Nice way to start the (really, really cold) weekend. Grilled herb-marinated pork tenderloin, parsnip puree and green beans for dinner with some great wines (and one clunker).
2009 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Großes Gewächs
Outstanding once again. Tremendous depth and complexity; a spectrum of Riesling fruit, florality, minerality and spicy and herbal elements coming together in a seamless, medium weight package that keeps developing and unravelling more flavours with air. The balance here is impeccable with fantastic acidity, a lightness of touch and tremendous persistence. A fantastic wine to sit down with and explore with time.
2007 Stonier Pinot Noir Windmill Vineyard
From Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, recently carried back from Australia by a good friend. Comes across very awkward and disjointed; a separation of ripe and confected fruit up front and sharp acidity on the back end that feels unnatural and leaves a citric sourness behind. Unpleasant.
1994 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
Starts out a little sour, lacking fruit and dominated completely by its tannins, but half an hour in the decanter softens the structure somewhat as dark berried and curranty fruit emerges with an overlay of savoury earth and pencil lead. With time this really gains depth, classic left-bank Bordeaux on a medium weight frame and while a bit tannic to drink on its own, it's a really great match with the pork.
2000 Gangloff Côte-Rôtie La Sereine Noir
Just about everything I'd want in a Côte-Rôtie. Starts out with a really beautiful, captivating scent combining proscuitto, sizzling bacon and other vivid meaty flavours with leather, olives and smoke. There's fantastic balance in the mouth with a lightness of touch and a freshness to the red fruited flavours, a savoury, smoky meatiness beneath and fairly gentle tannins making it really easy to drink. Fantastic wine and I'm glad I have a bunch more of this (though I'm not sure how long they'll last, given how well this is drinking right now).
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