Notes from Saturday night dinner at Ninyo. Due to geographical considerations, only those living north of Makati (Greg, Aaron, Johnny and spouses) showed up. Joining us were restaurant owner Carla and her friend Carlos.
Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese 2007 - Quite rich but crisp. Green apples mostly. A little pear. Grapey. Refreshing and very easy to drink. A real crowd pleaser. This wine is put so well together. Seamless, with everything in the right place. Very good.
Mas de La Deveze VdP Pyrenees Orientales 2006 - According to Aaron, who brought this bottle, this is made by the Burgundy negociant Olivier Bernstein. The grapes are Macabeo and Grenache Gris. A big wine but very dry although the nose is sweet and peachy. Good length. It's a bit of a mouthful drinking this alone so I suspect better with food although I finished my glass before the food arrived. Carla detected a bit of bitterness in the wine which she thought went rather well with salad greens. This reminds me of Rhone whites.
Bogle Chardonnay 2008 - Buttery and rather sweet. A lot of citrus, oranges. Jocel remarked that there was a bit of bubble gum as well. Although it starts out rather lush, it manages a crisp finish for balance. Not bad.
Chateau d'Armailhac 2001 - Lovely nose, leathery, woody. Full and bursting with flavor. Soft, round, perhaps just shy of peaking. Start drinking this up if you have it. Excellent.
Chateau Clerc Milon 1986 - Prune, rather sour. The fruit is fading but the tannins are still strong. Unbalanced and dying, unfortunately.
We also opened a Bauhaud Vouvray but although Greg said it was a dessert Vouvray, it wasn't sweet enough to stand up to the desserts.
Echeverria Special Selection Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2005 - Oranges and burnt sugar. A rather lightish style of dessert wine.
Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach Rüdesheimer Berg Rottland Riesling Beerenauslese 2006 - Very shy initially. Needed a bit of air to open up. Peach, apricot, candied orange rind and marmalade bitterness. Caramel. A little spicy on the finish. Well balanced. Good complexity. Sweet but tempered by acidity. Lovely stuff.