~$46US, 100% Riesling, Nahe, Germany

Helmut Donnhoff is a master wine-creator, without question. His family’s Nahe vineyards produce exemplary Rieslings that stand up to any in the world, each with a signature sense of balance, place and power.

The Oberhauser Brucke is absolutely shocking in its intensity across the board, from nose to finish. There is a sense of infusion, like the liquid had been invisibly fortified by more Riesling-ness. Dazzling and complex on the nose, with pineapple, lime, and green apple on the top end and a substantial base of red cherry, red apple, and red currant. Even strawberry. Vivid like a kaleidoscope, but hard to pin down definitively.

Viscious palate transitioning from the lush fruit towards a brilliant acidity - like a gemstone hiding in a velvet bag. Perfect balance, I never once even considered the notion of ’sweetness’ or ‘acidity’ or ‘minerality’….everything just seems so right, concentrated, full of energy and vibrancy.  Of course it was all there, but the qualities of each played into an overall transcendent harmony. A singular wine enjoyable now, but full of complexities to be revealved over the next 10-20 years. One of the most memorable wines this year.

Domine du Haut Châssis Croze-Hermitage ‘Les Galets’ 2005: A tiny bit of cork taint mars the nose and palate. Still,  lots of fruit, good balance and firm backend structure. Quite a bit of vanilla coming through on the finish.  If I had another bottle of this 100% Syrah, I’d give it 3-5 years, when it would have more to offer.

Domaine De La Butte ‘Perrieres’ 2006: Midnight Black in the glass. Wild ride of a Cab-Franc. Massively funk-da-fied; barn straw vs. crude oil, raspberries, dried leaves. Big palate, bursting with fruit and funk, held together with an assertive tannic backbone. It truly took 24 hours to integrate and reveal more secrets and typical flavors like fresh herbs, tomato, and black currant. Very cool…maybe too funky for some, but full of life and energy.

Big name, quick notes.

Day 1 - Austere. Shut down like the Beach Boys tune.

Day 2 - Opening up wonderfully with grapefruit and seashells notes. The more air it got, the more expressive it got - in both fruit and mineral aspects. It developed some of the flavors I get from some Chenin Blancs as the chill blew off; A pleasant sweet pea flavor with a toasted bread edge to it. It really put on a great deal of weight over time, rounding and integrating into a really pleasurable wine. - Very complex and complete, but too young at this point to show it’s true colors. It paired confoundingly well with poached eggs. An awesome buy @ under $15 - but I will wait try it again in 2010.

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2 singular wines produced by 2 singular producers on different sides of the world. They actually had quite a bit in common - especially from a structural point-of-view (aside from their winemaker’s dedication to quality and uncommon passion_

Chateau Musar Blanc 1998, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon: Deep gold color. Fascinating nose of marzipan, honey and hazelnuts. Sherry-like. Dried strawberries, dates and figs with slight citrus and floral notes. Very round and mouth-coating entry - the nose really lets on that this will be sweet - but NO! It’s dry. It has a generous body, but the mouthwatering tart acidity that gives the wine focus. Lemon cake. It opened up beautifully after 6-10 hours, and showed very little disintegration after 24(!). Thought-provoking and totally versatile: from mac-n-cheese to mixed mezze to fish to pastilla to baklava. This wine transcends preconceptions like color/varietal/blend/terroir and just exists. It’s polarizing, but not to be missed.

Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir 2005, Sta. Rita Hills, California: Beautiful purple-tinged ruby; translucent, but rich. The nose is perfumed with ripe strawberries, red raspberries, and some muted but alluring star anise, sandalwood, and cinnamon. There is an unusual perception of big volume and perfect fruit ripeness immediately on the entry (almost sweet?!) - which transitions towards a very elegant and finessed midpalate and finish. Medium body with great acidity to pair with anything from a burger to simply prepared salmon. Very fine tannins. The tiny touch of minerality and discrete bitterness on the finish is characterful. A superb example of using the right wood. Attractive but not sexy, charismatic but still humble, and bright but not pedantic. The bottle was gone way before we were ready to say goodbye.

Schloss Gobelsburg Brut Resever (NV), Kamptal: Bubbly and bone dry, with a crisp green-apple snap and powerful acidity. Enough herbal-earthiness and weight to make this one of the 2 top most compelling alternatives to Champagne I’ve had (Foreau’s Vouvray Brut being the other). Versatile pairing-wise with spicy and sweeter dishes.

Quinta do Portal Reserva, Douro 2001: Massive plum, black cherry and pepper. The acidity really lifts the wine and sings a great counterpoint to the fruit and oak spice. Attractive backend smokiness and dry, slightly tannic finish. Pair with a riper cheese or anything grilled.

Chateau Lancyre Rose Pic St. Loup 2006: Beautiful if confounding nose of melon, bananas, and a little citrus. Ripping fresh acidity and opulent fruit backed with a stony-grassy Languedoc-meets-Loire finish. Dry, light, and a fantastic value @ $US13. You could have easily tricked me into thinking this was as much more expensive full-bodied white wine. A great case study in how the pink stuff can be a serious wine.

2006 Shane Wine Cellar Syrah, Jemrose Vineyard, Bennett Valley - Infanticide, I thought, but I had to try… Obscene purple magenta inky tones. Blackberries, raspberries, orange zest and white pepper nose. Big, chewy fruit with proportionate oak and tannin structure. Fantastic pepperiness, spice (clove?) and typicity. The fruit is ripe, but not to the extant that it obliterates the uniqueness of the vineyard and vintage. If I am gunna be a stickler, I’d enjoy a  touch more acidity and more neutral oak character - but by the time the finish kicks in and pulls everything together with such effortless length, I don’t care. Obviously crafted with keen attention and passion, and I can’t wait to see how it (and it’s sisters) evolve over the next few years.

NB - Don’t be afraid to try this now if you are sitting on it - I actually enjoyed the wine more right after I popped it vs 3 hours of decanting. The air-time integrated the fruit, spice notes, oak and tannins - but the intensity and freshness of the initial fruit attack (while a bit monolithic) was most exciting to me.

2005 Orsolani Erbaluce Di Caluso Rustia, Piedmont Italy - The wine of the weekend. Straw gold. Mysterious nose; grassy, some lime, chalk-dust, and after some time in the decanter - tropical notes, honey, lemon and ginger. High-toned, almost austere in its acidity at first (pleasant) but over time the wine put on more and more weight and developed a sweet softness (with mango and coconut) in the midpalate that balanced the wine perfectly. Fascinating transformation on the palate - it started out like a Loire Sauvignon Blanc, moved through a fuller, sweeter, Viognier-like heft and finishes with a mineral-driven dry-riesling slatiness. Rare and confounding, I must find more. Perfect partner to seafood with adventurous sauces.

Diseño Malbec, Mendoza Argentina 2006 - Opulent fruit-driven wine with a decent backend structure and mild spiciness. Juicy and ripe black fruits, plus some tobacco and cinnamon - but with a detracting fakey-oakey vanilla flavor and mild acidity.

Overall - Tasty and not bad wine at all, but “International” in style - having little to show for the Malbec grape or anything particularly unique to the Mendoza region. However, I would probably grab for this before a Shiraz in the under $10 category from a sheer value standpoint.

2 very interesting wines in the sub-$12 range. Both sort of one-trick-ponies, but the tricks were distinctive and cool. The Zantho was light bodied but almost overwhelmingly lemony and piney - aromatically and on the palate. Very purfumed. Mineral / stoniness comes across as a supporting role from nose to finish. Pine Sol exactly. Bone dry. Fresh, bright acidity means this would pair great with shellfish and seafood. Interestingly, I left this in the decanter overnight to taste in the morning - and it tasted even better?! The acidity integrated and the wine overall was a little plumper and softer. I’d love to see what a dry Muscat tastes like after 15 years in the cellar…anyone have that opportunity?

The Riondo Prosecco was all about Banana Now-and-Laters (my wife pinpointed this - thanks m) and white balsamic vinegar. Tiny bubbles filled the palate, with a very light and ethereal body. Refreshing and probably better before dinner than with the Thai and Sushi we enjoyed (which wasn’t a bad match by any means). This is quite dry, but I did detect a slight residual sugar to keep it drinkable and balance the acidity. Fun and cheap - everyone should have a bottle on hand for nights when champagne might be too opulent, and beer doesn’t suit the mood.

Hofer Gruner Veltliner, Frieberg 2005:

Very light straw color. Very aromatically complex and expressive nose; mercurial transitions through apple skin, some cherry, lime, white peach, bok choy, haricot verts, toasted bread, and gravel. Characteristic aromas of Old-world Rieslings, Chenin Blancs, and Sauv Blancs all seem to pop in and out of focus. Bone dry, with such an intense mineral-water/saline character it’s almost obnoxious. The finish is just a gravelly landslide that smooths out over a minute. Refreshing; begging for the next sip. This could stand up to hard-to-pair foods like Mexican and Japanese. For terroir-hounds like myself, this is a revelation - so much of the vineyard and the vintage is there to discover and taste. Fans of Sancerre, Poully-Fume, and  dry Rieslings owe themselfves a taste of this value monster.

Curatolo Grillo Tumoli, Sicilia 2006:

A little tighter on the nose, showing mysterious floral, citrus and peach-pit notes. Big, on the palate, but with a great linearity and focus. Clean and fresh. Acidity is very balanced - not sour but punchy enough to give structure and direction. Overall the fruit is restrained (it’s there, but not centerstage), but there is a great underlying river-rocks-and-flowers foundation that makes the wine real. Grilled shrimp or squid would love this.

Both can be found under $14US with little hunting . To my tastes, the Hofer had the edge (mainly in aromatics and overall complexity), but I feel more people might enjoy the Grillo as a patio-pounder-eay-drinking-weeknight-white.

Leitz Dragonstone Reisling 2005: I kind of panned this last year, but it’s in a better place now. Toned down is the fierce minerality in lieu of better overall flavor integration and depth along with some petrol-licous secondary flavors. The fruit is still going strong, with lime, green apple, and white peaches. Great with jerk chicken and coconut red-beans-and-rice.

Jean Lallement Champagne Brut NV: Shockingly aromatic - Pinot Noir-driven strawberries are the first aromas, followed by Granny Smith apples, sweet cream and puffed pastries. Grippy and very dry on the palate but so fresh and friendly…After a bit of time it was just like having an fresh baked apple pie right there in front of me. Fun and very distinctive in that it walked the line between elegance and rusticity - the nose was giving 110% while the palate was more restrained. Sexy. Would buy again. Aperitif or with cheese.

Clos de Papes, Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2001: This is not a wine to ponder, dissect, or taste - this is a wine to drink and enjoy with someone special over serious meat. Tremendous depth and lushness, but very well balanced with fresh acidity. Tannins almost imperceptibly fine and integrated. Decanted for hours - while not needed, it helped some of the earthy and herbal tones marry into the fruit. Cherries, spices galore, red raspberries, lavender, leather, cedar…etc. I could go on and on… This is world class stuff without any noticeable flaws, misgivings or shortcomings. Seek out.

Domaine les Haute Noelles: Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu 2006: Concentrated, zingy but weighty, fresh melon and citrus all day long. Fantastic chalkiness in the finish makes you want another sip. Why is Muscadet uncool? I have no idea, but I’m taking advantage of the fantastic value here and sacking away a few more bottles for seafood and roasted chicken.

Domaine de la Colombette Lledoner Pelut Vin de Pays des Côteaux du Libron, 2003: My new favorite grape is the Lledoner Pelut - Grenache’s “hairy-leafed” cousin. Too bad there are like 2 wines in the world that use it as a primary component. This is one of them. Garnet with brilliant translucency. Noses like a Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but has palate characteristics of a mid-weight Burgundy. Cherries, spice, leather and licorice. Round and mouth-coating, but light and fresh with balance and poise. Savory. This wine is killing right now, and probably will for another 2-3 years as the tannins continue to integrate. Lovely.