Bernhard Huber, Malterdinger Bienenberg Spätburgunder, 1992
Whenever the invitations to those '47 Petrus and '86 Lafite tastings go out, somehow our names seem to get passed over. Shame, but that doesn't stop us from embarking on the adventure that is aged wine from time to time. Today, an 18 year-old german Pinot Noir. This ol' boy comes in a light, cloudy cherry red with brown edges. If you want to know how great decaying leaves, wet earth, manure, marinated cherries and smoked bacon smell when mixed together, I suggest you stick your nose into this.
In the mouth, it brings freshly acidic cherry fruit, coffee, as well as a little burned rubber, cold smoke and ash. It's clearly approaching old age, but not yet there.
To my surprise, it was even better on the second day, clearer and more focused. It paired wonderfully with a bolognese sauce with extra chopped carrot and parsnip. I rate this a highly subjective marvellous, but I won't deny that there was a radically dissenting voice in my own household: "Stinky and thin" was one of the nicer things she had to say. We will review older wines under the "good ol' boys"-tag from time to time, and to kick this off in style, we bring you Waylon Jennings, singing the eponymous "Dukes of Hazzard" title track. Take it away.