After too many years, finally got together with Salil again, and also Ken Vastola who I hadn’t seen in about 20 years. Salil provided some spicy smoked chickens and accompaniments, and Ken brought delicious cheeses and pate. And yes we drank some wine.
2022 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling (Clare Valley, Australia)
Ever wonder what it would taste like if you blended lemons and rocks, liquified them and added 12% alcohol? Well it would taste like this Riesling. Bracing and refreshing.
1995 Penfolds Grange (South Australia)
Hello mint! Did somebody blend a splash of Heitz Martha’s Vineyard into this? Still quite the beast in terms of weight, but very drinkable. The longer it was open the more the fruit emerged, but that mint note was always there. Delicious wine.
Ulysse Collin Champagne Maillons Extra Brut (2016 disgorgement)
Full toasty and full delicious. Piercing acidity that kept it fresh, and some fruit emerged after a half hour or so. I can’t really see the current pricing for these wines, but I really enjoyed this bottle.
1967 Giacomo Conterno Barolo
Ken graciously brought a birth year wine for me. It needed some time to stretch it legs, but eventually all the rose petal, pine sap (don’t call it tar lest Otto notice) and the sweetness that only comes from very old wines came together as a whole. The chicken, at least the less spicy bits, was a lovely foil for this wine.
2001 J. J. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese (auction bottling)
So incredibly fresh and delicate, yet also full flavored and complex. Captivating wine. After a couple of sips all I could think was “my God, it’s full of stars.”
1998 Dönnhoff Oberhauser Brücke Riesling Auslese (auction bottling)
Full botrytis spice with electric acidity keeping the high sweetness under control. On a mature plateau where it will likely stay for a very long time. Really hard to follow that Prüm, but the completely 180-different expression allowed this wine to claim its own spotlight.
Fantastic evening. And this was only night one.
