. Decent concentration. With time shows a little more notes of green leafs and gooseberries. Some citrus in the finish. Good length. Fine and typical Pouilly Fume. Andre Dezat makes fine wines these days.
Ciro rose Ronco dei Quattroventi 2005, Fattoria San Francesco Calabria, Italy
Light transparent red colour. Dark for a rose. A bit shy nose first. But very fine with hints of strawberries, roses and some spices. Medium bodied and refreshing rose in the mouth. Medium concentration of fine red berried fruit - more sweet like strawberries than acidic ones. Some hints of roses. Good acidity and length. Some spices in the finish. Little tannins. Fine and refreshing rose to drink in the summer.
Terlaner pinot bianco 1966, Cantina Terlan Alto Adige, Italy
At my favorite restaurant in Copenhagen they had received on bottle of this wine straight from Cantina Terlan. I was lucky enough to get to buy it. And what a disappointment it was that it was corked. What was underneath showed very fine indeed, complex and floral as pinot bianco can be. The owner Paolo Lolli told me that this wine was actually checked, found to be in good shape and recorked in 2004. So it was the new cork in 2004 that killed this wine. What a waste. So instead we had the much younger Vorberg as a replacement.
Alto Adige Pinot Bianco Vorberg 1998, Cantina Terlan Alto Adige, Italy
Straw colour. Beautiful nose of rocky minerals, flowers and a very slight touch of oak. Great depth. Good body and slightly fatness in the entrance, but refreshing taste. Good concentration. Mineral approach, rocky and flowery. Still young and fresh and capable of more aging. Fine acids and good length. This is as great as pinot bianco gets.
Montlouis Les Lys 1989, Francois Chidaine Loire, France
Yellow colour. Complex chenin-nose with hints of flowers, petrol, wax, honey and mineral. Fullbodied and half-sweet in the mouth and a rounder more flowery style of chenin. Good concentration. Aged fine fruit. Complex and with good depth. Hints of petrol, wax, minerals. Good acids and long taste. Very good wine. Drinking wonderful now, but will last.
Colli Piacentini Gutturnio Vignamorello 2004, La Tosa Emilia-Romagna, Italy
A gift. Deep purple colour. Nose shows ripe fruitnotes of cherries, some anise and oak. Good body in the mouth. Again a fruity wine of good concentration. Fruit is ripe and modern, but more fruitdriven than oaky. Hints of cherries and anise. Quite simple fruit. Acids are high, but the wine is round and soft. Little tannins. Medium length. Decent for it's style which is not mine.
Breg 1999, Josko Gravner Friuli, Italy
Golden-brown colour. Intene and complex nose. Some caramel and marzipan even. Aromatic flowery with great depth. Some mineral there. Hard to describe and highly peculiar, but very very good. Powerful and concentrated in the mouth. Quite floral and with great depth. Also some apricot and caramel. Fine acids and some tannins in the back. Great wine that redefines what white wine is.
Johannisberger Klaus riesling kabinett 1995, Prinz von Hessen Rheingau, Germany
AP 012 96. Straw, lightly browning, colour. Evolved petrolly nose with some hints of earth and apple. Quite powerful and sweet for a kabinett. Fine a bit earthy fruit with petrol and apple. Lacking a little depth. Good acids and appley finish. Nice everyday-riesling made in the traditional style that drinks fine now. Lacking depth, but wit a good structure. On day two this oxidized.
Barbaresco Vigna dei Gaia in Neive 1985, Maria Feyles Piemonte, Italy
Brick-red colour. Quite deep. Fine and complex nebbiolo-nose of tar and roses. Some leather, tobacco and cherries. Mature and fine high notes. Fullbodied and a structured Barbaresco in the mouth. Good concentration of well-matured fruit. Shows a little more tobacco in the mouth. On top now. Good acids and a tannic end. More Barolo-like than Barbaresco-structure which might derive from the vineyard which I guess is Gaia Principe placed just east of Montestefano. Great Barbaresco. Drinks well now, can age.