Other stuff from last week or tonight.
N.V. Cedric Bouchard / Roses de Jeanne Champagne Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs La Parcelle
Was really looking forward to this, particularly after Jim Cowan's note - but whoops, different bottling altogether. V03, disgorged April 2010. Gorgeous scent; full of red fruits, biscuits, touches of yeast and vanilla - but on the palate it doesn't live up to the stunning aromatics, coming across a little light on the middle without the depth I'd expect from Bouchard. There's very nice acidity, but this comes across a bit monotonic and finishes a little short. Tasty, but certainly not living up to expectations (and even without the expectations, I don't see myself buying it).
2009 Dönnhoff Norheimer Dellchen Riesling Großes Gewächs
Starts out taut, herbal and minerally, tightly wound but it opens out with air to show incredibly pure pear and citrus fruit flavours along the herbal and stony elements. There's a sense of restrained power here, incredibly breadth and depth with really good acidity and a finish that just keeps going on and on.
2009 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Großes Gewächs
More forward and open aromatically than the Dellchen GG, showing a broader range of fruit spanning tarter lime and pear flavours to riper melony notes and exotic spicy and smoky accents - but while this is lovely to drink with a rich, faintly creamy texture and good depth, the Dellchen alongside outshines it with a degree of precision and freshness that this doesn't show. Still lovely to drink, but overshadowed on the night.
2007 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Spätlese "Schmitt"
A seamless combination of intensely bright fruit spanning from melon and red apples to tarter lime and pear flavours, fresh herbs, minerals and the beginnings of developing smoky notes. There's incredible depth of flavour and so many different facets here, and what's striking is how everything melds into one unified whole with perfect balance and great length. Stunning Riesling!
2009 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese "Anrecht"
Delicious and fantastic value as always. Bright yellow fruits, peaches, apples and flowers with a nice acid spine beneath, very refreshing though not showing quite the same razor-sharp cut and minerality the '08 had. That's a minor quibble though, this disappears very easily and the whole package is lovely.
2009 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Spätlese
Opened tonight with dinner. One stupid thing I've been doing in the last couple of years is buying mostly the Selbach single-parcel Anrecht/Schmitt/Rotlay bottlings when I've seen them available and paying less attention to the 'regular' Spätlesen, and this just reinforces what I've been missing. Beautiful, classical Spätlese, filled with all the lime, green apple and slate I'd expect from the Schlossberg, light on its feet with fantastic acidity keeping it very precise and finishing just barely off-dry. There's a sense of incredibly purity and clarity to the flavours and wonderful balance. I must get more of this.
