AJ Adam, Drhoner, Riesling 2003
Awful.
A complete abomination of wine making.
Hot, with the smell of rubbing alcohol, then matchstick and onion skin. If I didn't know this was wine, I wouldn't drink it for fear of being poisoned.
Completely subverted, one might find some honeydew and golden plum.
Worse on the palate. Completely disjointed. Alcoholic burn, that penetrates the sinuses and sulfuric heat that pierces the tongue like a dentist drill. There's a tiny wave of really quality fruit here, if you can find it. The honeydew and golden plum reappear with some sweet Jersey blueberry These are flavors really unique for riesling, making for a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. Finishes with another rush of alcohol, truely spiritous in quality.
I drank half a glass, then switched to Coors Light. This wine should not have been made.
Any winemaker with the hype of this guy, should know better.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
7/5/08
Grans Fassian, 'Trittenheimer Apotheke', Riesling Auslese 1995
Ripe and punchy, with moderately tactile aromas of smokey peach and nectarine. There's a bass-y quince aroma reminiscent of aged Vouvray sans oxidation. The nose clearly leans towards stone fruit, with a whiff of botrytised apricot. Open, appealing and complex, could have just a touch more depth.
Rich and far reaching on the palate, with fresh acidity but certainly not racy. Shows the ripeness of the site, but missing some of the taught-ness resulting from the best (and often cooler) Mosel sites. I really can't complain, as the wine is far from flabby, and certainly not muddled. Although not exactly precise, its quite elegant and pure, a good representation of the '95 vintage and its site. I suspect many would 'love' this wine, while I merely 'like' it. But still, probably the best 'Apotheke' I've tasted.
Cote Rotie, Jasmin 1999
First sniff lacks aroma all together, like there's nothing in the glass at all. Decanted half of the bottle.
After 1 hour: Nose is just starting to gain steam, with ripe, round, red fruits. Still somewhat distant, strawberry, raspberry, and resin. High-toned and somewhat strange for Cote Rotie. With a bit more air, meaty aromas emerge and strawberry fruit bubbles up with considerable ethyl acetate.
The palate is suave and somewhat expensive in texture. Not really overdone, harmonious, yet. . .. 'Where's the beef?' (or maybe pork, more appropriately) The palate is almost as lifeless as the initial nose.
The wine isn't 'dead' in the traditional sense. . .not oxidized, but definately showing roundness from a contientious and expensive elevage. There also wasn't a pronounced vanillan character from new barrels. The tannins weren't invasive; to the contrary they were fully ripe and less edgy than most '99s. But wheres the fruit? Enough acid to support fruit (had there been any), but the wine just never woke up. By day two, the wine tasted like ketchup. bleh.
I have generally soured on the '99 Northern Rhone Vintage, which isn't surprising, as I always thought it was over-hyped. My initial gut instinct told me there wasn't enough stuffing to support the tannin in most of these wines, and many seemed awkward in a way that didn't suggest youthfulness. I still have some '99s from around the Northern Rhone; I'll think they'll have to rest for a bit longer. Maybe I'm wrong about them. Maybe they'll fill out. I hope so.
Ripe and punchy, with moderately tactile aromas of smokey peach and nectarine. There's a bass-y quince aroma reminiscent of aged Vouvray sans oxidation. The nose clearly leans towards stone fruit, with a whiff of botrytised apricot. Open, appealing and complex, could have just a touch more depth.
Rich and far reaching on the palate, with fresh acidity but certainly not racy. Shows the ripeness of the site, but missing some of the taught-ness resulting from the best (and often cooler) Mosel sites. I really can't complain, as the wine is far from flabby, and certainly not muddled. Although not exactly precise, its quite elegant and pure, a good representation of the '95 vintage and its site. I suspect many would 'love' this wine, while I merely 'like' it. But still, probably the best 'Apotheke' I've tasted.
Cote Rotie, Jasmin 1999
First sniff lacks aroma all together, like there's nothing in the glass at all. Decanted half of the bottle.
After 1 hour: Nose is just starting to gain steam, with ripe, round, red fruits. Still somewhat distant, strawberry, raspberry, and resin. High-toned and somewhat strange for Cote Rotie. With a bit more air, meaty aromas emerge and strawberry fruit bubbles up with considerable ethyl acetate.
The palate is suave and somewhat expensive in texture. Not really overdone, harmonious, yet. . .. 'Where's the beef?' (or maybe pork, more appropriately) The palate is almost as lifeless as the initial nose.
The wine isn't 'dead' in the traditional sense. . .not oxidized, but definately showing roundness from a contientious and expensive elevage. There also wasn't a pronounced vanillan character from new barrels. The tannins weren't invasive; to the contrary they were fully ripe and less edgy than most '99s. But wheres the fruit? Enough acid to support fruit (had there been any), but the wine just never woke up. By day two, the wine tasted like ketchup. bleh.
I have generally soured on the '99 Northern Rhone Vintage, which isn't surprising, as I always thought it was over-hyped. My initial gut instinct told me there wasn't enough stuffing to support the tannin in most of these wines, and many seemed awkward in a way that didn't suggest youthfulness. I still have some '99s from around the Northern Rhone; I'll think they'll have to rest for a bit longer. Maybe I'm wrong about them. Maybe they'll fill out. I hope so.
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