Two properties practically unknown…not only all over the world…but in Germany as well Jakob Pfleger Pinot Noir 2009 Edition Curator Pfalz, Germany A property that is not mentioned in Gault Millau…which is down to the politics that pops it’s head up regarding mass tastings. Eichelmann rate it highly though. Roland Pfleger is a Pinot Noir man…he knows how to entice you with his style of wine. The 2007 version has been regularly drank over the last year… and I had ordered this vintage on my visit to the property a year ago. Six bottles of this…and 6 of the top wine ‘R’****’. Cream pure on the nose…cool fruit….ripe fruit as well…this is another sexy vintage for Spätburgunder.... »View More
Worlds apart…in distance and in style. A Tale Of Two Chardonnays.The first…a wine I ‘discovered’ about 6 months ago. Ordered it after reading high praise in a Decanter tasting…and willing to try the ‘new’ Australia…it has taken that long for the wine to come from Australia via Belgium to Germany. Left to ‘relax’ after that trip…it needed to be tried to see how good it really is. Bird In Hand Nest Egg Chardonnay 2008 Adelaide Hills, South Australia Smokey oak…a real old fashioned Chardonnay smell…nutty. The palate shows a creamy texture…very crème brûlée…with some refreshing minerality. Drinking over two days..the oak is fairly dominant on the lips…and... »View More
I love going to our local Bistro and taking along wines that I hope will impress friends.What is a great wine?….one that is world wide known or a wine that few have tasted and only known to the few.Cuilleron’s top Condrieu and Guigal’s La Doriane are both great wines….so it was good to hear my fellow tasters compare the first wine with the aforementioned.They tried to nail it down…but the exotic feel had them struggling.Erwin Sabathi Limited 111Sauvignon Blanc 2008South Styria, AustriaQuite full…but in no way fat. I can see this aging well…but the general consensus of opinion was…why wait?What an aroma…cassis and top class gooseberries with a touch of lychees.After all that…you would... »View More
Five of us in all at Volker’s place…with his usual delicious food.Robert offered us a 3 Glas Gamberro Rosso Prosecco…not for me…spend my money elsewhere.Two Rieslings tasted blind…the first we thought was definitely a 2010 with extreme acidity.The second…much more like it…had to be 2009.Wrong!The first turned out to beKarl Schäfer Forster PechsteinRiesling GG 2009Pfalz, GermanyHad to be a 2010…but no…a 2009 and not a style that appeals to a non lover of stomach burning acidity.Points 14.5 The second was from a top Nahe property..Dönnhoff Niederhäuser HermannshöhleRiesling GG 2010Nahe, GermanyI presumed this to be the 2009…this is very good…and showed very well in it’s... »View More
A couple of Austrian whites sandwiched between two reds from Baden. Nothing like a light snack to oil the machinery. There were always rules about wine and food when I started out in the 70′sFish with white and meat with red was never broken…or you had no idea about wine! I was always prepared to change…but it was on holiday in Portugal in the 80′s with my daughter…who prefers red…that we often drank the soft fruity wines with the local fish.Obviously the preparation plays a role.Also for the last 30 years I have been pulling corks but more and more we see screw caps…something that has never really been as much a problem as you would think for this old traditionalist.All this brings us to the wine featured... »View More
My wife and I and friends Volker and Steffi at our local Bistro Mitch. Layla, the owner, is a fine host….and the food is always enjoyable. Volker and Steffi were off to Madeira next morning so needed some German wines before their holiday.Corkage is reasonable…and there is a good atmosphere. I had brought the bottles in the morning…..and the white was popped into the fridge having been opened.I knew it needed airing as the previous time I had tasted over two days and the difference had be noticeable. Bassermann JordanRiesling Auf der Mauer 2007Pfalz, GermanyFull aroma of yellow fruits…the smell of petroleum hovering…broad structure…acidity within my health limit…layers of fruit on the palate…lovely... »View More
The week in the life of a wine freak / fan / aficionado. Call me what you will…even a juice junkie! A Monday evening…and I was expecting a visit from David Stephensen…a fellow Spätburgunder lover….over in Germany on holiday…packing the car with the wine and visiting friends. He took my advice and visited the Gasthof Rebstock in Waldulm and stayed 3 days. His favourite wine one evening had been Gantenbein 2007…the cult wine from Switzerland. We had never met…and he called when he arrived at the railway station…and I was on my bike and found him and we were off to the local Bistro. Two bottles had been deposited at midday and I had covered them up. Willi SattlerSauvignon Blanc Privat 2006 South... »View More