WTN: A Pair of 1999s

Dinner with Jonathan Loesberg, Maureen Nelson, and a non wine board couple.

We started with my bottle of 2001 Maximin Grünhaus Abtsberg Auslese which the other folks really seemed to like, especially the non wine board couple who found it so “refined” although I’m not sure if that was because they were being polite or because they don’t drink much German Riesling. To my tastes it was definitely a refined and delicate version of Auslese but also a bit blocky and cranky and could be revisited in the future when I hope it is not as blocky or cranky.

As the food began to arrive Jonathan surprised me by not pulling out Châteauneuf-du-Pape but instead gracing our palates with 2007 Overnoy/Houillon Arbois Pupillin Poulsard. Jonathan described it as “electric Kool Aid” which the non wine board folks found a bit strange, but I liked this quite a bit. Easy to drink, gorgeous vibrant pinkish red color, fragrant, and once the slight prickliness died down I was ready to pick up the drinking pace.

But we also had our pair of 1999s. The 1999 Jadot Clos St. Denis and 1999 Barthod Chambolle Musigny Les Cras. There was some debate over whether the Barthod was corked but in the end the verdict seemed to be ‘No’. Others (who drink more Burgundy than I do) were still troubled by its reticence or slightly-off showing but for my relatively-novice palate there was enjoyment to be had with the silky layers and waves of gentle wine. The Jadot was a bit tougher and reminded me of the Grünhaus in its blocky crankiness although others may have gotten more from this than I did.

In the end it was a very nice evening, with conversation that outshined the food, and thankfully the patron who vomited all over the bathroom at the beginning of the evening was not an omen for our table!

We started with my bottle of 2001 Maximin Grünhaus Abtsberg Auslese which the other folks really seemed to like, especially the non wine board couple who found it so “refined” although I’m not sure if that was because they were being polite or because they don’t drink much German Riesling.

Or it just might have been the fact that it's Grunhaus - pretty much every Grunhaus wine I've enjoyed has had a sense of real polish and elegance to it.

Sounds like a very nice evening with great company and wines.

pretty much every Grunhaus wine I've enjoyed has had a sense of real polish and elegance to it..

I guess. And 'elegance' in the sense of not being overdone is certainly one of the reasons I like them. But at times they have also been backwards and difficult. I don't have all the details on the change in winemaking but this was during the questionable 1998-2004 'interim' period so I don't really know what to expect (and I don't think anyone else does either). Will have to wait and see.