05 February 2012

d'Arenberg, The Dry Dam Riesling 2002

If you, like I, have ever watched Shaun of the Dead, it should be needless to say that you will have grasped the rather central thematic concept that a Zombie is someone or something that should by all rights be dead at this point, but is apparently not. Now to another harsh feature of these Zombie types, they come in an endless wave, persistent and never ending. To make sense of this, were I looking for a metaphor to offer the to Riesling here, well, I would most definitely compare it to a Zombie.


Why this metaphor? Was it solely because of the Hobo with a Shotgun, yet another soul misplaced  from the afterlife, who relentlessly continued his various quests which like Shaun of the Dead mimicked the Riesling's surprising life and relentless assault upon the palate? Possibly. Which given the facts here seems to map on beautifully, at €10 with 10 years bottle age, albeit from a amazing producer, unmistakeably, something seems amiss, the wine, at face value teeters towards the fraternity of "too good to be true". 

Yet, for once, it is without doubt, true. More than true, it is spectacular. 

Appearance:
Clean, with a vigorously intense golden body and hue. 

Nose:
The nose exposes no faults, no signs of slowing up, no hesitation to woe the taster. pear and white peach form the fruits that become punctured by an intense and delightful petroleum note, that forms the most integral spine of the wine. All finished by a slap of minerallity that chases all other notes gently from the nose.

Taste:
Dry, some hints of residual sugar more noticeable through the honey notes that lightly coat the palate rather than as a sugar. A medium body, with surprising acidity that adds an inconceivable amount of live to the wine. Green apple, peach and melon offer up the fruits and a streak of elderberry is ever-present. Clay offers an interesting back-note of minerallity on the palate. Despite already being a fantastic wine, it is not these features that sell the wine, it is the finish. lemon and lime sitting together perfectly, with the sharpness of the lemon clearly visible, while the green rounded flavours of the lime protrude from time to time. One taster and you can happily up and leave the room, go for walkies and you will still be tasting this two to three minutes later. 

Comments:
This is an amazing steal, the wine itself is spectacular and could even develop further, from a fantastic Aussie vintage and from a real stalwart of the wine industry. The bottle ageing has clearly massively improved the wines. It is wonderfully complex and structured with elegance and grace and yet lacking no element of zingy life that creates great Rieslings, this is one of the underrated undiscovered wines of the world. All I can say is I am glad I have a second one. 

Price:

€9.95 (Corkscrew Wine Merchants)

Score:

92 (A)

Value:

5

2 comments:

  1. Glad you liked it, the d'Arenberg wines are superb and we're so delighted we managed to source them.

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