Fonseca Vintage Port 1985
Thanks to Albino. Continues to show great potential, but remains too young to drink. Plummy-pruney ruby-black. Waxy-honeyed and enormously sweet but rather closed. Thick mouthfeel and a great core of ripe fruit, lightly soapy with a meaty-animal side (Rainer thought this slightly Heitz Martha’s Vineyard like) since still in a transitional stage, but backed and enlivened by impressively appley-fresh acids for a 1985. Nicely sugary-viscous-alcoholic finish. Long finish. Rating: 95+/96(+?)
Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste-Hune 1990
Contribution of mine. My favourite of the thoroughly dry vintages (that is, the majority) of Clos Sainte-Hune vintages since/along with the 1971 is finally coming into form, amazingly youthful still, but quite approachable. Pale yellow-green colour. Sea salt, chalky bouillabaisse, pine forest floor, pistachio, lime, white pepper. Extremely minerally yet finesseful. Virtually no petrolliness as Rainer noted (to many the main difference between the evolution in bottle of CSH and CFE). The 14.8% alcohol is perfectly well integrated, as the wine is so concentrated and palate-stainingly minerally. Awesome, flavourful, hardly sharp at all acidity, but bone-dry. Very, very long, and balanced on the finish. Tea-like chamomile aftertaste. Latex and papaya aftertaste Rainer said, who grinned when I told him that the first time I tasted this, it tasted like brine, and that no wine I have ever tasted made me thirstier (of all things, for a drink of water!). And indeed, this became so much sea-saltier again with extended airing. What a wine, one of the single greatest dry whites I know. Rainer, who it appears had never had the 1990 before, when he escorted me to the door the next day, said something intriguing – that he had hoped it would not be that good. Rating: 98(+?)
Château Le Tertre-Rôteboeuf St. Emilion 1998
Thanks to Rainer. Deep plummy ruby-red, opaque at the center. Obvious barrique oakiness and spiciness of a still youthful wine, but with exotic, big and lush yet mild fruit beneath (I remember saying the fruit of the 1998 Pavie-Macquin reminded me of the 1990 Tertre-Rôteboeuf’s, now the 1998 Tertre-Rôteboeuf’s reminded me of the other two’s). White and black truffle, soft orange and lemon rind, chocolate, coffee, exotic spices, and a soft leafiness. Low-acid. Partly oak-induced tannin. A mouthfilling wine with nice body and good length. Not yet too complex, Rainer said, but one could tell there is potential. Albino thought it has still got some rough edges. It certainly needs to absorb its prominent new oak aromas and flavours, but on the whole, came across as very promising. Deserves more patience. Rating: 93(+?)
Ferrand Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2007
Thanks to Rainer. First bottle corked (the wine is so concentrated or it must have been hard to tell for those who did not know it). Second as great as I had remembered the wine, if fractionally more closed, ironically especially the longer it aired – after it had opened up in the decanter for a while. Incredibly intense dried lavender fruit, minty cocoa. The high-toned blossoms of a white wine (a Condrieu perhaps, Rainer said). Stone-dusty/smoky minerality. Great depth. Floral roasted herbs and suggestions of meat, and fresh rose and Kirsch Schnaps with airing. Dried and powdered lavender tannin, not dusty, but still youthfully bitter at this stage. Very concentrated, intense, palate-staining, tannic. Although this can be enjoyed now, I am really curious to see what it will evolve into with some bottle age. Rating: 95+/96(+?)
Gaston Huët Vouvray Moëlleux 1ère Trie Le Haut-Lieu 1989
Thanks to Rainer. Not a representative bottle, I am afraid (Albino and Rainer agree), bought in a local shop that unfortunately tends to store its wines at close to room temperature, and more than sufficient sun and artificial light. Lightly milky orange-golden colour. Chalk, tangerine, carrot, nicely sweet and fruity, but there is also a tiny tannic-dryish rancio top note, possibly, as Albino suggested, cabbage (as in Champagne that has been exposed to light). Rating: 92(+/-?) or: N/R
Daniel Vollenweider Riesling Auslese Long Gold Capsule #07 Wolfer Goldgrube 2001
Half bottle thanks to Andrea. Full golden colour. Sweet, quite viscous, golden sultanas, banana and Cox Orange apple, lightly waxy. The darkly slatey minerality is not quite as overhelming at this stage as it once used to be. Nice acidity. Long finish. Sweet and more tropical pineapple with airing. Good body at 7.5% alcohol, typically an understated Beerenauslese, barely evolved since release. A bit mild and loose perhaps in comparison to his greatest vintages. Not the concentration, grip and cut of e.g. Busch’s (really the most comparable producer, and Vollenweider’s role model) 2001s, as Rainer said. But so clean and pleasurable. Rating: 93(+/-?)
Úri Borok (Vince Gergely) Tokaji Aszúeszencia 1998
Thanks to Albino. "Only" 260 g/l residual sugar at 6.6% alcohol left of the earlier 410-430 g/l in this declassified Eszencia, as it was apparently “diluted" by the humidity it "attracted" during the time it was kept in a (used!) oak Gönci barrel instead of glass demijohn as full-blown Eszencia would/might have and, as a consequence, was able to re-ferment to a slightly higher alcohol level than expected (albeit low for Aszú-Eszencia). Be that as it may, the important aspect is that this contains no base wine or must, so that technically/philosophically speaking it is debatable whether it qualifies as Aszú-szölö bor. Even if what happened here may seem like cause for relative disappointment (what Albino and I tasted from barrel in May 2003 seemed more promising, as well as potentially the QPR buy of a lifetime), it seems pointless to complain, as in hindsight, prices have gone up drastically (not undeservedly so, one must admit) since then, so that this must still be considered a bargain next to e.g. the 6 Puttonyos Szent Tamás 2000 (admittedly, that wonderful wine deserves to fetch a higher price). Interestingly, the 1998 AE now tastes more like what it is again, a light Eszencia (and that due to its flavour profile rather than a lack of body). As to its colour, it has comparatively quickly evolved from youthful gold with a slight green hue to a full if not quite deep amber-orange. Strong wax, honeyed lightly oxidized candied orange and tangerine rind, even date and white chocolate already, but there is also a core of primary mace, soft paprika, apricot, peach. Strong acidity, and impressively clean and pure for a 1998. A pleasure to taste, but still in a transitional stage. A flavourful and attractive, slightly unusual wine that ultimately seems to lack the balance and potential harmony of e.g. Gergely’s already legendary 1993 AE, but that may still surprise us all in the future. Rating: 93+/~94?
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
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„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
