Ruinart R Brut
Dr. Loosen Kabinett Urziger Würzgarten'01
Selbach-Oster Auslese* Zelt.- Sonn'01
Gran Veigadares 2000 (2 bottles)
Pago de Carraovejas GR'96 en magnum
+
Coudoulet de Beaucastel'98
Torre Muga'94
These were all consumed in the course of a 6 hour lunch (
) in the Tasca. Four of us gathered for a fairly special meal. We were served at the huge round table normally used for groups of 10. We brought the wines with no corkage fee. In fact the house treated us to the Champagne and the glasses of PX Noé with the after-dessert chocolates.
Ruinart 'R' Brut
We had the Ruinart as aperitif and also with the jamón de bellota. Excellent and close to the body and oxidative style of a Bollinger, though not quite the same. 88-89
Dr. Loosen Kabinett Urziger Würzgarten'01
The Loosen and Selbach (guess who brought these) were truly eyeopening for the others. In fact I've just had the Edener Treppchen and must confess I remember the Urziger as better. Beautifully balanced, refreshing acidity, mineral complexity over the apple and flowers, rich with some noticeable rs, peppery as a Grüner...I guess Nikola now wants to sell them at the BSS. 90(+)
Selbach-Oster Auslese* Zelt.- Sonn'01
But that was nothing compared to the drama and impact of the Auslese with the truffled micuit. Both rieslings were doubledecanted at home, but the Selbach could have improved for another couple of hours effortlessly. Unctuous, smelling of such a wide array of pleasant things unlikely to be found in perfect harmony inside a single bottle! Apple and flowers to be sure, but what about the vague orange blossom, quince, mineral notes, delicious sweetness... A wine to make you repent for having shared it...and to rejoice in the knowledge that another bottle awaits you... 93++
Gran Veigadares 2000
I bet you don't know this one. Probably Don Pedro de Soutomayor sounds familiar to some as a very regular Albariño, usually a great performer year in and year out. Then there is Veigadares, a barrel-fermented version that I believe is not totally varietal, and finally there's this Gran Veigadares fetching 13%+ alcohol and costing a hefty 45E or so. We decanted this upon arrival but the meal had its own rhythm and (even though we had two bottles) it never showed its best. A six-hour decant wouldn't have been out of place. The cod tempura with diced vegetables was excellent. More oily than the average albariño, this had a caramelly nose of sweet oak notes interwoven with white fruit (especially green apples) and white flowers (camomile). The following day (I took the very original empty bottle home) there was an unbelievably pure nose of green apples coming from the neck of the bottle. Our Galician barman didn't like it but he had no time to taste it properly. 88+
Pago de Carraovejas GR'96 en magnum
This was again one of David's generous contributions. The bottle must be over a hundred euros but I think we performed on par with its stature and soaked up the last drops with breadcrumbs. Decanted in a Pomerol Magnum fishbowl, this showed an incredible nose of complex Ribera with spice and wet earth but also already tertiary notes of leather and tobacco. Plenty of fruit present with a darker berry profile than Rioja, unlikely to be mistaken in spite of those animal notes. The nose was truly engaging; then you'd want a little more structure in the palate (so what? I'm a drabber, and I like my tannin visible...). It was a joy to follow the evolution of this wine in the course of two hours. The lamb rack was a treat even to a fishetarian... 91
Assorted desserts are not the house specialty though the icecream was pretty decent and the chocolate brownie went very well with the NOE. So Nikola brought several tablets of Valrhona chocolates and we played the fool with PX combinations until we felt short of sick.
Suddenly, it was time for the "Merienda," with no transition whatsoever. So we decanted the TorreMuga with the flavor of chocolate still lingering in our mouth and I drank several glasses of carbonated water without proceeding on to the cheeses (Manchego, Idiazábal, local aged goatsmilk).
Coudoulet de Beaucastel'98
An odd performer for such day. The nose showed a lot more mourvedre than grenache and it never came close to what I'm sure this can reach. Mid eighties for this one. Half a pity if you consider what came next.
Torre Muga'94
All right, this was my first-and-so-far-only experience with TorreMuga and yes, it's worth whatever price it's fetching now. I do think this may not have been ready a few years ago, so maybe the style demands a certain bottle age: classic nose of aged Rioja with candied fruit peel, hints of cinnamon, clove, leather and tobacco, and good juicy acidity. Robust frame for all this, which is a welcome feature, otherwise one might think ToreMuga is more like a premature release of Prado Enea... 91
Overall, not bad for a Friday lunch