Lots of drinking this week. Short notes from 3 events.
Domaine de Chevalier dinner for the Commanderie de Bordeaux, Manila.
L'Esprit de Chevalier Blanc 2009 - With the canapes. Domaine de Chevalier's second wine. Crisp, standard, Sauvignon Blanc. Good on a scorching day.
Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2007 - This is more like it. Still crisp but with more heft and a better rounded mouthfeel.time
Domaine de Chevalier Rouge 2007 - Good nose, chocolate and caramel. Somewhat hollow middle.
Domaine de Chevalier Rouge 2006 - Very bright acidity but with a great deal of fruit as well. Rather forward. A good drink now.
Domaine de Chevalier Rouge 2005 - Big wine. Tight. Needs time.
Domaine de Chevalier Rouge 2000 - Lovely nose and good flavor. Earthy. Already soft enough to be enjoyable. The favorite of many at our end of the table and certainly my favorite
Domaine de Chevalier Rouge 1990 - Musty and tired. Apparently there was some bottle variation here. My glass was not showing well but Noel's seemed fine.
Chateau Guiraud Sauternes 2000 - Very nice, apricot and marmalade. Not all that sweet as the acidity was rather pronounced. Still, a good dessert.
Had lunch with Lester today where he brought a couple of samples while I brought a Torbreck.
Torbreck Descendant 2002 - A Shiraz/Viognier blend. I last had this about 3 years ago when I thought it was extremely tannic. This time around it was already quite soft and although I had it decanted, I think this can be popped and poured. Fabulous, sweet, ripe berry nose. Round and meaty. Surprisingly easy to drink. I would start drinking this up if I had any more. Probably at peak now.
Towards the end of lunch, I got a message from Jojo saying he had a Keller TBA open at his shop. Naturally I made my way over immediately after lunch.
Keller Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese 2008 - Keller is at the top rank of German producers, especially when it comes to dry wines. Jojo is the importer for Keller in the Philippines and his first shipment arrived last week. Unfortunately, he wan't able to get any dry wines but the sweet wines are just fine. Medium gold. Exotic spice on the nose. Saffron and some sweet pepper. The flavor just echoes the impression given on the nose. Fresh mandarin oranges. Rich, viscous, extremely sweet but with fresh acidity for balance. This wine is very finely-tuned. Endless finish. I'm definitely getting my hands on some of this.
