Balgera, Buster, and Donnhoff

[Cliff]

1996 Balgera Valtellina Superiore - Grumello Riserva - Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Valtellina Superiore - Grumello (6/8/2009)
This is a beautiful wine. I opened it up at about 6pm; at 7pm or so, it still seemed pretty tight, so I decanted; and we tucked into it by 8:30. It still could have used some more air. This is the Bartolo Mascarello of the Valtellina, an arch traditionalist, and the wine has miles to go yet. But it more than hit the spot this weekend. It starts out with lovely, pure, understated aromatics, red fruits and (clean) turned earth, nice lift but nothing remotely spiky about the acidity. It has great mid-palate density, and the tannin is pretty well integrated by this point. My only nit is that I didn't get the complexity I was expecting, though that may come with patience. As I say, there's no rush on this.

2000 Dnnhoff Niederhuser Hermannshhle Riesling Sptlese - Germany, Nahe (6/8/2009)
Surprisingly fresh and much better than the previous bottle. Still, I gots to get moving on these. Drink up.

2001 Thomas-Labaille Sancerre Cuve Buster Les Monts Damns - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre (6/8/2009)
This wine just flat-out rules.

 

[David M. Bueker]

I'm down to my last 4 bottles of the 2000 Donnhoff spatlesen, one of each different vineyard for a vertical tasting.

 

[Salil Benegal]

Glad to hear there's still life in some of Donnhoff's 00s. I need to drink my one bottle of 2000 Schaefer's Domprobst Spatlese pretty soon.

 

[David M. Bueker]

I can take care of that.

 

[Yixin]

I presume this is the normal bottling - I think there was an auction bottling as well but need to check my notes.

 

[David M. Bueker]

If it's the bottle he's storing here it's the auction wine.

 

[Salil Benegal]

It's the auction wine. And there's a need to rush; I need to drink it before David gets to it.

 

[slaton]

Cliff, where did you find the Balgera?

 

[Cliff]

I got it from Robert at Wine Expo. I think they have more. Seriously nice stuff. I've found the Sforzati a little variable, but the Superiore are always terrific and still crazy values.

 

[Keith Levenberg]

Glad to see I'm not the only one who prefers Valtellina Superiore to Sforzato.

 

[SteveTimko]

It took me a while to figure out the stuff I had was young, too.

1995 Balgera Valtellina Superiore Riserva Valgella - Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Valtellina Superiore (12/31/2007)
I pulled the cork and let the wine breathe for about six hours this time and it made a difference. Tremendous nose again, with cherry and spice. Rose petals again but also a hint of tar this time. Nice velvety texture. Lots of mineral. A good food wine. Vitis Imports. (90 pts.)

1995 Balgera Valtellina Superiore Riserva Valgella - Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Valtellina Superiore (12/4/2007)
A nice but not exceptional wine. Rose petals and some floralness in this nebbiolo, but as Glenn noted, no tar. 12.5 percent alcohol and it seems light to medium body. I liked the nose better than the palate. Cherry and spice on the nose. The texture was velvety but it needed more flavor. Vitis Imports.
FOLLOW UP: After two days, I came back to this wine and it opened up enough that I bumped the score up to 89. Still get the rose petals, but I get forest floor and maybe a little bit of pine on the palate. Still very smooth. This is now a buy again wine. (89 pts.)

 

[Ruben Ramos]

Steve,
Are the points listed those that you have assigned the wines?

 

[SteveTimko]

originally posted by Ruben Ramos:
Point takenSteve,
Are the points listed those that you have assigned the wines?

Yes. Normally I delete them but I was in a hurry yesterday when I posted.