With a friend in Wichita on Sunday.
Gobelsburger, Gruner Veltliner, Kamptal 2013
Low key nose at first, but rich, and briney; as it opens, pineapple, lychee, and grapefruit. On the palate: medium bodied but with wonderful, rich texture and attractive fruit: pink grapefruit curd with hints of lime upfront, followed by ripe, fleshy white peach overlaid by a touch of nectarine and raspberry, all with overtones of pineapple, and with a finish of salty mineral; does thin out toward the finish, but overall, really nice presence. A high quality, excellent GruVe. Drink over the next 3 years or so. 3 Stars. [6/5/16]
Nicholas Potel, Vieilles Vignes, Cotes-de-Nuits-Villages 2006
Medium ruby, a touch of brown. A lot going on on the nose: deep, dark, aromatic, and meaty, with black raspberry and cherry, meat, leather, dried orange peel, loads of violets, cloves, and chocolate, tobacco leaf/mint, earth; morphs frequently; there are some over mature brown sugar notes from time to time, but overall, this is a lovely Nuits nose. Identical personality on the palate, medium-full bodied with dark, sweet, attractive fruit, and a nice meaty texture, with substantial mineral on the finish. Quite mature at this point, softening, but with very fresh acid keeping it lively, and the underlying structure is very good. Morphs regularly, but in its best moments it is wonderfully satisfying. A deep, lovely Burgundy. Drink now, do not decant. 3.5 Stars. [6/5/16]
Dom. Vincent Girardin, Les Gravieres 1er Cru, Santenay 2010
Decanted 4 hours. Medium-dark ruby. Dense, ripe nose. On the nose and palate, blackberry jam, meaty raspberry, accentuated blueberry, lots of strawberry, cola, lots of cloves and allspice, and leather, and even some tobacco leaf/mint, all overlaid with bigs notes of fig. This is so ripe and sweet and over the top, not just for Burgundy, but for any Pinot Noir. Impressive, but might not be identifiable as Burgundy in a blind tasting, although it does still have some of the hallmarks of the Cotes-de-Beaune. Given its density, acid, and tannin, I would forget about it for at least 5 years, and see what happens. A Burgundy for lovers of Napa Cab. 3 Stars. [6/5/16]