):2009 Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Drachenstein Riesling Dragonstone
Nothing new to add to my previous comments on this. Delivers as always with fresh pear, lime and apple fruit over a nice stony minerality, very refreshing, light and elegant.
1996 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
Chosen as an alternative to Champagne and this is in a great place right now, combining fresh, still-youthful Mosel fruit and minerality with the beginnings of developing smoky flavours. It's one of the best balanced '96s I've had with gentler acidity than I expected given the vintage and elegant peach and baked apple fruit merging seamlessly with vanilla, floral, lemon cream and honeyed elements. There's that classic Prüm lightness of touch and restrained sweetness (the sweetness and ripeness here are in old-school Auslese territory - this would probably have been marked as Spätlese today) and the whole package is very approachable and easy to drink. (AP 9-97 for those who keep track.)
2007 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes
This is all about depth - a really fascinating wine to sit down with and explore over some time. Starts out a little reticent with a scent of burning candle wax and restrained yellow fruit in the mouth with a bitter almond skin finish, but with air it gets richer and more approachable as the aromatics develop exotic floral, earthy, herbal nuances, and the fruit deepens and gains weight in the mouth, with nut oils, waxy and more tropical fruited elements emerging. There's a remarkable creamy, almost pillowy mouthfeel that recalls a top white Burg, and the balance and length are remarkable. Stunning wine.
2003 Hanging Rock Winery Shiraz Heathcote
A powerhouse, packed with rich blackberry and plummy fruit with eucalyptus and minty accents. There's a savoury ferric earthiness underneath that provides a nice counterpoint to the forward sweetness of the fruit flavours, and impressive tannic and acid structure that suggests this has a long time ahead of it. Drinking quite nicely now with a couple of hours in a decanter.
2000 Giaconda Shiraz Warner Vineyard
My first experience with Giaconda and it really lives up to the hype. This is incredible stuff, starting with an aroma that combines all sorts of perfumed, floral and spicy elements with rich red and dark fruited flavours into one amazing scent, and a palate packed with fresh Syrah fruit, meat and other savoury and spicy flavour elements, getting more meaty and leathery as this airs. I'm reminded of a Guigal LaLa. There's tremendous balance here with a sense of power and precision to the flavours, a very polished, glossy mouthfeel and remarkable length. Wow, wow, wow.
2000 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques
Absolutely gorgeous aromatics combining red fruits, sandalwood, exotic spices, florality and savoury earthy notes into an incredible, hypnotic scent. A real fireworks display in the mouth, full of primary spice-tinged red fruits and a vivid stony minerality conveyed with tremendous intensity and a sense of real clarity and seamlessness. There's really good acidity underneath that keeps it very fresh and vibrant, and the whole package is impeccably balanced. Very young right now, but already stunning.