Weingut Reinhold Haart Piesporter Grafenberg Riesling Kabinett 2012

Hot and damp weather with no wind is not really my favorite thing in Berlin. And as there`s no sea or big lake near, the whole city just seems to be inside a pot, boiling. On top of that, had to work inside the whole day; a cold Riesling was in place. So picked one up from a local wine shop, just a few blocks from my appartement, Weinladen Schmidt Prenzlauer Berg (if you`re in Berlin and in need of a good Riesling, check it out).



Haart Grafenberg Kabinett Riesling 2012
9%
13 e (from a local wine shop)

Feels like this is in a good place right now.
Quite intense nose: ripe pear, baked apples, hint of petrol, some saltyness (sea breeze feel).
Supple and also nicely dense palate with electric, but gentle acidity. Tropical fruits, with drops of lemon/lime. Honeyed and somewhat salty and grainy finish. Good length.
Elegant, refreshing, yet not too simple Kabinett.
90

Famille Perrin Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Sinards 2013

Famille Perrin / Perrin & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Sinards 2013
14.0%
31e (Wine-Searcher)


I can`t recall I`ve drinked in a long time a wine that changes more with air contact.
(could it be a bottle shock? I bought the wine from Munich airport and opened it immediately after the flight)
But I mean wow! First straight from the bottle I was a bit disappointed; wine was totally shut down, austere, almost angry. I drunk only one glass and let it on the table overnight and after 24 hours, a complete change!
Absolutely intriguing and complex aromas: liquorice for days, smoke, forest floor, herbs, strawberries with whipped cream.
On the palate wine is silky smooth, with fine acidity and tannins. Super dry, but with a sort of inner sweetnes. Alc. totally integrated. Higly delicious, intensive and broad fruit; strawberries, raspberries, perfectly ripe with surprising freshness. Quite savory. Nice secondary notes: liquorice, gravel, smoked herbs, hint of mint. Long long smokey and herbal aftertaste.
Balanced, classical, earthy CdP. Loving it!
93

Paul Cluver Chardonnay 2014

Again a good South African white wine. Have been quite surprised by the elegance and restrained of the wines I`ve drinked lately. This Elgin valley Chradonnay I actually remember tasting many years ago. And it did leave an impression then. So decided to give it another go.

Paul Cluver Estate Chardonnay
13.50%
15e (Wine-Searcher)

Balance is everything!
This feels like a musical miniature. Form, content and expression are beautifully in balance here. Minerality is like a steady Cello legato underneath, giving everything a liberating pulse.
Palate is full bodied but not heavy; quite pristine actually, fresh and playful, with strong and fine acidity. There`s also a nice savory edge to it. Hmm, I just can`t get over the musicality. A polyphonic wine. Really disciplined and elevating finish, collecting all the themes to a long and meditative ending. The use of oak is in perfection.
Persistent, lingering aftertaste. Creme brulee, toasted caramel, baked apples, lemon.
Gracefully powerful Chardonnay!
91

Colonnara Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Cuprese 2011

I drink Verdicchio wines way too seldom. This is a good reminder of
just how interesting the wines can be, and what kind of value they can offer.

2011 Colonnara Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Cuprese
13,5 %
8e (Wine-Searcher)

A bit muted aromatically: some honey, wet hay.
On the palate medium bodied with decent acidity. Good, intense fruit; melon, lime, some herbs, flowers. Highly delicious, and intriguing flavors. Finish is really really flinty, dusty, almost austere;
leaving a very long, honeyed, a bit herbal aftertaste with a sligthly bitter chalkyness. Some taste reminds me of Vermouth, in a good way.
Fine, multidimensional Verdicchio!
90

Becker Landgraf Gau-Odernheimer Spätburgunder J2 2013

2013 Becker Landgraf Gau-Odernheimer Spätburgunder J2
13.50%
13e

Earthy and honest Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir).

Shy but beautiful aromas of wet forest floor, smoke, dried cherries.
On the palate quite supple, medium bodied. Up lifting acidity and soft tannins. Focused fruit, red berries, crushed rocks, mossy smokey earth. Good length.
Nice!
89

Viña Pomal Reserva 2010

Another Rioja. A wine area that I have also somewhat mixed feelings. Often wines are for my taste a bit too generic, oaky, and lacking in authenticity. But then again, at best I think that wines from Rioja can offer a pretty great value play.

Bodegas Bilbainas Rioja Viña Pomal Reserva 2010
13.5%
13e  (Wine-Searcher average)

A straightforward Rioja-Reserva, but quite delicious. Blueberrry pie with a nob of Ice cream. A bit ashy, spicy and lethery finish, with a good amount of acidity and moderate tannins. Not too complicated, but does it´s thing very well indeed.
Improves signifigantly after decanting.
88

Muga Blanco 2014

 


I`ve had a bit ambivalent relationship with Spanish white wines. I`ve enjoyed some in the past,
but had also many many disappointments. As going out side of my comfort zone in white wines seems to be my theme at the moment, why not give Spain a change.

Muga Blanco 2014
13,0 %
13e (Wine-Searcher)

Silky smooth on the palate but, with a strong underlying structure and minerality. Starts actually really kind of shy, but like a diesel motor slowly starts to roll, and finishes with substantial power; leaving a beautifully lingering aftertaste of candied orange peel, lemon, and some spicyness.
A good value!
89

Bellingham Grenache Blanc Viognier 2014

Bellingham The Bernard Series Whole Bunch Grenache Blanc Viognier 2014
14.00%
20e (Wine-Searcher)

This is beautiful!
Fascinating aromas: peaches, lime, almost a hint of botrytis, toasty caramel, smoke, burnt wood and marshmallow.
The palate is full bodied, slightly oily, tropical and seductive. Also a touch smoky and savory. On the backgorund appears only a hint of oak and toastiness. Acidity, and chalky/mineral undertones gives energy and depth.
Has a lingering and nutty aftertaste with interesting, high pitched and bright lime/lime zest element emerging. The 14% Alcohol is impressively under control.
Big, bold and hedonistic, but at the same time surprisingly fresh and lively. Quite complex.
90

Fontanafredda Barolo Serralunga d`Alba 2010

After having some kind of identity crisis and a couple decades of decline, the Historical Barolo house of Fontanafredda seems to be experiencing a new renaissance, and is slowly gaining back it`s position as one of the great Barolo makers. With the house style leaning more on the classical side.


Fontanafredda Barolo Serralunga d`Alba 2010
14,0%
33e (Wine-Searcher

Shy aromas: ripe dark berries, leather, nutmeg.
Medium bodied, almost a bit thin. Big, and somewhat harsh tannins.
Delicious, smoky and spicy fruit on the mid palate, but turns abruptly very dusty and earthy, and in the finish/aftertaste, almost bitter. This wine needs a looooooong decanting. After 5 hours it developed more body and the bitterness and austerity gave space for the fruit to shine.
Good, structured Barolo, but needs many years to reach it`s full potential.
89

DeMorgenzon Reserve Chenin Blanc 2014

DeMorgenzon Reserve Chenin Blanc 2014
14,0%
23e (Wine-Searcher)


So, my white wine season has been opened.. Spring is finally here, fuck yeah!

South African whites haven`t been admittedly too much in my wine repertoire.
Made a promise to myself that this year I will start to explore white wine categories/styles out side of my comfort zone. In other words, probably more towards New World, and modern style...
This wine was given to me as a present, and was definitely a good start...

Aromatically a bit tight: some funk, bee wax, florality, lemon.
Electric first attack with a good weight, at first almost overwhelming; full of tropical fruits, ripe lychee, pears, lime, with a good amount of chalky minerality, and in the background a hint of  toasty caramel and creaminess. Full bodied, yet not too heavy at all, almost refreshing. 14% alc. feels only as a slight warmer.
Somewhat piercing acidity dominates a bit in the finish, and promises a good aging potential. Intriguingly long and profound aftertaste.
A gorgeous Chenin Blanc!
92

Caprili Brunello di Montalcino 2010

This was drunk during a work meeting, and chess match.
Thanks for the wine Ilkka!

Caprili Brunello di Montalcino 2010
DOCG
15,5%
37e(Wine-Searcher)

Young, yes. Delicious, hell yeah!
Warm aromas; ripe cherries, liquorice, Christmas spices, smoke.
Intense first attack with a good weight and delicious ripe dark fruit. Becomes more and more broad and explosive towards the finish, and to be honest, goes a bit over the top, with waves of tannins dominating. Nevertheless shows a wonderfully delicate, smoky and spicy aftertaste. Impressive how well the 15,5% Alc. is hidden.
Such a restless and nervous wine, yet fascinating, and highly delicious.
Nice potential, no doubt.
91

Château Tour Peyronneau 2012

Value Bordeaux? An Oxymoron?
Well, this was delish...

Château Tour Peyronneau 2012
AC Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
13%
25e (Wine-Searcher)


Slightly tight but elegant aromas; ripe blackberries, cedar box, vanilla, manor.
On the palate solid, almost sweet, fruit. Some oak, earth, vegetal elements, hint of acidity and some tannins.
Best part is definitely on the midpalate, where there`s a focused, delicious, bursting fruit. Finishing with a hint of Cherry cola. Turns more vegetal and tad bitter and earthy in the drying aftertaste.
Immediately appealing, yet not too shallow, or easy-going.
Will be better after few years. Still somewhat nervy.
89

Produttori del Barbaresco - Riserva Rabajà 2008

Produttori del Barbaresco - Riserva Rabajà 2008
DOCG
14,5%
51€ (Wine-Searcher average)

Wow!!! This could be the best young PdB I`ve ever tasted.
Beautifully deep and dark purple color, what is to be expected from Rabaja. A bit shy, but delicate, earthy aromas with pronounced tar and graphite, that I get so often from Produttori.
This is so goddamn delicious it`s hard to analyze. Just has everything: power with elegance, glorious glorious purity of fruit, savoriness, silky smooth mouth feel, seamless transition from the first attack to a minutes long aftertaste(lingers on easily more than 3 minutes), interesting mineral undertones, profound secondary notes. You just cant get bored with this.
For 28e, that I paid for this, an insane QPR
97

Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2013

Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2013
8,50%
42€ (Wine-Searcher average)


Has been ages since I`ve drinked wines from Max Ferd. Richter. Their basic Riesling used to be one of my go-to summer quaffers...
Not much on the nose; honey, lemon, fresh morning dew (if that makes any sense).
On the palate a galore of pears and sour apples, with a good amount of flintyness.
There`s also a hint of botrytis in the background. Nicely balanced and surprisingly refreshing. Far from sickly sweet. Acidity gives a good lift; flavors seems to just float serenely over the palate.
Long aftertaste of honeyed pears, with even more honeyed pears and a drop of lemon. There`s some taste that reminds me of Berliner Weiße(or maybe it`s just some weird association).
Overall a delicious and supple Riesling Auslese
91

Giuseppe Rinaldi "Brunate- Le Coste" Barolo 2009

I`ve drinked lately quite a bit of 09 Barbarescos, Barolos and regular Nebbiolos.
A problematic vintage, that resulted in numerous overripe, high-alcohol wines with bitter, green tannins. But there`s also many stellar wines. Maybe just not that collectable.
This Barolo was opened up during New Year`s festivities.


Giuseppe Rinaldi "Brunate- Le Coste" Barolo 2009
DOCG
14%
144€ (Wine-Searcher)

Spectacularly perfumed: funk, earth, manor, candied berries, wet stones, bee wax, tar. Almost sweet. Some acidity, finely grained tannins. Supple and harmonious. Seducing.
Although as dry as it gets, theres a kind of inner sweetness on the palate. Surprisingly chalky, and mineral aftertaste. 
Stunning and balanced Barolo.
95