The official Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts convention was in Bordeaux this
year, but a nice contingent of Northeasterners who couldn't make it
held our own little mini-convention last night. We had the private room
at Triomphe. Restaurant did an excellent job. A LOT of bottles were
opened, and I did my best to note the ones I tried:

Dry and off-dry whites:

1999 Pierre Matrot Puligny-Montrachet "Les Combettes"
A bit less open than last bottle I had of this. White fruit, chalk and
iron. Nice but not exciting. B

Next up were 2 bottles of Styrian Sauvignon Blanc than Emily Weissman
(winemonger.com) had sent me. I believe vinification is pretty similar,
so an interesting lesson in terroir.
2003 Erwin Sabathi P=F6ssnitzberg Sauvignon Blanc
Mineral and white flowers, good gooseberry fruit B+

2003 Erwin Sabathi Poharnig Sauvignon Blanc
Smokey, with a flinty note. Fruit seems a tad riper here. B/B+

I'd like to taste these from a less ripe vintage- I think a little
extra acidic zing might make for a great SB.

1998 Robert Weil Trocken QbA
I approached with trepidation after some recent '98 Muller-Catoir
trockens (good, but WAAAAY too young, shockingly austere). But this was
pretty open and ready for business. Pleasant wine well-above the label
level (but it is Weil after all). B

1986 Nikolaihof Sp=E4tlese Trocken
Yippee yi yo. Pungent cheesey nose (but I mean that in a good way).
Great acidic backbone. Fruit's in the background, but it's nice (white
peach) fruit. Mineral, petrol, smoke. A-

1995 L de la Louviere (Pessac-Leognan)
This little Pessac seems tired. C+

1996 Ramonet Caillerets (from magnum)
Sweet ripe white fruit, nice nuances of mushrooms, earth and
mineral/chalk. Got better as night went on. A-

1988 Staatsweingut Kloster Eberbach Steinberg Sp=E4tlese
Can't read my notes on this one, but it didn't really sing to me. B-

2001 Carbonnieux (Pessac-Leognan)
Nice, crisp, mineral, forward. B/B+

2003 Weins-Pr=FCm Wehlener Sonnenwuhr Sp=E4tlese
Light on the nose, ripe on the palate. Like most 2003s, I wish it had
more acidity, but a pleasant enough Riesling. B

On to the reds:

1996 Jadot Clos de Vougeot
Good balance, fruit ripe yet with an acidic counterpart. Smooth with
good finish. B+

2001 Lafarge Clos des Chenes Volnay 1er
A bit hard at first, this needs a little time to round out, though I
don't think it's a wine to really age. Very good effort for a tough
vintage in Volnay. B+

2002 Jadot Clos de Vougeot
Dense sweet fruit over a pretty impressive structure. Ripe tannins,
deep iron streak, big Burg with good future. A-

1975 Palmer
Fully resolved tannins, herby, minty, leathery. Nice balance of mature
fruit and good acidity. A-

1999 La Mission Haut-Brion
Smoky, balanced. Tannins still sticking out a little, but another
example of a good 1999 that will be an excellent bottle at age 10-15.
A-/B+

1996 Pontet-Canet
This is usually a favorite of mine, but this bottle I found rather
unappealling. PD says it's just tight. Warm red fruit, but not a lot
backing it up. C+/B-

1982 Branaire
Now this was showing nice. This surprise star at the '03 BWE convention
showed well again. Warm lush '82 fruit, mostly resolved tannins, enough
acidity to balance the fruit lushness, strong finish. A-/A

1996 Sociando-Mallet
There were 4 separate bottles of this, I think all aerated quite a bit.
>From bottle at my table it seemed its usual self, a QPR fave, smooth
and open with tobacco notes over a rich fruit framework. B+

2000 Roc de Cambes (Cotes de Bourg)
Ripe red fruit with a little hint of spice. Not showing a lot, but this
is an awkward time for many '00s. B-

1999 Pavie
Yeah, it's ripe -even overripe, but less so than the '98 or '00.
Pleasant big modern St-E that I'd rather drink sooner than later. B

1990 La Tour Pin Figeac (Moueix)
Red fruit, some leather, some leafpile. Finish a bit short. I've had
much better bottles. B-/C+

1990 Gazin
Ok, I admit I'm a slut for these open voluptuous '90s. Rich ripe fruit
(red and black plum)
with some chocolate and spice. Long finish, lovely wine. A

2001 Ch. Faugeres (St.Emilion)
Medium-bodied, balanced, with light toasty oak and blackberry fruit.
Most of bottle was left, I tried tonight with a big steak and salad.
Showing more minerally with the oak pretty integrated. I'm putting my
couple bottles away for a bit. B+

1998 Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Leognan)
Earth and tobacco over a solid core of black fruit. Some oak, but
becoming integrated. Another good '98 Graves. B+

1998 Pavie-Decesse
Big cassis fruit, some leadpencil and cigarbox, ripe tannins. Needs
time, but lovely. A-

1989 Branaire Ducru
I remember liking this though thinking young, but notes are
non-existent and I don't remember particulars.

1975 Montrose
Ah, "poopy diaper" as a friend refers to it. Bretty nose, but balanced
for my tastes. Mostly resolved tannins, decent remaining black plum
fruit. B+

1996 Lafon Rochet
I've loved couple previous bottles of this, but this wasn't doing it
for me last night. Tannins seemed obtrusive, and the fruit was more
lurking than introducing itself. Probably just closed, but an C+/B-

A white interloper:

2001 Guigal La Doriane Condrieu
I'm really prepared to not like an oaky Condrieu, but this is nice.
Sure, oak stands out a little, but good acidity for a Viogner helps a
lot, and it's a nice floral/vanilla sip with some cheeses. B+

And then the dessert wines:

1983 Vereinigte Hospitien "Sanctus Jacobus" Wiltinger Holle Eiswein
Wonderful balance of tropical and stone fruits, some petrol, and a
wet-stones minerality. Acid prefectly balancing the sweetness. I've
been known to say I like Eiswein's better young, but I might not say it
again! A-

1997 Dobogo 6 Puttonyos Tokaji Asz=FA
I found this flat and almost maderized. I'm no Tokaji expert, but this
one didn't appeal to me. C

1995 Ronchi di Cialla Verduzzo
I eagerly tried this, as a light and elegant Verduzzo di Ramandolo was
one of the best dessert wines I've tried. This medium sweet wasn't as
appealing to me - more oxidized-tasting, with ok ripe fruit and medium
finish. B-/C+

I had seared sea scallops with a mushroom/truffle/foie gras butter.
Went better with the red Burgs than the white- would love to try with
totally mature Barolo. I had lamb chops with foie gras stuffed prunes
and spinach as my main course. A port reduction meant this paired best
with the bigger reds- Pavie Decesse, etc. Triomphe did an excellent
job. Thanks to John "PappaDoc" Dawson the organizer. Very good night.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency

DaleW wrote:

> 1999 La Mission Haut-Brion
> Smoky, balanced. Tannins still sticking out a little, but another
> example of a good 1999 that will be an excellent bottle at age 10-15.
> A-/B+

Thanks for the notes, Dale. We have this in magnum, so I've made a
note to wait until the progeny is off to college or whatever fate awaits
it...


> 1975 Montrose
> Ah, "poopy diaper" as a friend refers to it. Bretty nose, but balanced
> for my tastes. Mostly resolved tannins, decent remaining black plum
> fruit. B+

Hmmm... Given Jean's sensitivity to Brett (and sulfur, and...) perhaps
it's just as well that we were aced out of that mixed case of '75s at
auction recently. The Montrose was one of the stars IIRC.

Mark Lipton

"DaleW" > wrote:

> 2003 Erwin Sabathi Pössnitzberg Sauvignon Blanc
> Mineral and white flowers, good gooseberry fruit B+
>
> 2003 Erwin Sabathi Poharnig Sauvignon Blanc
> Smokey, with a flinty note. Fruit seems a tad riper here. B/B+
>
> I'd like to taste these from a less ripe vintage- I think a little
> extra acidic zing might make for a great SB.

No problem, 2004 is coming ...

But you are right, of course: 2003 was a totally exceptional year.

M.

>> 1975 Montrose
>> Ah, "poopy diaper" as a friend refers to it. Bretty nose, but balanced
>> for my tastes. Mostly resolved tannins, decent remaining black plum
>> fruit. B+

"Poopy diaper" and it still gets a B+? You must _really_ love small
children. ROFL!

Tom S

Mark, the LMHB is pretty tasty now, but a wait will reward I think.

I like a touch of brett, but this is not the wine for anyone trained at
UC-Davis.

Michael,
Can you tell me what '04 in Austria is looking like? Any regions really
stick out? I've liked a variety of '03s, but in almost every case if I
had the same wine in '02, I preferred the 2002.

Tom,
I know that many people regard any trace of brett as a fatal flaw. I'm
pretty tolerant, enjoying a touch if it doesn't overwhelm the package.
Kind of like truffle oil, hot pepper sauce, or salt.

"DaleW" > wrote:

> Michael, Can you tell me what '04 in Austria is looking like?
> Any regions > really stick out?

Very good in Burgenland, rather late in other regions except
Thermenregion.

> I've liked a variety of '03s, but in almost every case if I had
> the same wine in '02, I preferred the 2002.

Wait until you get the better 2003s in red - the best ever!

2004: The top names once again did an exceptional job. Generaly
spoken, it's rather classic with good aciditiy levels, very fresh,
the fruit having a texture you can almost feel on the palate,
nearly like a mousseux. I have to confess to like them a lot. The
whites have a distinct vintage note: A fruit that reminds of
stone-fruit, but also fresh white pears. Many Veltliners hav a
hint of riesling in that vintage.

HTH a little,

Michael

We should have our first container arrive with some of the 2004 vintage
in just a couple of months, and I am REALLY excited about these wines!
I'll let you all know first when I have them available.

e.

wrote:

> We should have our first container arrive with some of the 2004
> vintage in just a couple of months, and I am REALLY excited
> about these wines! I'll let you all know first when I have them
> available.

Got some screw-capped bottles?

M.

Not in this container. Some of our Steinfeders and Classics have the
synthetic cork, but none of our wineries are doing screw caps yet.
It's something we'll explore with the bigger producers in the future,
though (maybe Sabathi, for their Sabathini?)

We ordered a bottle of the Hirsch GV at dinner not long ago, to see how
our dining companions reacted to the screw cap. These were not exactly
"novice" wine drinkers, but not too seasoned either. They were, of
course, very surprised (and very skeptical, which they tried not to
show) This screw-cap revolution is going to be a long education
process!

e.

wrote:

> This screw-cap revolution is going to be a long education
> process!

I'm not sure. Things are changing quite fast here in Austria,
despite Falstaff Magazine's fierce writing against screw tops (and
glass stoppers). Otoh, both Vinaria and A la Carte are very much
pro screw-caps (no wonder, I write for both ;-).

Now even news magazines have jumped onto the train:

<http://www.networld.at/index.html?/articles/0521/621/112772.shtml#>

Bottom right: Click on "Top-Winzer läuten Ende der Korkära ein"

M.

It's certainly the hot topic, and I think that everyone who either
posts on wine-related boards or reads wine publications (even just
occasionally) has either made up their mind about it, or are at least
aware that screw cap does not equal cheap bad wine.
What I'm talking about is the huge bulk of wine consumers who don't
know a huge amount about wine, but know enough to tell when a wine is
good or foul, and are willing to spend a little more money per bottle
for the drinkable stuff. I don't think they necessarily know that some
good wines come under a screw cap, and they may not have the confidence
to serve up a screw capped bottle to friends. This is where I think the
education process will take some time.
But as more of these stories hit the mainstream press, things will move
along.

The vintners of Austria are special. They seem among the most willing
to combine the latest technologies with centuries of tradition, so long
as it serves to create great wines.

e.

Oops, couple things didn't make into notebook.

We had a Champagne toast towards beginning of the evening, with the NV
Paul Laurent Champagne. I understandf this is quite reasonable, and I
found in vey pleasant in a lighter (think Taittinger ) style. Fine
mousse and a yeasty finish.B/B+

There was also a 1990 Talbot. I didn't taste it till end, and guess I
had put down my notebook by then. I've had '90 Talbot couple times
before, and can't say I was really impressed. But this was best showing
by far. Rich black fruit, medium-bodied. Smoother and more graceful
than I expect of the normally slightly-chunky Talbot. A hint of Cordier
funk, but interspersed with cedar and earth. B+/A-

Emily, I'd love to see your notes on your '04 wines after they arrive
and settle.

I realize it is tough for producers to be in the vanguard of screwcaps.
With a few exceptions who rhapsodize over the "romance" of cork (do
they want my bottles that smell of wet cardboard-now those are
romantic!), most geeks are pretrty onboard as to preferring screwcaps
(at least on wines intended for consumption w/in 5 years of bottling).
But the much of the general public associates screwcap with cheap. But
as more bottlers take the leap, and some press, hopefully that will
change.

I was describing wines from Saturday to a semi-geek at a party
yesterday. He liked Austrian GVs, but had never had an Austrian SB.
When he asked me what they were like, I struggled a bit. What I
eventually came up with was that your Sabathi SBs reminded me a bit of
focused pure Loires. The P=F6ssnitzberg more like a Sancerre, while the
Poharnig was more like a Pouilly-Fum=E9. That's not really fair to your
wines, they deserve to be viewed in their own right not compared to
Loires, but it was best analogy I could come up with for this guy's
frame of reference.

HTH indeed.

You meant Hope That Helps. And indeed it did, a good concise
informative answer.

But I could regard it as Hope That Hurts, as I contemplate damage to my
checkbook of a good Austrian vintage.