Really nice; a basket of just-picked apples, peaches and citrus fruits with an underpinning of slate, all conveyed with a sense of real freshness and brightness. There's moderate sweetness and good length, though it's a little soft (shock, horror, a soft '07
) and I'd like this a lot more with more acidity. 2001 Weingut Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Berg Schloßberg Riesling Spätlese
Another stellar bottle of one of my favourite Rieslings. The botrytis and riper fruit flavours aren't quite as dominant this time; this one comes across slightly more savoury with more signs of developing creaminess and smokiness, but the slatey mineral base underneath is vivid as ever and there's still brilliant precision, cut, clarity and length.
2009 Alzinger Riesling Smaragd Loibner Steinertal
Another great bottle. An incredibly vivid expression of minerality; stones and mineral salts around a core of pure, fresh citrus and pear fruits with a gentle herbal seasoning, conveyed with Alzinger's usual sense of clarity and lightness of touch. Phenomenal.
2010 Edmond Vatan Sancerre Clos la Néore
Matt Latuchie said this was fantastic and I needed to try some soon. He was right. A really classic, layered Vatan; the same grapefruit, minty herbal and chalky flavours but conveyed with a greater sense of restraint, elegance and focus than in the last couple of vintages. There's lots of depth here, wonderful balance and it's a truly outstanding wine (and as usual, a wonderful combination with Crottin de Chavignol).
1997 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
Leaking bottle, so I opened now. It's drinking superbly with a core of incredibly bright, youthful peachy, apple and citrus fruits tinged with minerals, flowers and developing honeyed, smoky and fusel notes. There's a remarkable purity and clarity to the flavours; the fruit's still very bright and fresh with good acidity underneath but there are clear signs of development and it's remarkably accessible for a Prum. Why don't I own more Prum?
1991 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert
A rather disappointing bottle after a couple of good ones recently. Lovely aromatics with some smoky, meaty and green olive elements, but comes across quite simple and sour on the palate. Can't win em all.
2001 Domaine Les Roches (Alain et Jérome Lenoir) Chinon
In a great place now, showing a core of fresh dark fruited flavours seasoned with green herbal notes, savoury earth and developing cedary and smoky elements. Polished, medium weight and nicely balanced with a bright acid spine beneath, lovely.
1994 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
Popped and poured. Classic Chave aromatics; vivid smoky, meaty, leathery and pure red fruited flavours all combining into a fantastic scent, and a silken, medium weight palate presence with the the flavours mature and combining seamlessly together. It's a little light on the back end though, and does fade a little with more air, not showing the same brightness or intensity a couple of hours after being opened. I liked this a lot better a couple of years ago, and wonder if it's starting to decline.
