Tasting notions

[Florida Jim]

2001 Knoll, Riesling Smaragd Schutt:

Very impressive with noteworthy concentration, cut and intensity, this falls on the dry side of the variety with lots of mineral elements. Not mature by quite some, but showing lots of depth and very nicely with light picnic food.

1996 Clavel, La Copa Santa (Languedoc):

Started hard and closed but softened nicely and gained all sorts of flavor depth and textural plush. Cellaring another five years would probably work better than two hours in the decanter, but I sure enjoyed the decanted wine with braised oxtail on fava beans with a silver corn demi-glaze.

NV Duval-Leroy, Rosé Champagne:

Delightful, celebratory, bubbly with very light RS. Fun, pretty and delicious.

2002 Dom. de la Desoucherie, Cour-Cheverny:

The romorantin grape produces a lovely demi-sec (Cazin’s, Cuvée Renissance, for example) but this is my first totally dry version; closed and angular at first, it opened very slowly over an afternoon to show some white fruit and a pretty harmonious acid structure. A couple of years in the cellar would likely be just the thing.

2002 Dom. de la Desoucherie, Sauvignon Blanc (Touraine):

Very grassy with perm solution notes that distracted but did not overwhelm; nice cut and quite crisp in the mouth. A clean, somewhat idiosyncratic wine that may have a better future than present but this is not to my taste.

Best, Jim