Seven of us got together at Grand Sich for a really fun night of Burgs and Rieslings yesterday. We had an insane lineup (to the point that a couple of bottles did not even get opened, and I don't think I even got around to tasting a '94 Schonborn that was also on the table) with some great friends and the usual good Szechuan fare that included lots of dumplings and tea-smoked duck.
Burgs were served first (to go with the pork broth dumplings and the duck), we moved onto the Rieslings later with the spicier dishes.
1988 Domaine Georges Mugneret Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots
Slightly tight, unyielding aromatics at first but this opens up with a little air and shows a lovely floral perfume with touches of spice, black tea and pretty red fruited flavours. Light, silken and elegant with tannins mostly resolved and bright acidity giving it plenty of energy and lift.
1990 Domaine Louis Remy Latricières-Chambertin
Phenomenal; starts out with intoxicating aromatics of rose petals, violets, gingerbread, earth and red fruits that lead into a palate that's incredibly polished, glossy and silken, showing bright fruits, savoury spice, floral and earthy flavours and faint grainy tannins on the back end. Stunning wine.
1994 Domaine Truchot-Martin Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Aux Combottes Vieilles Vignes
Starts out feeling a little old; cloudy in appearance with slightly blurry, tired fruit flavours - but over an hour and with food (particularly the pork with chestnut) this really picks up as the aromatics brighten up and take on a lovely perfumed character with orange peel, leather, spice and earthy elements, and the fruit gains definition and clarity in the mouth. Very gentle, light and elegant in the mouth with bright acidity and fine, grainy tannins on the back end - lovely to sit down with and follow with dinner.
1998 Domaine Robert Arnoux Vosne-Romanée Les Hautes-Maizières
Starts out quite funky and leathery on the nose, then with some air floral, cinnamon and clove spice elements emerge. Really polished and elegant in the mouth with ripe red and dark fruits layered with all sorts of spices, and finishing long and savoury with leather and earthy notes on the back end. Delicious.
2004 Domaine Bruno Clair Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru La Dominode
No green here, just bright, sappy red fruits and black cherry flavours with touches of spice and faint herbal notes. Still very young and primary, but very well balanced and a pleasure to drink already. (My attention on the Burgs started to fade around this point as the first of the Rieslings got pulled from the ice bucket
)2000 Domaine Moillard Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts
Pretty, sappy red fruited flavours given an exotic touch with lots of spice and black tea, light and elegant with bright acidity and very food-friendly.
2002 Domaine Jean Tardy et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes
Tight and unyielding, very closed with only some red fruited notes peeking out. Hands off.
1994 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese 2-star
Stunning - shockingly young and primary for a 15 year old wine (and looking incredibly pale and youthful in the glass), but incredibly delicious with bright peach, lime, apple and white fruited flavours layered over slate and flowers. Not very sweet as I'd expect from an Auslese, incredibly light on its feet and well balanced with a backbone of bright acidity underneath and a long finish. Fantastic wine.
1976 Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Wasseros Riesling Auslese
Amazing scent with all sorts of exotic spices, honeyed pineapple, apricot and mandarin orange. Very sweet, powerful and rich in the mouth with an almost pillowy texture and an array of ripe tropical fruits and lemon candy dusted with honey, cardamom and ginger. Still has plenty of life and freshness with good acidity and a very long finish that lingers on and on.
1983 Joh Jos. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
Corked. Damnit.
2001 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese
Classic Brücke; bright white fruited flavours over layers of rocks, salts and minerals, although still very primary and sweet. Very tasty now but needs time.
2004 Müller-Catoir Haardter Bürgergarten 'Im Breumel' Riesling Spätlese trocken
So chiselled and minerally it could have been carved from rock; beneath the rock quarry aromas there's bright lime and white fruits freshened up by plenty of acidity and green tea and other herbal elements that create an almost cooling sensation on the back end. Awesome.
1997 Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Spätlese
Seems quite awkward with more advanced, honeyed flavours than I'd expect from a '97, and noticeable volatile acidity on the nose. Most likely an off bottle.
1996 Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Auslese
Pretty honeyed and floral aromatics leading into a palate full of white fruited flavours, slate, floral elements and honey with bright acidity balancing the sweetness and giving it a sense of real freshness and lightness. Delicious - I need to drink more from Lieser!
1998 Müller-Catoir Gimmeldinger Schlössel Rieslaner Trockenbeerenauslese
Unbelievable - the most amazing sweet wine I've ever had. The flavour profile is insanely complex with all kinds of exotic spices, red chillies, honey, caramel, herbs and a spectrum of ripe tropical and white fruited flavours with serious acidity underneath, and unlike other dessert wines I've had the sweetness isn't what stands out here as the spicy flavours keep building up with air and leave a ridiculously long finish of caramel dusted with chilli powder, cumin and ginger. A real treat to drink, thanks Jay!
