Gene got a few of us together to have dinner at Szechuan Gourmet for Riesling and Burgundy. Great evening as always with good friends and no shortage of food and wine. Highlights from the menu were the pan-fried pork dumplings, lamb with cumin and the seriously spicy chicken we had at the end of the night. The tea smoked duck was very good, but as usual my attention was split between the dumplings and the cumin lamb. The wines didn't suck either - we did the Burgs first with the dumplings and tea smoked duck, then moved into the sweeter Rieslings once the spice arrived and began to build.
2000 Nicolas Potel Clos Vougeot
Really lovely; very powerful and primary at first with deep black cherry fruit, savoury earthy notes and touches of wood in the background - but with time it eases out a bit, becoming more floral and spicy with time as the aromatics expand.
2007 Louis Jadot Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru En Caradeux Clos de la Croix de Pierre
Can't think of many better red Burgs at this price. Pale red fruits over a bed of gravel and rock. The flavours are very primary right now, but it's really easy to drink with the tannin quite gentle and a lot of the structure coming from the acids, which keep it very fresh and light on its feet. Very nice on its own/with the dumplings, fantastic with the tea smoked duck.
1988 Domaine Joseph Voillot Volnay 1er Cru Champans
Lightly corked. Starts out with light floral and earthy aromas, the fruit feels a little thin and tired in the mouth with some TCA noticeable on the back end. Shame, as the bottle looked in great condition.
1993 Domaine de Courcel Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens
Still remarkably youthful; firm and powerful with rich, deep complexioned berried fruit and black cherries seasoned with gravel and touches of spice. There's a firm spine of tannin and acid beneath, but it's quite pleasurable to drink now with a sense of restrained power and really good balance.
2004 Domaine Truchot-Martin Morey St. Denis Vieilles Vignes
A little more funky/barnyardy than I recollect from my previous experience with this wine, but still stunning with delicate red fruit flavours combined seamlessly with earth, leather and some faint herbal notes that add a sense of freshness here. This has the typical Truchot sense of elegance and understatedness, wonderful wine.
2001 Müller-Catoir Haardter Mandelring Scheurebe Spätlese
Still firing on all cylinders. Explosive, ripe fruit that seems to span every flavour from green mango and melon to grapefruit, and touches of sage and other herbs. That fantastic '01 acidity keeps it razor sharp and very, very fresh. Thrilling as ever.
1998 Müller-Catoir Haardter Bürgergarten Riesling Spätlese
Just flat out fantastic Riesling. In such a great place right now with a spectrum of ripe fruit combined with spice, minerality and developing smoky and creamy elements, perfect balance and great length.
1983 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel
Very rich; packed with golden apples and other ripe orchard fruits that have a sweet, honeyed quality to them. With time this starts to feel a little heavy, lacking the acidity to carry the immense weight and not showing the same depth or elegance as the Bockstein.
1983 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel
This feels a little more developed with lovely smoky, spicy and herbal accents on top of the rich orchard fruit and honeyed flavours. Lighter and fresher than the Rausch with a nice acid backbone that freshens up the fruit and serious length
2001 Meulenhof Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese
Great stuff. Pure, ripe Mosel fruit combined with slate, herbs and the start of developing creamy notes in a package that's incredibly elegant and refreshing with none of the botrytis, density or opulent sweetness that's so typical in most modern Auslese. Meulenhof always seems to deliver.
1993 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spätlese
A bit dull initially, but with some time this really freshens up, showing smoky and herbal notes over peaches and apples with a nice spine of acidity that becomes more prominent as this airs. Very nice, though I didn't give this enough attention alongside the other wines.
2007 Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Kabinett
Lost in the crowd - this got opened along with the other Rieslings, but with most eyes on the Catoirs and/or the older Zillikens, we got to this pretty late. Didn't show too badly following the richer/sweeter wines; very tasty with fresh Mosel fruit and herbs, but by that point my palate was tired enough that I wasn't paying much attention to details here.
Fun time as always!