Had three friends over for dinner on the weekend, and a great range of wines with the meal. Had the Musar (again) as the aperatif and the riesling with a fennel citrus salad.
1999 Chateau Musar Blanc - Lebanon, Bekaa Valley (11/8/2008)
Another bottle, another taste experience! Bottle variation is definitely an issue with this wine, although I've enjoyed each bottle. This one was lighter, less oxidative, less oily on the palate, with beeswax notes on a long finish. Not as nice as other bottles, but still an excellent wine. (A-)
2000 Prinz von Hessen (Landgräflich Hessiches Weingut) Johannisberger Klaus Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Rheingau (11/8/2008)
This was drinking beautifully last night. Wonderful aged balance and complexity here, and there's still nice ripe acidity on show.Great nose too. Lots of tropical fruits and some petrol as well. Great stuff! (A-) I've had a lot more luck with the 2000s from Germany than I would have thought.
With a mushroom soup, we had a 1991 Caroso Montepulciano Gran Reserva. I'd never heard of this producer before, but it was a nice wine with a great nose, and cherries and leather notes on the medium palate (B+).
With a roast lamb with garlic and rosemary and roasted veggies, we two great wines. First was a 1995 Admiral de Beychevelle, which was impressively lively for a second label. Classic cabernet flavours here, and great balance as well (A-). Then came a 1995 Chateau de Beaucastel, a killer CDP with outstanding complexity - cherries, plums, garrigue, leather and a mere hint of brett (A). WOTN for me! Thanks kipper!
Our after dinner wine was a 2002 Barrossa Valley Estate E & E Sparkling Shiraz. This was rather nasty, with overbearing coconut oil flavours, from American oak I'd guess. The others liked it more than I, but I thought it was bad in a way that only sparkling shiraz can be. When it's good, it's really good, but when bad, it's incredibly nasty!
We finished off with a half bottle of Valdespino 'El Candadco' Pedro Ximenez NV, a wonderfully decadent way to end the evening. Nice acidity kept the incredible sweetness and viscosity in check.
