Our German-born babysitter recently came back from the Fatherland with a
bottle of wine which she gave to us. Tonight, with a dinner of cheese
ravioli, salad, bread and cheese, we opened it:

2005 Castel Peter St. Laurent (Pfaltz)
nose: juicy, berryish fruit, a hint of oak, later becoming tarry
palate: blueberries, soft tannins, rounded, a bit of butterscotchy oak,
medium-full body, decent acids

This was our first encounter with a St. Laurent, and we were pleasantly
surprised (OTOH, our babysitter usually finds very decent German wines
for us so this fit the pattern). Initially, it reminded me a bit of a
New World Syrah, but on further consideration it reminded me more of a
New World Carignan. As the tarry element grew, it began to take on more
of a Zin-like character to me. Overall, very modern but fairly
appealing if not terribly complex.

Background: Karsten Peter, the young winemaker, has spent time making
wine in Marloborough (NZ) before returning to his family winery in the
Pfaltz, so perhaps this wine's New World orientation isn't an accident.

If Anders is reading this: weinplus.de doesn't show any notes on this
wine, though they do list the '03. Is that correct?

Mark Lipton
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