August has turned out a hectic if successful month for me, sorry if some of the tasting notes are less in-depth than usual. Hope you will enjoy them anyway!
Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino 1997
Still a bit oaky, superripe and roasted, but fairly full-bodied and thick, round and smooth. Medium-plus length. Rating: 88(-?)
Azienda Agricola Brigaldara Amarone della Valpolicella Casa Vecie 1999
Our last bottle which I opened for my sister, her boyfriend and our parents. No longer as thick and milk-chocolatey, this was sweetly ripe and raisiny (seemingly more traditional-styled now that it is fully mature), with the sometimes noticeable alcoholic heat (at 16%) virtually blown off in this bottle. Not the greatest vintage, but well balanced. Round and quite long. A fitting swan song. Rating: 90-
Casa al Vento (Cristina & Kurt Haller) Vino da Tavola Il Barrico 2006
In contrast to the Tosco a few days earlier, this was the same as always, round and smooth and relatively easy-going, with well-integrated oak and acids. Rating: 86+?
Casa al Vento (Cristina & Kurt Haller) Vino da Tavola Tosco 2006
A slightly weird bottle containing some CO2. Planning to open another soon. Rating: N/R
Jean-François Coche-Dury Bourgogne Pinot Noir 1999
Meaty, sweetly fruity, mildly spicy, backed by round acidity and soft metal and mineral notes, harmonious and quite long. Beautiful wine that is nowhere near decline. Rating: 88
Jean-Jacques Confuron Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru 1996
A bottle I opened for my parents. From vines in Chatelots and Feusselottes. Reportedly from a yield of 25 hl/ha. Positively high-acid and tannic for the vintage. Nicely meaty, still fruity and intense. A stone-dusty/minerally Chambolle, firm, quite full-bodied and long. Raspberry with a hint of blueberry with a nice little tobacco and forest floor finesse and spice. My mother was quite enthusiastic about this. Rating: 91
Schloss Lieser Riesling Auslese** Niederberg Helden 1993
A magnum I took along to the pool hall for a little celebration. Sweet and smooth, with that terroir-typical vanilla-tinged slate and beautifully clean botrytised peachiness. Mouth-filling and so pretty! Quite long on the finish. Rating: 91(+/-?)
Tokaj Pendits Tokaji Furmint Édes 2007
My last half bottle, which I opened for my sister, her boyfriend and our parents. From Holdvölgy, from a yield of 10 ha/ha, 11.5% alcohol, 86 g/l residual sugar. Same as always really, clean white glue botrytis, lovely volcanic tuff minerality and quite bright and lightly exotic yellow fruit, intense Abate pear and touches of pomegranate and carambola. Refreshing finish. Pretty enough if straightforward compared to real Aszú, no problem following this with a high-end Riesling Auslese from the Mosel such as Vollenweider’s 2004 Gold Capsule. Rating: 88
Joh. Jos. Prüm Riesling Kabinett Wehlener Sonnenuhr 1996
A magnum I once got as a present from Albino, and that I took along to the pool hall for a little celebration. Typical Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr, just a little sweetness, an elegant, evenly minerally and spring-flowery middleweight that impresses more with balance and potential longevity and harmony than intensity. Some thought this fractionally sharp, but it is really not too acidic for a 1996 Kabinett. Rating: 88(+/-?)
Georg Schlegel Weingut zur alten Post Saliser Pinot Noir Grande Selection 2007
Raspberry-ruby-black with a purple hue. Intense minerality. Soft and nicely spicy-walnutty oak. Quite complex fruit. Pretty if mild metal note. Good body, not at all alcoholic at 14.5% - nor subjectively all that sizeable, rather a wine of good subtlety. Nice tannin, acidity and cut. Long on the finish. Rating: 90+/91?
Daniel Vollenweider Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule Wolfer Goldgrube 2004
A half bottle I opened for my sister, her boyfriend and our parents. Not nearly as closed as I had feared. Beautifully - merely lightly white gluey, and very cleanly - honeyed-botrytised (“The top of the crop in 2004, a meager 120 liters of 100% botrytised material, what little BA there would have been went into this”, Daniel told me at the arrivage tasting) yet strongly and deeply slatey-minerally. Amazingly finesseful and light on its feet given the concentration and sweetness. Complex and deep. Very long. A standout of the vintage. As well as this is drinking, this may have an even more promising future. Rating: 91+/92(+?)
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
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„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti