Crème Brûlée with Sauternes
This is my go-to recipe from the Culinary Institute of America. It’s fool-proof as recipes go, and there is little motivation on my part to change it. Of course, there are infinite variations on this theme. Try infusing the cream with lavender or cardamom seeds, for example. Or substitute honey for sugar. Add subtle lift […]
Château d’Yquem 1998
What can be said about d’Yquem can only be expressed in poetry, even in a modest vintage like 1998. It is an inner sanctum, a fragrant garden, a poignant release that is both profound and glorious. Descriptors cannot do it justice, sensual and honey-drenched layers of apricots, vanilla bean, creme brûlée and almond pastry. Viscous […]
NxNW Riesling The Benches Vineyard 2012
89 Points for this half-bottle offering from NxNW because it’s a good value. Made in an ice wine style, this late harvest Riesling was sur lie aged in stainless steel for three months prior to bottling, and it’s a wine of pure varietal expression. Tons of dried apricot throughout, with a dollop of bananas foster […]
Sine Qua Non Viognier Mr. K The Noble Man 2000
Rich and amber-hued, this dessert wine offering from cult winery, Sine Qua Non is sourced from 100% botrytized Viognier. Harvested at 42° brix, it’s a remarkable elixir that offers up notes of ripe apricot, orange marmalade, mace and vanilla. Concentrated, waxy and viscous in the mouth, there is enough acidity to bolster hedonistic flavors of […]
Brooks Eola-Amity Hills Sweet P Riesling 2014
Such a treat to attend Brooks Wines first University session led by Alder Yarrow and Brooks’ talented winemaker, Chris Williams. As Alder put it, the 2014 Sweet P Riesling is “fresh as a button.” Spot on, Mr. Yarrow, in addition, lilting notes of green apples, white peaches, spring flowers, mint and the merest hint of […]
Hermann J. Wiemer Josef Noble Select Riesling 2011
A beguiling toffee-colored Trockenbeerenauslese-style Riesling hailing from the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York. Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of this wine is that it was harvested at 51.7° Brix and with a staggering 31.7% residual sugar. Truly, this is the stickiest “sticky” I’ve had the pleasure of tasting, with mouth-coating viscosity held in […]
Hidden Springs Dessert Style Riesling 1991
Lovingly poured by winery owner, Don Byard—I don’t think the winery exists anymore, and so drinking this was like drinking a piece of history. The fill height was low, cork crumbled, and it was amber colored in the glass. Despite oxidation, there were still redeeming qualities. An echo of fruit, pear and apple cloaked in […]
Loosen Bros Dr. L Riesling 2013
Loosen Bros Dr. L Riesling is a unquestionably quaffable for a mere $11-$12. While not as intense or complex as more expensive offerings from the Mosel, what you can expect are lush aromas of apricot, clover honey, lemon drop and a classic though faint top note of kerosene. It’s off-dry with lots of mouth-coating viscosity […]
Meulenhof Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spätlese Alte Reben 2012
Rich and unctuous, the Meulenhof Mosel Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spätlese Alte Reben 2012 is ripe, juicy apricot, golden Opal apple and paraffin, a twinkling top note of kerosene. Soft and silky on entry, with a medium level of acidity that leans towards bright citrus fruit, candied lemon peel and dried pineapple. I found my self […]
Royal Tokaji Wine Co. Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2008
Royal Tokaji, is only produced in years where botrytis or Noble Rot affects the grapes. What is perhaps even more remarkable is that the grapes are harvested berry by berry, not cluster by cluster. The 2008 5 Puttonyos Aszu is pure sunlight in a glass and offers up hedonistic notes of ripe apricot, quince, clover […]