My tasting group held their annual dinner last night. I didn't take notes, but some of the wines made a real impression.
N.V. Cedric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Noirs Roses de Jeanne "Inflorescence"
Austere and fruity at the same time, this wine was very engaging. It's very dry (I believe no dosage), but not severe. Delicious.
2001 Hirtzberger Riesling Singerriedel
Broader in texture than I expected, this had all the richness but none of the focus that it needed.
1995 Zind Humbrecht Rangen de Thann Clos St Urbain Riesling
Even richer than the Hirtzberger, but more delineated flavors, and a good match with my pork shank dish.
2004 Louis Jadot Puligny Montrachet
Negotiant bottling and quite oaky, but with a surprisingly copious amount of fruit. I suspect this might age into some kind of harmony in a couple of years if the premox demons have been conquered.
1998 Guigal Hermitage
Still showing a good bit of primary fruit, but beginning to show more earthy and leathery characteristics. I would never call this more than a very good wine, and greatness is not on its horizon, but it made another good pairing with the pork shank (which was napped with bacon cream).
1990 Leoville Barton
An excellent bottle with dark fruit enveloped in emerging, mature flavors. This was the most complete wine of the night, though it had a bit of a test to outshine the last bottle.
1970 Pichon Lalande
Decanted from magnum, this was all about mature, leathery, earthy flavors that worked wonders with all the braised meats that were ordered around the table. It held up very well over the course of the evening, and showed great class. It also had a $12.95 price sticker on the empty bottle.
