Posts Tagged ‘Mo’ Wine Group’
MWG November 9th tasting: report (1/5)
A tasting that featured several new arrivals, including a few wines from the November 8th Cellier release. We began with a pair of top Muscadets.
Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine 2010, Fief du Breil, Domaine de la Louvetrie (Domaines Landron) ($24.75, Rézin)
100% biodynamically farmed Melon de Bourgogne from 40-year-old vines growing in quartz and orthogneiss soil. Pneumatically pressed. The must undergoes cold débourbage (clarification by racking the must after allowing suspended particles to settle out) before three weeks’ fermentation in concrete vats with native yeasts. The wine is then chilled and lightly sulphured to prevent malolactic fermentation and aged on the lees with regular stirring for 14 to 24 months, depending on the vintage. Another squirt of sulphur dioxide is added on bottling.
Lemon and chalk over faint gunflint and iodine. Rich in extract but fresh, vibrant and very dry. Fruity until the keen acidity swells and sea stones roll in. Long, tingly finish. Dazzling in its understated way. A thoroughbred that will only improve with a few years in the cellar. (Buy again? Definitely.)
Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine 2010, Expression de Granit, Domaine de l’Écu ($20.70, 10282873)
100% biodynamically farmed Melon de Bourgogne from 45- to 55-year-old vines grown in granitic soil. Pneumatically pressed. No débourbage. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled (15–17ºC) vats. Aged on the lees. 12% ABV.
Sweet apple fruit and blossom along with the expected mineral and seaside aromas. More buxom – rounder, fruitier, richer – than usual and than the 2010 Fief du Breil. Simple, green apply and restrained until chewed, then a matrix of lemon and minerals laser-etched with acid. Pure, bracing, mouth-filling and long. (Buy again? Yes, to stash away for five or ten years.)
MWG October 2nd tasting: report (2/2)
A Belgian transplanted to the slopes of Mount Etna, Frank Cornelissen is a natural winemaker’s natural winemaker. For background information and an explanation of why the wines’ high prices are justified, I can’t do better than link to Jamie Goode’s reports here and, more recently, here.
As some of the wines are blends of more than one vintage, Cornelissen numbers the productions of each cuvée sequentially.
I find the wines hard to describe as they’re quite unlike any other I’ve encountered and the regular descriptors don’t necessarily apply. But that uniqueness only adds to their appeal.
Rosso del Contadino 8, Azienda agricola Frank Cornelissen ($31.88, Glou)
A blend of local grapes, white and red, from the difficult 2010 vintage. 13.5% ABV.
Beautiful nose: spice, spruce, lava sand, pomegranate. Barely medium-bodied with bright acid and just enough tannins. Tingly, juicy, minerally, bittersweet, fruity (cherry and more pomegranate). Not very deep but what a surface! Am looking forward to trying this lightly chilled with a Sicilian rabbit stew. (Buy again? Yes.)
MunJebel Rosso 7, Azienda agricola Frank Cornelissen ($65.95, Glou)
Nerello Mascalese from various vineyards and the 2009 and 2010 vintages. 14% ABV.
Complex nose: funk, leather, red plum, gravel. Rocks, berries and herbs on the palate. A tense balance between acid and fruit. Tannins are there if you look for them. Gained pomegranate and slate in a way that reminded me a little of Occhipinti’s Siccangno (Nero d’Avola). An involving wine. (Buy again? Yes.)
Magma Rosso 8, Azienda agricola Frank Cornelissen ($185.90, Glou, NLA)
A super selection of usually single cru ripe Nerello Mascalese grapes, these from the 2009 vintage. 15% ABV.
All of the above plus leather, ephemeral spice, tar, mineral, funk, leather, dried meat, tea. Richer in the mouth but not heavier. An acidic undercurrent runs from start to finish. The intense core of fruit is wrapped in a complex matrix of minerals. Quite structured, though not in ways I’m accustomed to. The alcohol is not apparent. Exotic and beautiful. (Buy again? If price were no object, yes.)
MunJebel Bianco 7, Azienda agricola Frank Cornelissen ($45.50, Glou, NLA)
An “orange” wine (a white made like a red, with extended maceration on the skins) made from Carricante, Grecanico Dorato and Coda di Volpe from the 2010 vintage. 13% ABV.
Complex bouquet: initial funk then minerals, oxidized pear, hints of dried orange peel and herbs. A bit blurry on the palate. Soft texture and medium weight. Animated by an undercurrent of acidity. Straw and minerals dominate the flavour profile. Some tannins and a bitter almond note creep in on the long finish. Intriguing. (Buy again? Quite possibly.)
MWG October 2nd tasting: report (1/2)
Most members of the Mo’ Wine Group are intrigued by so-called natural wines and many are fans, so we were delighted when Glou’s Jack Jacob recently joined us to lead a tasting of private imports from two of the most radically natural winemakers around.
What is a natural wine? According to the Association des vins naturels, the basic principles of natural wine-making are organic or biodynamic farming (not necessarily certified as such), manual harvesting, fermentation with native yeasts and the avoidance both of harsh physical procedures (reverse osmosis, cross-flow filtration, flash pasteurization, thermovinification) and of additives, including sugar (an exception is made for small amounts of sulphur dioxide added as a stabilizer at bottling). As a definition, that works for me, though I’d also add that many natural winemakers say their wines are made in the vineyard more than in the cellar, which leads them to adopt a non-interventionist approach and to largely or completely avoid filtering and fining.
The upsides of natural wines include their individuality and a juicy tartness that, in the best examples, seems very close to the fruit and terroir. Many also have a rustic appeal – a sense of not taking themselves too seriously – that their more polished and manipulated counterparts lack. Downsides include greater bottle-to-bottle variability, the ever-present possibility of reductive notes on opening (which is why as a rule it’s a good idea to carafe natural wines an hour or two before drinking), the need to store the bottles at cool temperatures (ideally 14ºC/57ºF or less) and, for some drinkers and some wines, their cloudy appearance and funky bouquets.
Anyway, back to our tasting, which begin in the Loire.
Hailing from Brittany, Olivier Lemasson entered the wine world as a caviste (retail wine seller). After encountering natural wines, he headed for Morgon, where he trained under pioneering winemaker Marcel Lapierre, first picking grapes, then tending the vines and working in the cellar. He eventually ended up as a winemaker in the Touraine and, with Domaine du Moulin‘s Hervé Villemade, founded Les Vins Contés as a négociant business. Four years later, Villemade split, leaving the business to Lemasson.
Lemasson gets his fruit from three hectares of vines that he tends and from local and not so local growers, whose grapes he and his team harvest and bring back to his cellar. All the grapes are organic and the wines will soon be certified as such.
After harvesting, the whole bunches are placed in large wood vats and allowed to undergo carbonic maceration with no cap-punching or pumping-over. Maceration lasts between ten and 30 days, depending on the wine. The wines are unfiltered and unsulphured.
Finding his wines refused AOC status due to their atypicité, Lemasson decided to embrace the Vin de pays (now Vin de France) denomination, which gives him the freedom to make wines as he sees fit.
For a nicely illustrated report on a recent visit to Lemasson’s operation, see the Wine Terroirs blog.
Vin de France 2011, Bois sans soif, O. Lemasson/Les Vins Contés ($26.55, Glou)
A 50-50 blend of Menu Pineau and Romorantin from 20- to 60-year-old vines. 12% ABV.
Closed nose: chalk, straw and lees. Crunchy pear and apple fruit with a lemonade-like acidity. Long, lemony rainwater finish. A vin de soif if ever there were one. (Buy again? It’s a bit pricey for what it delivers but sure.)
Cour-Cheverny 2011, Les Rosiers, O. Lemasson/Les Vins Contés ($26.55, Glou, NLA)
100% Romorantin from 40-year-old vines. Matured 12 months in old oak barrels. 12% ABV.
Soft-spoken nose of honey, wax and apple. A bit cidery at first but blossoming into a richly flavoured mouthful of apple, lemon and chalk. Intense acidity. Long, crystalline finish with a hint of hazelnut. Intriguing and delicious. A standout. (Buy again? Would if it weren’t sold out.)
Vin de France 2011, Coup de brosse, O. Lemasson/Les Vins Contés ($22.00, Glou)
2011 is the first vintage of this wine, which is the fruit of a partnership between Lemasson, Glou’s Martin Labelle and Jérôme Dupras. Gamay (90%) and Pinot Noir (10%). 11.8% ABV.
Green bell pepper and chile, horsehair and earth wrapped around a core of raspberry. On the lighter side of medium-bodied. Juicy and acidic. The fruit starts sweet but sours and gains a slatey/earthy edge. Tart finish. (Buy again? Sure.)
Vin de France 2011, Le P’tit Rouquin, O. Lemasson/Les Vins Contés ($20.58, Glou, NLA)
Gamay from 20- to 60-year-old vines. 11.5% ABV.
Black cherry with notes of red meat, earth, slate, bell pepper and eventually a floral perfume. Light-bodied. As minerally as it is fruity. Bright acidity. Not a lot of depth but refreshing, i.e. another vin de soif. (Buy again? If in the mood for a light pound-backer, sure.)
Vin de France 2011, Gama-Sutra, O. Lemasson/Les Vins Contés ($27.40, Glou)
Gamay from ungrafted 100-year-old vines. 13% ABV.
Ashy, horsehair, slate/graphite, “clay and mud,” “tout le Fesitval de St-Tite dans un verre,” eventually red berries. Soft, fruity and sweet-tart on the palate. Faint tannins give astringency as much as structure. Peppery finish. Moreish. Several tasters’ wine of the flight if not the night. (Buy again? Yes.)
Vin de France 2011, Cheville de Fer, O. Lemasson/Les Vins Contés ($26.55, Glou),
Côt (Loire’s name for Malbec) from 50- to 100-year-old vines. Matured 12 months in old oak barrels. 12% ABV.
Sour plum on horseback: that’s the nose. Rich and smooth in the mouth, though no heavier than medium-weight. Light but noticeable tannins, enlivening acidity. Chewy cherry, earth and minerals with a sweet spice note chiming in on the finish. Fun. (Buy again? Yep.)
MWG September 13th tasting: report (2/3)
Clau de Nell, a relatively young estate in the Anjou region of the Loire Valley, was acquired in the early naughts by Anne-Claude Leflaive from high-profile Domaine Leflaive in Puligny-Montrachet. The estate is now organic and biodynamic. The new regime’s first wines sold were from the 2009 vintage. Only three reds are made, though some Chenin Blanc has reportedly been planted. The vineyards are worked by horse. Harvesting is manual and the fruit is sorted on a grape-by-grape basis. A manual press is used. Fermentations are natural (indigenous yeasts and no temperature control). The wines are barrel aged for 18 to 24 months before being bottled (with miniscule doses of sulphur dioxide). Nearly the entire production is exported.
In Quebec, the wines are sold exclusively at the two SAQ Signature outlets, and at this point, five or six weeks after their release, only the Quebec City store still has all three. Note, however, that Signature will deliver purchases to any Quebec address free of charge.
VDP de la Loire 2010, Grolleau, Clau de Nell ($33.00, 11818203)
100% Grolleau. Considered an inferior grape by local authorities, Grolleau is not permitted in Anjou AOC wines (except rosés), which is why this is classified as a vin de pays. 13.5% ABV.
To the nose and palate, obviously different from the two Cabernets. Blackberry leaf and cassis morphing into blueberry pie and gaining a rose note. Smooth and velvety texture. Simple but pure and fruity with brightening acidity, tannins well in the background and a scent of black pepper on the finish. An affable, quaffable bumpkin, probably my favourite of the trio. (Buy again? Yes.)
Anjou 2010, Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon, Clau de Nell ($32.00, 11818182)
A 50–50 blend of the two Cabernets. 13.5% ABV.
Red fruit, graphite, green bell pepper, spice and eventually ash. After a rocky start, it smoothed out. Supple and round though with a more delineated, Bordeaux-like structure that allowed several tasters to peg it as the Cabernet Sauvignon blend. Despite the green streak, the fruit is ripe and pure, buoyed by just enough acidity and grounded by the mineral/earthy substrate. Long finish. In short, a fine example of a Loire Cabernet blend that will only benefit from a few years in the cellar. (Buy again? Possibly.)
Anjou 2010, Cabernet Franc, Clau de Nell ($32.00, 11818174)
100% Cabernet Franc. 13.5% ABV.
Red cherry, green pepper, ash and hints of tobacco and violet. Medium-bodied yet the spicy fruit has a real density, with chewy tannins and refreshing acidity carrying it into the slate and green tobacco finish. Lingering impression of fluidity and opulence, not unlike a good Burgundy. Modern and polished but not overwrought. This, too, is a good candidate for medium-term aging. (Buy again? Yes.)
The wines were double-decanted about an hour before serving. We tasted them on their own and then with a couple of dry sausages and killer mustard from Le comptoir charcuteries et vins and excellent sliceable rillettes from Gourmet Laurier of all places. Not surprisingly, the charcuterie worked best with the Grolleau; something like a medium to medium-rare lamb roast or, in a couple of years, a guinea hen roasted on a bed of potatoes would be a more worthy pairing for the Cabernets.
MWG September 13th tasting: report (1/3)
Mo’ Wine Group members weren’t keen on tasting through the September Cellier releases. What’s more, due to schedule conflicts (vacation travel, work travel, parent-teacher meetings, looming publication deadlines and the like), we couldn’t put together a full house, a first in the group’s nearly seven-year history. I was ready to cancel but one member suggested we gather for a small-scale tasting with food. Enough people were interested, so it happened.
We began with a flight of Assyrtikos from Santorini.
Santorini 2011, Assyrtiko sélectionné, Hatzidakis ($29.75, oenopole, NLA)
Made to the specifications of Paris-based agency Oenos Fruit Pierre Lumière and distributed mainly in France, this blend of selected lots from four vineyards is fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks and aged in used barrels. Bottled unfiltered, unfined and with minimal sulphur dioxide. About 1,500 bottles made. 13.5% ABV.
Electrum to the eye. My first words on tasting this were “crystal palace.” An array of minerals, from chalk to quartz, wrapped around a lemony core, electrified by acidity, sparked by a spritzy, zesty tingle and slow-fading into a long, saline finish. Bone dry and ideally dimensioned. Simply superb and easily the most dazzling Santorini I’ve tasted. (Buy again? Moot but, yes, by the case.)
Santorini 2008, Vieilles vignes, Mylos, Hatzidakis ($35.50 in March 2011, oenopole, NLA)
Sourced from a single vineyard, the highest on the island. The old vines – ungrafted like all Santorini grape vines – average 150 to 300 years old. Half is vinified in stainless steel, the other half in casks. Fermented and aged longer than the Assyrtiko sélectionné but bottled identically. About 2,000 bottles made. 15% ABV.
Clear bronze. Far richer than the Sélectionné, the minerals – here more stony than crystalline – are joined by peach, brine and a hint of burnt rubber. Unctuous, extracted, powerful yet balanced, the alcohol felt but not tasted. Mouth-filling yet maintaining a sense of proportion. A wine to contend with and one that demands to be consumed with food. (Buy again? Yes, though maybe not if the 2009 were around.)
Santorini 2009, Vieilles vignes, Mylos, Hatzidakis ($36.50, oenopole, NLA)
Same technical info as for the 2008. 14.5% ABV.
Pale gold. Appealing nose: quartzy, toasty lemon and marjoram. Bone dry. Crystalline texture and vibrant acidity cushioned by the rich extract. Intermingling lemon pith, white fruit and minerals. Long finish that brings to mind linden tea and rocky seacoasts. Splits the difference between the Sélectionné and the 2008 Mylos. A beautiful geode of a wine. (Buy again? If only I could.)
Santorini 2010, Assyrtiko, Argyros ($21.15, 11639344)
100% Assyrtiko from 50- to 60-year-old vines. Fermented and aged on the lees in stainless steel. 13.2% ABV.
Almost transparent. Lemon bright and fluid though, next to the Hatzidakis wines, it seems less taut and tense than the bottle tasted in June. Long crystalline and briny finish. The best Assyrtiko available at the SAQ. (Buy again? Yes.)
The wines were tasted on their own and then with food. As always, they proved an ideal pairing for oysters on the half shell (ours were garnished with lemon juice, fresh oregano leaves and white pepper). The wines’ minerality and high acidity meant they were unfazed by a tomato and red onion salad with feta. And while arguably too classy for taramosalata, tzatziki and dolmades, the pairing didn’t do them any disfavours. Though we didn’t try it, an intriguing match recommended by oenopole’s Theo Diamantis, who knows a thing or two about Greek wine and food, is the Mylos with lamb.
MWG August 16th tasting: report (5/5)
Vintage Port 1985, Graham’s ($46.38 in 1990 or thereabouts)
Surprisingly young and vibrant to the eye: some lightening at the rim but hardly any bricking. Outgoing deep and layered nose with notes of sweet black fruit, spice (licorice?) and dark chocolate. Opulent yet lithe, the texture poised between silk and velvet. More off-dry than sweet. Quite structured though the tannins are fruit-clad and beginning to soften. The depth is only hinted at until you chew the wine. The alcohol (20% ABV) adds warmth, not heat, especially to the long finish. Always harmonious and becoming more so with age, the wine is close to peaking. Should continue showing beautifully for another decade or two.
Tasted on its own and then with a beautiful old Stilton, an astounding English farmhouse cheddar and a youngish Reblochon de Savoie, all carefully selected by Yannick to go with the wine. While the group failed to reach a consensus as to the best match, the cheddar probably got the most votes.
MWG August 16th tasting: report (4/5)
It’s funny how wines you enjoy can drop off your radar for several years. That was the case for me and Fontodi, whose wines I’d always admired but hadn’t tasted for a decade. In planning this flight, I wondered whether in the intervening years the wines, especially the Flacianello, might have gone over to the Parkerized dark side like certain other Supertuscans. I needn’t have worried.
Chianti Classico 2008, Fontodi ($27.00, 00879841)
100% organically farmed Sangiovese from various Fontodi vineyards. Fermented with native yeasts in temperature-controlled tanks, then aged in French oak barrels (not many new, I’d guess) for 12 months. Average annual production: 170,000 bottles. 13.5% ABV.
The bottle at the tasting was corked. A replacement bottle wasn’t.
Heady nose of black cherry, turned earth, old wood and kirschy alcohol. Medium-bodied, smooth and velvety. The ripe fruit gives an initial impression of sweetness, yet the wine is very dry, a sensation only enhanced by the light, prevailing astringency. Structure is provided by acidity as much as tannins. Long finish: earth, tobacco and that lingering core of sweet fruit. Not a deep wine but elegant and satisfying all the same. (Buy again? Definitely.)
Chianti Classico Riserva 2008, Vigna del Sorbo, Fontodi ($52.75, 00742072)
Organically farmed Sangiovese (90%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%) from 30-year-old vines in the Vinga del Sorbo vineyard. Fermented with native yeasts in temperature-controlled tanks, then aged in French oak barrels (half new) for 24 months. Average annual production: 30,000 bottles. 14% ABV.
Textbook Sangiovese nose of great depth: tobacco, black cherry, terra cotta and only a hint of oak. Medium- to full-bodied. Astoundingly pure fruit. Finely structured: the balance between ripe tannins and lightening acidity is well nigh perfect. Deep, long and possessed of the estimable quality that Paul de Cassagnac described as “fluid savour.” Impeccable. (Buy again? My Labour Day weekend 10%-off-sale purchase.)
IGT Colli Toscana Centrale 2008, Flaccianello della Pieve, Fontodi ($82.00, 11364571)
Selected lots of organically farmed Sangiovese from the estate’s top vineyards. Fermented with native yeasts in temperature-controlled tanks, then transferred to barrels for malolactic fermentation. Aged in new French oak barrels for a minimum of 18 months. Average annual production: 60,000 bottles. 14.5% ABV.
Complex albeit closed nose of leather, mint, red fruit, black pepper and precision-dosed oak with tar and herb notes. Medium- to full-bodied. Primary but approachable. The sweet fruit is tethered by a mineral astringency. The texture is fluid despite the taut tannins and deep-running acidity. Beautiful structure and layers of flavour that reveal themselves as the wine breathes. A whiff of ash on the long, long finish. The tension – between power and restraint, between superficial allure and hinted-at depth – is something to behold. (Buy again? If I had the budget, yes.)
MWG August 16th tasting: report (3/5)
A flight of three Morgons from leading “natural” producers. In all cases, the grapes are organically or biodynamically farmed, the wine-making is non-interventionist, only indigenous yeasts are used and the wines are bottled without filtering or fining and with no or minimal sulphur dioxide.
Morgon 2010, Nature, M. Lapierre ($29.30, Rézin, NLA)
Wet stones, berries, sap and eventually leaf mould. Bright acid; light but intense fruit; fine, silky tannins. Supple and pure, the wine slips through the mouth, leaving a scent of minerals, raspberries and flowers. (Buy again? Sure.)
Morgon 2010, Côte du Py, Jean Foillard ($33.75, Rézin, NLA)
Beautiful, fresh nose of red berries with hints of spice and forest floor. Slightly weightier and more richly textured than the Lapierre. The tannins seem light until the minerally finish; in fact, however delicately, this is a structured and layered wine. Morgon at its purest and most seductive. (Buy again? Absolutely.)
Morgon 2009, Vieilles Vignes, Georges Descombes ($30.25, Rézin)
Deeper, darker nose: black cherry, dried wood, slate, faint pepper. Smooth and suave with rich fruit, a fine-grained texture and underlying tannins that turn assertive on the kirschy finish. True to the vintage, a substantial wine light on nothing except, perhaps, charm, though that may come with time. A good candidate for cellaring. (Buy again? A couple of bottles to lay down and forget about for a decade.)
MWG August 16th tasting: report (2/5)
Next up, a flight of characterful organic/biodynamic Loire whites.
Fiefs Vendéens 2010, Les Clous, Domaine Saint-Nicolas ($19.50, 11688787)
Biodynamically farmed Chardonnay (45%), Chenin Blanc (45%) and Grolleau Gris (10%). Aged eight months, 80% in tank and 20% in oak barrels. 12.5% ABV.
Honey, apricot, pear, cardamom and a faint oxidative note. Fairly light-bodied despite the dense texture. More minerally than fruity on the attack. Turns lemony about halfway through, when the acidity also kicks in. Dry, quartzy finish. The bottle at the tasting seemed simpler – but no less likeable – than other bottles I’ve had of this. (Buy again? Yes.)
Touraine 2010, Cendrillon, Domaine de la Garrelière ($21.30, 10211397)
The estate’s website provides no information other than a picture of the label. A blend of biodynamically farmed Sauvignon Blanc (80%) and Chenin Blanc (20%); some retailers claim the junior partner isn’t Chenin Blanc but Chardonnay. A small fraction of the wine is reportedly barrel-aged; again, it’s not clear what percentage or which grape variety (my guess is the Chenin). The cuvée’s name, French for Cinderella, refers to the winegrower’s practice of spraying the vines with a preparation of crystallized ashes made from burned vine clippings. 14% ABV.
Strong ash (!), faint lemon, pine needles. Dry and pure. The density of fruit is cut by firm acidity. Flavours tend to minerals and herbs, which turn bitter on the long finish. Leaves an overriding impression of austerity, which has its own appeal. (Buy again? Yes.)
Saumur 2010, Clos de Guichaux, Domaine Guiberteau ($24.25, 11461099)
100% Chenin Blanc from vines planted in 2003. Only sulphur, copper and plant-based decoctions are used in the vineyard; no sugar, commercial yeasts, enzymes or stabilizers are used in the winery. Lightly filtered after fermentation, then transferred to second, third and fourth vintage barrels for ten months’ aging on lees. Bottled with a minimum of sulphur dioxide. 13.5% ABV.
Spice, pear, quartz. Substantial and mouth-filling. Honeyed yellow stone fruit with an oxidative note and an acidic undertow. Long. Burnished and beautiful, the least eccentric wine of the flight. (Buy again? Yes.)
Savennières 2009, Les Vieux Clos, Nicolas Joly ($39.25, 10985878)
100% biodynamically farmed Chenin Blanc from 20-year-old vines in four parcels. Non-interventionist approach in the cellar involving long fermentation with native yeasts and aging in old oak barrels. 15% ABV.
Complex, faintly oxidized nose of silage, dried peach, dried herbs and alcohol (which isn’t to say it smelled hot). Structured, massive and somewhat monolithic but balanced in its big-boned way. Not fruity though there’s tons of extract, acidity and minerals. Long, saline, licorice-tinged finish. A wine to contend with. Revisit in five, ten, maybe 15 years (if drinking now, carafe up to 24 hours in advance). (Buy again? If in the mood for a powerhouse, yes.)
MWG August 16th tasting: report (1/5)
If the MWG’s August tasting had a theme, it was, in three of the flights, wines whose full appeal might not be immediately obvious and, within each flight, bottles at a range of price points. Also, many of the the bottles were from highly regarded producers. And since the people who’d signed up for the event weren’t allergic to whites, half of the wines were that colour. To go by the post-tasting comments, it was one of the most satisfying and enjoyable lineups in the group’s history.
First up, a flight of MSR Kabinetts. The wines, like all the others served, were double-decanted shortly before the tasting began.
Riesling Kabinett 2010, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Ürzig Würzgarten, Mönchhof ($24.80, 11034804)
8.5% ABV. White flowers, minerals, chalk, green apple. Somewhat sweet on the attack; dries out a bit as it goes along. Lemon-lime, pear, white grapefruit and clover intertwine with slatey minerals. Tingly acid and a faint carbon dioxide spritz provide lift. Good balance and length. Clean as a whistle and enjoyable as all get-out if a little simple-seeming next to the Prüm and Müller. (Buy again? Sure.)
Riesling Kabinett 2008, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Joh. Jos. Prüm ($35.75, 11182284)
8% ABV. Strong sulphur slowly dissipates, leaving a soft bouquet of lemon and quartz that somehow smells dry. More serious and drier tasting than the Mönchhof: light but deeper and more layered, with lime, apple, rainwater and a kaleidoscopic array of minerals that lasts through the long finish. Ends on a briny note that one taster dubbed “sea mist.” Tightly wound and barely loosening in the hour or so it was open, but the potential is tangible. (Buy again? Yes, to lay down for at least five years.)
Riesling Kabinett 2010, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Scharzhofberger, Egon Müller ($52.00, 11170435)
10% ABV. Complex and surprisingly open nose of lime blossom and minerals with hints of jalapeño and camomile. Beautifully balanced and integrated, intense yet ethereally light. The fruit is delicate, less citrusy and more white peachy than the others, the minerality crystalline. The sweetness seems natural, organic. Remarkably pure and precise – nothing superfluous. While it’s easy to be beguiled by the surface, there’s also an underlying tension that augurs well for the future. An exquisite wine on a plane so rarefied you’re almost forced to use abstract descriptors. (Buy again? Price is the only possible barrier.)
Brett happens 