Browse Month

May 2007

TN: Madiran, I ran so far away

Savoret “Clos Fardet” 1998 Madiran (Southwest France) – Very tannic (of course), showing nicely-developing blackened mushroom, charred blackberry, and liquid black soil. There’s even a hint of unrefined oil. Blended herbs and more berries stir into the finish. If such a thing can even be said, it seems slightly commercial for Madiran, but there’s no denying it’s a tasty wine. (5/07)

TN: Fool’s gold

Au Bon Climat 2005 Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara County) – Simple mixed berries and obvious structure. Direct and straightforward. The finish is absent. (5/07)

TN: Savigny the last dance for me

[vineyard & people]Maréchal 2004 Savigny-les-Beaune “Vieilles Vignes” (Burgundy) – Golden beet, orange rind, old cherry and reddish-grey earth, with hints of black truffle and a darker, moodier diagonal streak that brings with it a sliced edge of tannin. Very nice, but it feels like it’s showing most of its complexity already, and may not have a beneficial future. That’s just a guess, though. (5/07)

TN: Beurre Montée

[bottle]Fèvre 2005 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre “1er Cru” (Chablis) – Piercing yet supple, with ginger-spiced complexity and a firm, balanced core of acid, light citrus pith, and green mango. Deftly oaked, and really, really nice. (5/07)

TN: JJ walker

JJ Prüm 1997 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 9 98 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) – Finally open for business, though it’s still a baby. The sulfur has dissipated, leaving an intense, satiny ball of electric creamfruit and threaded steel. There’s just enough acidity to balance matters. An infant beauty. (5/07)

JJ Prüm 1997 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 9 98 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) – Under a cork on the verge of structural failure, and the wine shows more advanced, mildly oxidative tremors underneath its full-bodied weight. Organoleptically, the wine is as noted above, but this bottle has seen a little damage. (5/07)

TN: I put a Hex on you

[vineyard]Hexamer 2005 Schlossböckelheimer In Den Felsen Riesling Spätlese 008 06 (Nahe) – Vivid and somewhat aggressive, with a rounded hammer of ripe apple sheathed in velvet. There’s structure here, but this wine is dominated by its fruit, and it’s a bit on the obvious side. In any case, aging won’t hurt. (5/07)

TN: Double Diel-ing

[burgberg vineyard]Diel 1998 Dorsheimer Burgberg Riesling Kabinett (Nahe) – Apple core and molten aluminum, well-salted aged riesling creaminess, and a woven texture. This is in a beautiful place right now, and I see little reason to hold it. (5/07)

Diel 1997 Dorsheimer Burgberg Riesling Kabinett (Nahe) – Creamier and heavier than the ’98, showing more obvious, round stone fruit popsicle, a polished mouthfeel, and a moderate amount of finishing oil. It could go longer, but the acid is a little deficient…though not unpleasantly so.(5/07)

TN: The Liest of our worries

Dönnhoff 2005 Oberhäuser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett (Nahe) – Fresh, vivid peach and citrus with a squeezed stone liquidity, fairly intense sweetness, and an acidic structure that’s struggling a bit beneath the competing elements. This looks to have a good life ahead of it, but it’s predictably straightforward now. (5/07)

TN: Bihl me later

[label]Frick 2004 Riesling Bihl (Alsace) – Extremely austere, with a dusty, wind-etched aroma. There’s every indication of lightness, but the wine carries significant weight and presence…however, that presence is somewhat void, like a hollow chamber. Call it dark matter: a density of nothing. The finish is dry and parched. (5/07)

TN: Grim & brown

[logo]Grimbergen “Optimo Bruno” (Belgium) – Dark, roasted and heavily spiced, with an espresso cream backbone that almost edges towards root beer. Brewed and blackened complexity. (5/07)