Notes from last night's dinner at Lemuria,
St Urbanshof Riesling QbA 2005 - Grapey, very ripe and fresh. Yellow fruits - mango, pineapple, peach. Mouth-filling sweetness with a hint of grapefruit bitterness in the finish adding to its complexity. A very good picnic, summery wine.
We then tried 3 vintages of Prahova Pinot Noir Special Reserve blind: the '99, '00 and '01. The '01 was thin, watery and lacking in fruit. Most of us thought it was the '99 since it looked and tasted old. The '00 was fragrant with soft tannins. Still a good drink but would't last much longer. Everyone guessed right on this. The '99 was likewise very fragrant, fruity, young-looking, tannic and vibrant. The best of the 3 and still going strong. Very good to drink. Most guessed this as the '01 and we were all surprised when it was unveiled as the oldest wine. The '99 still has a couple of years left in it. Very surprising. We finished the evening with Finca Dofi.
Alvaro Palacios Finca Dofi 2001 - From Priorat. Mostly Garnacha with some Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carinena and Merlot. Nose offers camphor, menthol and ripe berries. Medium bodied. A dry, meaty wine with black currant and some blackberries as well. After an hour in the glass, a bit of subdued chocolate also emerges. The tannins are still strong but have softened enough to make the wine ready for drinking. There is also some good acidity to provide additional structure and to make the wine quite food friendly although it made pretty good drinking without food as well. Excellent stuff.