Salil came over for dinner last night. He's on an east coast swing during semester break. My wife had been wanting me to fix biryani, so I figured I would make it for Salil's visit. I had completely blanked that it was also Salil's birthday, so the biryani was a good treat.
1994 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl Vendange Tardive - France, Alsace (12/28/2016)
Holy cow, what a wine! Spicy, fruity, sweet and mouthfilling, this hit all the buttons. Take fresh apricots and plums and sauté them in brown spices, sugar and butter to get a food version of this wine. Toss in just a bit of smoke to add complexity. I am not much for Pinot Gris, but this bottle just blew me away each and every time I took a sip. Dessert sweet but incredibly drinkable. Stunning.
The following wine was actually served first. Good thing, as the Pinot Gris blew it off of the table despite how good it was.
1998 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Heimbourg - France, Alsace (12/28/2016)
Pretty much perfect right now, with lots of pineapple and lychee, good richness on the palate, and just a hint of Gewürztraminer bitterness on the finish. It's still quite sweet, but I would drink now or soon while there is still plenty of fruit.
We also had two delicious red wines, but they were not so friendly with the food. I will post on them in a separate thread.