Our local tasting group got together for our last dinner of the year with spouses and magnums. Spencer and Sarah hosted; was a really fun evening with great friends, wines and lots of food. I cooked channa masala, vegetable pulao and chicken kebabs to go with the Rieslings, Doug put together a lot of other dishes - butternut squash soup, warm smoked salmon, onion tart, roast venison, potatoes au gratin, roasted veggies, poppy scented rice pudding and chocolate bread pudding for dessert. Great seeing everyone again, and a nice way to start the vacation.
1996 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs
Really lovely. Full of bright citrus and pear fruit accented by fresh-baked brioche, doughy and yeasty elements; it's powerful yet light on its feet with a sense of real clarity and purity to the flavours.
2004 Jose Dhondt Champagne Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Mes Vieilles Vignes
Very, very young right now but quite impressive with fresh green apple and pear fruit and an intense, vivid stony and chalky minerality on a taut, streamlined frame. There's plenty of acidity and aggressive effervescence, the flavours are very primary right now and it gives the impression that there's a lot in reserve.
2009 Peter Lauer Ayler Kupp Riesling Unterstenbersch Fass 12
From magnum. Packed with a spectrum of pale Riesling fruit, touches of smoke and florality and an intense minerality beneath. It's just off-dry with great balance and length, and disappears remarkably quickly even from a mag. Delicious.
2005 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Smaragd Hochrain
Wow! Remarkable aromatics; high-toned with fresh citrus and white fruited seasoned with peppery spicy notes, florality and the beginnings of developing smokiness. There's tremendous depth in the mouth, power allied with precision and intense minerality that just resonates on the finish. Great Riesling!
2002 Dönnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spätlese
Classic Kirschheck; full of cherries, flowers and some citrus and white fruited flavours over slatey minerality. There's just a hint of development now with some smoky elements emerging with air, and the whole package is all too easy to drink with a restrained sweetness, the typical Dönnhoff sense of calm and understatedness and lovely balance.
2009 Weingut Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Berg Roseneck Riesling Spätlese
Initially not quite as explosive in its fruit and minerality as other bottles I've were, but with some it opens out beautifully. Auslese-like sweetness and richness, full of rich tropical and white fruited flavours and stony minerality dusted with spring flowers and touches of honey. There's really good acidity beneath that keeps it very drinkable and elegant, delicious stuff.
1999 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape
From magnum, and a very different experience from a bottle I'd had last month - a powerhouse with rich red fruited flavours seasoned with leather, meat and earthy notes, finishing savoury and long.
2001 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée
From magnum, and a real delight to drink as this is the type of wine that got me into CdP in the first place (and seems to be an increasingly rare beast in the region). Starts out with a lovely scent combining brambly red fruits, Provencal herbs, saddle leather and a savoury meatiness; powerful in the mouth with a sense of restraint and elegance, and relatively light on its feet - this clocks in at 13.5% alcohol, and I can't think of many recent CdPs that have done that (or come across with such elegance). Impressive balance and length, with the stuffing and structure to keep aging a while.
2001 Betz Family Cabernet Sauvignon Père de Famille
Very youthful; rich, primary and concentrated with a core of ripe blackberry and blueberry fruit. There's a bit of oak prevalent initially, but it calms down with some air and settles into the background. Quite enjoyable if rather undeveloped right now, though a little on the ripe side for my liking.
1998 Phelps Insignia
No real notes on this other than it was very, very rich with a slight caramelly overlay to the flavours that I disliked. Others at the table suggested something may be a little off.
2001 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume
Incredibly young right now - full of primary quince and apricot fruit smothered in honey with a touch of that Chenin wooliness. It's very rich, slightly sticky in the mouth, certainly tasty but very undeveloped and a little heavy - I'd have enjoyed this a lot more with a bit more acidity.
A really fun evening, thanks again Spencer & Sarah for all your hospitality!