WTN: Spätburgunder and St.-Nicolas de Bourgueil

Two lovely wines tonight after work - so lovely I took the remains of both home. Both are new vintages of wines I have very much liked in previous years.

Weingut Becker Landgraf im Felsenkeller Gau-Odernheimer Spätburgunder trocken "J²" 2008 repeated the outstanding sexiness of the 2007. Just like the '07 was when released, there is a touch of oak noticeable (but very little), but it doesn't obfuscate the Pinosity, which this has in spades. Bright and focused, perhaps a touch more so than the '07. Lovely and moreish.






Yannick Amirault St.-Nicolas de Bourgueil "La Mine" 2008 is a very nice Cabernet Franc. Amirault can sometimes be a bit too polished and modern, but this one I like very much tonight. Lovely aromas of tobacco and damp earth; savoury without being green at all. Lovely balance: high acidity, pleasantly upright tannins and not too much sweetness of fruit. Grip and crunch and freshness.

Thanks for the Spätburgunder post (and the SNB too), Otto. I'm not at all familiar with Becker-Landgraf, but they sound like a producer to check out. Gau-Odernheim isn't far from Wittmann in Westhofen, so it appears that the spotlight brought to the south-central Rheinhessen by some of the famous estates is now beginning to benefit others. Good news, that.

Cheers,
Bill

Yannick Amirault

I love this producer. All the wines are wild and woolly.

[Jenise]

Just bought a bottle of the Yannick, Otto. Was looking forward to trying it, now I'm looking forward to it even more! Thanks for the note.