2006 Moric Blaufränkisch (Austria)
Starts out with bright red and dark fruited flavours lifted by bright acidity. With time the structure becomes more dominant as the tannins come into the foreground and this becomes a little bitter - not bad now, but I reckon it just needs a lot of time.
2007 Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Spätlese halbtrocken (Pfalz)
Great stuff. Fresh citrus, guava and pear fruits over a stony mineral base and savoury grainy and leesy notes, showing a gentle creaminess in the mouth while staying very precise and clear with bright acidity. Much more enjoyable than my other bottle.
2007 enderle & moll Pinot Noir Buntsandstein (Baden)
High toned red fruits and slightly stemmy herbal notes on a frame that's a little lean and shrill at first with more acid than fruit, but it fills out and expands with air and becomes very enjoyable as the fruit fleshes out and a stony minerality emerges beneath.
2009 Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Vieilles Vignes Clos des Briords
From magnum. Holy crap is this awesome! Fresh, pale Muscadet fruit over crystalline minerality and seawater elements, incredibly refreshing and elegant. Yum!
N.V. Frank Cornelissen Etna MunJebel Rosso 6
Not bad at all - fresh cherry and cranberry fruit with a gentle overlay of anise and peppery spice, starts out quite precise and fresh in the mouth but as it warms up a bit the alcohol becomes noticeable on the back end.
N.V. Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Bianco 6
Compelling stuff; pale orange and slightly cloudy in appearance with striking aromatics of cedar, smoke, herbal elements and dried orange and peach fruit. Really lovely to smell, but not offering the same complexity or enjoyment on the palate where it's quite tart and slightly waxy on the back end, with plenty of acidity keeping it razor sharp but also a bit of alcohol on the back end. Not too bad a showing for the Cornelissen wines, the Munjebel bianco is certainly the most impressive one I've had from him - Robert suggested it may have been a fruit day.
2002 Gravner Ribolla Gialla Anfora Venezia Giulia IGT
Awesome stuff, with an amazing aromatic profile that draws you in - there's a spiced-cidery quality to the nose with pungent clove, fennel and cinnamon notes over rich fruit and savoury pine cone, nutty and earthy aspects. Nothing oxidative here, despite what the bright orange colour suggests - it's full of fruit and savoury cedar and forestal elements in the mouth with a sense of power and freshness and impressive length.
2008 Clos Saron Pinot Noir Home Vineyard
Flat out delicious with incredibly fresh red fruited flavours and gravelly minerality over a nice acid spine. There's a lot about this that reminds me of Clos Roche Blanche, from the peppery seasoning to the fruit to the lightness of touch and sense of crunchiness that the acid gives it. Awesome.
2009 Coudert Fleurie Clos de la Roilette Cuvée Tardive
From magnum, and I can't add much to Keith's earlier description on this - this just bursts with exuberant Gamay fruit with savoury earthy and brothy elements beneath, conveying flavour with remarkable finesse and elegance. Just glad I bought some (though I'm sure I'll soon be complaining it wasn't enough).
2009 Domaine Des Cotes de la Moliere Moulin-à-Vent
Holy god is this amazing. Picks up where the Coudert Tardive left off and then raises the bar by some, full of bright red berries, cherries, herbal elements and damp earth conveyed with a incredible lightness of touch and a finesse that's hard to put into words. Hell - the Coudert Tardive almost felt a little bulky in contrast after tasting this! Flavour without weight, with a sense of purity and refreshment that makes it disappear all too quickly.
2006 Philippe Pacalet Gevrey-Chambertin
A wow from the scent alone, which combines all sorts of perfumed floral and spicy elements with incredibly pure red fruits and berries and a rocky, gravelly aspect underneath. There's already tremendous complexity and a sense of seamlessness to this with the way the fruit, spice, florality and earth all combine into a whole that's far greater than the sum of all parts, and an acid spine that keeps it incredibly precise and elegant.
2004 Ferrando Nebbiolo di Carema White Label (Etichetta Bianca)
Fabulous; fresh red and dark fruits framed by savoury tar, earth, cinnamon and rose petal elements and conveyed in a remarkably silken, finessed package with the polish and elegance I've never encountered before in a young Nebbiolo.
N.V. Cedric Bouchard / Roses de Jeanne Champagne Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs
Not much to add to my other note on this. Bright pear and red fruited flavours, fresh baked bread and a savoury chalkiness at the back end; razor-sharp and precise and all too easy to drink.
2006 Scholium Project La Severità di Bruto Farina
Smells like a particularly unpleasant, funky cheese rind and doesn't taste much better with the fruit feeling awkward and hot, and the alcohol really making itself felt.
2009 Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Spätlese trocken
Starts out smelling as if someone managed to liquefy a mountain of stone. With a little air this really opens out to show fresh pear and white fruited flavours, herbal accents and the slightly funky sponti yeasty notes the Lieser wines always seem to have young. There's a sense of restrained power and richness here, this comes across lighter on its feet than most GGs and is the first Mosel trocken I've seen that retains the classic Mosel sense of refreshment and lightness of touch on a dry frame. Stunning wine, and I would love to find more trockens like this.
2005 Van Volxem Riesling Alte Reben (Saar)
Explosive; rich pear and peach fruit framed by herbal accents and the start of developing smoky/petrol elements. Tremendous richness and power here, with a nice acid spine beneath keeping it very fresh. A coiled fist of a Riesling.
2008 Peter Lauer Ayler Kupp Riesling Senior Faß 6 (Saar)
Much more impressive than my last experience with this; bright citrus, apple and peach fruit infused with herbal and stony mineral flavours and an incredible sense of clarity and purity to the flavours. This is remarkably light on its feet with just enough richness and a faint hint of sweetness on the back end that keeps it from austerity, and instead makes it incredibly refreshing.
2006 Wittmann Westhofener Morstein Riesling Großes Gewächs (Rheinhessen)
A wild ride of a GG; explosively tropical and exotic with ripe peach, melon, touches of pineapple and tarter citrus fruits seasoned with wild herbs. Underneath all the fruit is a backbone of pure stone; incredibly vivid, chiselled minerality that makes it feel more solid than liquid in the mouth, and fantastic acidity. Great Riesling!
N.V. Ulysse Collin Champagne Extra Brut Blanc de Noirs
A powerhouse of a Champagne. Bright orange in colour with explosive cherry, plum and red berried fruit over a bed of chalk. With a little air this opens out and expands, as elements of fresh baked bread and slightly funky damp earth notes emerge, and this gains weight and depth in the mouth. Remarkably full bodied and concentrated, but at the same time it's incredibly precise and detailed with acidity that cuts like a sabre and phenomenal length. Very impressive. (Lot L06, which I believe means this is all from '06 vintage.)
