A Structured Tasting - Part One - The Structured Portion Of The Evening...

Ulf & David invited to a structured tasting. Intrigued I accepted and showed up at Ulf´s place with 2 bottles of red wine to go to the more unstructured part... Notes to follow.
Ulf, David and the other participants - thanks for a great evening - 23 more notes in my notebook! :-)
All wines tasted double blind.

The first flight was a bubbly one, and we were told that one or two but not all three were the real stuff.
2010 Knightsbridge, Ridgeview
A lightly earthy, seedy nose with notes of dry lemons, melon, some fudge and a hint of petrol. Wit air it becomes more apple scented. Very good.
The taste is dry, cool and a touch yeasty with notes of apple juice, gravel and dru biscuits. The finish is light, nice and dry. Nice enough.
85p   (tasted 2015/07)

2006 Cuvée MO Brut Nature, Schlossgut Diel
Schlossgut Diel can make some really fine wines, as this 06 Spätburgunder was a great example of. This bubbly shows a finely tuned, detailed nose with notes of mango, sweet lime, matchbox, minerals and a hint of mint. Very deep and fine. A hint of maturity.
The taste is dry and structured with notes of ripe red apples, forest floor, dried flowers and some chocolate notes. Very long and expressive. This is good!
92p   (tasted 2015/07)

2008 Millèsime Exception, Drappier
I tasted this recently and it behaved almost identical on this evening. This is a great 2008, one among many.
91p   (tasted 2015/07)

The second flight also turned out to be one with bubbles. I tasted this line up from Jacques Selosse, although with other degorcement dates, some time ago. Fun to do it again!
Initial, Jacques Selosse
Degorced 2012-07-05. A young, focused nose with notes of yellow apples, butter biscuits, warm gravel and dry lemoncello. A fine depth. A touch of rubber, in a positive sense. Very, very good.
The taste is nicely balanced and buttery with notes of smoke, yellow plums and sweet minerals. A very fine, tight acidity. Long and savoury. Very fine.
92p   (tasted

V.O., Jacques Selosse
The V.O. has a more nutty aroma with additional notes of lemon butter, nettles, freshly washed clothes and smoked. Deep, earthy and very, very fine.
The taste is young, tight and complex with notes of lemon juice, cap gun smoke, almond paste and birch sap. A lovely texture. Maybe a tad more restrained than the Initial but with greater depth. Great wine. Degorced 2012-07-23.
94p   (tasted 2015/07)

Substance, Jacques Selosse
A wonderful, refined, utterly gorgeous nose flows out of the glass, with notes of limefudge, hyachint, dry lemoncello and smoke. Ethereal in the true sense of the word. So, so fine. Depth, balance and focus in one package. Marvelous.
The taste is as good as the nose, with a lovely purity and freshness. Stunning notes of sweet lime, summer flowers, smoke, hazelnuts and minerals. The acidity is faultless and the length is counted in minutes. A joy to drink. Just beautiful. Degorced 2013-06-10.
98p   (tasted 2015/07)

Now it was time for the third flight. No info were given but we agreed on that it was Riesling. The rest of the guesses are best forgotten...
2008 Von der Fels, Keller
A fine, detailed nose with notes of sweet/sour lemons, dried apricots, wet rocks and old vanilla ice cream. Light yet intense. Very good. Some maturity.
The taste feels younger than the nose with notes of unripe pears, grass, almonds and minerals. A long, fine finish. Very good.
89p   (tasted 2015/07)

2009 Von der Fels, Keller
The 09 has a young, upfront nose with interesting notes of fish scrapings, yellow pears, chlorophyll and the blue things that you find in a certain place in a men´s room... Complex. Very good.
The taste is in a way purer with more traditional notes of white currants, pears, minerals and grass. A very fine, crisp acidity. Very, very good.
90p   (tasted 2015/07)

2010 Von der Fels, Keller
The 10 is some steps up the quality ladder, compared with the 08 and 09. The nose is young and restrained, yet sports a focused and expressive nose with notes of William pears, a hint of white pepper, vanilla ice cream and minerals. Pure as a mountain river. Great.
The taste is young and tight with notes of lemon peel, unripe pears, melon, gravel and vanilla ice cream. The finish is long and refined. A very high acidity. This will evolve well. A really fine wine.
93p   (tasted 2015/07)

The fourth flight turned out to be spectacular. And when the quality is on this level, it is easier to guess producer, so Keller was mentioned early in the discussion.
2008 Kirchspiel, Keller
A wonderful, upfront nose with notes of apricots, ripe pears, a hockey puck and freshly cut grass. Intense and beautiful. Has a lovely depth. This is really fine. Complex.
The taste is exquisite, tight and pure with notes of apricot ice cream, wet asphalt, nuts and a hint of vanilla cookies. The acidity is high and beautifylly integrated. Very, very long. Great wine.
94p   (tasted 2015/07)

2009 Kirchspiel, Keller
The 08 Kirchspiel is a great wine, but the 09 is even better! The nose is more restrained but with some vigorous swirling, fine scents of sour/sweet lemons, almond paste, shellfish and warm minerals emerge. Deep and concentrated. Still young.
The taste is dense, concentrated and just brilliant with a gorgeous acidity and stunning notes of sweet minerals, sour/sweet lemons, warm grass, melon and some cap gun smoke. The finish goes on for minutes. Soooooo fine.
96p   (tasted 2015/07)

2010 Kirchspiel, Keller
Lo and behold - the 10 Kirchspiel is even more amazing than the 09! The purity and intensity is of the charts. There are breath taking notes of oyster shells, birch sap, matchbox, ripe melon and spices. Yet it is impossible di describe the balance between density and lightness. Awesome.
The taste is purity and complexity liquefied, with perfect notes of tangerines, lemon cream, dry caramel, asphalt and grass. The finish goes on and on and on. In 5+ years this will probably be a perfect wine. I am glad I have some.
97p   (tasted 2015/07)

The last and fifth flight turned out to be the same line up as the fourth, only with younger vintages. They seemed more linier than the 08-10, but maybe its just because they are younger?
2011 Kirchspiel, Keller
A cool, withdrawn nose with notes of white currants, lemon peel, coconut flakes and gravel. Very, very good in a restrained way. Still young.
The taste is tight and seedy with notes of lemon, almonds, gravel and grass. Racy and fine. Needs time. Very, very good.
91p   (tasted 2015/07)

2012 Kirchspiel, Keller
The 12 Kirchspiel has a cool, refined nose with notes of chalk, wet earth, unripe yellow apples and a touch of fresh fish. Very, very fine. Evolves all evening long in the glass. Some dried fruit and almond paste after  a while. Very deep and clean.
The taste is young, tight and focused with notes of lemon peel, green apples, chalk and almonds. The finish is very long with a high acidity and a stunning balance. A great wine in the making.
93p   (tasted 2015/07)

2013 Kirchspiel, Keller
A very young, frsh nose with lots of pear ice cream, chalk, grass, melon and some iron. Dried herbs after a while. Needs time. Very, very good.
The taste is cool and seedy with notes of white currants, pears, earth and some iron. The finish is long and balanced. This will turn out fine, after 5+ years in the cellar.
92p   (tasted 2015/07)

Ulf´s notes here.