WTN: Burgundies and an Auslese

Short notes from yesterday's lunch at Masseto with Jojo, Bernie and Noel.

William Fevre Bougros Chablis Grand Cru 2002 - Medium gold. Honeyed nose. Oyster shells. I may be mistaken but there seems to be a touch of oak here. Round and silky. A beautiful wine if not served too cold.

Armand Rousseau Clos de Ruchottes, Ruchottes Chambertin Grand Cru 1996 - Strawberry mostly and a little leather. Noticeably spiky acidity which, fortunately, was tamed by the food. Best to drink this up as I suspect the acidity will outlive the fruit.

Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes 1996 - Rather muted nose. Mushroom and earth. Not much going on here. Already soft so I don't think this is closed. Not too interesting.

Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannsholle Riesling Auslese 2005 - Excellent purity of fruit. Very young but already showing great class. Hint of honey, peach, pineapple, toffee, apricots. Very fresh and easy to drink with an endless finish. Just outstanding.

[David M. Bueker]

Nice set of wines. The Fevre definitely sees some oak, though less than their bottlings did in the past. I'm glad your bottle showed well. Nearly all of the Fevres I have pulled recently have been affected by premature oxidation.

The Donnhoff sounds very tempting indeed!

Speaking of Donnhoff, I'm trying to decide between a 2005 and 2006 Norheimer Kirschheck Spatlese to bring to lunch at a Thai restaurant on Monday. A friend is bringing a 2006 Felsenturmchen Spat. Any suggestions as to what I should select?

[David M. Bueker]

2006 has an extra layer of fat which could be good for potentially spicy or very aromatic food.

He just told me he is also bringing a 375 of the 2006 Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Auslese, so I think it should be an afternoon of 2006 Donnhoffs.

Thanks for your reinforcement, David.