Browse Month

June 2008

Hey, mann!

[vineyards]Heymann-Löwenstein 2005 Winningen Uhlen “L” (Schieferformation “Laubach”) 20 06 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) – Very sulfurous. Hugely concentrated. I get banana skins, and after that…I’m just not sure. I don’t know if this wine is ready for me, or I for it. (4/08)

The Würz of times

Merkelbach 2006 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Beerenauslese 011 07 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) – Sulfur. Luscious, with creamy makrut lime and some nicely-preserved acidity. For a BA, however, it’s medium light, and the finish is a little abrupt. It could just be too young, though. (4/08)

David Michlits

Michlits 2005 Pinot Noir Rosé Frizzante (Burgenland) – Geez, pick a language. Strawberry, watermelon, and minerality form the aromatic cohort, with a candied element emerging and eventually dominating the finish. A dull, indifferent wine with no tactility to its sparkle. (4/08)

Sun god

[vineyard]Te Whare Ra 2004 Riesling (Marlborough) – Windy stones, but otherwise shy, with little more than the hint of underground lime and steel. Builds on the finish. Classic, dry, and intense, but it’s not for youthful quaffing. (3/05)

Take this job and Chauvet

[hand]Quartz Reef “Chauvet” Méthode Traditionelle (Central Otago) – Apple and geranium, with a complex and floral nose flittering atop a crisp palate of lemon, more apple, and somewhat obvious froth. Long and lingering, precise throughout, but it could use a bit more refinement, bubble-wise. (3/05)

Falcon crest

[winery]Peregrine 2003 Pinot Noir (Central Otago) – Plum, dark red fruit, earth, graphite, and nuts. Complex, elegant, and gorgeous in the broad-shouldered Gibbston style. (3/05)

The quality of being Mel

[vineyard]Melness 2004 Riesling (Waipara/Canterbury) – Wet sea-stones, pineapple pie, ripe apple, and soda water thick with minerality. Lemon rind on the finish. Really interesting, though I don’t know if it’s fully-knit yet. (3/05)

Back in Black

[winery]Black Ridge 2003 Gewürztraminer “Late Harvest” (Central Otago) – Sweaty feet, spiced lychee, and some fetid notes on the finish. Everyone but me hates it. I don’t think it’s good, but it’s at least interesting. (It’s worth noting that the “foot” element was something I noticed at the winery, as well.) (3/05)