WTN: Three monumental sweet wines
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 2:27 pmSome great drinking over this weekend, with a few truly monumental sweet wines. Two of them - the Valdespino and the Huet - are among the most jawdroppingly amazing wine experiences I've ever had in my life, both as close to perfection as I could ever imagine.
2001 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Auslese
Nothing new to add to my earlier praise for this wine. It remains a stunning wine, one of the most compelling and consistently thrilling Rieslings I've ever had with an amazing depth and purity of fruit, minerality, gentle honeyed and floral notes and now showing just some signs of developing creamy and more savoury notes. The balance is impeccable, and the length is beyond words.
N.V. Valdespino Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Moscatel Viejísimo Toneles
The sweetness here goes to eleven. So does the acidity. And so does the complexity and depth, along with everything else, and it still retains perfect balance and amazing focus. An astounding wine, intense and complex beyond description with layers of fresh and dried fruits, spice, nuttiness, caramel and so much more, yet so light, elegant and focused, and utterly thrilling across each sip. This has one the most amazing fragrances I've come across in any wine, a finish that just keeps resonating for minutes after each sip... just wow. What a treat. Thanks Ross.
1959 Huët Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Le Haut-Lieu
Hard to put this one into words. It's so complex with layers of Chenin fruit and wooliness and more savoury, creamy and honeyed flavours all coming together seamlessly, and it's in that spot of maturity where the flavours all seem perfectly integrated into a whole, and it tastes exactly as it smells. The balance here is stunning with bright acids balancing the sweetness, a remarkably polished, almost weightless palate presence and tremendous length. What a wine.
2001 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Auslese
Nothing new to add to my earlier praise for this wine. It remains a stunning wine, one of the most compelling and consistently thrilling Rieslings I've ever had with an amazing depth and purity of fruit, minerality, gentle honeyed and floral notes and now showing just some signs of developing creamy and more savoury notes. The balance is impeccable, and the length is beyond words.
N.V. Valdespino Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Moscatel Viejísimo Toneles
The sweetness here goes to eleven. So does the acidity. And so does the complexity and depth, along with everything else, and it still retains perfect balance and amazing focus. An astounding wine, intense and complex beyond description with layers of fresh and dried fruits, spice, nuttiness, caramel and so much more, yet so light, elegant and focused, and utterly thrilling across each sip. This has one the most amazing fragrances I've come across in any wine, a finish that just keeps resonating for minutes after each sip... just wow. What a treat. Thanks Ross.
1959 Huët Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Le Haut-Lieu
Hard to put this one into words. It's so complex with layers of Chenin fruit and wooliness and more savoury, creamy and honeyed flavours all coming together seamlessly, and it's in that spot of maturity where the flavours all seem perfectly integrated into a whole, and it tastes exactly as it smells. The balance here is stunning with bright acids balancing the sweetness, a remarkably polished, almost weightless palate presence and tremendous length. What a wine.