DJ Hombre came over last night for some wine and food...
2002 Theo Minges Scheurebe Spatlese (Gleismeiler Holle), Pfalz: Great wine. Ripe mango dominates but there is plenty of passion fruit, guava and peach as well. Some good slate dimension. The wine is certainly on the sweeter side, but this drinks like a Spatlese should. The ripe fruit is held together by nice acidity. This is the 6th bottle of this I've had and I'm so glad I have a couple left. At $20, this is a steal. 91.5
2003 Smith-Madrone Riesling. Hard to drink right after the Scheurebe as this is bone dry. Also very young, I would hold for 3 years before tasting again. The restrained nose has flower petals and peaches. On the palate, there is peach, apple, and gravel with just a hint of sulfer that needs to integrate. I wouldn't be too woried about the slight sulfer, I think it will go away...In fact it did go away as the night wore on. 89 right now, perhaps more as it develops.
2002 Kosta Browne Kanzler Vineyrad Pinot Noir. Very good, got better as the night wore on. Classic Pinot fruit. Reminds me of Etude Pinot, but perhaps even a little better. Rose, black cherry, and raspberry with a hint of pine and maybe just a slight amount of tar. Long finish. 91.5+
2000 Clerico Barbera Trevigne. This is another one of my favorites. Lots of tar, and some high-quality French oak, support a ton of dark, ripe fruit. Unquestionable Piedmont earth. This was a good pairing with our sausage pizza. Another great QPR at $24. (Note, the '01 is not as good as the '00.) This also got even better as the night wore on. 91.5
1999 Runquist Syrah. Already showing some signs of age, this is no dainty wine. It is dark and rich, but wth admirable complexity. A little charred wood, along with leather and tar add to the full, rich nose and palate dominated by dark, very ripe, fruits. 91.
1998 Zenato Amarone. A little less open then the last time I had this, we opened it 4 hours in advance and then, I still felt that it needed decanting. Once it was decanted it really started to shine. Blacker than black fruits, charcoal, black black raspberry jam, and sweetness due to glycerin, not residual sugar are all here. What a pairing with Reggiano Parmesan! Based upon past Zenato vintages, and what I tasted last night, I think this will hit its stride in about 3-4 years and stay there for another 3-4 years, perhaps much longer (my experience with Amarone only really begins with the '93 vintage). My WOTN, although not by much. 92.
It was a great night of drinking and discussing life.
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