by Gregg G » Wed Apr 15, 2009 12:11 am
Finally getting to a few notes. Didn't try everything tonight, but luckily table 1 spared me a few tastes. This was a fantastic wine night
1996 Moncuit Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru - nice style, bright acidity, some complexity beginning to develope. Very tasty.
1996 Duval-Leroy Brut - quite reliable.
1983 ZH Clos Hauser Riesling (1.5L) light straw, diesel, complex and refined. Pre-Olivier and it showed.
1989 ZH Brand Riesling (1.5L) deep amber with gold, sweet quince, some lift. Very good.
1989 ZH Rangen Riesling (1.5L) terrific aromas, bright acidity, complex, excellent wine!
TABLE 1
1991 ZH Rangen Pinot Gris Wow! Very complex nose. deep, refined, perfect balance.
1996 ZH Rangen Pinot Gris Good but not as good as previous bottles.
2001 Trimbach CFE Riesling VT Nice, but didn't wow me.
2005 ZH Heimbourg Gewurtz SGN Very good. Sweet with boytritis. Some spice Big and juicy.
TABLE 2
2002 Weinbach Schlossberg Cuvee Ste Catherine Riesling bright golden. low acid. restrained, seems closed.
2003 Weinbach Schlossberg Cuvee Ste Catherine Riesling Ready to hate the '03 but pleasantly surprised. Lavendar, verbena, red berries. Layered. Great acidity carries generous but elegant fruit. Finishes long
2004 Weinbach Schlossberg Cuvee Ste Catherine Riesling Big and almost boisterous tonight. Perhaps the deepest wine in this flight, though I preferred the '03 on it's own. The '04 was best with food. Very good.
1995 ZH Windsbuhl Pinot Gris
1996 ZH Windsbuhl Pinot Gris Perhaps a little maderized but a gushing nose of rich fruit comes through. Some thought it off.
1997 ZH Windsbuhl Pinot Gris Musty that blows off. This wine got better and better. As complex as any wine tonight. Predominant peanut brittle aromas. Rich velvety palate. Deep and long. I loved this wine.
1998 ZH Jesbel Pinot Gris VT Sweet, low acid, some nice fruit. Good wine.
1998 ZH Rotenberg Pinot Gris VT Pretty dense and rich. Very good wine.
1994 ZH Rangen Pinot Gris VT The more I drink Rangen the more I like it. Pefectly balanced wine. Pineapple and lychee and smoke. Deep flavors with honey with that earthy, slightly musty taste similar to forest mushrooms?boytritis? Just a tremendious effort. '94 is the vintage and this was textbook great.
1994 ZH Heimbourg Pinot Gris VT Deeply colored amber, slightly maderized, lower acidity. Not as good as the Rangen but still very good. Missing that extra level to make it great.
1993 ZH Windsbuhl Riesling Deep gold. Apricot, some flint and diesel. Not as complex as I had hoped. Lighter in body.
1997 Weinbach Schlossberg Riesling VT Light golden. Sweet but good acidity.Crushed flowers, honey.
2002 ZH Rangen Gewurz ???
2001 ZH Clos Jesbel Pinot Gris SGN (375) WOW! deep and generous with great balance. Yet another ZH that is deep but endowed but not thuggish. Length is amazing. Excellent wine, though I'm still a hooked to Sauternes.
1997 Marcel Deiss Altenberg de Bergheim Riesling This came out late. The cork stuck in the neck and wouldn't budge. The somm had to cut out the cork. Complex aromas and palate, light on it's feet. Very different than the other wines tonight.
This was such an amazing opportunity. I'm so thankful to have tried such a great set of high caliber wines. ZH is truely one of the greatest Domaines in the world. These wines are expressive and exciting and easily hold their own in today's wine world. Many of the wines improved significantly with air showing unmatched complexity. They seemed to modulate considerably, often achieving greatness tonight. The vineyards are as distinctive as GC Burgundy. They are well priced. What more is there? I was also very impressed with the other wines, especially the Weinbach wines. Again, I have to express my sincerest thanks to Saul for including me in this event.
Regards,
Gregg