Brought together some neighbors from the building Marcia and I moved into last October. One is a sommelier, the others all enthusiasts, so I wanted to put on a good show. The theme (if one can call it that) was Five European Countries but the first bottle, a 2005 Oremus Tokaji Dry Mandolas was premoxed, so I had to scramble for an out-of-continent (and somewhat incontinent) replacement.
2007 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 13.0%
Fresh and tangy guava and passion fruit with some minerality. A good specimen of an obvious style that I am finding increasingly loud, though always a crowd pleaser.
2001 Flor de Pingus Ribera del Duero 14.0%
Handsome aromas of leather, plum, blackberries, and barnyard. Bordeaux-like. Lovely mouth feel, tannins just right, perfect acid/sweet balance. Another swooner of a bottle. Smooth, complex, my WOTN.
1998 Chateau Péby-Faugères Saint-Émilion 14.0%
Powerful nose, funk, blackberries, leather, violets. More tannic and astringent than the Flor, with spice and pepper notes. A good showing and most people’s WOTN.
1997 Giacomo Bologna Barbera d’Asti Ai Suma 14.0%
Cork was perfect but the nose tells me that light oxidation has robbed this of its mettle. Better in the mouth, but no cigar box. Ends the trio of reds on a down note, waylaying my well laid plans to end with a blockbuster.
2005 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese (Mosel) 7.0%
Lovely perfume of clover honey, acacia, slate and a cocktail of peach, apricot and lemon. Last night I wrote down that the acid/sweet balance was perfect but this morning I seem to remember that it could have benefited from a bit more acidity (don’t know who to trust). Wish every wine had 7% alcohol so I wouldn’t have to get up in the middle of the night to fumble for a glass of cool water.
