Vienna

Wieninger Rosé de Pinot 2006 Wien, Austria; 12%abv; 6,5g/l acidity; 1,3g/l RS; price unknown.

Whole grape pressed, from Vienna, Austria. Very light colour. The nose is absolutely delightful, more mineral-dominant than fruit-forward: vegetal, slightly earthy, citrussy. The palate is very dry, very mineral, nicely acidic - long, mineral aftertaste. Immaculately balanced. Despite the vegetal note, I don't find much Pinot Noir aromatics here (rather it reminds me of the lifted, leafy character of Cab Francs), but I don't care as it rocks anyway! A very impressive wine. And fun, too. And it has a high rate of evaporation.

Sadly the Wieninger Pinot Noir Select 2004 wasn't that nice. Oaky, coco-powder nose, some citrus underneath - 26 months in oak is a disaster in this case. Better palate, some brightness, but still quite unpalatable for me. I wonder which property the winemaker worked for in California...

Alfredo Kraus in Gayarre, 1958

Some of the most perfect lyric tenor singing I have ever heard:

Donizetti La Favorita "Spirito Gentil"


Donizetti "Una furtiva lagrima"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPJgBmnH_y8

Donizetti "Una vergine, un angiol di Dio":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8Y5Q6T2WVc

Donizetti "Verrano a te"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-b52G-EVqQ

Donizetti "Com'è gentil"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HSb6JaODmg

Verdi "La donna è mobile"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwMC2u3ClL8

Bizet "Je crois entenrde"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krOK3dbfcKs

Pichon-Baron '98 vs. '99

Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 1998

This started out as a very classical Pauillac with graphite, cigar box and cassis aromatics. With air the fruit turned to a more darker toned/inky, more modern styled wine, and the oak also became more apparent with air. Full bodied, but refreshingly leafy. It has much tannins still but they are ripe so are not bothersome to me (but do require some red meat now). Long and refreshing aftertaste. This isn't offensively modern in style and I quite like it as it shows true Pauillac character despite the modern elements. Needs a few more years.

Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 1999

The nose is rather opulent, with some blueberry oaky notes, but also a delectable amount of dung/brett! It is a rather inky and modern style otherwise, with lots of fruit and oak, and the whole is very dark toned. Full bodied, ripe, slightly flabby and unacidic palate, not as refreshing as the '98, but is soft, creamy and oaky instead. Where the '98 was to my taste despite a nod towards the modern style, this was too much in that direction for my taste (despite the slight bretty aroma!). Palatable certainly, but not my preferred style. It was interesting to note that 1,5 years ago, I enjoyed this wine very much - strange how radically tastes can change in such a short time.

More white CdP...

My brother had his last workday in Finland and will soon be heading back home to Indonesia, so we met up for one last Nieminen-clan dinner with him and our sister and her boyfriend.




For starters we had squash pancakes with prosciutto on top - an invention of my sister's and her Italian boyfriend -, which sounded strange to me but worked well! The saltiness and earthiness of the prosciutto countered the frothy texture and umaminess of the squash pancake. The full bodied Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2006 (13,5%; 21,90€) managed to add yet one more balanced voice to the counterpoint of all the other aromatics and textures of the dish. The nose was very refreshing and mineral, with some lovely grassy and lime notes and delicate nuttiness - nothing in the nose seems to be from the blisteringly hot South! The palate is rather a surprise also in being almost as acidic and tannic as the Texier I recently wrote about. Yes, it is plump and has a waxy finish, but frankly, if served blind, I wouldn't probably go to the Rhône. I think aromatically this seems more like a lightly oaked Burgundy than anything else.

I don't have much experience with S. Rhône whites, but this (and the Texier CdP) certainly aren't the types of wine I was expecting! Are these really the norm for white S. Rhônes, or did I just get lucky in finding two that fit my taste? What are white CdPs like?

For a main dish we had filet of beef in a marinade of peppers and balsamico. I opened up one more bottle of Bründlmayer Zweigelt 2004 just to make sure I like the wine. I do. It is ripe yet leafy and tangy and refreshing yet upright in structure; like a hypothetical combination of Syrah and Pinot. Perhaps a more flamboyant and Italianate wine would have been ideal with the dish, but this worked also. What a delightful wine at 12€ (and "only" 12% abv)!

With a dessert of assorted cheeses (Fouchtra, baby Stilton, 2yo Gouda, Brie de Meaux) we had the remains of the Kerpen Wehlehner Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2006 (120g/l RS; 8,2g/l acidity; 9% abv; 20,20€).

From David Bueker's description, I was expecting a more BA style - it certainly does have leaning in that direction, but at least from the weighty vintages that have been available here, this is perfectly acceptable under the Auslese label also. A nice touch of botrytis, but it isn't overpowering, more a delicate honeyed/floral nuance than full blown orange skin. It was strongly mineral upon opening, but the mineral tones decreased over time (IIRC, BenRo said that the sensation of minerality was some sort of sulphur compound? So it can blow off? - I'm very confused about the whole sensation of minerality. Sometimes the note gets stronger over time, sometimes it blows off, yet both smell exactly alike to me.)

There is nothing delicate about the palate. It is thick and heavy, sweet but refreshing enough even when warm, though it doesn't seem as high in acid as Alko's technical notes would imply. Long and mineral, with a honeyed finish. A heavier wine than I usually prefer, but in the utter absence of any other Mosel wines here, I think I'll be buying a fair number of these.

To aid digestion we had a small drop of Bruichladdich 3D3 (Islay, Scotland; 46%abv). This has a very interesting nose: super peaty, but - unless my nostrils deceive me - I don't find all that much smoke in it! There are lots of toffeed notes (American oak, is it?) also. Despite all these bass notes, there are some lifted/citrussy scents also.

All this follows on the palate, except there is a remarkably strong sweetness to it. I guess that's the oak and the alcohol? Yet the 46% is surprisingly restrained. Good.

Texier

Éric Texier Roussanne Côtes du Rhône-Brézème 2006

The nose is quite wonderful with a strong mineral presence and a floral, herbal but sweetly fruity nose. The palate is rich but dry, powerful even but light on its feet. Wonderfully mineral. Very nice!

Éric Texier Mâcon 2006

The nose is a touch oaky, but otherwise pleasant and limpid Chardonnay. The palate is a totally different beast: high acid, perhaps even tart, mineral, rather tannic even. The nose is decent, but not terribly exciting; the palate is the most arresting Chardonnay I've tasted since S. Tissot's "Les Gravières"! I find it rare to find the palate more interesting than the nose.

Éric Texier Mâcon-Bussières Très Vieilles Vignes 2006

A bright and citrussy, deep nose of pure Chardonnay and gladly not destroyed by oak. Rich, concentrated yet refreshing palate. I wish more white Burgundy would go for this style. Very nice!

Éric Texier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Vieilles Vignes 2005

A very personal and unique nose, almost reminiscent of the modern styled Jura whites! Pure and mineral yet rich and even honeyed. But there is a curious (but very pleasant) almost flor-like note on it. Long and mineral aftertaste which is refreshing and mineral (and that is in my experience an amazing thing for a white CdP). I enjoyed this very much.

Éric Texier Côtes du Rhône 2005

Red toned, earthy and vibrant. Despite much fruit and strong tannins and refreshing acidity, the wine is light yet intense. Very nice.

Éric Texier Côtes du Rhône Villages Chusclan 2005

A dark toned and plummy nose, perhaps with a slight touch of honey and sucrosity. It is nice that the palate has a great concentration of fruit yet is so light on its feet. Aromatically it is very S. Rhône, yet I am happy to say that it has more refreshing tannins and acidity than I tend to find in the area. Very enjoyable.

Éric Texier Côtes du Rhône Villages St. Gervais 2005

A more red toned nose that the Chusclan, with a charming spiciness and savouryness. A brighter wine on the palate also than the Chusclan with a more red oriented and acidic style, but still with upright tannins. It doesn't seem so ripe and dark as the Chusclan. Ripe but again light on its feet. Very enjoyable.

Éric Texier St. Joseph Vieilles Vignes La Croix 2005

This was a bit lactic at first but opened up to be a rather dark toned but still elegant style of Syrah with nice floral, tobacco and rock hints. Full bodied and dark and fruity, dry and tannic - quite impressive but needs red meat and/or age. Very lively and very nice.

Éric Texier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 2005

I rarely seem to enjoy CdP, but this was one that really worked for me. The scent is open and sweet, but has such a wonderful bright red layer over the darker undertones, that is very savoury and a bit like acacia. It is full bodied, sweetly fruity, very but not over-ripe, and refreshingly tannic. Once again, despite the concentration of fruit, this is light on its feet. Very good.

Bründlmayer Zweigelt 2004

Bründlmayer Zweigelt 2004 12% 12,20€

Vegetal, peppery, dark toned fruit but with some brighter notes also - it reminds me a bit of a hypothetical cross between Syrah and Pinot Noir. Juicy, red toned, tangy, refreshing tannins, this is very a very vibrant and lively wine. Yummy!

I marinated a good looking chunk of tuna (rare to find here) in some of this wine. It was a rather mediterranean food with herbs and tomatoes, but worked well with the wine: the food is so meaty that it needs a vibrant wine like this (I don't think the colour matters so much with such a recipe).

Champagne, Chablis, Alsace, Bekaa, Bandol, Xérès

Wade was in Finland again, so we met up with a few friends for dinner and a few good wines.



Edmond Barnaut Champagne Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru NV

This was a fruit-forward type of Champagne, with a floral and figgy nose - elegant and pure. The mousse is correct and small. The palate is perhaps a touch soft, but with much pinosity. A lovely little Champ, and the only thing I miss is a bit of minerality.

Crushpad Pinot Noir Töövi 2006 Monterey County

The nose is rather strange: it has bright, even citrussy Pinot aromatics; yet it also has much chocolatey oak. The palate is big, not terribly acidic, but it does stay together. Nice if you can get past the oak.

Crushpad Pinot Noir Töövi Hein Vineyard 2006 Anderson Valley

A very dark toned nose, brooding and masculine. With air it develops some strawberry aromas and a more Pinot-like presence. Very tannic and dark palate, juicy, closed - burly and frankly not very Pinot-like, but I like it!

Chateau Musar 1980

This is supposedly a weaker vintage of Musar. Erm?! The scent totally rocked: nicely aged, lifted, red toned nose - classic Musar. The palate wasn't as well delineated as it started out plump and fruity, but the acids followed a little late. This is exceptionally tannic for Musar. Though slightly lacking in delineation, this is still a very enjoyable drink.

Chateau Musar 1999

Young, but just lovely! This has all the classic Musar scents: peach stone, vibrant fruit of perhaps a darker shade than normal for Musar, slight funk. Vibrant, fruity, very full bodied. One of the most promising young Musars I've had.

Maison Albert Bichot Chablis Grand Cru Moutonne Domaine Long-Depaquit 1988

A lovely nose: aged, orange-like, floral with some brazil nut. The palate has good fruit, refreshing acidity, nutty finish. À point. Lovely. This evaporated at a furious rate.

Josmeyer Riesling Hengst 2004

A pure and elegant style of Riesling, but with quite a strong fruit presence in addition the strong minerality - almost like crystallised limes. Dry but fruity, elegant and mineral, wonderful purity. Lovely.

Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé 2005

An elegantly earthy nose with strawberries and carrots. It is abundantly fruity, but doesn't perhaps have quite the grip needed for such an amount of fruit. I still like it very much, but thought the '04 in better balance.

Williams & Humbert Rare Old Dry Amontillado Solera Especial Jalifa Aged 30 Years NV Xérès 19,5% 34,70€

Orange. The nose is nutty, rancioed and chalky - just like an Amontillado should, but there is a depth and complexity and intensity that I guess age has brought. Dry, but deep and rich, orange-like and waxy on the finish. This is very intense. Very nice. These elderly sherries are very satisfying drinks.

DRC '04, Cristal '00, Old(ish) Ports

We started our tasting with the recent releases of Cristal. I have never understood why it is a rap icon, because the wine seems such an elegant style of Champagne. To me, it has more the crystalline purity of Palestrina's polyphony.

Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut 2000

The nose is mineral and citrussy, but open and full of ripe fruit and lemon curd - a strange combination of tightness and much ripeness. The palate is better focussed: very tight, citrussy, elegant and nicely austere - perhaps even a bit tannic (?)... I quite enjoyed this!

Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut Rosé 2000

Very pale pink. Floral and mineral nose, elegant yet with nice Pinot aromatics. The mousse is a bit frothy at the moment, but otherwise the taste is wonderful. It has strong fruit, bright acidity and is lively and mineral. Surprisingly approachable for a young Cristal! Very nice.

We continued with two interesting whites:

Domaine Ramonet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet 2004

Two bottles in tonight's tasting: The first was very oaky, but underneath the oak was a lovely citrussy but very ripe expression of Chardonnay. It was paradoxically creamy yet intensely citrussy and mineral. This was a very exciting wine to taste, but with more oak than I can handle.

The second bottle was even more about the oak notes. The importer and I wondered if there might already be POX showing? Not obviously corked, but flat on the nose and palate, lifeless.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet 2004

The nose was more noticably oaky than I remember '01-'03 to have been at the same stage (I admit that I think my tastes have grown more oakaphobic meanwhile). It is still a wonderfully mineral and intense wine with bright acidity. Very good, but more oak influenced than I would have hoped.

And then we had the red DRCs. I found the '04s to be a little like the '01s in their general profile, except heavier and more alcoholic (though I didn't note what the alcohols were). I also didn't find these to have as much stemmy aromas the previous vintages - did they use less stems this year?

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux 2004

A fairly dark toned nose for this plot. It is deep and pure and has some very attractive earthy/cuban cigar aromas. It is lively, elegant, strongly mineral and has good grip, but isn't as intense as the other DRC '04s tonight. It still is a wonderful expression of pure Pinosity. Very good.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands-Echezeaux 2004

This started out a bit weird with a prominent note of peanut butter on the nose. Gladly it opened up to become a masculine style of Pinot with much dark fruit, ripe but still pleasantly vegetal. Tight palate, but bright and intensely mineral, more red toned in fruit than the nose promised. Long and mineral. Promising.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant 2004

Of the DRC '04s, this brought the greatest joy to me tonight. This was a more feminine, elegant, red toned style than most of the line-up. It was bright, beetrooty, earthy and quite the ideal of what I look for in Burgundy. The palate was red toned, perfectly delineated, pin point acidity, mineral and savoury. Long. Exquisite.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg 2004

A very dark toned and masculine nose, the most obviously oaky (even to the point of being chocolatey) of the '04 DRCs - brooding. I did like the vegetal hint on the nose and that it posessed great Pinosity, but for my tastes it was the least attractive scent tonight. The palate, however, was quite wonderful, though in a brutish and masculine style of Pinosity. Dark and brooding. A very impressive wine, but not really the style I seek in Burgundy.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 2004

A beautiful nose, very spicy, rather oak influenced at the moment, but with a charming Pinosity underneath. This was a rather strange wine in the DRC line-up for being so extrovert and even flamboyant. Ripe and sweet, not as bright as some of the other DRCs, but with a very appealing soft and spicy Pinosity. Weighty, masculine and flamboyant, but not such a brute as the Richebourg was! Very good.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti 2004

Quite an exquisite wine: bright but rather dark toned in fruit, pure Pinosity, lots of minerals. The palate is bright and pure, a fairly light style but very intense, very mineral, highly acidic and with an endless aftertaste. Wonderful.

Then we had an appendix of two Vogüés:

Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares 2004

A very flamboyant and estery nose of banana and dark fruit. The palate was also very dark and sweet - impressive, but not really a style of Burgundy I hope for.

Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Vieilles Vignes 2004

I usually find Vogüé too flamboyant for my tastes, but this was a beautiful wine. It was red toned, more elegant than usual, bright and mineral. It has good, ripe fruit, but is more vibrant and red toned than I remember previous vintages to have been. Very nice!

With dinner of guinea fowl in a roquefort sauce we had a blind Burgundy (the pairing worked better than it sounded to me, and was quite wonderful):

Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Clos de la 2003

A lovely nose of extreme minerality, very ripe but red toned Pinosity. The palate wasn't as beautiful as the nose as it was a bit thick, sweet and not as acidic as I would hope, but it was all still in balance. Lovely minerality on the finish. Served blind: my guess was a ripe year like '02 (rather than over-ripe, lol!) from Côtes de Beaune. Oops. Quite astonishing for an '03, and very good.

For dessert we had a few mature and maturing Ports:

Krohn Porto Colheita 1900

Bottled 1996. Brown. The nose was delightfully rancioed, with a great sweetness and earthiness. It seems quite young for a Colheita of this age, as though it has rancioed aromas, it isn't as bright and citrussy as the other older Colheitas I've had. Sweet and supremely intense, good acidity, integrated alcohol. A wonderful wine.

Quinta do Noval Porto Vintage Nacional 1980

The nose is rather elegant, lively but attractively aged. It has a very charming note of green tea on the nose. The palate is of moderate sweetness+, with good acidity for a VP. All the pieces fall in place so effortlessly - a great port! I enjoyed this immensely now, but I am sure it will continue to age well.

Quinta do Noval Porto Vintage Nacional 1987

A figgy and primary nose, but otherwise very similar in style to the 1980 with the same attractive green tea notes and dark but elegant fruit. Moderate in sweetness, very primary in fruit, upright in its structure - nice, but primary.

Pierre Gimonnet Champagne Blanc de Blancs 1er Cru 2002

Ripe fruit, but also a strong minerality - quite a voluptious style of Bl de Bl. Elegant mousse. A contradictory palate of crispness but extreme fruitiness. Mineral and long. Very nice!

Savennières, US Pinot, great Texier

Papin-Chevalier Savennières Clos de Coulaine 2004 14% 20,60€

A very deep golden colour. The nose honeyed and floral, not very mineral, waxy. Slightly sweet, heavy, tannic, nicely acidic. Long. I am very much enjoying this wine, though it does seem rather advanced for an '04. It still held up well over-night. I am guessing this is an anomalous bottle in being so forward?

Irony Pinot Noir Jesse's Block Reserve 2005 14,5% 35,60€ Russian River Valley, Sonoma

A light colour. First the positive aspects: it really smells of Pinot: red toned, vibrant fruit, some darker mineral and earthy tones to bring a solid bass-line to the soprano and alto stems of the fruit. Vibrant acid, ripe fruit, not heavy despite huge alcohol, and despite the massive alcohol, the aftertaste isn't very hot.

Then the negative aspect: the oak tries hard to disguise the Pinosity. Unless my nostrils deceive me, I get a bit of American oak here. I have no idea what percentage is new and I couldn't find the info on Alko's web site. But the combination of Pinot and American oak I believe is difficult, and at least here doesn't really work for me. But it is well made, so I can well imagine that many will enjoy this much more than I did. 35€ here means 20€ elsewhere. I wouldn't buy even at that price.

Éric Texier Brézème 2004 12,5% c.10€ CdR

Totally rocks! Essence of Syrah. I have bought altogether 18 bottles of this (most of any single wine ever) and have only four left, yet still everytime I open one I fall in love. This might be the best cheap wine I have ever drunk. Bravo! This might be too enthusiastic a note considering that my employer imports Texier, but I bought these before I went to work for him, so am I excused? But the bad news: this is under plastic cork, so though it has steadily improved over the past year, I don't dare keep these longer.

Domaine des Baumard

N.V. Domaine des Baumard Crémant de Loire
The nose is rather attractive in its leafy and cassis notes that are married to a strawberried fruit. The palate is a bit too soft and despite some attractive mineral notes, it comes across as a little dull.

N.V. Domaine des Baumard Crémant de Loire Carte Turquoise
A very attractive, crisp bottle, with much grass/clover and flowers. Elegant mousse. Fruity but crisp and very refreshing and mineral. Charming.

Domaine des Baumard Crémant de Loire Tirage 2004
It started out rather nutty and monolithic, but became more elegant with air. It isn't as personal in style as the basic NV bubbly but is still an attractive drink. The mousse isn't terribly elegant, as is a bit too frothy. Elegant fruit, much minerals, even quite a bit of tannins. Nice.

Domaine des Baumard Savennières Clos de Saint Yves 2004
A wonderful nose: hay, funk/wool, earth, minerals and citrus. A tight, linear, precise palate, very mineral. The aftertaste grows in intensity. It may be a bit closed right now, but I love it anyway.

Domaine des Baumard Savennières Clos de Saint Yves 2005
This was rather reductive and lactic upon opening. It opened up to show a mineral but very ripe style of Chenin, floral and honeyed. The palate was very full bodied, plump and even oily in texture, sweet and not as acidic as I hoped but still an attractive wine.

Domaine des Baumard Savennières Trie Spéciale 2003
Lactic, sweet and honeyed nose. Thick, clunky, sweet palate - suffers from the '03-syndrome. It is drinkable, but I would rather have something else anyway.

Domaine des Baumard Savennières Clos du Papillon 2004
The nose is arrestingly pure in its bright, focused, mineral aromatics. It has a bit of elegant funk, like good Chenin should. Bright, delineated, citrussy, ripe but dry and precise palate. Long, intense and mineral. It is a bit closed now, but I still find it wonderful stuff!

Domaine des Baumard Savennières Clos du Papillon 2005
This is a very ripe style of Chenin, but it is still a pure expression of the grape. Mineral, fat but structured. Long, but fruit-forward, aftertaste. Very nice, if a bit on the ripe side.

Domaine des Baumard Coteaux du Layon Cuvée Le Paon 2004
A very elegant sweetie, with a rather austere nose of green-pea, hay and lots of minerals. It is sweet but has great precision from the sufficient acidity. Incredible length. Very refreshing despite being sweet. Lovely.

Domaine des Baumard Coteaux du Layon Cuvée Le Paon 2005
A nice wine with typical Chenin aromatics of green-pea, hay and citrus. All is well, except that it seems a bit too sweet for the structure. Nice anyway.

Domaine des Baumard Coteaux du Layon Carte d'Or 2005
The nose isn't as obviously ripe as some other 2005s today (and therefore this is more to my taste), but rather shows a very pure style of Chenin. It is sweet and not terribly acidic, but is still well balanced. Moderate finish. Very attractive.

Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume 2006
Very young, but stunning! It is like a coiled up spring, waiting to burst with energy - a very exciting wine to drink! The pure and extremely mineral nose doesn't suggest sweetness on the palate. And, indeed, though obviously sweet, it is kept in check by acids and minerals. It is a deceptively light wine. Very elegant. Very good.

Montille and two spoofs

Domaine de Montille Volnay 1er Cru 1995
A light colour (as seems typical for Montille). A gorgeous nose: elegant, red toned, lingonberried. It shows some aged characteristics (rye bread, earth/sous bois) but is still vibrant. The palate is light but very intense, paradoxically strong yet soft tannins, bright acidity. Long, bright, refreshing, mineral aftertaste. The wine seems just perfect for my tastes. Heartbreakingly beautiful. Singing now, should keep.

Bodegas y Viñedos Ébano Ribera del Duero Crianza 2004
14,5%. A very dark colour. Very dark toned fruit, with tons of oak, liquorous/alcoholic, but gladly it has some citrussy/refreshing scents also. Extracted, sweetly fruity, alcoholic, oaky, but with attractively strong tannins, but the whole is rather clunky and exhausting to drink. I do find this spoofy despite some redeeming features. Well made but not really my style.

I was a bit dismayed at the showing because this is a new project (first vintage was 2001 IIRC) of Adegas Valmiñor who make a very good Albariño and also Davila (a blend of Albariño, Loureiro and Treixadura) which I adore almost every year. Whereas the Valmiñors are ripe and mineral and refreshing, the Ébano just seems spoofy and anonymously international. What a shame.

Finca y Bodega Carlos Pulenta Cabernet Sauvignon Tomero 2004
Sweet and oaky nose, jammy. Rather substanceless, but superficially attractive in its oaky sweetness. I can't find much trace of the grape. I didn't enjoy it.

Ratzenberger rocks!

Ratzenberger Bacharacher Kloster Fürstental Riesling Sekt Brut 2001 21€
Gold. The nose is just lovely! There is touch of bisquit, but mostly it is a very pure and mineral water-like expression of ripe Riesling. The mousse is elegant. There is much fruit but it tastes very dry, it is refreshing and very mineral. The aftertaste is very long and is like mineral water. What a lovely wine!

Ratzenberger Bacharacher Wolfshöhle Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 2005 8% 35€/½l
I haven't liked the '05s as much as most people, since I have found so many of them a bit heavy and ripe. This, though ripe, has all the components in just the right proportions. The scent does go slightly towards the tropical with its passion-fruit aromas, but it is precise and pure and has perhaps a touch of botrytis. It is sweet, and though the year isn't an acid-forward one (and neither is the wine) it is still refreshing and palate-cleansing. Very primary, but very good - one of my favourite German '05s so far tasted. I have two left of these. If anyone has tips on how to keep my hands off them until they are mature, please let me know.

Swordfish, Greco and Colheita

I found a some nice Swordfish at the shop today, so I bought a couple steaks for a quiet little dinner with a Port-loving friend of mine. I marinated them in white wine, tomatoes, capers and tarragon and then fried them and used the marinade as sauce:



It was more "brain-food" than following any recipe, but I rather enjoyed the food and (amazingly) so did my friend.

I used Di Majo Norante Greco 2006 (12,5%; 12,86€; Molise) for the marinade and on the table with the dish. And quite a QPR delight it was! Fresh but sweet and pineappley nose. The palate is more dry than the scent would promise, with juicy acidity and a mineral finish. A pretty nice cheap wine!



Sweet toothed that we are, we had two desserts. Krohn Porto Colheita 1976 (20%; 49,90€) Dark brown. The nose is a rather masculine style with some roasted and dark aromatics of coffee, toffee and rancio, but it also has some orange/citrus lift also. Very sweet, but lively on the palate; it is quite acidic for Port and therefore has enough refreshing qualities to make this a very moreish drink despite its sweetness. Quite a lovely drop.

And my friend made a nice pineapple pie also:


... thanks to which I feel 20kg heavier than I did in the morning...