Rieslingfan

The 2001 Riesling is very likely shut down. The majority of '01s I have had recently have not shown well.

I have always enjoyed the '88s. They are more structured than the '89s (even the '90s) and generally aging well. I would definitely pop one ASAP. '88 Pol Roger tasted recently was stunning and perfectly aged.

2000 Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Berg Schlossberg Riesling Spätlese (Rheingau) I've tasted this wine twice in the last week. It is one of the rare exceptions to the "2000 is a mediocre vintage" rule. There are many things this wine is or isn't, but I'll leave that list to the end. Pale yellow color preceeds a nose consisting of apricot and peach, drizzled with a fine wildflower honey, served atop a bed of stones. The wine is definitely sweet, but carries so much stuffing that it comes off as nearly dessert style rather than table wine. There's the perfect "sizzle" of botrytis on the palate mingling with tons of sweet, ripe fruit. The finish is not extraordinarily long, mostly because the acidity clears everything away, leaving just a hint of Riesling and inviting the next sip. What this wine is not: It is not really Spätlese. It is not off-dry. It is not marred by the bad rot of 2000. It is not in danger of going downhill as many 2000s are starting to do. What this wine is: It is a botrytised auslese (maybe BA) being sold as Spätlese. It is for very rich food with sweetness as a component. It is also for drinking by itself as a very relaxing, un-heavy after dinner drink. It is a great achievement for 2000 and for Leitz. It is another indication that Johannes Leitz (current owner) is one of the best in the Rheingau. This wine has been seen languishing on the shelves of major retailers. If you see it give it a shot. Just remember it is more of a dessert style wine than a normal Spätlese.

It's always good to read about some of the '96 Champagnes. I've also been snapping up the '96s, and have tasted a few from NM and RM producers. The '96 Bollinger Grand Annee is fantastic, perhaps legendary stuff. The '96 Pol Roger is just a short step behind the Bolly. In the RM arena, the Pierre Peters is great stuff, but needs 5 years to soften up. The '96 Chartogne-Taillet Cuvee Saint Anne is very good, and also a fine value in vintage dated Champagne. I have not yet seen the '96 P-J wines in my market, but I'll be on the lookout.

White. a) It goes with more of the food I eat (lots of Asian ispired dishes, fish, chicken) b) I find better values (e.g. German Riesling) c) More truly interesting white available at those good prices (e.g. German Riesling) d) I'm the chairman of the German Wine Society for New England. I have to say white. David

I bribed Gates to put in that feature. This reminds me very much of the spelling/grammar debates we've had on the internet over the years. Hopefully this one won't get folks hot under the collar. And hey Brad...congrats on being "elevated." I expect you to consult with me on all things Riesling.

Quality=Meeting requirements If we can't agree on the requirements (i.e. tastes differ) then there is no way to objectively measure quality. It's a bland way of looking at such a lovely beverage, but it does make my point.

My experience with Amarone is all of about 5 bottles, but I did have the opportunity to taste the '78 Quintarelli last month. I would never have guessed it as a 26 year old wine. It was dark purple and loaded with fruit, tannin and a touch of VA floating over the top. Quite the wild ride. Unfortunately it was placed in the tasting after a decidedly flawed bottle of a different style wine which threw my palate off big time. Nevertheless it was a very interesting tasting experience. Of course it was followed by the '45 Taylor Port which blew everything away, but...

But properly aged vintage Port is indeed great wine. Try the '45 Taylor Fladgate (had it last month), the '63 Fonseca, the '66 Graham's, etc. These wines take time to mature, but given the patience they are truly great wines. What about properly stored and aged vintage Port isn't "great?" Please do tell. As for getting "into Port, I would highly suggest a bottle of Taylor Fladgate 20-Year-Old Tawny Port. It's my favorite tawny (that I can get) & for $40 you get a week's worth of after dinner drinks.

Just answering a question from above: I buy my Weinbach wines when I go to Maryland to visit my in-laws. The Cuvee Theo Riesling (the 2000 was the last I bought...haven't been shopping there for 2001) was $18.99/bottle net. Jumilla (and Toro) are great regions for value. I won't put it on my official list yet (only tried one vintage), but the 2000 Altos de Luzon from Jumilla was a killer bottle of wine for $14.99 (before discount). I bought 6 to have as everyday drinking wines & pretty much did just that. They were all gone within a month. Now it's all gone. Boo, hoo. The Vall Llach Embruix is a good (if different) substitute, but it's $19.99, and pushing the value envelope of this thread. Of course buying by the case (mixed or solid) helps matters. There are a million (almost literally) German wines that I could put on a value wine list. Several producers like Darting (listed above by someone), Strub, Minges, Gysler (GREAT, GREAT, GREAT value in Silvaner!!!!!!!!!!!!) make fantastic everyday wines in liter bottles that sell for bargain prices. I have to single out the Gysler Weinheimer Hölle Silvaner Halbtrocken as perhaps the best cheap (try $8 for a liter) summer wine out there. The 2002 should still be around & it is delicious. The 2001 was fantastic as well.

My under $20 regulars (buying year in and year out not mandatory, but I like them to be relatively consistent...e.g. 2002 Southern Rhone storms do not preclude inclusion of a Rhone wine) Prices are what I normally pay in my market after mixed case discount (5-10%). Sparkling: Roederer Estate NV White: Navarro Muscat Christoffel Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett Heidi Schrock Weissburgunder Domaine Weinbach Riesling Cuvee Theo Hexamer Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Riesling Quartzit (new entry for me) Donnhoff Estate Riesling QbA St. Urbans-Hof Riesling QbA Maximin Grunhaus Riesling QbA Schmitt-Wagner Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Spatlese Strub Niersteiner Paterberg Riesling Spatlese Red: Clos du Mont Olivet Chateauneuf du Pape (just barely comes in under the $ line) Edmunds St. John Rocks & Gravel Domaine du Cayron Gigondas Unfortunately most of my reds have fallen off the list due to rising prices. The Olivet and Cayron will bust the barrier in the '03 vintage I am sure. I now experiment a lot with Spanish reds, but none have become a wine I buy every year (yet). Generally I spend a lot more on my every day reds because the whites are just so darned available in the category with styles/varieties of wines I like.

Tawny Port is no secret ot me. I lovethe stuff. I've been working on a bottle of Taylor Fladgate 20 Year Old Tawny this week. It's so good after dinner!

I tasted this same wine about 4 months ago & ended up buying a few (3 or 4) for some near-term Nebbiolo drinking. It's really nice juice for the money. I think I paid $15.99 (US) for it. I have not been very happy with the Produttori lately. I thought the '97 single-vineyard Barbarescos were a pale shadow of the '96s. Hopefully the '01 Langhe is a good omen for the Barbarescos. Hey Craig...any thoughts on how the Produttori is doing lately?

Surprise, the Riedel Vinum Burg stem is my favorite for full-bodied trocken Rieslings (e.g. Austrian & some newer style Germans). It really lets the wines blossom. I did a test in September with the Brug stem and a Chianti/Riesling stem & a '02 Leitz Spatlese Trocken (14% alc. big boy) was much better (richer) out of the Burg stem.

I had fantastic luck with a '95 Chave Hermitage Blanc. It was one of those matches where both were magically enhanced. And yes, I used gruyere/emmenthaler. Don't forget the kirsch in the fondue. It really makes a difference.

The nose on the Gruard was very "un-Gruard." It had none of the Cordier funk. It smelled like Bordeaux, but had more herbal component than I would have liked. The wines were all purchased on release by the host. He has stored them reasonably well. His cellar varies from about 55 in winter to 63 in summer, with very slow fluctuations, so it's a pretty benign environment. Given the performance of these wines it's a calming influence to people who get all uptight when their cellars go from 55 to 60 degrees.

Well that's the last question I was expecting. The Beychevelle was fantastic. It was my #4 wine of the night after the two '70s and the '45. The Gruard was ok, but could not hold a candle to the Beychevelle, with which it was paired. Oh but the Cheval...

Forget the food...Tuesday night we had '66 Beychevelle '66 Gruard Larose '70 Cheval Blanc '70 Petrus '86 Mondavi Reserve Cab and '45 Taylor Port Among other things... Oh yeah, the cheeses were good (Pamigiano & a Canadian Cheddar).

2000 Domaine de Beaurenard 'Boisrenard' with some grilled ribeye. Mmmmm... Drink it now, or hold it for up to 15 years. It's amazing stuff. (the wine, not the steak) No wine with the chips and dip during the Super Bowl.

Craig, How long would you let the Felsina Rancias from good vintages age to reach maturity? I only have a limited supply of '97 and (I think) '99 (though it might be '00) and don't want to waste them. Thanks, David

2002 Marquis-Phillips Shiraz "9"...big red glop. yikes!

My absolute favorite match with sushi/sashimi is barely off dry German Riesling. I look for wines noted as halbtrocken on the label. The maximum residual sugar is 18 g/l which (combined with the acids) makes them relatively dry & a great foil for the fishy. All time favorite was the 1998 Muller-Catoir Haardter Burgergarten Riesling Spatlese Halbtrocken with sashimi.

Certainly not an availability problem. One of the best German wine retailers is in the bay area (Dee Vine).

Not a German Riesling in the lot. Pffft! But seriously, we have a group on the East Coast that met several times at a Boston Chinatown restaurant. Lots of wines worked well with the varied cuisine. But nothing was as generally satisfying as Riesling with just a hint of residual sugar (e.g. kabinett or perhaps spatlese halbtrocken).

I'm not disagreeing with you at all Craig. In fact I don't buy Dom because I do much better for less money. (I do buy Krug, but there's nothing else quite like it.) I just thought the information was interesting. Dom is a lot like a Jaguar. They both look great but never perform quite as well as one would expect for the $.