1999 Nigl, Riesling, Piri Privat:
At first, pretty tart and not at all impressive; with a ferro salad with kale, feta and grilled chicken this becomes all that one could ask - one of those ‘whole wine’ experiences where it seems that aroma and flavor are one long band without break - no petrol, lots of white fruit including pineapple, citrus and something more exotic, excellent minerality, intense but lyrical and the perfect pairing for the dish with neither being dominant. 13% alcohol and lots of time left.
2000 Droin, Chablis Vaudesir:
Upon opening, that beautiful floral, lemon, flint nose that is so typical of this vineyard; medium weight with nice integration and much like the nose in the mouth but there is a very slight cooked butterscotch note here and the cork was wet all the way to the top - so I’m glad I opened this now as I don’t think this bottle will get better. Bottles without similar cork problems will, I suspect, out last me. Better when cold.
Lovely with angel air and fresh basil.
2000 V. Dauvissat, Chablis Les Clos:
Upon opening, an explosion of lemon, flint, rain water and citrus scents with a beautifully rich and pure palate, complex and complete and then - the wine sort of amped down and became a very good but slightly muted version of itself. Those first five minutes may be the best Chablis experience of my life - the next couple hours, merely a good one. Odd but I am glad I was there for opening night.
2007 Roessler, Pinot Noir Hein Vnyd.:
14.1% alcohol; black raspberry and other black fruit, hints of red fruit, some sarsaparilla notes, a touch of minerality - but best of all, a kind of “crispness” to the nose that is such a distinctive indicator of the Anderson Valley; much the same in the mouth, of whole cloth; crunchy feeling, the flavors feel like they were cut with a laser, intense, concentrated and quite long. One of the best CA pinots I have had in years and, more importantly, one of the most distinctive and character driven.
Best, Jim