Nicolas Potel Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Aux Echanges" 2002

I don't really know what to think of this producer. We have mostly seen their young whites and they all seemed overoaked to varying degrees. But I have read so much positive about them that I decided to try the only red we have seen from them.

Nicolas Potel Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Aux Echanges" 2002 Monopole; 13% abv


I think I am in an indecisive mood since I don't think I know whether I like this or not. On some sniffs it seems too ripe with almost liqueur-like sweetness to the dark fruit; other times it smells bright, red and focused - so bright it reminds me of Montille or Faiveley. Sometimes it is nicely vegetal; other times it has quite a bit of oak-spice despite only 10% new oak having been used. Nice grip, crisp fruit, refreshing aftertaste. I guess I should it give it the benefit of the doubt since 2002 is still so young.

Douglas Adams: Parrots the Universe and Everything

I didn't find his book, Last Chance to See, as the runt of the litter. Actually, it might just be my favourite of his works, so I was happy to see this awesome speech he gave shortly before he died:

Niepoort Redoma Tinto 2006

Niepoort Redoma Tinto 2006 - Douro

14,2% abv; 30,50€. A field blend of Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Francisca and Sousão from 60-120yo vines grown on a north-facing slope in the valley of Pinhão. This spent 20 months in small, French barrels of which 60% were new.

I loved the '95 of this wine for its vibrant, lively and rustic personality. There is no shared personality between that wine and this '06! This smells of vanilla and toffee with sweet red fruit and nothing of that brambly savouryness and rusticity of the '95. I know it might be heresy to say so, but I did prefer the unique personality of the earlier wine to this - quite frankly - anonymous scent. (I hate myself for saying this because Dirk is one of the nicest wine personalities I have met and it is never a pleasant thing to give negative feedback on such a person's wine.)

Gladly the palate gave some hope that I was just drinking this at an awkward time (but not enough hope that I would purchase more). The oak wasn't as noticeable and it was vibrant and refreshing. Neither the high alcohol nor the ripe fruit caused any cloying sensations.

It seems very "modern" in style and certainly will appeal to those who like the slick, smooth style. I wanted a different personality.

3 x 2007 Grüner Veltliner from Loimer

Loimer Grüner Veltliner "Kamptal" 2007
12,5% abv. Fairly crisp, clean, pure and mineral scent. The spice and richness of the Käferberg and Terrassen is much subdued and hence this is now more pleasurable to my taste. Though less rich than the other two, it is still substantial, dry and quite powerful with more obvious acidity, more obvious minerality and a higher evaporation rate. Crisp, quite rich, and very moreish. Of the three, this is (obviously) the most enjoyable now. Very nice!

Loimer Grüner Veltliner Langenlois Terrassen 2007
13% abv. A rather charming scent, spicy and ripe but not in the overblown way that some recent hot years have produced in GV. Rather this is also pleasantly mineral and refreshing to smell. It even has some of the lovely vegetative aromas I so like in this variety. From the ripe scent I was expecting a rich and smooth palate but gladly it was nervy and had good grip and minerality. Yes, it also has ripe fruit and a teasing touch of richness, but that touch is kept fully in check. Very nice, but I think it needs a few years.

Loimer Grüner Veltliner Käferberg 2007
13% abv; A lovely scent, but tighter than the Terrassen, with more minerality and grapefruit, a more elegant spiciness. Good body, good grip and fair acidity which makes for a refreshing wine. Needs a few years (at least), but I think this is very good.

Plato and Pinot

Shelter Winery (Hans-Bert Espe und Silke Wolf) Blanc de Noir 2008 - Baden; 12% abv; 10g/l RS; 8,8g/l acidity; bottle #274 of 2698; 20€

The great evolutionary biologist and philosopher of biology, Ernst Mayr, felt that the natural sciences for much of history have been plagued by Platonic essentialism. It is the idea, further developed by Aristotle, that all things had two properties, the accidental and the essential. The accidental properties can vary within its kind, but essential properties define what the kind is. So the essence is unchanging, immortal and not seen in the world - it exists in the realm of ideas.

Though a very influential idea (pun unintended), it is completely at odds with biology and linguistics. In the real world, we shouldn't be seeking the essence of a dog or the essence of the French language. They are ever-changing; there is nothing immutable about them.

IIRC it was another anti-essentialist philosopher with a strong background in biology, Daniel Dennett, who argued that people have evolved to become essentialists (it is a useful trait in every-day life: it's how we recognize a person as that person even when she has different expressions on her face or has a different hair-do...) even though, as with evolution and linguistics, it just doesn't make sense. I have tried to wean myself from this problematic philosophy and, indeed as recent threads have shown, at least in linguistics I have managed.

With wines, however, I find myself over and over again thinking in such Platonic terms. And it is hard not to, especially when such a wine as this still, white Pinot Noir comes my way and it turns out to have such aromatics as I hope to see in red Pinot Noir.

It is light as water, crisp and citrussy with a red, slightly spicy tone to the fruit - it has to me an obvious kinship with unspoofulated red Burgundy. It is crisp and has such high acidity that I don't sense the 10g/l RS: dry, mineral, refreshing and extremely moreish. So am I now sinning and essentializing? Is essentialism a vinous evil, too?

Austrian Wine Tasting, Helsinki 22.10.2009

There was a big tasting of Austrian wine today, but sadly I was spending one of my increasingly rare days in the bookshop so I only managed to drop by for a quick speed-tasting of about 1/20th of what was on show.

With such limited time, I started with a winery I have tried far too little of, but those few bottles have been some of the most satisfying wines ever: Nikolaihof

The Riesling Vom Stein Fedespiel 2008 and the GV Im Weingebirge Federspiel were both varietally true wines of great minerality and purity and liveliness. I liked them both very much.

The Riesling Vom Stein Smaragd and the GV Im Weingebirge Smaragd were a step up from the Federspiels in steely and mineral precision, more elegant and restrained yet paradoxically more intense. Lovely purity for both grapes. What I also liked about these was how they lacked the heaviness of the Smaragds we have mostly had available. These were only 12,5% abv (I believe that is the lowest allowed for Smaragd?) and they were refreshing rather than elephantine. Lovely wines.

And though I wasn't sure it was possible, things only got better with the next pair. First we tried the Klausberg Riesling Privatreserve 2005 which is a fairly recent acquisition of Nikolaihof - I think this is the first vintage they made of this vineyard. It was a lovely, pure expression of Riesling in the mold I usually hope to see from Nikolaihof: steely and elegant yet powerful and dry. But the Riesling Steiner Hund Reserve 2005 stole the show in being all that but more mineral and more elegant. The aftertaste was like a peacock's tail. I just love the paradox of elegance and power that these wines have.

As a special treat, Christine Saahs poured the Vinothek Riesling 1990 which was an absolutely outstanding, petrolly delight of pure Rieslingness. I loved it now, but I think it has such structure and balance that it should keep almost forever.

I had previously tried only a couple of Nikolaihof's wines and they had been outstanding, so I was very happy to see that their whole range is excellent.


I did a quick round with a few other producers. I tasted a few from Sattlerhof in Gamlitz, Südsteiermark. Their Morillon Steirische Klassik 2008 (Morillon is the local name for Chardonnay) was a citrussy, unoaked, crisp, straightforward and mineral delight. The Sauvignon Blanc Steirische Klassik 2008 was heavy and powerful for a SB and it was intriguing and fascinating in such a tasting but I don't know if it would be very moreish. The single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Sernauberg Erste STK Lage 2008 and Sauvignon Blanc Kranachberg Grosse STK Lage 2008 were also very intriguing, unoaked, seemingly less heavy than the generic SB with more minerals. But these were still powerful, rich, dense wines quite unlike anything I have had from the Loire or NZ.


A new name to me was Weinrieder from the Weinviertel. Their GV Alte Reben 2007 was a rich and heavy, high alcohol, high glycerine wine which somehow still managed to be moreish and spicy and peppery and true to the grape. But I did prefer the more elegant GV Schneiderberg 2007, with less spice and more of the delightful greenish aromas yet still dry and powerful. The shock to my system was the St. Laurent Roter Eiswein 2008 - a dark pink, balsamic smelling, searingly high acidity sweetie that I instantly fell in love with. I don't think I could drink more than a glass of this in one evening as it was such an extreme delight: extreme in sweetness, extreme in high acidity, extreme in awesome!


From an old favourite that has long been available in Finland (but recently disappeared from Alko), Schloss Gobelsburg, I tried a few new vintages: GV Gobelsburger Steinsetz 2008 was a classic, mineral GV, crisp and moreish. The GV Kammerner Lamm 2008 was more rich and spicy - though supposedly their "top" GV, I have generally preferred the elegance of the Steinsetz. Their Pinot Noir Alte Haide 2007 only smelled of vague sweetness and oak and lacked anything savoury and I quite disliked it.

Heinrich Pannobile 2007 from Burgenland is a blend of Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch. Pannobile is a group of nine winemakers around Gols who market their wines together. The Heinrich was a perfectly decent red, almost a Bordeaux-lookalike with its dark fruit and loam aromas mixed to rather more oak aromas than I care for. Juicy fruit to the otherwise well structured palate, also a bit strong on the oak now. I don't think many other people would find the oak offensive.

But I did prefer the Heinrich St. Laurent 2007 which was stopped with a stylish glass cork and didn't smell of oak. It had almost Pinot Noir aromas of beetroot, sweet fruit and damp earth. Not hugely structured, but it does stay together and is moreish. Nice!


From Paul Achs I tried two Blaufränkisch. The basic Blaufränkisch 2008 was a nice earthy wine, lively, no oak that I could see, fun. The Blaufränkisch Spiegel 2007 was heavier and more oaky and I don't like heaviness and oak.

From Gernot Leitner I also tried a pair of Blaufränkisch and exactly the same happened as with Achs! The basic Blaufränkisch 2007 was quite a delight, with a touch of old wood (it sees some used Barrique) but mostly a wonderful, lively personality. The Blaufränkisch Ungerberg 2007 was, however, oaky, heavy, elephantine.


On my way out, I cleansed my palate with a rather charming Wieninger Nussberg Alte Reben Gemischter Satz 2008. I posted a while back on the 2007 of this wine: old vines, a field blend of practically all imaginable grapes. I still find it amazing how such a wacky blend can seem so pure and focused. Ripe and rich, but also very lively - so lively and light on its feet that it doesn't seem like it has 13,5% abv. Very nice!

Henri Naudin-Ferrand "Orchis mascula" 2006

It has been far too long since I last made boeuf bourguignon. But with wintry temperatures, too much free time (i.e. I could stay home for hours while the stew simmered) and an interesting Burgundy to try, it was time again to make a potful. It is always such a satisfying dish that I wonder why I make it so rarely.

Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune "Orchis mascula" 2006

29,90€ (ouch!); 12% abv; from the vineyards: "En Bully" 0,75 ha, "Grande Corvée" 0,41ha, "En Foigery" 0,20 ha

I tried this in a big tasting early in June and thought it was otherwise a lovely Burgundy except the oak was too much to the fore: it sees a massive 80% in new oak for 15 months! I find such an oak regime strange amongst the "natural" producers, but otherwise this was a wine with no chaptalisation (and relatively low alcohol of course) and little sulfur.

Strangely, tonight I didn't find the oak overpowering at all (am I going over to the dark side?). There was a bit of oak on the background but rather it smelled of Pinosity pure and sexy, sweet and ripe. Fantastic grip on the palate - it is much like the bright and pure (and similarly low alcohol) Montilles I have had: bright red fruit, grippy tannins, refreshing acidity, palate-cleansing. Endless aftertaste with a slight and quite lovable balsamic touch. It has grip but never the austerity of, say, Faiveley - this is sexy Burgundy.

Casa Emma Chianti Classico 2006

Casa Emma Chianti Classico 2006
Some nice red berry scents and lift, but strangely - as I thought this sees only big botti - I thought I sensed a bit of oak aromas! With air, the aromas turn from bright to inky. Quite full body but some nice tartness, Seemed a bit too slick, lost its distinctive Chiantiness and went over to the anonymous side. Not offensive, just boring.

Damien Hirst and the new Penguin Classics Darwin On the Origin of Species

I finally decided to order a copy of Darwin's On the Origin of Species - specifically a reprint of the 1st edition since it doesn't have the accommodationist interpolations to creationists of later editions. But I also wanted the "Historical Sketch" of the 3rd edition. Since the Penguin Classics edition has these texts, I ordered it (motivated by it being available in hardcover). Excitedly, I receive it today and find this cover "art":


This is a book about one of the most exciting ideas in the history of Science, one that celebrates the wonder of all living things. So why is there a memento mori that looks like it was painted by an adolescent Francis Bacon-wannabe on the cover? What is the connection of that to Darwin's and Wallace's great idea?

I admit that the visual arts aren't my greatest passion so I might have completely misunderstood what this cover art is about. But why the teen-angst of blue colours and broken glass and a suicidal knife at the throat for such a wonderful idea? I find the cover art misrepresents the contents of the book. This is like a musical dissonance. Gladly the insides of the book seem very much like what I wanted.

Burgaud Morgon Côte du Py "Réserve" 2007

Jean-Marc Burgaud Morgon Côte du Py "Réserve" 2007

13% abv; 3,6g/l acidity; 23,90€

This is Burgaud's cuvée made from old vines (c.50yo) and aged for a year in 3-5yo barrels. Though the "basic" CdP also seems to require a bit of age before drinking, the "Réserve" is the one that one is told to age.

I recently had the '06 and, contrary to most other '06s, it was still tight and gave little pleasure. This '07 is drinking much better - not because it is ready; it just isn't as grumpy as the '06.

The scent was initially rather mute and it needed about two hours of air to open up to such a degree that it was a joy to sniff. It has nice raspberry fruit and lots of gravel, but the fruit tones seem to go more toward the dark than the red unlike in the "basic" CdP - maybe that is the oak influence which otherwise isn't really noticeable?

I think someone needs to explain the acidity to me. 3,6g/l does not sound like much but I would still call this a crunchy and crisp wine with good, palate cleansing amounts of both acidity and tannin. It does have vibrant, raspberry fruit so it is typical in one sense of Cru Beaujolais, but it is atypical in being so sturdy.

Needs age. Little point in drinking now if one expects Beaujolais to be a fun and fruity quaff. But like all the few other '07s I have had, it seems excellent.

Two from Cave St. Pierre (Switzerland)

Cave St. Pierre Pinot Noir 2007 Switzerland, Valais, Chamoson
13% abv; c.16€. Light colour. A pleasant but simple and straightforward scent of sweet red berries and a bit of the beetroot savouryness I like in the grape. Fairly light body, low in both acidity and tannin and consequently seemingly rather sweet, but not annoyingly so. There would be nothing wrong with this if it were 6€ cheaper: it is a perfectly decent example of a light, easy drinking, cheap Pinot Noir except that this isn't cheap.

Cave St. Pierre Petite Arvine Réserve des Administrateurs Switzerland, Valais
13,5%; 20,10€. The first Petite Arvine I have had, so I had no idea if this is typical of the grape. But it was very nice. The scent reminded me of Muscadet in its stony and citrussy aromas yet at the same time it had an almost Gewurz-like floral and spicy aroma promising sweetness and richness on the palate. It is, indeed, full bodied, rich, ripe and apricot-like, with only moderate acidity (but enough to keep it moreish). Interesting stuff and certainly makes me want to try more of the grape.

Monty Python: "This is not a wine for drinking; this is a wine for laying down ... and avoiding."

Tagonius Crianza 2004 DO Vinos de Madrid

14,5% abv; 20,10€; but conflicting info on the grapes (not that it matters in such a spoof-fest): 45% Syrah, 25% Cab Sauv, 20% Tempranillo, 10% Merlot or 45% Tempranillo, 40% Cab Sauv, 15% Syrah. There is conflicting info also on the oak: 9 months or 11-15 months in 30% new French and American oak. But enough of numbers (well, almost enough of numbers...), what was the wine like?

"91 Points Robert Parker Selection" it says proudly in a sticker under the label.

Opaque and purple. This superb effort (bravo!) shows an alluring perfume of inky pain grillé, blueberry and black and red cherry, tart cherry, sweet cherry and cherry-cola all of which is covered in a sexy layer of chocolate and coconut. This leads to a full bodied, smooth textured, silkily tannic, elegant blob of a gob. It literally has gobs of flavour; it is so gobby that I'm gobsmacked! I thought only grapes grown in such a dry, harsh environment as the Gobi-desert would make wine so gobby! Built to last a hundred years with a structure smothered by a blanket of sweet fruit, expect this to unfurl over the next two years and drink well through 2110. This is so round that I won't give it a hundred points, I'll give it 360°.

Château Musar Rouge 2001

Château Musar 2001 13,5% abv; 29,90€

Another warm year at Musar - the fourth in a row with high temperatures and little rain which caused the vines to tire. After an exceptionally hot July and August the harvest began already on the 3rd of September - maybe the earliest ever at Musar? Apparently Cinsault suffered the most so this is a year marked by Cabernet and Carignan. The scent is, indeed, all about the sun: a little bit dried and Porty aroma, almost jammy in its sweetness, but with the Cabernet lift more noticeable than in most years. Normally I find that the VA (which doesn't really bother me) and high acidity keep the wonderfully sweet Biq'aa fruit in check, but this year the sweetness pokes through - especially the finish isn't so much carried by its usual wonderful acidity, but more by the sheer power of the sweet fruit! This is obviously nothing else but Musar, but this bottle, my first of this vintage, was only a good Musar, not a great one.

Rosé from Penedès and Spätburgunder from Rheinhessen

Can Ràfols dels Caus Penedès Petit Caus Rosat 2008 Penedès

A blend of Merlot, Ull de llebre, Syrah, Sumoll. Dark pink. A rather lovely scent, earthy yet vibrant and mineral, some tartish red fruit. Full body for rosé, quite high acidity, crunchy. I like it!

Weingut Becker Landgraf im Felsenkeller Gau-Odernheimer Spätburgunder trocken J² 2007 Rheinhessen; 13,5%; 22,90€

Jarno Malmberg of Funky Wine Imports does it again! He has a skill for finding great, natural wines - there are only one or two in his whole list that I don't enjoy. This arrived yesterday to Alko's special order selection and I think it rocks!



A very light colour. The scent is rather lovely: peachy, ripe and red, sweet but not vulgarly so, it seems a very pure expression of the grape. On some sniffs I do sense a touch of toast so I guess this does see some oak? Mostly it is gladly not noticeable. Like many "natural" wines the palate is a paradox in being light yet intense at the same time it is very rich in flavour. Vivacious, racy, refreshing finish. Good stuff!

Two from Bodegas Eguren

Bodegas Eguren "Mercedes Eguren" Shiraz-Tempranillo 2007 Vino de la Tierra de Castilla

14% abv; 50% Shiraz, 50% Tempranillo. A part of Heredad Ugarte. This is a rather inexpensive wine (below US $15 in most markets IIRC). Rich and buxom, it begins with a rather strange scent of rhubarb jam, but it calms down after a half-hour or so and starts to smell of Shiraz. Not Syrah. (Nor do I see the Tempranillo anywhere in there.) Dark fruit, almost jammy sweetness, a slight touch of vanilla from six months in American oak (but really a touch, not something that I would find terribly off-putting). Full body, sweet fruit, but well structured. But it does seem like a more restrained Aussie Shiraz than say an OTT Barossa, but still this isn't my preferred style. I can imagine many will find the great value, however.


Bodegas Eguren "Mercedes Eguren" Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Vino de la Tierra de Castilla

14% abv; 100% CS; 6 months in American oak. A very ripe and fruity wine but it does have some of the herbaceous lift, pencil shaving and baked bean aroma I hope to see in the grape. Full body, sweet, pleasantly noticeable acidity, soft tannins that crispen the finish. If one enjoys the bigger style of Cab, this isn't bad at all and should be good QPR.

Čotar Dražna Belo 2005

Čotar Dražna Belo 2005 - Slovenia, Primorska, Kras

Malvazija 40%, Vitovska 30%, Sauvignon 15% and Chardonnay 15%; 12,5% abv; c.25€

A lovely "orange" wine. A very natural scent full of earthy aromas coupled to the sweet, floral and turkish delight scents of Malvazija. Despite the sweet overtones this wine has admirable citrus and steel aromas that, with the strong earthiness, balance it through savouryness.

Dry and crisply citrussy with a steely, mineral core. It seems a bit tannic, too. The sweetness suggested by one aspect of the scent doesn't carry onto the palate.

It is a strange and lovely wine with so many sides to it that I felt like I was drinking two wines instead of one - yet these aspects meld together logically and the end result is cohesive. Fascinating and lovely.