Steve hosted our local tasting group on Thursday night - a very fun dinner with some lovely wines, and a fantastic pot roast that matched the reds very nicely. My blind tasting skills were as usual horrible once we moved past the Riesling, but it was a great evening with some wonderful wines. Thanks again Steve!
1982 Erich Salomon/Undhof Riesling Pfaffenberg
Absolutely wild. This is one of those wines where it's hard to believe it even came from grapes in the first place. Developed aromas of honey, candle wax, smoke and petrol lead into a palate that's suggestive of something extracted from metallic ore. The minerality in this is just insane, stone and steel accented by pear, citrus and smoky notes with really bright acidity still keeping it very fresh and precise. Really remarkable, striking wine - not for everyone, but I really enjoyed this and kept returning to it through the evening.
1989 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière
A little bit of musty funk on the nose at first that had me suspecting some TCA, but that blows off quickly to reveal a lovely mature nose of truffles, warm earth, red fruits and forestal/herbal notes. There's elegant, restrainted red and dark fruit on the palate tinged with mature earthy and leathery flavours, tannins mostly resolved and a nice silky texture that makes this very easy to drink. Lovely.
1989 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
Really delicious - the fruit's still quite fresh and youthful; black cherries, plums and red fruits accented by herbal/leafy notes, graphite and some faint bretty/leathery notes that add complexity rather than detracting from the original flavours here. Very elegant with a sense of restrained power, drinking beautifully with tannins mostly resolved and a medium weight, silken mouthfeel.
2000 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
Very dense and primary, perhaps slightly closed right now showing some deep cassis and black cherry fruit around a spine of firm tannins. There's a sense of real power and weight here and the balance is very impressive, but it's not yielding much right now.
2002 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
Much more friendly and open right now than the '00 with fresh herbs and pencil lead notes around savoury earth and fresh dark fruited flavours. Quite ripe and rich but nicely balanced with good acidity keeping it quite precise and good length.
2003 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
Very intense and extravagant, with powerful red and dark fruited flavours at the core and gentle smoky and earthy accents developing with some air. Was quite surprised when this was unveiled - it's certainly quite ripe and concentrated, but there's a sense of balance and elegance that I've normally not associated with '03 Bordeaux and this is one of the most enjoyable wines I've had from the vintage.
2004 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
Surprisingly high toned and herbal with fresh red and dark fruited flavours accented by some spice and peppery notes. This felt surprisingly Cabernet Franc-like with the fruit flavours slightly restrained, a nice spine of acidity underneath and a touch of astringency at the back end - quite pleasant to drink, though it's still very primary now and I get the impression it's holding quite a lot in reserve.
2005 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
Oof. After the other Branaires this comes across a little heavy and clunky. There's the same red and dark fruited core, but there's a slightly roasted and medicinal edge to the flavours here, and with air the alcohol makes itself apparent on the aromatics. Very powerful and rich, certainly with more extract and density than the other Branaires opened but not showing the same balance and finesse as many of the other/older bottles.
1990 Château de Malle
Deep gold in colour with pretty aromatics of honeysuckle, orange marmalade, caramel and apricots. This isn't as heavy or sticky as I'd expect most Sauternes to be; there's a surprising sense of freshness to the honeyed, tropical fruit flavours with nice acidity cutting through the sweetness and keeping it very nicely balanced. Lovely.