Very short notes from last night's Riesling dinner at Lemuria. The German wines were supplied by the restaurant with the reds and the New World Rieslings supplied by the diners.
Von Buhl Sekt 2002 - Very lemony. Flowers and ripe fruit on the nose. Some might find the acidity overdone but I think this has the body to carry it. The fruit on the palate seems to be a touch less than when I tried it last maybe a year ago. Still, a good starter but perhaps should be drunk up sooner than later.
Kim Crawford Marlborough Dry Riesling 2007 - Very gentle, round. Honey on the nose with grapefruit on the palate. Good and refreshing.
Kunstler Estate Riesling QbA Halbtrocken 2006 - Medium-dry. Very well balanced. A bit of orange. A real easy, friendly wine that should go with a wide variety of food. Very good for a QbA.
Leeuwin Art Series Riesling 2006 - Very dry and steely with shrill acidity. Perhaps it was unfair to have this after the Kunstler. Not a style I like.
Gunderloch Nackenheimer Rothenberg Spatlese 2005 - This wine is a regular purchase for me. Peachy, rich, apples, a bit of menthol. Impeccable balance and for me a brilliant match for the sweet smoked duck.
Daniel Rion Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2001 - Camphor and chocolate. Beautiful nose. Very dry and a little smoky. Quite complex. Lovely wine.
Christian Moueix 2005 - A Bordeaux but I was unable to get the appelation. Perhaps the Moueix equivalent of Mouton Cadet but I'm just speculating. Despite some decant time, very tannic and tight with very little fruit showing. Needs plenty of time to open up.
Clos du Marquis 1997 - Classic cedar on the nose. A little sweaty. Textbook Bordeaux at peak now. Very good.
Penfolds St. Henri 2001 - Ripe, good balance, lots of fruit but quite dry. Raisins and gunpowder. Could use a bit more bottle-age but already showing very well at this stage.
Bassermann-Jordan Ruppertberger Reiterpfad Riesling Auslese 2005 - Strong orange nose. Lots of apple flavor making it a perfect match for the apples 3 ways dessert. Not really a rich wine. Rather gentle but with Auslese sweetness. I suspect this may be one of those whites that need decanting . Not much of a change from when I first tried it about 2 years ago. Try again in 3 years. Good but hopefully age will improve this further as it is a young wine.
Pierre Usseglio Chateauneuf du Pape 2004 - About half the company had left after dessert but as I had another bottle handy, I offered to pen it if those left behind would drink with me. Rich, dried fruit. tobacco, dried herbs. Very long finish. Tight at first but 45 minutes in the glass improved it a lot. This will age well. Very good.