Over the last couple of nights...
With jerk-marinated pork tenderloin and risotto with bacon and green peas on Friday
1997 Carl Schmitt-Wagner Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese
Bright pear, melon and green apple fruit layered with fresh herbs and maturing creamy and smoky notes in an elegant, medium weight package that's very easy to drink with a polished, faintly creamy texture. There's decent acidity here, enough to keep the sweetness nicely balanced and give a sense of freshness to the flavours, and as usual it's wonderful value for money. (AP #2-98.)
1998 Müller-Catoir Haardter Bürgergarten Riesling Spätlese
Fantastic once again. A spectrum of fruit ranging from fresh grapefruit to sweeter peachy and faintly tropical flavours accented by more savoury earthy, smoky and minerally flavours. There's tremendous power, depth and balance; drinking beautifully right now and I'm glad I have more.
Saturday - with homemade spring rolls with egg and duck
2002 Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Brut Millésimé
Not quite as vividly bready, buttery and doughy as the last bottle I had, but delicious stuff all the same. Fresh pear and white fruited flavours accented by doughy and yeasty scents with great balance and depth.
1999 Nikolaihof Riesling Spätlese Steiner Hund
Hard to put this one into words. One of the most spectacular Rieslings I've ever encountered, seamlessly combining a spectrum of orchard fruits, florality, herbal and developing smoky notes with an incredibly vivid stony minerality that pervades every aspect of this wine. This has everything - amazing clarity and purity, power with barely any sense of weight and tremendous length. A really special, singular wine - I'm delighted I have a couple more bottles of this!
With braised short ribs and spatzle
2004 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers
Makes a really nice first impression with fresh cherries, strawberries and tarter citric notes conveyed on a medium weight frame. There's bright acidity and a sleek, polished texture that makes it very easy to drink, and with some air it opens aromatically as floral and herbal notes emerge. Really enjoyable over the first couple of hours and then it suddenly turns into Mr. Hyde as a nasty, sour celery-like greenness emerges and starts to dominate the other flavours.
1997 Wendouree Cabernet Sauvignon Clare Valley
Very similar to the last bottle I had with that distinctive Wendouree fragrance of eucalyptus, mint, chocolate and savoury earth leading into a palate full of herb-tinged olives and red berried fruit. This comes across with remarkable freshness and precision, carried by powerful acidity with grainy tannins that make their presence felt on the back end. Unique and very enjoyable (and surprisingly easy to drink for a Wendouree).