Weekend drinking 02 July

Started last night with a stonking bottle of Moet 08, much like the early bottles, open and toasty but plenty of cut too. These seemed to have closed down a while ago but this was glorious. Tempted to open another tonight but tempting fate.
Mmm, you inspired me to have a look. Not fully toasty, but superb balance and supremely elegant.

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Haart Piesporter Goldtropchen Auslese 1999 is just reaching a good point. To date it’s been just too sweet, now it’s entering a really good phase I think. Lovely green/gold colour. Super nose. Great fruits with a dash of quinine. I’ve been slightly dismissive of this wine before - and, quite rightly this bottle, as the penultimate from a case, taught me a lesson. Will I learn from it though?
 
I'm afraid my loyalty remains with the French!
  • NV Hambledon Première Cuvée - United Kingdom, England, Hampshire (7/2/2021)
    Purchased at a discount from Waitrose at the time of English wine week. Unclear how old this bottle was (the Hambledon website suggests the current release is 2014 base), but some leesy maturity evident on the nose, albeit this retained an overall sense of brightness and delineation. Palate was less pleasure-giving, with high levels of malic acid and a finish dominated by lemon. In its current state this wine would be ideal as an enlivening aperitif, but it became a bit wearing by the time I was part-way through the second glass. (90 pts.)
 
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Les Pezerolles is perhaps an atypical Pommard. It is a sensitive soul by Pommard standards with a delicate perfume and an understated constitution. Tonight’s de Montille Pommard Pezerolles 2002 is a superb example that has that quintessential Burgundian combination of charm and a pleasing surliness. Surliness it seems to me is greatly underrated in red burgundy these days. 12% alcohol and de Montille good taste also help.
 
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  • 2020 Willi Schaefer Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (02/07/2021)
    First of these since 2008, late harvested on 17 October but real Kabi style, really juicy grape, apricot and white peach. Has a bit more stuffing that the other 2020 Kabis from here, a real bite to the finish showing huge potential.

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Funnily enough we had another Schafer GH Kab on Tuesday and my notes have similar theme. Needs more time, many of the 20s are easy enough right now.
 
Started with a half bottle of Krug. 167 based on 2011. Lovey nose, very Krug, drinking ok now but has a pretty dry, curling finish that does suggest another 4-5 years would be ideal, this was a 2017 dg so has had 4 years in bottle already.

The Falkenstein, not unsurprisingly, also needs some time and runs a very dry slightly lime / lemon finish but is lovely and light with that mountain stream nose, Will try the rest of the bottle tomorrow.

Opened a Cayuse God Only Knows 2016 as well to go with an Aktar BBQ box and did ok with that using its sweetness and soft nature with some animal syrah against the mild spice.

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Weingut Knoll Loibner GV Federspiel 2019
This was nice! No surprise since it's Knoll. Seems a fairly ripe vintage knowing Knoll's elegant style since it's fruity and not super high in acidity. But I mean I even liked a Knoll 2003 so don't take this as a criticism. It takes quite a while to open up but when it does it has all those lovely GV aromas that the more elegant types have: some pepper, minerality, cut grass aromas. Fruity but dry and good but not high acidity. Fresh and clean though it has some baby fat to shed that I don't remember seeing in Knolls before. Really good. Buy again? At 30€ it's expensive but frankly I'm tempted to get one or two more.
 
Cote De Beaune 2014, Drouhin. Fugitive in the extreme. This is a perfect example of a wine that is more or less totally closed. One knows that aroma and flavour are there but they are staying firmly locked in their room. A pity, and a reminder to think harder about opening wines of this age even though they are not supposed to do this so much nowadays.
 
2018 Domaine Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc

Really quite nice. Little bit of reduced at first, but didn't have to wait long. Apples and lemon curd, fresh and super food friendly. Really nice balance. Just a Bourgogne but it is a good one. Probably tough to justify the premium but I'd buy it again, especially at a decent restaurant price like this one was.

Another 2018 I've enjoyed, although not tried anything too far up the pecking order
 
A brace of forum faves this evening.

The sherry is lovely - salty, nutty, light - and at 15%abv somewhat gentle.

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the Chardonnay was singing from opening - a touch of lemon, great acidity - really excellent for what it costs, and extra bonus points for the screw cap and lightweight bottle.
Well done Leon. One day we might see as much Riverby mentioned on here as PYCM. Sadly, I can't open a bottle myself every time I see it mentioned as I only have about 12 bottles left. Only 12 of the 2019 left as well. More of it in the UK than here. I have just released the 2020 here; still very young but I have high hopes for it.
 
Christophe Vaudoisey Volnay 2016 for me this evening and it is rather charming, and none the worse for having been decanted into a brim-full half bottle and kept in the fridge for 7 days!
I keep seeing Christopher Vaudoisey wines around for, by Burg standards, suspiciously sensible - even downright bargain ?- prices, the Volnay Villages for sub £20 & the PCs, and very respectable PCs like Clos des Chenes, for sub £30 (iB)....not knowing the producer, (and not really meant to be buying), I have not snapped any of them up. Do you or anyone else have any thoughts on the the domaine. Are the wines undervalued & will I be kicking myself in years to come....or are they priced more or less according to their value ? (relative to other Volnay or Cote D'Or
producers).
 
I keep seeing Christopher Vaudoisey wines around for, by Burg standards, suspiciously sensible - even downright bargain ?- prices, the Volnay Villages for sub £20 & the PCs, and very respectable PCs like Clos des Chenes, for sub £30 (iB)....not knowing the producer, (and not really meant to be buying), I have not snapped any of them up. Do you or anyone else have any thoughts on the the domaine. Are the wines undervalued & will I be kicking myself in years to come....or are they priced more or less according to their value ? (relative to other Volnay or Cote D'Or
producers).
I’ve been buying regularly for a while, but inevitably not yet drinking them regularly. Of those I’ve tried I’ve been happy and suspect they are undervalued, compared to ‘average’ prices in the respective appellations, for the quality. I’ll stand something up and report back in due course…
 
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