That’s Christmas 2014! Still saving old TNs typed on my mobile phone…
Daniel Vollenweider Riesling Wolfer Goldgrube Auslese Long Gold Capsule 2000
Half bottle. Barely any copper to the yellow-gold. Sweet, a bit low-acid, lively and flavourful, went terrifically well with foie gras sautéed with apples, Aceto Balsamico di Modena and Cognac. Great success for the vintage, Wolfgang very favorably compared it e.g. to the Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr LGKA (was surprised to learn there was one in this vintage). dp 91
Clos Labarde St. Emilion 1919
Thanks to Wolfgang. Extremely well-stored and perhaps most remarkable for survival and overall balance, Wolfgang says Dirk (friend Port producer) even thought it might be some minor 1945 when he tasted it blind. Quite dark brick-red color, orange reflections and rim. Remarkably sweet, roasted coffee, dried quince, soft chicken broth cube, dried laurel, holding up extremely well to oxidation. Medium length at best. Some acidity on the finish, touch volatile, too. Just faintly tannic, and not in the least dry. Milder and smokier with airing, quite round. dp 89
Aldo Conterno Barolo 1967
Thanks to Wolfgang. Medium-light orange-red. Little tannin left, orangey dried rose-hip, sweeter and rounder with airing, elegant, with the seeming whiff of volatility blowing off within minutes. Fresh, barely any truffle. Medium weight. Lovely finish. dp 93-/92(-?)
Aldo Conterno Barolo 1964
Thanks to Wolfgang. A touch lighter and murkier colour. More volatile, more tannic, a bit more intensity, but less complexity, weight, elegance and harmony than the 1967. More simplistic if fleshier. dp 90-/89(-?)
Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Marie Beurrier 2005
L. 07.13 Not planned but pulled out from the cold cellar, uncorked and poured as we were in the mood for more wine. Deep purple-ruby, fresh and lively. Tannic, deep, complex. Very clean for Bonneau, intense, highly concentrated. Lovely, lightly chocolatey, opulent fruit. Nicely thick. Long. Sweet, lightly meaty. The tannin quality of the vintage is simply remarkable, firm, chewy yet flavourful, reminiscent of fine black tea (or a top-flight Bordeaux from the 2000 vintage). One of the most successful MBs of all time, along with '89, '90, '92 and '98, Wolfgang thought this remarkably close in quality to the Célestins. Ageworthy, nowhere close to being mature, but clearly less closed than other producers' CdPs from the same vintage. dp 93+/94
(John) Avery's Finest Reserve Vintage Port 1963
Thanks to Wolfgang. Blend of 3 pipes Sandeman, 2 pipes Taylor, 1 pipe Fonseca. Which just what it tastes like! Terrific sweetness for 1963, the opulence and richness almost of the Fonseca, the tannic broad-shouldered backbone, or close, of the Taylor, and the nobility and elegance, quite subtle and finesseful yet serious depth of the Sandeman (and of course the other two), as needless to emphasize, 1963 was a truly great vintage for Sandeman, too (my favourite at this perennial underachiever). Quite long on the finish, complex and balanced around a core of junipers, a bit viscous, too. Delicious and at the same time, a serious, well-structured blend. dp 95
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
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„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti