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Rahsaan

Rahsaan
2006 Kruger-Rumpf Mnsterer Dautenpflnzer Riesling Sptlese
Lots of pale spritzy C02 at first but after an hour or two of air the personality emerges and the creamy sherbet frosting texture becomes very appealing. With even more air and on the second day the firm earthy base notes emerge and the whole package becomes even more appealing, especially considering the $25 price tag. I would definitely seek this out again if well-priced on a restaurant list but given my love of greater tension in German Riesling this doesnt inspire me to purchase more for the house. You may feel differently.

2005 Kruger-Rumpf Mnsterer Dautenpflnzer Riesling Sptlese
This starts out even weirder than the 06 with funky glossy confected notes. However, with an hour or two of air the personality emerges, which in this case is rich thick golden botrytis. With more air it eventually becomes just as compelling as the 06 with nice firm earthy base notes, although always with its thicker more golden tone. Again this is great QPR at $20 although not necessarily my favorite style.

As a side note, I found it interesting that the 05 from the same site showed more botrytis given the vintage reputation for more rot in 06. Does anyone know if this is one of those issues of heterogeneous weather patterns beneath the vintage generalizations? Or did they make different types of picking selections in the two years?

1998 Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges Les Chnes Carteaux
This goes through a lot of changes over several hours but for the most part is a relatively accessible wine, at least to my tastes. Sure there is some tannin evident and I would feel free to hold it longer. But I had fun now watching it evolve and take on greater depth and length. It showed several different faces with small-scaled muscles, slightly sweaty spicy fruit, and enough character to keep me entertained. Nice.

1998 Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges Clos des Porrets St. Georges
This is painfully tannic at first but also shows great potential with gorgeous deep fruit. After a bit of air the fruit emerges to buffer the tannin and what lovely dark black deep mentholated firm ripe and rippling muscular sinewy fruit it is. Wow. This was great fun and quite the bargain at $40 so I went right out to purchase some more for future drinking.
 
originally posted by Scott Kraft:
Interesting that those 98 Gouges are ready to drinkI would have thought they needed a decade more.

I wouldn't say they are 'ready' in the sense of being at peak (for most people's palates). They will undoubtedly be more gorgeous (or at least more giving) in another ten years and I would love to taste them then.

But, I also wanted to taste them now and I had fun with them now, each in its own way.
 
originally posted by Claude Kolm:
1998 red Burgundies have proved to be surprising for their forwardness.

I'm with Calude, for the most part, they are getting into a good window. Maybe now Mugnier Musigny, but certainly middling 1er Cru from Gouges are entering interestingness.

In some respects, I might be worried about the long term of 1998s, the specter of rot is always there.
 
Who you calling middling?

What about when you can't taste the rot? I'm not very familiar with that in red wines. How does that (re)surface over time?
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Claude Kolm:
1998 red Burgundies have proved to be surprising for their forwardness.

I'm with Calude, for the most part, they are getting into a good window. Maybe now Mugnier Musigny, but certainly middling 1er Cru from Gouges are entering interestingness.

In some respects, I might be worried about the long term of 1998s, the specter of rot is always there.

What about Faiveley, specifically, Clos Vougeot?
 
originally posted by VLM:

In some respects, I might be worried about the long term of 1998s, the specter of rot is always there.
(a) Rot in 1998 was mostly low down, in the village wines and Bourgognes, not on the hillsides.
(b) If the rot hasn't shown up by now (10 years on), I don't know why it should suddenly materialize in the future. In fact, my experience with the 1983s is that the rot effect DIMINISHES with time.
(c) You'd be surprised at how many older wines that people rave about today had some rot in them. Remember 1999, when the old timers who could recall vintages back to the 1930s said that they'd never seen such healthy grapes? And then remember that no one was sorting in Burgundy until the mid-1970s when DRC bought a sorting table, and following that and until relatively recently, very few people were sorting?
 
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