almost dreary ...

1)anselmann riesling spatlese halbtrocken 2009 (pfalz)

2)alain graillot croze hemitage 2007

later

tired

1)bouchard finlayson missionvale chardonnay 2008

nice BANG!(-) ... but a little pricey here

2)loosen graacher himmelreich kabinett 2007

later

2 tart

loosen riesling kabinett bernkasteler lay 2008

grany smith led ... bit disjointed ... needs some time to come together. better after 1.5 hr ... but who wants to wait ... POP!

nice half doz

1)loosen L 2008
BANG! great great value

2)domaine de la brunely vacqueyras 2003

ruby; kirsch, chinese herbs, long pepper, wet clay; cherry, plum, herbal, said pepper, bit of soy, slight chalkiness; ripe tannins; juicy acid; a bit rustic?; medium bodied; long; BANG!; courtesy of the contrarian.

3)henschke lenswood abbott's prayer 1997
BANG!(-)

4)lucien barrot CDP 2005
er, ...



5)loosen urziger wurtzgarten spatlese 2007
BANG!

6)cloudy bay sauvignon blanc 2008
a friend's rather nice housewine ...

details later

apple juice

selbach-oster bernkasteler badstube riesling kabinett 2007

straw; lemon rind, golden delicious, barley sugar; aforesaid fruit, nicely off dry, mineral/chalk; juicy acids; longish; nice and fresh; BANG!

one hot afternoon

two hands clare riesling the wolf 2005

straw; lemon/lime rind, whiff of kero; aforesaid citrus flavours, apple, some powdery mineral nuances (talc?8-P); juicy acid; longish appley finish; BANG!

comfort

no time last weekend ... stolen drops ...
a loosen graacher himmelreich kabinett 2007 and a lucien barrot et fils chateaunuef du pape 2005 (parts melded very nicely in this sample)... same old same old but consistent.

hard labour day

1)ricasoli rocca guicciarda chianti classico riserva 2005
ruby; plum, cherry, violet?; cherry, raspberry, plum, bright?; fine tannins and very nice refreshing acidity; medium bodied; longish; 13.5%; BANG!

2)st cosme cote du rhone les duex albion 2006
consistent with earlier notes

3)morgenhof premier selection 2001
consistent with earlier notes

4)loosen graacher himmelreich kabinett 2007
consistent with earlier notes

... ok.... i'm just lazy today

nothing new but still nice plonk and nice company ... BANG!

more

wente monterey riverbank riesling 2005 (cali)
gold, a little dark ... oh, oh; pear, golden delicious, honey, bit of kero and sulphur, bit of caramel/old fruit/oxidation; quite rich entry with aforesaid pear/apple (ripe), oxidised fruit flavours, then things vanish; still some acid left in there; short; 13%; dying, bad bottle? or maybe it just cannot last the distance?; FIZZLE!

then another bottle of the loosen bernkastelar lay 07 ... notes consistent with earlier sample but very slighty leaner and with a more mineral feel overall ... but i could be dreaming ... still a BANG!

nuther riesling

dr loosen graacher himmelreich kabinett 2007
gold/straw; simple nose, lime rind, very little peach, ripe white grape?, someone said pear;off dry ... sweet but not cloying, grapey, lime, some golden delicious, not complex but with a nice almost plump mouthfeel (less complex at this stage but broader than the berkasteler lay 07), mineral/chalky; very, very nice juicy underlying acid especially at the very end of each gulp; long ... and there's this subtle fresh peach flavour that goes on and on; for what it's got now, balanced; 8%; kept chucking it down and swallowing hard :-); BANG! price creeping up. pork burger and roast pork (too lean). see the 06.

friday night

st urbans hof ockfener bockstein kabinett 2007
straw; low keyed citrus (lime/orange), wet stone like, someone said jasmine ; off dry, citrus, hint of red delicious, mineral/chalk, savoury/ almost salty?, hint of toast?; lovely juicy acidity; medium length, grapey citrusy off dry finish, dried apricots?, refreshing; 8.5%; BANG! nice one. with some grilled cod and chicken ... food was not happening.

weekend past

1)grand corbin despagne 2005 (75% merlot, 24% cab franc, 1% malbec) [st emilion]
young, almost purple; plum, blackcurrant, smoke, a little vanilla, cedar, mushroom/earth, hint of musk/violets?; follows onto palate, mineral/stones; lots of furry chalky tannins and acid... said young didn't i, and with the fruit it will keep, i happen to like the tannins here; lean kind of feel now; medium bodied and length; 13.5%; BANG!(-)

2)basel cellars cab sav 2002 [walla walla ... i kid you not, washington state]
fruit from 4 different parcels, vinified separately ... blah, blah, blah ...
ruby; plum, blackcurrant, cedar, bit of vanilla, earth/ mushroom, a little funky ... old world like?; clean flavours, ripe fruit on the palate; fine tannins, acid to back that up; medium bodied, longish; 14.5%; BANG!(-); supposedly 100% new wood but pleasently surprised it's not fruit and wood monster.

3)godolphin 2005 (shiraz 80%/ cab 20%) [barossa]
speaking of fruit bombs ...
reddish purple; plum, blackcurrant, cedar, vanilla, hint of cocoa, someone said butterscotch/toffee; cherry, sweet ripe plummy jammy fruit (hmm... 4 adjectives); lotsa fine tannins; acid AWOL; smooth, plump and lush?; medium/heavy bodied with a longish ripe/jammy fruit finish; 14.5%; did i mention ripe? POP! didn't think much of it but others begged to differ. am told this is a big bob fave ... and as a friend would say, hmmm.

4)gunderloch jean baptiste kabinett 2007 [rhinehessen]
straw; lime, bit of peach; off dry, bit lean, mineral; nice sharp acidity; short; 7.5%; ho hum; POP!

5)delas freres crozes hermitage tour d'albon 2005
ruby, purple tinge; initial whiff was really herbal and spicy (long pepper/ green peppercorn very obvious), cherry, grilled meat, sweet; cherry, herbal, meat, someone said bread and butter pudding and apple cider?, clove, balsamic, chalk/mineral/ stone; lot of fine tannins with nice juicy acidity; overall, a wee bit hard now; medium bodied and length, nice herbal finish; 12.5%; nice one; BANG!(+) extremely well priced. remember "cheap wine"?

bits and pieces

1)nicolas potel chablis 1er cru montmains 2006
straw; citrus (lime/grapefruit?), slightly floral, nectarine; follows onto palate, a little ripe?, bit rich for a chablis; lotsa minerals/chalk and acid (suck on some lemon rind); longish finish with the aforesaid lemon bits; BANG!

2)carlos serres onomastica 1995 (rioja reserva)
ruby, still dark; cherry, plum, vanilla/wood, spicy; quite rich with dark fruit, woody vanilla; lots of fine tannins with just enough acid so i didn't gag; it don't taste like a rioja, almost like some medium weight barossa!?; medium/big bodied; medium length; 13.5%; POP! ... but for the price, maybe POOP!



3)dr loosen bernkasteler lay kabinett 2007
straw; lime, peach, grape!; more than off dry almost sweet (but no where near the 06), lime, grapefruit, oats, red delicious, underlying chalk and stone, fleshy kind of feel; very nice juicy mouthwatering acid; long; you keep wanting to fill the glass; 8%; BANG! woud be nice to see it in a coupla years.

4)pikes clare riesling reserve 2002
deep straw/ gold; lime, cumquat, stone, dried apricots; follows onto palate, maybe some golden delicious?, hint of kero; has softened ... aging and mellowing nicely; acid still there to keep things fresh though; longish said dried apricot/citrus rind finish; BANG!