Richer Steel

Well, what a coincidence!  Not long after the Dog Men put up two J.J. Prum Kabinett wine, another two J.J. Prum appeared on our table, graciously presented by the PT Tutor.  This man knows what it’s all about, and this is one of his favourite German producers.

The 2007 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese I found in that in-between stage, still young and a little raw, and just beginning to show some hints of development.  Deliciously ungainly, as you know it’s going to blossom.  A little more weight and presence than the two Kabinett we had just a little earlier, but not a great deal sweeter.  The 2007 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese a step up again in richness, and a softer steeliness.  Suggestions of unctuousness too.  Definitely in a more youthful state.  There’s the underlying razor acid edge, juxtaposed with the Graacher elegance and roundness – compared to Wehlener, anyway, and the classical sulphide reduction – that we all know fades into complexity, in both the wines.  I would have been happier to leave them another 5+ years, but I’m not complaining.

Sunshine Slate and Steel

Busy, busy, busy bees.  It’s been a time to focus on my real work and I haven’t had a chance to add some of the ‘other’ interesting wines that have come my way. 

 

It was a brilliant day in the sunshine.  Picnic time, and the Dog Men put up the perfect lunchtime accompaniment.  It was a working lunch, so the less the alcohol the better.  And some rich and varied food needed a bit of acid cut.  And a comparison too!

J.J. Prum is the master of slate and steel, making the best Wehlener wines and from the neighbouring villages.  The 2009 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett with a little richness and softer body, with a touch of honeysuckle.  The 2009 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett crisper, more pure with great clarity.  But also with a hint of complex reduction too.  Both with the white florals, racy acidity and the taste of slate and steely mouthfeel.  Still babies, but perfectly drinkable already.

Bold and Gold

 

The Roader was in town to be part of a big tasting.  He’s a generous man as I found out over the years, and whenever one tries to match him, he’ll out-do you.  There’s no winning.  For this event, he fronted up with a delicious red, but it was the finale, a white, that wowed everyone.  And being the modest man he is, he wasn’t quite as happy with what he provided as he thought he might be…

Well, no one could fault the 2001 Felton Road ‘Block2’ Central Otago Chardonnay, en magnum!  At over a dozen years old, even allowing for the large format bottle, this was in spectacular condition.  Golden yellow, but light.  The bouquet packed full of toasty, nutty, mealy aromas and flavours.  Sure, fully mature, but not fading in any way.  Minerals and toasted nuts.  Some ripe stonefruits and hints of tropical fruits.  Not broad either, but with a focus and line, assisted by the elevated acidity.  Bold and golden, and coming along nicely.  Someone said this could be Grand Cru Chablis.  I thought Corton-Charlemagne.  I think The Roader would have liked it to be a bit more minerally and linear.  Maybe less developed.  But the reality was that this was superb.  

Pinot Poise

When we get taken out to dinner by good people to a fancy restaurant, and they’re choosing the wine, we tend not to argue too much, but nod and accept gracefully.  The Spaders did just that, seemingly out of some feeling of debt that we couldn’t quite figure out.  We protested initially, then went with the flow.

Of the wines that appeared on the table, there was the 2006 Mondillo Central Otago Pinot Noir that stood out for SWMBO and myself, as well as The Spaders.  It’s not a common and accepted occurrence that Pinot Noir wines should age with grace and poise.  But when it does, it’s something special, and delicious.  The well-known scenario that Bordeaux wines consistently please with age, but it’s Burgundy wines that can give the highest pleasures or the lowest lows, applies here.  2006 in Central Otago wines haven’t matured as satisfyingly as other vintages, and it’s a feeling from the start.  Many of them have gone mushroomy, broad or dull.  Well not Dominec Mondillo’s wine from Bendigo.  Still beautifully elegant with sweet fruit, admittedly with savoury dried herb and undergrowth-like and layers of subtle earthiness.  Definitely autumnal.  But gorgeous with its sweetness and acid vitality.  This danced on our palates, and flowed with poise.  There’s just the right amount of texture and line. We just sipped and enjoyed it.

Grunty

My apologies for not feeding this blog for a while.  Sometimes wine work gets in the way of wine play, though in reality the two merge together.  A night out with the slip-slidey down the snow-covered hill crew gave SWMBO and I the chance to put in a long-held bottle donated by The Grunter.  The wine style he makes tends to be pretty amiable, and approachable, so we expected something mellow to slip down smoothly, like the drinkers do on the mountain. 

But we were a little surprised by the 2007 Redmetal ‘Erinview’ Hawke’s Bay Merlot/Cabernet Franc.  The label we knew is an up-tier version, and from a vintage producing ageworthy wines.  But this had some real grunt to it.  The feature was structure, and all the textures, mouthfeel and grip that is associated with it.  Flavourwise, it was already into the savoury, leathery spectrum, but with plenty of lively, sweet fruit there in gobs, it still needed another decade before the tannins would be evolved.  A little tougher than expected, luckily the WRXers had put on some hearty meaty fare, and it all worked rather well.

Friendly

 

The Nebbiolo wines of Piedmont can be pretty fearsome to the uninitiated, with considerable extraction and the acidity to match.  But their aromatic beauty and complexity can be something to behold.  In a country so focussed on supple and accessible reds from Pinot Noir, aficionados of good Pinot Noirs gravitate to the more sophisticated Barbaresco and Barolo wines easily.  That’s once they experience that beauty.  How can Piedmont producers make their wines more user-friendly to the newcomer without losing their essence?

A 2009 Terra da Vino ‘Paesi Tuoi’ Barolo showed how.  It’s the more traditional rendition from a super large co-operative who are in the modern camp, and want to make wines approachable.  This wine was just that.  Big, fleshy, brawny, but rounded and soft.  Plenty of savoury dark red fruits with earth, leather and tar. Real Nebbiolo in taste.  But sweet.  Residual sugar sweet, I wouldn’t like to make the call.  The first half of the bottle went down quickly.  It helped to have venison meatballs.  Then the tannins and the honest taste of the ground kicked in for the second half of the bottle.  Suddenly, it became the Barolo as expected.  Seasoned campaigners SWMBO and the I-Spy Agent saw it the same way too. Bellissimo!   

Provenance and Pedigree

I certainly have provenance, but pedigree is debateable.  The fact that I can only determine my provenance a generation or so matters not.  I think I carry myself with integrity, and I believe those around me would agree.  The vast majority of people on this planet could claim the same, making us all a bit special.  Occasionally we all slip up, but it doesn’t really take too much away from us.

So it is with many wines.  We went out to celebrate a birthday, which is significant to thoughts on provenance and pedigree.  It was a night at one of our favourite eateries, SWMBO, The Chairman, The Young One and JoLo making up the group.  What better than an NV Bollinger Champagne ‘Special Cuvee’ to start the proceedings.  The new and elegant bottle shape reflect the lighter, less oxidative and aldehydic nature of this house as it comes to terms with the modern world.  Still delicious with its body and reliance on Pinot Noir, giving it a degree of gravitas.  It’s different, but still got what it takes.

A special bottle to remind us of the passing of Laurence Faller, taken too young.  A 2007 Weinbach Alsace Grand Cru ‘Schlossberg’ Riesling ‘L’Inedit’, my favourite serious Alsace Riesling, that combines richness and steely purity.  The memories of past vintages flooded back, but this bottle just a little soft, and maybe let down by a poor cork.  The Chairman and SWMBO not quite excited, but the rest of us happier.

By all rights the 2010 Anne Gros Chambolle-Musigny 1er ‘La Combe d’Orveau’ should have been a thing of beauty.  Afterall, Anne Gros is precision personified, and the 2010 vintage allowing terroir to speak, with Chambolle-Musigny a star place for such expression.  Indeed, the wine was fine, fresh and lacy.  Maybe too light and lean, the acidity taking control.  A pretty and aromatic wine, but on a cold night a bit anaemic.  The environs I’m sure affected our appreciation.

Moving onto the 1996 Ch, Pichon-Longueville Baron Pauillac.  A star performer for many generations, and a recognised second growth.  On a roll too, in these modern days.  Talk about provenance and pedigree, this had it in spades.  This bottle affected by the galloping disease of horsey brettanomyces.  It stopped SWMBO in her tracks.  The Chairman and I sipped on it with modest enjoyment.  Fleshy to some degree, and well-structured, quite dense, but the gamey flavours building up a bit too much in the end.  We forgave it because of its noble history.

Finally, another wine of equal standing.  A 2007 Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldcap.  Divine stuff, lusciously rich and opulent while still classy and with stylish line and length.  Decadent creamy toast, with honey and citrus fruits, succulent, but refreshing, energising but satisfying.  The ultimate enigmatic wine.  True provenance of the site, and continuing the pedigree beautifully.