Short notes from a dinner last Friday:
Neudorf Pinot Noir Moutere Home Vineyard 2003 - Floral fragrance. Soft and sweet with very ripe fruit. Smoke and strawberries. Nicely judged oak. Medium weight. Perfectly balanced wine with a long spicy finish. Excellent.
St. Michael Eppan Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) Sudtirol Alto Adige 2003 - Lots of fresh strawberry on the nose. Light, fruity and dry. Nothing complicated. A good, refreshing drink in a Beaujolais kind of way.
Glaetzer Godolphin Barossa Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 - Black. Fantastic raspberry/blueberry syrup nose. Thick, slightly overripe fruit. Coffee and chocolate flavors and scents also developed after some time in the glass. Smooth and plush wine. The tannins disappear beneath the huge extract of the wine. Sweet but not cloying. I have complained in my past few notes about the typically sweet, overly extracted Oz reds mostly from Barossa. I can't, however, complain about this. A colossus of a wine so finely tuned and balanced I did not tire of drinking it. Not a style everyone will like but outstanding for me and leagues ahead of other Barossa blockbusters I've had. Despite being so young, already enjoyable to drink.
Moscato d'Asti Dulcis 2004 - A little soapy. Sweet peach with a good acid balance and gentle refreshing fizz.
Delesvaux Coteaux du Layon Clos de la Guiberderie 2000 - Corked! Got this from the bargain bin for about $9.00 so no great loss.
Gehringer Brothers Riesling Ice Wine British Columbia 2003 - Slightly cloying sweetness. Lacks acid to balance it. A bit heavy. My friend commented it seemed more like beerenauslese than ice wine. Some lemon and orange marmalade. Just ok.