Wittmann Westhofener Riesling Trocken Rheinhessen 2009

Wine Name: Wittmann Westhofener Riesling Trocken Rheinhessen 2009
Wine Region: Rheinhessen
Alcohol: 13,5%
Tasting Setting:First with a group of friends at a tasting, and then alone at my kitchen table



Nose

One to five scale:  1- none, 2- slight perception, 3- noticeable, 4- very present, 5- extremely present

Flower: 2 out of 5.
Fruit: 3 out of 5.  Deep golden apple and very grapey
Minerality- 3 out of 5.  Distinct chaulky aromas.
Spice: 0 out of 5
Complexity: 2 out of 5.
Funk: 0 out of 5.


Texture
One to five scale:  1- none, 2- slight perception, 3- noticeable, 4- very present, 5- extremely present

Edge: 2 out of 5.
Roundness: 3 out of 5-
Body: 3 out of 5.
Silk: 3 out of 5.


Taste
One to five scale:  1- none, 2- slight perception, 3- noticeable, 4- very present, 5- extremely present

Power: 3 out of 5.
Length: 4 out of 5.  Freshness, fruit and minerality together.  Nice finish.
Personality: 2 out of 5.  The malolactic on this wine makes it a bit undistinct.  I want it racier.
Fruit: 3 out of 5-
Minerality- 4 out of 5.
Wood: 1 out of 5.

Sweetness: 2 out of 5.  

Tannins:  1 out of 5. 

Overall
One to five scale:  1- none, 2- slight perception, 3- noticeable, 4- very present, 5- extremely present

Balance: 3 out of 5.
Harmony: : 4 out of 5
Elegance: 3 out of 5- How elegant, sophisticated is the wine.
Enjoyment: 4 out of 5 How drinkable is this wine. I can rate big on the 20, but small on the enjoyment (or small on 20, but big on the enjoyment).

My vote on the wine

13 is sufficient. Anything below is insufficient. 13- 14 average. 15- 16 good. 17- 18 great. 19-20 outstanding.

On the 20 Point scale: 16

Other thoughts

I'm surprised that this wine is as soft and round as it is and while it's pleasant, it's also somewhat of a drawback.  High alcohol is noticable and the wine tends towards being a bit warm in the throat.  Nice nose thoug.  Delicate and articulate, not a blast of perfumes. 

Toros Chardonnay: Could have waited more time

Wine Name: Toros Chardonnay 2006

Wine Region: Collio

Alcohol:14%

Tasting Setting: twice at home, calmly

Nose

Flower: 2 out of 5

Fruit: 4 out of 5, big ripe golden apple and pineapple

Minerality:  5 out of 5, shaly complexity, lovely

Spice: 2 out of 5, some pleasant vanilla notes

Complexity: 3.5 out of 5

Funk: 1 out of 5, a hint of dustiness, but pleasurable

Texture

Edge: 3 out of 5

Roundness: 4 out of 5

Body: 4 out of 5

Silk: 4 out of5

Taste

Power: 4 out of 5

Length: 3 out of 5

Personality: 3 out of 5

Fruit: 3 out of 5

Minerality- 4 out of 5

Wood: 2 out of 5

Overall

Balance: 4 out of 5

Harmony: : 5 out of 5

Elegance: 4 out of 5

Enjoyment: 4 out of 5

On the 20 Point scale: 17.5

 13 is sufficient. Anything below is insufficient. 13- 14 average. 15- 16 good. 17- 18 great. 19-20 outstanding.

1 to 5 scale:

 1= none, 2= some, 3= average, 4= more than average, 5= a lot

Other thoughts

really nice wine; a bir tounder then I would like but certainly not buttery: outstanding example of clean very  chardonnay: very light and integrated oak: this wine begs for salmon or a rich fish dish (guess what, I had some salmon steaks and after tasting the wine I poached them in wine and water, put a hint of ginger and olive oil on it and it the three of us at the table were loving our moment togethers); despite the 4 years on this wine, it could have easily gone another 5-8 as there was no sign of age on the wine; I'd go find another '06 and store it, actually I might have one hidden somewhere; always one of the best producer in Friuli; if anything, I would have liked the wine a bit leaner and with a touch more acidity

Wunderlich Viktoria: Modern and "there"

Wine Name:  Wunderlich Viktoria 2003
Wine Region:  Villany, Hungary
Alcohol: 13%
Tasting Setting:First with friends, then alone.

Nose
Flower: 1 out of 5
Fruit: 4 out of 5- Deep and rich fruit components.
Spice: 5 out of 5-  Tobacco, cedar, some chocolate notes.
Complexity: 3 out of 5. The concentration and spice masks everything else.
Funk:0  out of 5.  Clean as whistle.

Texture
Edge: 3 out of 5- Nice acidity and cleanly integrated in the wine.
Roundness: 4 out of 5-Thank you for not over doing the mallolactic on this one.  Nice.
Body: 4 out of 5-I expected it to be bigger from the nose.  It's not a huge wine in the mouth. 
Silk: 3 out of 5-

Taste
Power: 4 out of 5- The concentrated fruit and spice carries on to the pallet.
Length: 3 out of 5-Luckily the acidty helps the taste linger a bit more, but despite the concentration on the nose the wine isn't extremely long.
Personality: 2 out of 5- Ok, I'm just not big on Bordeau blends and find them often similar.  Good by all means, but it lacks angles and nothing jumps out.
Fruit: 3 out of 5- It's there, but it's covered in jaminess.
Minerality- 2 out of 5-
Wood: 4 out of 5- Not overdone and well integrated, but present.

Overall
Balance: 4 out of 5.
Harmony: 4 out of 5
Elegance: 4 out of 5-Nice.  There's really nothing not to like about this.  It's really well made.
Enjoyment: 2  out of 5
On the 20 Point scale:15.5

Other thoughts

Looks all good when you read the post and by all means this is a well made wine.  I really enjoy it.  Thank you to my friends Andrea and Jo who brought this to me from Budapest.  It comes from the Villany area in Hungary and is a very classic Bodeaux blend of Cab Sauv, Cab Franc and Merlot.

  It's very clear that Wunderlich strives to be Bodeaux and they do a good job at it.  I have no clue what this wine costs, but I imagine that it beats almost all Bordeaux's in price quality relationship.  For Bordeaux lovers, try this wine.  It's polished, it's clean, it's got perfect sweetness and richness etc...  This is one of those wines that critics can say nothing bad about.  It's a good wine, but...

I don't really like it.  Where's the edge, where's the acidity, where's the personality?  This wine could come from Bordeaux, from Chile, from Argentina, from California, from Tuscany...  There's nothing about this wine that makes me want to ask questions, to buy more from the region, that enriches me.  I ask no questions.  I drink the wine and thank some wine maker somewhere for making a good wine... and next.  It's good, some may even say really good, but it ends there.  It doesn't make me want to eat, it doesn't make me want to learn, it doesn't make me want to drink more... it's there and it satisfies me.

Satisfaction isn't why I drink wine though.

Castel Juval Blauburgunder: Makes me want to try it again just to see...

Wine Name: 2006 Weingut Unterorti Blauburgunder "Castel Juval"
Wine Region:  Sud Tirol Vinschgau
Alcohol: 13%
Tasting Setting: first with friends, then with alone

Nose
Flower: 3 out of 5.  Delicate notes of crushed rose petals and violets.
Fruit: 3 out of 5.  Sour cherry notes.
Spice: 2 out of 5- Subtle hints of barrique increase complexity.  Well done and not invasive.
Complexity: 2 out of 5.
Funk: 3 out of 5. There's a hint of volatile acidity in this that is disturbing.  Not as earthy as I would have expected or liked.

Texture
Edge: 4 out of 5.  Strong acidity, even a bit out of balance, but keeps the wine lively and exciting.
Roundness: 2 out of 5.  A touch more roundess would help I think.
Body: 3 out of 5.  The right body for a Pinot Noir.
Silk: 2 out of 5- The acidity of the wine cuts through the silk that I immagine this wine had.

Taste
Power: 3 out of 5.
Length: 2 out of 5.  A bit lacking.
Personality: 4 out of 5- The acidity and linearity of the wine is nice and speaks of the intense vineyards the wine comes from.
Fruit: 3 out of 5-
Minerality- 4 out of 5
Wood: 2 out of 5.

Overall

Balance: 2 out of 5.
Harmony: : 3 out of 5.
Elegance: 3 out of 5.  Really nice use of wood both on the pallet and the nose.  The barrique gives the wine an extra tannic edge to it. 
Enjoyment: 3 out of 5
On the 20 Point scale: 14.5

Other thoughts

Since I'm an avid alpinist and ski mountaineer, I've passed Castel Juval many times and it has a history asociated with mountaineering.  It's owner is Reinhold Messner who is one of the most important alpinists in history.  He bought Castel Juval as his summer home and besides being a museum it's also dedicated to preserving alpine agriculture.  But enough on that...

These vineyards are extreme to say the least and are no more then 10 kilometers from one of the largest extents of glaciers in northeastern Italy.  The Vinschgau/ Val Venosta is a beautiful place where agriculture (mostly apples, but also wine grapes) mixes perfectly with an alpine setting.

I expected more of the wine.  I have no clue how the 2006 vintage was in Val Venosta, but it lacked balance with this strong acidic balance that showed both what I like and I don't like about the wine.  I'd like to taste another vintage because I think that in great vintages this really could be a fantastic wine.

How I Taste: Here is my concept of the tasting note

Wine Name:
Wine Region:
Alcohol:
Tasting Setting: I think it’s important to also understand where and how I was tasting this wine.



Nose

One to five scale:  1- none, 2- slight perception, 3- noticeable, 4- very present, 5- extremely present

Flower: x out of 5- Floral expression of the wine.
Fruit: x out of 5- Fruit expression of the wine.
Minerality- x out of 5- How intense is the mineral component of the nose.
Spice: x out of 5- Spicy expression of the wine. This can be from wood use, but it also can be natural.
Complexity: x out of 5. How many layers of complexity are there in the wine.
Funk: x out of 5. This can be good, but it can also be bad. Funk is funk though so I’ll use my own opinion to express if it’s good or bad.


Texture
One to five scale:  1- none, 2- slight perception, 3- noticeable, 4- very present, 5- extremely present

Edge: x out of 5- This can be acidity, but more then anything it’s the raciness in the wine.
Roundness: x out of 5- How round does the wine feel in your mouth.
Body: x out of 5- How full is the wine in your mouth.
Silk: x out of 5- Lushness, lushness, silkiness.


Taste
One to five scale:  1- none, 2- slight perception, 3- noticeable, 4- very present, 5- extremely present

Power: x out of 5- How intense is the wine.
Length: x out of 5- How long the wine lasts in your mouth.
Personality: x out of 5- Does the wine stand out as something unique or does it get lost in the same old wines.
Fruit: x out of 5- How intense is the fruit component of the wine.
Minerality- x out of 5- How intense is the mineral component of the wine.
Wood: x out of 5- How intense is the wood component of the wine.

Sweetness: x out of 5.  Perceived sweetness in the wine

Tannins:  x out of 5.  Tannic structure of wine.


Overall
One to five scale:  1- none, 2- slight perception, 3- noticeable, 4- very present, 5- extremely present

Balance: x out of 5. How balanced are the various components of the wine.
Harmony: : x out of 5 Is the nose, texture and taste in harmony.
Elegance: x out of 5- How elegant, sophisticated is the wine.
Enjoyment: x out of 5 How drinkable is this wine. I can rate big on the 20, but small on the enjoyment (or small on 20, but big on the enjoyment).

My vote on the wine

13 is sufficient. Anything below is insufficient. 13- 14 average. 15- 16 good. 17- 18 great. 19-20 outstanding.

On the 20 Point scale:

Other thoughts