Some fun wines over the last few days with family & friends, in between plenty of great food (note to David: no shortage of biryani) and warm tropical weather.
2008 Dr. F. Weins-Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett
Classic Kabinett, conveying flavour with barely any sense of weight and a real lightness of touch. The flavours here are mostly in the green spectrum; green apple and pear fruit tinged with aloe, herbal notes and touches of slate with really refreshing, bracing acidity underneath and good length.
2009 Weingut Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Klosterlay Riesling Kabinett [b]
Another year, another lovely Leitz Kabinett. Fresh green apple and lime fruit with a rocky mineral character underneath and some herbal accents that emerge with some air. Light on its feet with bright acids, restrained sweetness and all too easy to drink.
[b] 2009 Müller-Catoir Mußbach Riesling Kabinett
Comes across more like a Spätlese in its ripeness and sweetness, but this is really delicious stuff, full of floral-tinged grapefruit, melon and peachy fruit with a base of mineral salts and stone underneath. Beautifully balanced with bright acids and a real sense of refreshment, finishing long and all too easy to drink.
2006 Weingut Spreitzer Oestricher Lenchen Riesling Erstes Gewächs
Starts out a little austere; stony and a bit rough on the back end, but with some air it quickly rounds out, gaining in weight and depth and becoming much more enjoyable. Quite complex, combining rich pear and peachy fruit with roasted almonds, touches of honey and an intense stony minerality, finishing long and faintly creamy. Very nice.
N.V. Tarlant Champagne La Vigne d'Antan Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut
Not much to add to my previous praise for this wine. Rich white fruited flavours, fresh baked bread with marmalade and toasty accents conveyed with a sense of restrained power, finesse and real seamlessness. As always, there's that expansive, almost pillowy texture I've found in a lot of franc de pied wines, which is what got me hooked on this wine - fantastic Champagne, and I'm glad I have more.
2006 Clonakilla Shiraz Hilltops
Pretty aromatics, full of ripe brambly red fruits and berries accented with dark chocolate and exotic floral elements. Very polished and glossy in the mouth with gentle tannins barely noticeable beneath the rich fruit and bright acids giving it lift. It's nicely balanced with a sense of restraint and finesse, though it's very primary right now and I'd like to see what happens to this with some age.
2006 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Spätlese
Exotic scents of lilac, talc and cherries lead into a palate that's packed with red fruits, nectarines and limes with a vivid stony minerality beneath. There's tremendous power, richness and sweetness here, but it's matched by really bright acids that keep it very precise, fresh and perfectly balanced.
2001 Gutsverwaltung Niederhausen Schlossböckelheim Niederhäuser Hermannsberg Riesling Beerenauslese
Incredibly young and primary right now, full of golden raisins, apricots and ripe red berries drenched in honey, ginger and vanilla. It's very rich and slightly viscous in texture with palate-staining intensity, but there's surprisingly refreshing acidity underneath and a citric element on the back end that's a nice counterpoint to the huge sweetness and keeps it very drinkable.