4 Wines with Great Friends

Jonathan L. is a long-time friend from NYC from when I was just out of college and starting in the wine business (pre-law school period).  He and his wonderful wife Marge were in DC to see some sights and visit friends, and luckily we were among the targeted friends!

As we're getting older now, and have to pace ourselves (unlike those hangover-inducing Grand Cru and Port benders we'd occasionally indulge in in the early 80s), the 4 of us paced ourselves through 4 bottles over the course over 6 or 7 hours.  Here are the notes from memory.

2011 Johann W. Schild Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett -- We used this inexpensive Mosel as our "pace car" to get things going.  It's fruity, with peachy apply notes.  Not much complexity but a decent enough mid-afternoon sipper.

2010 Simonnet-Febvre Chablis Premier Cru Cote de Lechet -- Although I'm partial to Chablis that is fermented and aged in seasoned (not new) barrels, this "stainless steel only" Chablis was really nicely-cut.  Medium bodied, fragrant with brothy, wet limestoney notes, straw, and apply fruit.  Very precise, and drinking well now but could certainly go another couple of years.  

2010 Ridge Paso Robles Zinfandel (Dusi Ranch) -- Dusi Ranch has, over the last 10 years, become my favorite of Ridge's stable of Zins, with its remarkable, laser-like focus and purity.  Great fragrance, texture, depth, and freshness.  Could last and improve another 2-3 years.  

2005 Ridge Montebello -- It was hard to top the Dusi ranch Zin, but this did, and easily.  Jonathan brought this from his cellar (what, you think I can afford wines like this?), and it was amazing with grilled steaks topped with chimichurri.  Great depth and length with perfect balance, this iconic Cabernet was showing well yet seemed amazingly young.  I think this wine could go on for a long, long time.

2011 Heinz Eifel "S" RIESLING SPATLESE (Mosel, Germany)

This is an excellent value in a slightly sweet, bright Riesling.

Very pale greenish-gold color.  All sorts of ripe fruit in the nose, with white peach, juicy pear, and ripe apple scents, augmented with a light dried tea note and some extraordinarily high-toned slatey/stoniness.   Fills the mouth with ripe, juicy fruit, yet has enough acids to keep it fresh and interesting.  A very mild bitter tea component comes through at the end.  Light-bodied and round-textured.  Not super complex, but really fun to drink.  B+.  Was $9.99 from Winex.com.  Imported by Winesellers, Ltd. of Niles, IL.

2011 Cono Sur RIESLING (Valle Central, Chile)

A well-made good value Riesling.  Made in a fuller-bodied Alsace style, but on the slightly sweet end of the spectrum.

Medium gold color.  Loads of up-front fruit on the nose (ripe Delicious apples, pear), along with melted butter and slightly-petrolly minerals.  Mouthfilling fruit, full-body, and with somewhat lower acid than I usually like in a Riesling, but it offers lots of clean, slightly sweet fruit and mineral flavors and has decent balance despite its size.  B, but you have to be ready for the style.  I think this was around $11 from Total Wine in Fairfax.  Imported by Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL.

2010 Porta RIESLING Reserva (Bio Bio Valley, Chile)

A fantastic value in a crisp, zingy, fragrant, bone dry Riesling.  Can easily compete with entry-level Alsace Rieslings costing 50%-100% more.

Very light silvery-gold color.  Vivid nose of crisp white grapes, lime, and petrol-inflected minerals.  Flavorful, dry, and with mouthwatering acids, there are loads of citrusy, green apple fruit and lots of clean minerality.  Medium-bodied, with a very clean, refreshing, and fairly long finish.  I'm very impressed this wine was this good at $9.99.  B+.  This tastes very young and should continue to drink well for 1-2 more years.  Got this at Total Wine in Fairfax.  Imported by Saranty Imports, Harrison, NY.

Mom & Dad's Visit -- last coupla rounds

Mom and Dad have gone back to Massachusetts, but we went through quite a few goods wines during the last week of their visit:

2007 "Rosso del Vulcano" AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE -- This was an excellent, balanced, flavorful, traditional styled Aglianico.  Great, minerally, gravelly nose with deep winey, berry fruit.  Excellent balance and persistence.  Not too tannic and, best of all, no smell or flavors of new French oak.  ($17.99 from Houston Wine Merchant).

2009 Chateau Thivin CÔTE DE BROUILLY  -- Outstanding old school Beaujolais.  Gobs of minerally, rich, crunchy cherry fruit.  Vivacious and deep-flavored.  Smooth, clingy, and refreshing.

2009 Domaine Diochon MOULIN-À-VENT "Cuvée Vieilles Vignes" -- This wine pointedly displayed  the typical difference between the neighboring Beaujolais applelations of Moulin-á-Vent and Cote de Brouilly (or the Moulins and ANY of the other Beaujolais appellations):  The Moulins are typically earthier, larger-framed, more structured and austere, and less overtly fruity.  (This one fit the profile to a "t".)  In a word, they are -- at least to me -- more challenging to drink.  Some would argue that makes it the best Beaujolais appellation.  I just think it's different, and I usually go for the non-Moulin style when I'm considering drinking a Beaujolais. 


2009 Leitz Rudesheimer Magdalenenkreuz RIESLING Spatlese (Rheingau, Germany) -- A fantastic, more than slightly sweet Riesling, with piercing peachy, apricot fruit, coupled with intensely minerally (almost petrolly) notes, and a dark tea leaf aspect.  Fantastically balanced, with outstanding acidity and a great, pure finish.  Loved it.


2010 King Estate "Vin Glacé" RIESLING (Oregon) -- This "fake" Eiswein (the grapes were harvested late and then frozen by the winemaker and crushed, as opposed to being harvested late while frozen, then crushed) was a fantastic buy in a dessert Riesling.  Intensely fruity, with loads of pure peach/apricot fruit, a tad bit of minerality, and intense acidity adding lift to the finish.  Was about $14 for the half bottle at Spec's on Smith, making it a steal for a delicious, lighter-styled  dessert wine.


2007 Selection Laurence Féraud GIGONDAS (Rhone Valley, France) -- A classically-styled Gigondas.  Loads of herbal, austere, iodiney-minerally fruit on the nose.  Fairly full, with that classic Gigondas austere feel, but with an excellent, clingy finish.  Great with winter stews and wine-braised pot roasts.


2008 Francine et Olivier Savary CHABLIS "Selection Vieilles Vignes" (No. Burgundy, France) -- A traditionally styled, austere, earthy, straw and broth-scented Chardonnay.  Lean, penetrating, and with loads of crisp, earth-tinged, apply fruit.  Very nice.

Mom & Dad's Visit -- Round three

2009 Domaine Perraud MACON-VILLAGES "Vieilles Vignes" -- This unoaked Chardonnay was large-framed, earthy, with lots of wet straw and gravel scents, along with intense pear/apple fruit.  Very nice.

2010 Chateau Soucherie ROSE DE LOIRE "Cuvee L'Astree" -- This rose, which I believe is Cabernet Franc-based, was ridiculously crisp, fresh, floral and zesty, with excellent minerality and sweet/tart strawberry fruit.  Excellent.

2009 Three Vineyards "Old Vines Field Blend" (Contra Costa County, Cal.) -- Much bigger, riper, and in-your-face than the 2008 (which I've previously reviewed here), this wine would be an excellent choice on a cold fall or winter evening with a beef stew.

2008 Umani Ronchi LACRIMA DI MORRO D'ALBA "Fonte del Re" (Marche, Italy) -- This wine is grown in the hills where my grandfather was born, and is quite unique in its aromas and flavors.  It's got an intense, bitter dark plum/grape and licorice aroma, with a bit of dry gravelly earth, and is both mouth-filling and palate-cleansing at the same time.  Very nice accompaniment to rich, meat and tomato sauces and braises.

2002 Selbach RIESLING EISWEIN (Mosel, Germany) -- Wow.  Light tawny-copper color.  Intense, complex nose leaps out, with honey, apricot, bright citrusy acids, and sweet earth.  Utterly ridiculous in the mouth, with mouthfilling richness and honeyed, intensely sweet fruit, but juxtaposed with such vibrant intense acids that it literally makes your mouth water.  Fantastic, long finish.  In 500 ml bottle, so a little more to enjoy than the typical dessert 375.  This wine will last another several years.

Mom & Dad's visit -- first few wines

Mom and Dad are down from New England for a visit, and that means breaking out some of the "non-value-oriented-stuff."  After all, they deserve it, and at their age, making the trip is pretty grueling.

2010 Cantina Terlan PINOT BIANCO (Alto Adige, Italy) -- I expected a leaner, more minerally expression of Pinot Bianco, given the climate and the vintage, but this was a bit fatter than I'm used to seeing in Italian whites, with very good, straightforward apple and slightly underripe peach fruit.

2008 Three Wine Company "OLD VINES FIELD BLEND" (Contra Costa County, Cal.) -- I previously reviewed and liked this very much, and it's still drinking really well.  Deep, soft, a little earthy, and with good weight and balance.

2009 Jakob Schneider NIEDERHAUSER HERMANNSHOHLE RIESLING SPATLESE (Nahe, Germany) -- A ridiculously pure, sweet, and crisp Riesling.  Unbelievable purity and intensity of fruit.  Sweeter and riper (seemed more like an Auslese) and would have served beautifully as a refreshing dessert wine.  As it an aperitif, which was how we drank it, it was maybe a tad too sweet for most tastes, but we all thought it was killer.

 2008 Poggio Antico ROSSO DI MONTALCINO (Tuscany, Italy) -- Very low-toned in the nose and flavors, with deep bass berry fruit buried under loads of minerally, schist-rich gravelly scents. Drinking very well now.

4th of July wines

Bare-bones impressions from memory:

2008 Donnhoff KREUZNACHER KROTENPFUHL RIESLING KABINETT (Nahe, Germany) -- This was a killer wine:  Unbelievable fragrance of ripe, lively fruit, flowers, and stony minerals.  Great verve in the mouth.  Ripeness, lightness, great buoyant acids.  Fantastic.  A.

2007 Saintsbury "Toyon Ranch" PINOT NOIR (Carneros, California) -- A soft, full, earthy and savory Pinot Noir.  Very much a Nuits-St. George style, but a bit riper and more approachable.  B+.

2008 Trimbach RIESLING Reserve (Alsace, France)

I LOVE this style of Riesling -- fragrant, lean, so crisp as to be zingy, bone dry yet with wonderfully ripe Riesling fruit.  Very much in the classic Trimbach style.

Very pale bright gold.  Classic Alsace Riesling nose of piercing green apple, tea, and powdered granite, it features crisp, bracing, intense flavors of fresh-crushed green apple juice poured over lemon drenched stones.  Very tight now, this wine will age effortlessly for another 4 years or so.  Not as full and ripe a style as a lot of Alsace producers are now trending toward, this really is a classic wine.  A.  I got this on sale from Zachys.com for $20.

2009 Schafer-Frohlich RIESLING "Medium Dry" (Nahe, Germany)

This wine shows off the ability of Riesling to reflect the mineral signature of where it's grown.

Bright, glistening light gold color. The first day, it showed off a complex and intensely slatey minerals drenched in lime juice, with peach pit and crisp apples in the background. There was still a prickle of CO2 in the wine, that lent a slightly bitter impression over lots of eartrhy, minerally-tinged apple fruit. The second day the wine was significantly different, and showed a lot more fruit. The wine displayed a soft, crisp fruitiness, and was mouthfilling yet incredibly light-textured, with great concentration and a long long finish. While the first day's CO2 bitterness hid a slight sweetness, the second day the slight sweetness showed through. Excellent now, this wine will age nicely for a few years. A. Was $24 from Zachys.com (Scarsdale, NY). Imported by Rudi Wiest ( a great importer of German wines)

2009 "Leitz Out" RIESLING (Rheingau, Germany)

This was a fantastic value. Lots of classic Rheingau Riesling characteristics shining through at a bargain price.

(NB -- this is a slightly sweet wine, so if you're one of those categorical, reflexive haters of this style, just skip it.) . . . but you'll be missing out!

Very pale gold with glints of light green and pewter. Very open, fruity nose with loads of crisp apple and lemon-drenched peach fruit. Very clean, minerally stone notes too. Lively, mouthfilling, with ripe but crisp fruit -- lots of peachey notes. Slightly sweet, but with very good balancing acids. Light-bodied. B+ I got this for $11 at Spec's on Weslayan. Imported by Michael Skurnick Wines.

2007 Albert Seltz RIESLING (Alsace, France)

A chunky, dry style of Riesling. Not elegant, but full of flavor.

Medium gold color. Earthy, peach pit and dark mineral nose. Round, mouthfilling, and ripe. Loads of peach/pear fruit and lots of earthy/chalky minerals. Full-bodied. Dry, or nearly so, with a long finish. Very good value -- this was about $18 at Central Market, if I remember correctly. 88. Domaine Select Imports.

2009 Schloss Lieser BRAUNEBERGER JUFFER RIESLING KABINETT (Mosel, Germany)

Very young and direct now, but needs several years to develop more complexity.

Pale light gold color with light greenish glints. Young, assertive nose of ripe Riesling fruit (mouthwatering white peach and apples) with a very deep-toned minerality. Fantastic ripeness of fruit (almost Spatlese in style). Mouthwatering, piercing acidity. Not complex but wicked fun. Amazing purity. Slightly sweet in the finish but with great balancing acids and that remarkable purity. Cellar this a few years. 89+. Imported by Rudi Wiest. Was $19.99 from B-21 Wines in Florida.

(Sorry, 2005 shown)

2005 Otter RIESLING Kastelweg (Alsace, France)

This was a heavily botrytised, ripe, heavy Riesling. The polar opposite of, say, the austere, bone dry minerally style of a Trimbach Reserve. Of course, as is usually the case with Alsace Rieslings, you have no way of knowing that by looking at the label. But once I got over my shock at the color, nose, and first sip, I liked this quite a bit.

Very dark gold with some amber. So the color was suspect, right off the bat. A tremendously rich, earthy, deeply-honeyed nose, with Alsace "gout de petrol" lurking underneath, along with nearly overripe apricot. Broad, mouthfilling flavors, with some noticeable residual sugar: tea, apricot, earth, honey, and gravel. Lengthy finish lacked only a bit of acidity. Very nice -- if you like this style. It actually went very well with a rich pasta (made "risotto style" by adding homemade turkey broth a bit at a time) that featured carrots and green beans. 88. Was about $25 at Richard's on Kirby/Westheimer.

(Sorry -- 2004 pictured)

Grandma, Nonno, and Molly's visit -- night 5

Every 5 years or so, I put a white in the freezer to chill it fast, but then forget I put it in there and by the time I remember it has frozen solid. The cork typically blows out as the liquid expands (water expands when frozen, and wine contains lots of water). It happened again. Good thing it wasn't a screw cap wine. It was an excellent German dry Riesling I previously reviewed, and after thawing it actually tasted pretty good, though not up to the standard of the unneglected bottle I had a few months ago. It was a 2008 Schafer-Frohlich RIESLING Trocken "Bockenauer" (Nahe, Germany). I won't review the frozen bottle.

Next up was the 2001 Chateau Haut-Bergey (Pessac-Leognan), one of my sentimental favorite estates in the Graves region of Bordeaux (I used to sell this when I worked for Paramount Wines in NY back in the early 80s). It's way more expensive now, but it's also stepped up in quality. It had a dark black, brickish ruby color befitting a mature Graves, and sported an intensely fragrant smoky, spiced gravel, and sweet cassis nose. Rich and soft, with deep, ripe fruit, and a smoky, earthy, oaky finish. It would have preferred the oak to be a bit less overt, but still it was very, very good, and peaking. 89.

Grandma, Nonno, and Molly's visit -- night 1

Grandma, Nonno, and our niece Molly are visiting. So we're breaking out the good stuff.

2007 Leitz Rudesheimer Klosterlay RIESLING Kabinett (Rheingau, Germany) -- Outrageous nose of ripe grapes and peach, slate and sea shells, and a lightly floral component. Piercing up-front fruit coats the mouth, wrapped in a thin veneer of minerals. Light to medium-bodied, slightly sweet, but with very good balancing acidity. A long, lithe, ridiculously pure finish. 91. Was around $18 at Spec's awhile ago, so I am not sure they still have it. Imported by Michael Skurnick Wines.

2007 Herman Story Winery GRENACHE "Larner Vineyard" (Santa Barbara County, Cal.) -- From a teeny, weeny winery, this was a brooding but civilized monster. Completely saturated ruby purple. Intense nose of crushed rocks, gravel, and spicy raspberry syrup, as well as warm, just-out-of-the-oven baking spices. Huge body, with almost port-like richness, but dry. Deep favors of liquefied stony minerals, dried raspberry syrup. Long, long finish, with some peppery warmth from the alcohol (16.1%), but it's actually hidden well. 90. Was $39 at Spec's on Smith.

2007 Hopler RIESLING (Burgenland, Austria)

A really refreshing, bone-dry Riesling. Very good value. Not as complex and deep as a good Alsace, but terrific for a hot day.

Very light gold with gorgeous greenish glints. Fun, lively nose of perfumey, powdered stones, crisp cool pears, and crunchy Macintosh apples, along with a peachy note. Light-bodied, mouthwateringly refreshing, and dry, it sports crisp, apply fruit and a clean, stony streak. Clean, crisp, medium length finish. 88. Was $16 at Houston Wine Merchant on South Shepherd.

2008 Schafer-Frohlich RIESLING Trocken "Bockenauer" (Nahe, Germany)

A terrific wine -- fragrant, vibrant, loads of flavor, and zingy as all get-out. I haven't had many Trockens (dry German wines) that I love, but this is one.

Light, silvery-gold streaked with bright, light green. Vivacious nose of limes, granny smith apples, crushed stones, and a hint of fresh tea leaves. Incredibly lively and crisp, with tightly-concentrated green apple/pear fruit. Long, minerally, pure finish. Loads of fruit, but dry and very crisp. Great fun with Asian food or as a hot weather sipper. 90. A Rudi Wiest Selection (He's a great German importer). Was about $25 at Spec's on Smith.

Sorry, 2007 shown.

2005 Charles Koehly RIESLING "Saint Hippolyte" (Alsace, France)

Aaaah -- good Riesling from Alsace. Always one of my favorite types of whites. This Riesling, while dry in the typical Alsace style, is actually a bit more fruit-forward, and less austere, than many Alsace Rieslings.

Light gold color. Beautiful, yet somewhat reserved nose of crushed white grapes, slate, and a hint of yeasty-cinnamon. Soft-textured and medium-bodied, it has ripe, almost exotic flavors of grape, peach, gingerbread, and milky tea. Good balancing acidity as well. Will easily hold for another 1-2 years. 88. Imported by Neal Rosenthal.

2006 Frey-Sohler RIESLING "Rittersberg" (Alsace, France)

A decent starter Riesling from Alsace.

Crystal light gold with greenish glints. Identifiably Alsace Riesling nose of apply fruit (hint of peach too), sweet Earl Grey tea leaves, and deep-toned minerals. Intensely minerally in the mouth -- a lot more austere than the nose would indicate. Long and zesty, but too lean and unidimensionally minerally in the finish. 86 (based primarily on the strength of the nose). Was $19 and change at Spec's on Smith. Importer: J&R Selections.