Drinking the 1998 Balthasar Ress Spatlese Riesling and the 2000 Domaines Schlumberger Sélection de Grains Nobles Cuvée Anne Gewurztraminer
Just a quick note to discuss the wine I had tonight with dinner. I decided to get a bottle of the 1998 Balthasar Ress Spatlese Riesling, in part because it had some age to it, but also because I really wanted to have a nice, semi-sweet Riesling with my meal. I also finished with a glass of 2000 Domaines Schlumberger Sélection de Grains Nobles Cuvée Anne Gewurztraminer dessert wine, but first I’ll talk about the main event. Check out the meal itself:
- pistachios and pheasant terrine with pear compote and mixed greens (insanely good with the wine)
- king flounder with root vegetables in a bouilliabaise with sun-dried tomatoes (also incredibly good, very niec combination)
- cheese plate: brie “mon dieu” (not the real name, but I think it’s funny), amazing nutty goat cheese, incredible roquefort (tasted as though it washed up on the seashore, nice and salty), beer-washed muenster, and morbier
The meal was outstanding. I ate at the Kamp Cafe, the restaurant inside the hotel at which I am staying while I’m in Helsinki. Everything about the meal, from the freshly-pressed linen tablecloths and napkins to the bubbly service, was excellent. But what about the first wine, that 1998 Riesling?
- Aroma: A heavenly, rich, complex aroma of fresh limes, creamy baked green apples, apricots, and peaches. A nice effervescence is apparent as well.
- Flavor: Wow! Very full and rich, with notes of melon, pine, citrus, honey, and tart apples. Extremely smooth, well aged, exceptional wine.
- General impression: Yep, it’s good. I want more.
By the way, the wine serving ritual here in Helsinki is worth noting. The waitress opened the bottle, poured herself a small glass, swirled and smelled the wine in the glass (which was a proper crystal Riesling glass), tasted the wine, and nearly peed her pants. As she said to me, “you have chosen the best wine in the entire restaurant!” Of course, at 60 Euros, you might be tempted to argue that some of the 500 Euro Burgundy wines might be better. But why argue? This wine was fabulous.
The 2000 Domaines Schlumberger was quite intriguing. It was a nice complement to the diversity and intensity of the cheese plate. Here are my thoughts:
- Aroma: Sweet and fruity, like perfumed apricots washed by virgins in a mineral spring filled with apricot-scented water.
- Flavor: Quite sweet and incisive, with a lot of honey and apricot notes. Not as complex as I would have imagined, but delicious with cheese, particularly nutty goat cheese.
- General impression: Very good. Is it worth 13 Euros per glass? I don’t know. The Riesling sort of overshadowed this wine, but I did like it a lot. More details are available here.
Overall, it was an exquisite meal with two delicious wines to balance out the flavors. I’m quite satisfied with myself for selecting that Riesling. And, of course, the waitress is grateful too since she got to drink some as the official taster, so to speak. I’d get that wine again anytime.