Over the last few evenings...
2007 Michel & Stéphane Ogier Syrah Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes La Rosine
A very fragrant, elegant combination of fruit, meat, spice and faint florality. Lightweight stuff (as far as Syrah goes - this is 12.5%) with bright acids keeping it very fresh and vibrant - yum!
2007 Inman Family Pinot Noir
Pretty much everything I could ask for in a young Pinot with fresh black cherry and berried fruit accented with gentle floral elements in an incredibly finessed, seamless package. Flat out delicious. Disappeared even faster than the Ogier!
2000 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon
Slightly reticent aromatics of pear and apple fruit with gentle yeasty flavours. The palate is another matter - in the mouth it's an explosion of bright, pure fruit with touches of brioche and a savoury minerality beneath. There's a sense of real finesse and elegance here with a gentle silky texture and really good acidity beneath that keeps this very streamlined and precise.
1998 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon Rosé
Wild stuff; light amber-pink in colour with a seamless combination of red berried fruit, brioche, cream and marzipan notes with a surprising saline element coming out on the back end. As with the other DPs, the mouthfeel here is just as striking as the flavours themselves - it's very polished and glossy with a real lightness of touch and fantastic balance.
1995 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon Oenothèque
Quite a step up from the regular Dom; this has the same core of youthful, vibrant fruit, but there's a lot more going on here with delicate floral notes, hazelnut, brioche and chalky mineral elements on top of the primary fruit flavours. The mouthfeel's even more expansive and velvety than the '00 Dom poured before this, this feels a little bigger and fuller-bodied in contrast but the acidity and effervescence still keep it very precise and refreshing. Really impressive stuff, with a finish that doesn't let go.
2006 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spätlese trocken
In a great place right now with aromatics that suggest this came from a rock quarry rather than grapes, and a seamless combination of stony minerality, developing smoky notes and pear and citrus fruits in the mouth. Rich and powerful with fantastic precision and balance.
2005 Müller-Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Rieslaner Spätlese
Awesome stuff. Explodes with layers of pineapple, berries, lemongrass and other wild floral, herbal and spicy notes that are beyond description; quite sweet but at the same time it's very streamlined and precise with fantastic acidity and a finish that just keeps going and going.