Zach had a few of us over for some dinner and poker last month, and there was a really interesting line-up of wines that ended up on the table.
2002 Joh. Jos. Prum Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese. I was a bit nervous about this bottle, as I had pulled it from the rack a few weeks earlier and stood it up when I found it to be leaking. The nose features aromas of petrol, slate, peach, lemon oil, orange blossom and light honey that start out a bit short but lengthen out with time. It has a very similar profile in the mouth. Like a lot of young Prum wines, it has a bit of spritz early on and a lot of minerality, but then it opens up wide to become open and gentle, with an airy and flowery quality to it. I don’t think this has the acidic cut or verve I would expect, perhaps a function of the leaking cork. In any event, a little darker streak of nectarine, lemonade, and pineapple flavors is nice and juicy, and the whole package feels rounded and ready to drink. Even if not a perfect bottle, it is quite enjoyable.
1997 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley. This was decanted a few hours before I got to it. It sports smoky, earthy aromas of charcoal, dark plum, dates, dying campfire embers, baked clay, soft mocha dust, and faint grilled green peppers that are nicely layered yet stay finely controlled throughout the course of the evening. In the mouth, it is extremely smooth and creamy in texture. It sports minimal tannins, except maybe on the finish. It has a warm flavor profile of red currants, white pepper, thick crème de cassis and baked earth. The acidity is mild, with the extracted red fruit components taking on a soft, elegant quality. There is perhaps just a hint of heat that is not particularly distracting toward the back of the palate, though it finishes long and lasting, with fine character. I don’t quite see it as the equal of the more complex 1994 or the stunningly vivid 2001 I had a week or so earlier, but it has its own refined character that is a delight to drink. This was my red wine of the night, easily.
2005 Lagier Meredith Syrah Mount Veeder Napa Valley. This is a black-colored wine with a nose that is very cool, controlled and tightly-coiled—featuring aromas of glossy blackberry, black cherry and dark forest. It opens on the palate tight, tannic and fudgy, but grows progressively creamier, more free-flowing and flavorful with each successive sip. A flavor profile that leans toward black currants, licorice, black beans, dark chocolate and gently sweet dates is heavy bottomed but also easily lifted up by a sharp streak of cool acidity that seems to hold the wine on the tongue a good long while. It took a while, but I really warmed up to this wine.
2003 Two Hands Shiraz Lily’s Garden McLaren Vale. The fun bouquet here is replete with peppermint dust, sweet raspberry, boysenberry and milk chocolate. It is quite sweet on the attack, with powdered blueberry and cocoa dust flavors that are lush and a bit milkshake-thick through the middle before an adamant squirt of citrusy acidity comes in to keep it fresh through the mellow but persistent finish. This was another wine that I (surprisingly) warmed up to over time.
2003 Two Hands Shiraz Bella’s Garden Barossa Valley. In contrast, I just never could come to care for this wine. It is a total black chunk of coal on the nose, with aromas of black smoke, dark chocolate, blackberry jam and tire tread that are brawny, massively muscular and dark as night. In the mouth, it is rich and thick and heavy, with an oaky, vanilla-tinged character and black fruits like plums and dates that coat the teeth with their extract and the wine’s enormous tannins. There are some sweet notes of chocolate and fruitcake in there, but also a hint of warmth from the alcohol poking out. It bruises the palate and actually makes my mouth pucker trying to swallow it. A second glass reveals better integration and overall flow, but it is still not a wine for me. John, on the other hand, absolutely loved this wine above all others on the table. So different strokes…
2003 Chateau Climens Barsac. Right out of the gate, this wine has a wildly exotic bouquet full of aromas of nutmeg, dark honey, butterscotch candy, cloves, apricot, meringue, baked peaches, dried pineapple candy and musk. In the mouth, it is thick and viscous and fully bass-noted, with wonderfully dense and pleasing flavors of dried apricots, nutmeg, clove, hardened caramel and classy vanilla bean. It has a lovely mouthfeel that is dense and syrupy without being cloying. That is not to say it sports a lot of acid, because it doesn’t seem to, but it definitely has a certain drive to it despite the enveloping lusciousness. Though the low-acid profile won’t please everybody, there is so much stuffing and caressing character to this wine that it is hard for me to do anything but fall hard for it.
2008 Michele Chiarlo Moscato d’Asti Nivole. After all was said and done (and drunk), Zach insisted on one last wine. This bottle features a pretty nose of soft orange blossoms, rosewater and soft peaches. It is very light and frizzante on the palate, with a gentle sweetness to it. Soft peach flavors and soft textures are pretty, airy and feminine. It goes down way too easily!
-Michael