2006 F.X. Pichler Sauvignon Blanc Smaragd
Quite impressive at first with rich white fruited flavours and Grüner-like greenish herbal notes around a firm mineral core. It's very rich and powerful in the mouth, full bodied and slightly creamy on the back end, but with some time the alcohol (which seems much more than the 13.5% indicated on the label) becomes increasingly prominent and makes this hard to drink much of. Shocker of the night, only because it proved David Bueker actually has some Sauvignon Blanc in his cellar!
1994 Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Spätlese
Drinking nicely right now with gentle, restrained baked pear and white fruited flavours combined with maturing honeyed, smoky and creamy notes. Enjoyable, though not offering the complexity or power I expect from Weil's wines.
2007 Jacques Puffeney Pinot Noir Arbois
Wild, funky aromatics straight away combining spicy, leathery and savoury earthy flavours with fresh red berries and herbal notes. This has remarkable depth and aromatic complexity for such a young wine. It's a little angular and rustic in the mouth initially with slightly coarse, grainy tannins and plenty of acidity, but with air it smooths out and gains weight. Lovely.
2005 Montevetrano Colli di Salerno IGT
Powerful and very, very primary right now - packed with deep blackcurrant and dark berried flavours framed by notes of tobacco, herbs and tar. There's plenty of richness but also imposing structure with firm tannins and bright acidity, though everything here is very nicely balanced. I would love to see what this turns into with some time, as it has the stuffing and structure to age really nicely.
2009 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Cabernet
Incredibly fresh, vibrant red and dark fruited flavours seasoned with green peppercorns and herbs on a medium weight, slightly rustic frame with bright acids, grainy tannins and that typical CRB sense of lightness.
