Klumpp Cuvee M 2005
Baden, GermanyOne of the most northerly points of the Baden wine area is Bruchsal.The Weingut belongs to a minority of about one per cent of vineyards in Germany that grow organic wine.This cuvee is from had picked grapes..15% juice extracted..left on the 'Most' for 3 weeks. The vines are aged....and the mix comprises of 1/3 each of Cabernet, St. Laurent and Spätburgunder.
Deep ruby red...dusty cherry aroma...at first a soft opening..but with airing the firm tannins poked their head up and said...bite me now or leave me a while. Well..not one to shrink before chewing a wine..I continued...fine acidity leaves this nicely balanced on the palate....plenty of juiciness..the Cabernet starts to dominate with blackcurrant fruit. Some vanilla is in there..this spends 12 months in oak...but Mr T...keeps it back...smokey vegetable notes...big decant now..or try again in a couple of years.Points 17.25...interesting to see how this develops.Nice bottle..but the wide top of the neck meant no Screwpull..just the old-fashioned Vine Corkscrew...good for my back!
The Weingut has been run by Peter Geißen since the end of the 70's..the vineyard Karlsmühle is situated on the Ruwer. This has a medal sticker...which usually says nothing unless you know what the competition was.
Karlsmühle Peter Geißen
Riesling Kabinett trocken 2007
Mosel, GermanySweet grapefruit?...fresh and fruity..on the palate there is Grapefruit and Lychees..so my nose is not deceiving me...chosen from the most yellow grapes...delicate.....dry...but a slight back palate sweetness...perfect for me...my stomach churnes if it whiffs too much acidity.... At € 10,-- very good value....and I bought 6 bottles cos my wife liked it as well.
Points 16
Why does a wine not sell?.....
new to the market, not enough PR...confusing label...grape is 'out'? Well..whatever is was here....meant 8 bottles became bin-ends..so I was a happy benefactor. It's not new! PR....again, not the case! Confusing label..can't be that..it's all there! so..is the grape out? Or maybe with all the mass available..no-one wants to pay that little more. This is not your 'gooseberry/cat's pee' type of Sauvignon Blanc. That's like compering your local Pizza take-away to a top Italian Restaurant.Vie di Romans Piere 2005
Friaul, Italy 
Made from 100% mostly-clone Sauvignon Blanc...this shows a slightly spritzy nose..minerals and steel...and I would give it 16.5 at this point..so maybe that is a reason for few buyers. I know it is not always possible to know what you will drink tomorrow...but try this..open it up..try a glass..then pop it back somewhere cool..and open it again next day. You'll wish you had bought the 8 bottles now! This fills out..classy..excellent balance...a great middle-weight that lies like a small diamond on your palate..bananas....sweet apples..and a long finish. Give this a chance to strutt it's stuff...and it will reward you with.....................................
Points 17.5
I still have one bottle of the 2004...which I will do with as I advise above.
PS....Don't mix 'em up...the other SB..'Vieris'.... from this grower...is more oak dominated..altho..I believe he now gives the 'Piere' a small dose...but you hardly notice it.
Popped into my local wine merchant....to buy a few odd bottles to try. Robert is the owner of the 'Hanglage'. I told him I was trying to wean myself off Spätburgunder...so that the Blog readers could see how I deal with 'others'. We discussed a few wines..then, as an afterthought, he produced the 3 wines from Crusius....which I bought. Hey...I did try..blame Robert!!! I also purchased 3
others..as you can see in the photo. As he packed the wines away....and as I had mentioned some Canadian readers of the blog..he produced a wine....which I almost bought..until I heard the price. Osoyoos Larose 2003
Okanagan Valley
British Columbia CANADA!!!!!!
A Bordeaux blend.....tell me it is a world beater and I may go back for it.
Don't you just love Xmas. Ignore my previous posts..
I just got a few parcels of wine from people we do business with. Hey....even Scrooge lightened up later in the story by Dickens!. The fame of being a blogger (or more likely the hints dropped in general conversation) means I now no longer get 'send – on – presents' (you've all done it....given your present to someone else)...no...now I get wine. Merry Xmas!I
decided to open this bottle of white with some fish..OK...it's a present for Xmas...and it's not here yet..BUT..if I can get festive cards at the end of November..then I am allowed to drink my wine 10 days before.
Mirone Viura Muscat 2007
Campo de Borja, Spain
Synthetic closure. In the glass it looked silky and polished. Muscat can be dominant..but with the mix only 7%...the rest being Viura..we should be safe. Following on from the appearance..this has a silky texture...easy drinking...basically dry...but could be drank by the 'wanna-be-a-dry-wine-drinker'..with the Muscat kicking in as the wine opened. Ripe tropical fruit dominates..and this would go down with every guest at Christmas...which solves Joe's problem.
Points 15
Does wine have gender..course it does!!
Pinot is feminine..SHE is voluptuous..shows her curves.....smells sexy.Cabernet Sauvignon..well..HE is for you girls...Syrah..don't let's go there!Joking aside....this young lady tonight has a story behind her...The Pinot Cup is held every year at the end of November. By the time the winners reach the press in January..the wines are long gone. However..your dedicated blogger has always managed to get odd bottles.The secret...type in 'Pinot Cup' in early December..and then call the merchant listing it.In 2006 I managed to get some Schmitts Kinder 2004....but in 2007..no luck.In this case..the only one showing the wine was in Switzerland..which figures as the wine is Swiss.French Switzerland to be exact (there are also areas speaking Italian and German). Cost of a bottle 22,-- Euros. An email was sent and a reply received..post and packaging worked out at 10,-- Euros per bottle.. Payment was made and I waited. Now..this girl isn't at fault here...can't blame her...the package arrived and the postman asked for 20 Euros for the 3 bottle package...!!!!.customs tax!!!..oops..yes..Switzerland is not in the European Community(things change in January with some sort of treaty being signed..but the wine would have gone by then). Oh well...almost 7 Euros on top of the price.....but it had won first prize at the tasting...so 39,-- Euros....Was it worth it?...well....short answer..maybe not...but let's continue with the lady's adventure.My wife, brother-in-law and myself out for the evening at a favourite haunt...I can take my own wine..and pay the corkage (you see how this gal is getting more expensive as we go on...but then again...we men should know this)...as I was the lone wine drinker..a Pinot was a must with a varied mix of food. I started out with grilled squid, and I tried my wife's beef carpaccio with white truffle(we tend to share out food at our table). Next course was pasta with white truffles( was a theme for the evening..which had me beaming)..my wife some delicious warm goose livers. The 3rd course was the house speciality..Duck with dates and figs...as always...delicious..my wife satisfied herself with some lobster. Where am I going here?..other than making your mouth water...well....could the wine combat all that lot?Well.. she was sparsely dressed..our Swiss Maid..the small label..short and sweet..and she spent her youth in 500 liter oak barrels....Wegelin Malanser Blauburgunder Reserva 2006Graubünden, Switzerland
Opening she showed a fresh crushed cherry aroma...and the slightly reserved style I find in Swiss wines..a little more 'oomph' would be a plus (Gantenbein is a great example)..the weight is where she let herself down with the food (skinny birds never appealed to me)...slightly bitter fruit...but slipped down easily...the owner of the restaurant managed to get a small glass..the rest I divulged over 4 hours at the table (good food needs time)..and only at the end did Miss Swiss 2006 show her better sides....trace of marzipan and almonds....Review....this girl needed to be alone with me....and then she would have pointed higher..maybe she still will...2 of her sisters are lying in my cellar .Oh yes...and they will be a little cheaper..I forgot to mention the corkage on the wine. She was one expensive Madame!Points 17
Our regular meet at the Bistro..but only two of us this time...so each of us bought a bottle.I had spent the whole day thinking what I should take....wanting to maybe choose a Spätburgunder..but thinking..you are getting boring Barry...Luckily, I was on my bike and peddling the route when I started to waver again...so...the Shafer it was. I had been torn between the 1991 and the 1992..but had decided on the latter. Into the Bistro..quick cover-up before Volker arrived..and then open the bottle. I had taken 3 tools with me. The old fashioned 'pull it till your back hurts' corkscrew, the modern screwpull, and the recently discussed 'butler's friend'. The screwpull entered the top of the cork..and was at once rejected..
so..rather than spend the night with back-ache..James the Butler was called upon. He spread his legs..and entered the bottle...a shake of the left and a shake of the right..and a push gently downwards..when in..start the music (I'm getting carried away here)..and a few waggles...and there she was...a long one..slightly moist. A quick whiff..and then sit back and wait to see what Volker had brought.
With both bottles covered-up...what to drink first..but we decided on experience that his was the opener. Grilled octopus was our starter...and the wine red...well I could only hope for..yes...!!! a Spätburgunder. Now..all that worrying earlier that I would get the 'shakes' if I didn't get my SB Booster...you fool Barry.Karlsmühle Peter Geißen
Lorenzhöfer Spätburgunder 2005Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, GermanyFirst smell..German..and a taste...2005...nothing difficult yet..'just guess the area' said Volker.OK...do it backwards...say what it isn't..Not Baden, Not Franken, Not Ahr, Rheingau & Pfalz..nope.Not Rheinhessen?..Shake of the head...hmmm..then in despair I casually said..'don't tell me it's the Mosel'...answer....'yep..Ruwer'...wow..this is a first. Volker had been there recently..it is near to Trier..and in a small 'Gasthaus' had tried the 
local red and had been impressed...and to rights...a cherry nose..this has a soft gentle sweetness..serious enough..but also gulpable..slight burnt edge on the palate..keeping the fruit interesting...very juicy. The 2005 vintage was obviously perfect for this wine..Volker mentioned he had tried the 2003 which was not as good. A lovely surprise..and a must-buy..but you'll never find it.Points 16.5I was recently chatting to a wine writer and saying how, if the climate changes continued, as some point reds will take over the Mosel. I doubt it completely..but you never know...
OK..my turn now....I had ordered lamb...aged Cabernet is a PERFECT match...Shafer Hillside Select
Cabernet Sauvignon 1992
Stag's Leap, California, U.S.A.
An opaque dark color, minty after opening..but an hour later this showed soft leather, cigar-box smells and a complex nose of minerals, some chocolate... silky, constantly changing with each sip. A 'living wine'..which I love.. still beautifully poised...tannins almost away with the fairies...but this has another 10 years of life in it. Very goodPoints 18
I am a fan of the Württenberger wines..with their mix of Spätburgunder and Lembacher...this reminds me in style of those wines..this one is 20 % Dunkelfelder & 80% Spätburgunder.
Peter Jakob Kühn PurPur 2005Rheingau, GermanyLovely perfumed nose..delicate..spring flowers, blackcurrants...this spends 12 months in oak....intense juicyness..nougat..real nice balance here..tannins merely stroke the fruit...don't share this wine....it is easily emptied.....only kidding...I'd share a small glass.Points 17.25
Life has it's ups and downs..in the last 10 days..a
bereavement in the family and a pleasant business trip to Paris. A city with a certain style..and a memory of a restaurant where we had dinner..with a bagful of oysters in ice..lying on the street..and the chef regularly collecting a few and opening them for eager customers.....the place had an open front..with street heaters for warmth..so smokers could enjoy an evening drink..all very French..the German health office would have gone gray if it happened here.
Back home.....and off to Spain for this one...
Mauro 2005 Tudelo de Duero,
Castilly y Léon, Spain
Deep purple....georgeous thick black fruit on the nose...dark wood..touch of sweeet oak..some mocha and coffee..the palate shows more rich sweet oak traces..with a back palate of approachable tannins..doesn't lay heavy on the tongue....rather a dancer than a stomper I thought....but the 14.5 % hit me later...share it..not a one-man bottle..at least..not in one evening.
Points 17.5
A vineyard started in 1998 by Alvaro
Palacios...steep hillside..back-breaking...100% Mencia..a grape that 'belongs' to Bierzo.
Descendientes de J. Palacios
Petalos Mencia 2006
Bierzo, Spain
Purple coloured...red cherry aroma..mineral notes...burnt smoke..plenty of power but never heavy..this wine has a reserved sweetness (spends 4 months in small oak barrels)...tannins must be there..but hardly noticeable with the ripe fruit..dark spices
developed...worlds apart from the old style Rioja tasted a day before...perfect restaurant wine..holds up in glass and bottle...and would please every customer.Points 16.75
PS...click on the photo..impressive..if I do say so myself
Deep ruby red...dusty cherry aroma...at first a soft opening..but with airing the firm tannins poked their head up and said...bite me now or leave me a while. Well..not one to shrink before chewing a wine..I continued...fine acidity leaves this nicely balanced on the palate....plenty of juiciness..the Cabernet starts to dominate with blackcurrant fruit. Some vanilla is in there..this spends 12 months in oak...but Mr T...keeps it back...smokey vegetable notes...big decant now..or try again in a couple of years.
