Terre Nere informally classifies the Feudo di Mezzo vineyard as a Premier Cru. Terre Nere's wines, in general, are exceptionally well made, bright and focused, polished but not varnished. The fruit here is bright red cherries, with a somewhat darker underbelly, bedecked with flowers and delicate strains of gun powder. The way a wine like this balances acidity, fruit and tannins, the flavors are tart and sour, rather than bitter-sweet, which I always find both charming and promising. In all the years I've been drinking Terre Nere, I still haven't been able to peg the different personalities of the vineyards; looking back at my notes, some vintages of Feudo di Mezzo come off as elegant and lithe, some as chewy and laden with iron and tar. The 2018 is of the former and really gorgeous, at that, the tannins lightly scratching beneath the fruit, providing texture as the wine gains presence in glass. (May 12, 2021)
Dr. Loosen, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Erdener Prälat, Riesling Auslese, 2010
In bloom, still with some baby fat, but luscious and appealing all the same. Smoke and nectarine, apricots and botrytis spices, apple and lime pies and bracing acidity. (May 13, 2021)
Domaine Arlaud, Morey St. Denis, 2016
So much of the Burgundy magic is in the nose - and what a lovely bouquet this 'simple' village wines has! Fresh strawberries, wet earth, flowers, Eastern spices - all the Bourgogne goodies. The palate isn't a pushover, either. It might not have the depth and complexity of a Premier Cru, but it is extremely vivid and fresh. A joy! (May 14, 2021)
There are dozens of Port styles and Niepoort seems to produce every single one. The LBV style is a Vintage port, made even in non-declared years, that is aged for 4-6 years in old oak casks, roughly twice the time spent by 'declared' Vintage ports, making for a port in the Vintage style that is approachable at a younger age. As opposed to Tawny and Colheita ports, for example, where the wine ages for so long that it has a nutty character that an LBV will take years to develop. This is a very balanced port, not exceedingly sweet, the fruit coupled with dark chocolate flavors. And, yes, it has had time to develop a nutty overlay has well, as well as something reminiscent of dust and garrigue. (May 15, 2021)
Goisot, Côtes d'Auxerre, Corps de Garde, 2018
Because there's no way Uri Caftory would ever acknowledge convention, instead of importing a Chablis, he brings us the 'poorer neighbor down the tracks'. It tastes like someone poured lime juice on tray of oysters of oysters and made you eat them on a moss-drenched water breaker. (May 19, 2021)
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