Wines with lots of Cantonese food. Can't remember the names of the specific dishes (local friends took care of the ordering), but everything on the table was very, very good, with a stir-fried diced chicken with chillies and a crispy fried pork belly among the standouts. Some really nice wines as well, though I was quite unimpressed by the two '06 Germans. I've generally liked a lot of '06s (especially from the Mosel and Nahe), but the two tonight were really dominated by their botrytis and sugar and weren't particularly enjoyable.
2008 Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère
Makes a very nice first impression with faint minerally and toasty notes accenting rich pear, peach and grapefruit flavours with nice acidity beneath, but after a few sips it starts to feel a little awkward and warm on the back end (despite showing only 13.5% alcohol). Pleasant though not particularly interesting.
2008 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne
A huge step above the Mouchère. The fruit here is lighter and greener in complexion, leaning more towards citrus and green apple with refreshing herbal and floral nuances and there's a really vivid minerally base underneath. The balance here is very impressive - there's plenty of richness matched by tremendous acidity that keeps it very light on its feet, precise and really refreshing with no sign at all of the 14% alcohol indicated. Very impressive.
2006 Reichsrat Von Buhl Forster Jesuitengarten Riesling Spätlese (Pfalz)
Hardly Spätlese in its ripeness and sweetness, but considering it's an '06 I'm not surprised. This is a powerhouse laden with botrytis, full of ripe tropical and yellow fruited flavours accented with honey and floral notes. There's tremendous sweetness here with the residual sugar dominating any other complexity or structure, and it finishes slightly sticky, coming across more as a dessert wine than anything for the table. Eh.
2007 Dönnhoff Kreuznacher Krötenpfuhl Riesling Spätlese (Nahe)
Really impressive. Much, much better than my last experience with this wine: this is full of bright red fruits, peaches and apples over a saline mineral base with a faint creaminess emerging on the back end. There's a sense of finesse and polish to the flavours with all the elements combining into a seamless whole and bright acids underneath keeping it very refreshing and nicely balanced.
2009 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese (Mosel)
Incredibly primary right now, and somewhat inscrutable at first - the sulfur and yeasty aromas dominate, but with time it clears up a little to show bright floral aromatics and fresh orange and apple fruit with a faint grapey sweetness. There's really good acidity beneath and a lightness of touch that's more like a classical Spätlese (or a modern Kabinett) - very, very young right now, but full of promise. (AP #24-10)
2007 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spätlese (Saar)
AP #7-08. Comes across a little closed, with the aromatics quite muted and the flavours a little blurry in the mouth. It's certainly quite tasty, combining apple and yellow fruited flavours with florality and touches of honey and cream, but gives the impression right now that it's holding a lot in reserve.
2009 Wagner-Stempel Siefersheimer Höllberg Riesling Spätlese (Rheinhessen)
Really impressive. By far the best Riesling I've had from Wagner-Stempel; starts out with lovely floral and stony aromatics leading into a palate packed with exuberant Riesling fruit ranging from citrus and apple to riper yellow plums and peachy flavours. There's a crystalline minerality beneath and plenty of sweetness matched by good acidity, the whole package is beautifully balanced with impressive length - great stuff!
2006 Weingut Johannishof Rüdesheimer Berg Rottland Riesling Spätlese (Rheingau)
Massively botrytised and overripe. This is packed with honey, apricot and banana flavours with a gaudy sweetness and softer petrol and creamy notes emerging with some time, coming across rather heavy and monotonic with the more-than-ample residual sugar making it a challenge to drink more than a few sips of this.