Saturday, May 18, 2013

Cellar Oddities

All owners of a wine cellar will have been there...you find a bottle that you forgot about...or you bought a bottle and the 'sell-by' date has long gone...or...you knew about the bottle but a previous example had not left a lasting memory.

Example 1...and there is also a 2004 version waiting to by tried.
Vie di Romans Piere
Sauvignon Blanc 2005
Friaul, Italy

The property has 2 versions of their Sauvignon Blanc...Piere and Vieris...and the Piere was always the one with no oak. I believe they have changed the vinification...but I always found the Vieris a little heavy. The property made me sit up when I first found it many years ago...very much my style compared to the gooseberry extremes that were on offer from the New World. Has it aged...or even more...can it be enjoyed? Well...'jein' (yes and no) as we say in Germany.
Yellow gold in colour...and do I taste a touch of oak...or is it just the aging proccess? Lots of smoke and a touch of flint. Most of the primary fruit has gone...and this was swings and roundabouts over 2 days. One moment it appealed then I wanted more zip.
Points 16...and the 2004 needs to be opened soon.





Example 2....has not been long in the cellar. At a 'bargain-price' on Ebay...I was willing to risk it.
Salwey Oberrotweiler Kirchberg
Spätburgunder 1997
Baden, Germany
Alone the property gave me hope...although the vintage and age did not. I decided I would never risk it with guests...but it had to be opened.
The cork was in good condition but that was all. A sip said that it had gone...


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Example 3 quickly followed number 2
Fürst Centgrafenberg
Spätburgunder 'R' 2005
Franken, Germany
The intial bottles at a few years old had pleased...but the last 2 had not.
This shows lots of sour cherry fruit...and the dry tannin dominates any sweetness. Decent enough with food...and I can't see it getting any better...so the last bottle goes on Ebay.
Points 16.25

There are a few more oddities lying around...they need to be explored...but more than likely...it will be another year before I remember.

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