Ployez Jacquemart Selection Rose: Lovely – just right, and its pinkness was Christmas-appropriate.  And it won over a non champagne crowd with its delicate strawberry and lemon notes.
Ployez Jacquemart Brut 2000: Served too warm – tasty nonetheless for being Christmas day.  Another bottle will get consumed very shortly.
Auburn Lowburn Riesling 2010: Improving out if sight with a year’s age (personal interest disclaimer on this label).
Joseph Sparkling Red 2010 disg: My favourite disgorgement of this wine so far. Sweeter and fruit-fresher than earlier versions, although the alcohol seems to stick out a little more these days. Like it a lot.
Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Auslese 1993: A cellar release from 2010.  Best bottle so far out of a sixpack. Shows its pradikat through weight rather than sweetness, with juicy acidity balance perfectly by racy green pineapple and lemon fruit which is nly now showing signs of its 18 years of age.

From the Médoc in Bordeaux. Margaux to be specific. That’s left bank; a Cabernet dominant blend. Dusty cigar box and graphite on the nose. Pencil dry. Red currant and graphite on the palate. Nice structure. Grippy tannins and dry length. I can image Michel would have described it as “a dry little critter”. Tough going now; needs some time. 87+ points. Drink 2016+

1993 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Spatlese

This must have been searing and hard to approach in its youth – unless it has stood still for 18 years! This has the same lemon juice and slightly unripe passionfruit as previous bottles, The acid is still mighty in proportion although softening, and a vanilla and a limey petroleum element rides through to the finish which appears quite dry and is beginning to fall away slightly. Classic aperitif – mouthwatering profile and some lovely flavours. 89/100

2005 Selbach Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spatlese

This still has a lot of weight for Spatlese – this has been a trait of some recent Selbach Osters. Lightly honeyed grapefruit, ripe orange, pith, apricot and ribena. Plenty of energy here in a creaming soda way, with the first touches of petroleum on the finish and also a botrytis element as the wine warms. Still has some years in it, although it may not improve much further from the tasty plateau it is on now. Has an odd mid palate hole and not great length about it – but forget that, just drink it with a ginger and garlic rubbed piece of pork. We did, and enjoyed it very much. 89/100

2005 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Auslese #5

Is it a godlkapsel or isnt it? My guess is no based on the palate. Needs quite a bit of airtime to strut its stuff, which is lemon, lime and paw-paw tells of nice ripe fruit but not much botrytis involved. Full of drive and energy this is light on its feet with some green apple acid driving this on and on. Length to burn, this is a real pleasure to drink, and will be for many years yet. Leave them alone to rest a few more years. 92/100

Cheers

Andrew

Spring cleaning. And this wasn’t cheap: a snip over $50 if I recall correctly (ooh, I am having a Chairman Kaga moment) … it was a phase I was going through, buying bits and bobs from different French wine regions. Only the single bottle. And for what it’s worth, this has some big scores on cellartracker.

A rustic nose, red leather and a touch of varnish, and an elusive floral character that I cannot identify. There are also iron filings, river stones and cherry fruits. Old school rustic. A softish palate, coarse red fruits and weird florals braced by firm tannins. There is nothing delicate and alluring about this wine; it is more of a slap on the back and how ya goin’ mate. 87 points. 14.5% abv. Drink 2011-2016+.

A quickie – I was only half paying attention to this one. Initially quite savoury and minerally on the nose, dully fruited but marginally interesting. On the palate, some red fruits and chunks of minerals, drying but satisfying. Left in the fridge overnight in the original bottle and it looked much improved; more fruit on the nose, though balanced by the minerality, and the palate was more generous and rounded. Who would have thought it? Sealed under Diam. Cost in the mid $50s. Drink now. 88 points.

A healthy straw colour.  Smells of freshly cut hay, almonds and cashews.  Opens with some apparent sweetness in its orange citrus attack, and makes me wonder if there are a few  grams RS in this.  This starts out lush and plump at the mid palate and jumps to attention as it finishes.  It shows more cut hay and ripe honeydew melon on the way to revealing its acid spine which closes this out nicely and leaves a lingering sense of satisfaction on the finish.  If Burgundy analogies float your boat this is Mersault rather than Puligny – but  firmly Australian styled.  88/100

My wife said, “Not another one!!”. Well, I am back here again. But luckily, with better results this time, and though the wine is still “out there”, this one is within the bounds of what I find enjoyable. Red in colour, with a hint of browning and only slightly cloudy. An interesting nose, with cassia bark, pepper and stalk, a broad red fruited sweetness, cherries, rhubarb, stewed strawberries; quite pleasant. The palate has a nice body to it, pushing a little on the stalky/green/mulchy spectrum, but getting away with it I think. Looked similar on the second night. Not sure if or how long to cellar it, so I’m drinking my bottles now. Drink 2011-2013. 88 points.

From Mondo Imports. And I should add that this is not the right label; it is something I dragged off the net – it will have to do; Traversa doesn’t seem to have a high profile on the www. Anyway, on to the wine. A nose of red fruits, subtle woody spices, like cassia bark and cloves, and a touch of citrus peel. The palate is tangy and also savoury, drying with woody spices, balanced and smooth, with soft tannins extending through the palate. A nice dry finish and good length. As Thom Yorke once said, everything [is] in its right place, and this seems particularly appropriate for this wine; too easy to drink. Dries out a smidge with time, but still has a lovely poise. 13.5% abv. Cork. $70 RRP. Drink 2011-2017+.

Gnocchi for dinner, so it had to be something Italian. Initially dull and savoury red fruits with a bit of stink and varnish; just not that impressive. Four hours later richer fruits emerged, sour cherries and soft raspberries, liquorice, leather, brown earth, cedary and creamy oak and dry spices. The acid is initially quite prominent, but it appears to soften with time. Certainly profited from some air-time, so give it a good decant if you’re planning to open a bottle soon. Sealed under cork. 13.5% abv. Drink 2014+. 92 points.

A transparent red in colour. An elegant nose, pink florals, minerals, undergrowth, cherry fruits, and a touch of nutmeg, dried herbs and creamy oak. All very subtle and nuanced. The palate showed red fruits and minerals, lovely structure and balance, lightly weighted, savoury, and with a dry finish. No harsh tannins; silky smooth. Now all reviews I have seen have this drinking now, and though it is very enjoyable at the moment, I think it would profit from a few years rest. For what it’s worth, of course. From Eurocentric Wine. RRP is $90. Drink 2013-2018+. 90 points.