2001 Saint Aubin 1er Cru, En Remilly, Henri Prudhon & Fils, France
Not quite as good as other minor white burgundies; it doesn't have quite the character that I hoped for. Deep golden color indicates that it may be slightly past its peak; the touch of wood taste could be a bit of oxidation. Moderately intense and long. Close-out price $22; regular price $29.2002 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Qba, Willi Schaefer, M-S-R
Rating: Good ++
Maybe it's only a QbA, but it tastes like a very good Kabinett. A prototypical Mosel wine, with superb acidity, and very good riesling fruit and aroma. There's some complexity, and a fairly long taste. Very well-balanced. Close-out price $13; regular price $19.1999 Niersteiner Hipping Riesling Auslese, Georg Albrecht Schneider, Rheinhessen
Rating: Very Good
I've learned that Schneider wines tend to age more quickly than one might otherwise expect. After five-and-a-half years, a bit short for an Auslese, this one is at its peak. There's some apricot and spice in the taste, in concentrated riesling fruit, and Auslese sweetness. Good intensity and reasonable length. The color is a deep gold. Close-out price $10; regular price $14.2005 Oyster Bay Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand
Rating: Good +
Lots of blackberry fruit, and tending toward full-bodied, with some PN aroma. Dark red with a purplish tinge befitting a young wine. Sufficient acidity, light tannin and wood. As much as I want to like this wine, there is perhaps a touch of residual sugar that's a bit off-putting. It's just more robust than elegant or complex. Sale price $14; regular price $17.2003 West Brook Sauvignon Blanc, Blue Ridge, Vintage Reserve, Marlborough, New Zealand
Rating: Good +
Made in a rounder, balanced style without strong acidity or SB grassiness. Moderate intensity, some depth and complexity, and moderate length, golden color. Quite good, but somehow not an exciting wine. Close-out price $16; regular price $25.2002 Waterstone Pinot Noir, Carneros
Rating: Good ++
Despite an alcohol level of 14.5%, made in a lighter, aromatic style. Raspberry fruit with just a touch of firmness from mild tannin and a trace of wood. Moderate length with reasonable intensity. Close-out price $18; regular price $24.2002 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett, Hoffmann-Simon, M-S-R
Rating: Good ++
Open at the same time, a 2000 Sanford Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara, vinified in a similar aromatis style, had a good deal more depth.
A bit soft and subdued, not quite the zest and flavor I expect from a Mosel wine. Golden color, moderate length, floral character. Sweetness at Kabinett level. Close-out price $12; regular price $17.2000 Pindar Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Barrel Select, North Fork of Long Island, New York
Rating: Good +
Much closer to French than California style, with high acidity, sufficient sour-cherry fruit, and a touch of tannin and wood. Moderate intensity and length. Fairly dark color. Does not have the cedary character and depth of a fine cabernet, but appears to open up and gain intensity and depth as a food wine. Close-out price $11; regular price $22.2002 David Bruce Pinot Noir, Central Coast
Rating: Good +
A bit low-intensity and not as fragrant as many California PN's, with a touch of tannin and wood. Moderately long taste. A 2003 Kim Crawford Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand, open at the same time, showed more stuffing and depth. On the other hand, the David Bruce did open up some and improved a bit over the next two days. Price not known, probably in low $20s.2001 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese, Vereinigte Hospitien, M-S-R
Rating: Good +
Surprisingly, I liked the Kabinett version better. The Spätlese tastes a little unfocused, a bit soft and subdued, and not as acidic as I think it should be. The sweetness is more like Kabinett, and the taste is moderately long. Close-out price $9; regular price $13 (pricing is likely to be in error; the Spätlese was probably mistaken for Kabinett).2001 Rüdesheimer Kirchenpfad Riesling Spätlese, Josef Leitz, Rheingau
Rating: Good +
A superbly balanced wine with depth and complexity, peach-like fruit with fresh acidity. Lovely golden color, and long taste. The sweetness is at the lower end of Spätlese, to go with 9.5% alcohol. Served with roast turkey, carrot tsimmis and mushroom, onion kugel. Close-out price $18; regular price $32.2001 Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg (Pfaffenberger) Riesling Spätlese, Schloss Schönborn, Rheingau
Rating: Very, Very Good
This wine followed the Rüdesheimer Kirchenpfad (just above), and was a good deal sweeter, more like an Auslese. The sweetness correlated with the low alcohol level of 7.5%, and was offset by nice acidity. Very intense with depth, more peach than apricot, and a long taste. "Pfaffenberger" is the designation for this vineyard's best Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg. This wine can take lots more age, and so develop into something exceptional. I may hold the next one for about five more years. Close-out price $16; regular price $22.2005 Drylands Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
Rating: Very Good +
The aroma had a touch of acetone sweetness, as if from very young fruit. The wine has a bit of softness, lacking the austerity of the Giesen (just below), but also more balance that can turn into elegance and some complexity. Good intensity and a fairly long taste. Sale price $12, regular price $15.2005 Giesen Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
Rating: Very Good
The 2005 Drylands seems closer to the fine 2003 than the, to me, somewhat disappointing 2004.
A bit austere compared to other 2005's, with some grassiness and bracing acidity. Good intensity and length. Sale price $9.50, regular price $14.2002 Wild Horse Pinot Noir, Central Coast
Rating: Very Good -
The best Wild Horse PN that I've tasted so far. Other years have seemed lighter, though fragrant, with what seemed like a touch of chemical character. This one had depth, lots of black raspberry/cherry fruit, with good acid balance, and just enough tannin and wood to give a little firmness. Fairly dark color, and a long taste. Close-out price $15, regular price $22.2005 Omaka Springs Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
Rating: Very Good +
The parade of fine 2005 NZ SB's continues with a stellar representative. The Omaka Springs is superbly balanced: fresh acidity, fruit flavors with some depth; any SB grassiness is well under control. Long taste. This is a no-sharp-elbows wine, though not soft, an example of elegance with intensity. Regular price $20, less 20% discount.2002 Münsterer Rheinberg Riesling Kabinett, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, Nahe
Rating: Very Good +
A wonderful wine with pineapple acidity, Kabinett-level sweetness, fine riesling intensity and aroma, and a long taste. Unfortunately this bottle was marred by a musty character that's probably corkiness. The wine is so good that one can enjoy it while disregarding the flaw; one has to hope that other bottles don't have it. Close-out price $10; regular price $15.2001 Hattenheimer Riesling Kabinett, Karl Joh. Molitor, Rheingau
Rating: Very Good + (?)
Note that there is no individual vineyard designation,so it's from a combination of vineyards. The wine has a low level of sweetness, moderate intensity, acidity and length. Close-out price $10; regular price $15.2002 Kaseler Nies'chen Riesling Kabinett, Karlsmühle, M-S-R
Rating: Good ++
Another textbook Kabinett, rielsling aroma and taste, well-balanced acidity and sweetness, fairly long taste. Close-out price $13; regular price $19.2001 Niersteiner Brückchen Riesling Kabinett, J.&H.A. Strub, Rheinhessen
Rating: Very Good -
A total surprise - a Rheinhessen wine that I would identify as from the Saar (not even Mosel) in a blind tasting. It has a steeliness and vibrant acidity that's far from what I think of as the spiciness and touch of flabbiness that many Rheinhessen wines exhibit. The sweetness is at the low end of Kabinett, widening its range as a food wine. Moderate intensity with some depth, and a fairly long taste. Light golden color and tight riesling aroma. A real find at a close-out price $10; regular price $14.2002 Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett, Meulenhof, M-S-R
Rating: Very Good
Another fine Mosel with Kabinett-level sweetness and good acid balance. Floral aroma, medium intensity and a fairly long taste. Lovely golden color Close-out price $12; regular price $17.
Rating: Good ++
Open at the same time as a 2000 Bernkasteler Bratenhöfchen Riesling Kabinett, Kerpen, which had lower acidity and just not as much character.
Red-tag close-out sales this month:Whites:
2001 Niersteiner Brückchen Riesling Kabinett, J.&H.A. Strub, Rheinhessen ($10, orig. $14) 2002 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling QbA, Willi Schaefer, M-S-R ($13, orig. $19) 2002 Münsterer Rheinberg Riesling Kabinett, Kruger-Rumpf, Nahe ($10, orig. $15) 2001 Bopparder Hamm Feuerlay Riesling Spätlese, Weingart, Mittelrhein ($15, orig. $20) 2002 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett, Hoffmann-Simon, M-S-R ($12, orig. $17) 2003 West Brook Sauvignon Blanc, Blue Slide Ridge, Vintage Reserve, Marlborough, New Zealand ($16, orig. $25) 2000 Pindar Gewurztraminer, Late Harvest, North Fork of Long Island, New York [375 ml] ($15, orig. $30) 2002 Saint Aubin 1er Cru, en Remilly, Henri Prudhon & Fils, France ($22, orig. $29)
Reds:
2000 Pindar Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Barrel Select, North Fork of Long Island, New York ($11, orig. $22) 2002 Waterstone Pinot Noir, Carneros ($18, orig. $24)
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