19,95€; 13% abv. Very dark for Pinot. The 9 months in 35% new French oak sadly shows: it is an oaky, smoky scent. But it also has some nice lingonberry and vegetal aromas that are more like what I enjoy with this grape. Quite rich and marked by oak, but there is also an attractive acidity and liveliness. Sadly, the cherry-chocolate predominates, Nice Pinosity marred by oak.
Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Le MD de Bourgeois 2008
The MD stands for Les Monts Damnés.
The other Bourgeois I have had have seemed like NZ Sauvignons with their mix of over- and under-ripe aromatics. This seemed to me mineral, ripe but not tropical, delightfully grassy; crisp, greenish (smells like peas to me) but still full bodied for Loire SB - yet it manages to still be moreish. Like the Gaudry, it seems to me almost tannic with its grippy structure. I liked it.
But I do admit that generally I still dislike this grape (even in the Loire) and that my positive experience might simply be due to inexperience.
Töövi Alder Springs Vineyard Marsanne-Roussanne 2009
From my friend Asko's project at Crushpad, California, this being from Mendocino. No oak that I can see; lovely mineral and herbal tea aromas. Rich but not flabby; for a white Rhône blend, the acidity is delightfully high. I thought it was very good.
Umathum Gelber & Roter Traminer 2007
c.25€; 13,5% abv; 4,9 g/l acidity; 4,7 g/l RS (yet on the back label it mentions "halbtrocken"!). A very floral scent of rose water and litchi, but also strong minerality and some bright citric notes. It is a very sweet scent, but is is sweet in a focused and refreshing way. Big and broad palate, it has a clear sensation of sweetness but is not overly sugary. There is enough acidity and minerality for it to be perfectly focused and even moreish despite its full body - a wine of restrained richness. Though the actual amount of RS isn't high at all, I do agree with the back label's statement that this tastes more halbtrocken than trocken. Very nice.
Bodegas Eidosela Albariño 2009 - Rías Baixas
c.7,5€ / 0,375; 12,5% abv. A pretty decent scent at first: a ripe style or year with lots of peach and tropical aromas mixed in with the minerality. After a while open I start to notice the annoying pear-drop scent that so many cheaper, unoaked whites have, no matter where from or from what grape (anyone care to explain this annoying aroma? - fermentation temperature?). Quite rich (perhaps this was a hot year here, too?) but with decent acidity. Not a bad wine, but quite uninspiring compared to the other Albariños I have had.
Still, this was a pleasant way to spend an evening: a half-bottle, rereading an excellent book, and exploring some new names (to me) in jazz:
