Dinner at Gene's place last night after the Skurnik tasting. We ordered takeout, relaxed and opened some absolutely incredible wines. I've never thought of '97 as a really outstanding vintage, but a number of the wines showed spectacularly well (particularly the Mullers, Schaefers and Grunhaus) with remarkable finesse and depth.
1998 Jacques Selosse Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut
From magnum. A powerhouse of a Champagne; very intense and rich with layers of ripe tangerine and stone fruits, roasted nutty elements and sweeter doughy flavours all coming together seamlessly. There's tremendous power here but also great focus and balance, plenty of acidity and remarkable persistence.
1997 Noël Verset Cornas
A little awkward and disjointed initially, but it starts to pull itself together with some air. There's a core of ripe red fruits and black olives framed by savoury brothy, meaty and leathery notes, a polished texture with fairly gentle tannins and very enjoyable to drink, though not particularly profound right now.
1997 Franz Künstler Hochheimer Stielweg Riesling Spätlese trocken
Wonderful aromatics; smoky, petrol and earthy scents framing fresh ripe citrus and stone fruit flavours with a vivid stoniness beneath. There's wonderful balance here; it's dry without ever feeling austere with a nice richness and textural polish, and drinking very nicely right now.
1997 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett
1997 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Kabinett #8
Just an incredible pair of wines. Both are absolutely seamless, polished, delicate and fragrant; in an amazing place now with the fruit still fresh and youthful but augmented by developing smoky, creamy and savoury flavours. The flavours on the Schaefer lean more towards the classic apple/florality of the Mosel, whereas the Muller's slightly more herbal and citric. There's a sense of incredible lightness and an ethereal touch to both wines, superb finesse and both are stunning wines to sit down with and follow over some time.
1997 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett
Corked
1997 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett
A hard task to follow the Muller and Schaefer, which are among the most stunning Rieslings I've had in some time (in any style or pradikat level). It's quite fun to drink with ripe white cherry and pear fruit and some savoury developing notes, but comes across a little soft without the sheer elegance, focus and weightlessness of the prior Kabinetts.
1997 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spätlese
Think this was an auction bottling, but need to double-check. It's very easy to drink with wonderfully pure fruit, minerality and developing smokiness conveyed on a lightweight frame with bright acids, and lovely balance.
1997 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese #11
Utterly spellbinding. Incredibly fragrant, layered and complex with layers of fresh Mosel fruit and florality, lemon cream and developing smokiness combining flawlessly. There's certainly plenty of richness and sweetness here, yet it conveys flavour with the same ethereal lightness the Kabinett showed. A stunning wine to sit down with and follow, as it captivates from the first sip and then keeps unveiling layer after layer with time.
1997 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhauser Herrenberg Riesling Auslese
Remarkably youthful and fresh, the least developed of the three Auslesen with a spectrum of fruit ranging from tarter citrus and pear flavours to riper peachy and melony notes, accented by fresh herbal, floral and forestal/pine notes. There's a wonderful purity and clarity to the flavours, bright acidity balancing the sweetness perfectly and a long, resonant finish.
1997 Egon Muller/Le Gallais Wiltinger Braune Kupp Riesling Auslese Auction
A bigger, richer Auslese here; more dessert wine-like with prominent sweetness and some botrytis showing. There's tremendous richness here; a core of ripe tangerine, apricot and peachy fruit surrounded by developing creamy and smoky elements, and sweeter honeyed and marshmallow-like elements. Even though it's noticeably sweeter than the other two wines, there's still a wonderful lightness and purity to the wine with superb balance.
