Fish Tony Fisher

8.9

Lovely deep red. Subtle berry flavour and nice balance. $30 well worth it. — 2 months ago

sasha

9.0

CW 19. A little tight the first night. The second night it is fruit forward with decent complexity and tannins. — 6 months ago

Kieran

9.0

You can really taste the plum & blackberry. Very interesting Shiraz, but very tasty. — 3 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.1

Wish I could tell you that I tasted the TBA, but silly me (and CW) decided we'd wait until we've tasted all the drier wines before moving on to this... then poof! None left. Sigh. Heard that it's amazing though and the hammer price seems to indicate so - 1020€ 0.375L, 2750€ 0.75L, and 18000€ 1.5L. Insane!

As for the GG, that I did taste. Again, take my notes with a grain of salt given how brief the occasion was. Very fruit driven, ranging from yellow stone fruits to exotic fruits, both on the nose and palate. Nose is beautifully touched by herbal notes. Noticeable sweetness on the palate. Excellent acidity, but I felt the finish was somewhat muted by a touch of warmth in the finish. Needs time to bring more balance. I thought it was a good GG, but trumped by the 18' ADL that it was tasted with on both occasions. 200€ 0.75L

NB: The usual suspects (at least for me) delivered the best dry rieslings at the Nahe VDP auctions. Some brief notes and in order of my favourites:

1) Emrich-Schonleber 18' Auf der Lay: My wine of the auction. Such a beautiful nose - Stone fruits, citrus, just the right amount of greenness (fresh cut herbs and grass), and a real chalky feel. The palate is just so saline, intense, deep, and balanced. Amazing drive. Almost as good as the 17'! 270€ 1.5L and 720€ 3.0L

2) Philipp Kuhn 18' Philippsbrunnen: Wow wow! Surprise of this auction. Precise, elegant, juicy, and so mineral. The nose is airy and cool. Multi-layered palate with sufficient extract. Gentle power comes to mind with this wine. I absolutely adored it and definitely one of the best buys this auction. 105€ 0.75L

3) Keller 18' Pettenthal: What can I say? The terroir is just so strong (taste any producer producing Pettenthal and you'll know) and KP does a great job at turning up the dial to 150%! Admittedly, the doesn't have the electricity of the 17' :( 800€ 0.75L

4) Wagner-Stempel 18' EMT: Better than the 17' I feel, but definitely still on the austere side. Some noticeable phenolics on the palate, but the density and depth is just plain impressive. Excellent value if you ask me. 100€ 0.75L

Lastly, something needs to said about the Wittmann La Borne and Battenfeld-Spanier Zellertal Kreuzberg - I don't get why people are paying so much for these wines (270€ and 210€ respectively). — 5 years ago

sasha

9.1

CW 15. Well balanced with a medium body and tannins — 5 months ago

sasha

9.1

CW 16. Dry stone fruit with beautiful acidity and balance — 6 months ago

John Tan

9.0

Imperial Treasure GWC w CW, Ritchie, Andy and Jen Han.

“More restrained than its Chassagne sibling, the 2015 Puligny-Montrachet Villages displays a classic bouquet of peach, white flowers, blanched almonds, citrus zest and a subtle framing of toasty new wood. On the palate, the wine is glossy and textural on the attack, with excellent cut and length. A few years in the cellar are in order here.” RP88, 2015, drink 2020-2030 — 2 years ago

sasha

8.9

CW 10. Fruit-forward initially more balanced once aerated. Best to drink the first night — 5 months ago

Aaron Tan

9.3

“Perfectly rounded” was what first came to mind when I drank this. Rich and opulent, yet incredibly seamless. Even in its youth, the mealy and creamy vanilla oak character did not feel out of place, especially against the preserve-like fruits ranging from lemons to apricots. Expectedly long with a dense glycerol-like texture, savoury finish, and energising acidity. Not typically a style that I’d rave about, but credit where credit’s due, the concentration, texture, and oak quality were all remarkable. CW even went so far to say that it was Monty-like, and I’m certain he isn’t the first nor last person to make such a claim. However, we too noted that the warmth and lack of verticality in structure was a dead giveaway of its Napa origin. A contemplative wine of great presence at this point, but probably needs another decade or more to be truly digestible. — 2 years ago

Eric Adams

9.4

My new favorite CW. — 3 years ago