I’ve accumulated several tasting notes, which perhaps didn’t really warrant their own post. Not that the quality didn’t meet or exceed expectations, but I suppose I just wasn’t inspired beyond the sheer pleasure of the moment. For the sake of completion however, I’ll just lump them all together here for those who might be interested. Cheers!
Reichsrat von Buhl 2007 Forster Jesuitgarten Riesling GG
From one of the top Pfalz vineyards in the notorious village of Forst, this dry Riesling was opened to celebrate the visit of my cousin. Reichsrat von Buhl, one of the “three Bs” of the Pfalz with Bürklin Wolf and Basserman-Jordan, is probably my favorite of the three, with wines that tend to privilege tension over ripeness. Though we purchased the wine together at the estate, I cellared the wine for her here in France, and while I feared it might be a bit young, we decided that the moment was just too perfect to wait any longer!
Impression (++)
Loved it! This exotic pineapple and passion fruit salad remained well contained, with a very delicate and almost friendly side that took nothing away from its complexity. A subtle, chalky minerality emerged on the palate, adding yet another layer without ever getting too “intellectual” on us. The perfect wine to enjoy at the table with less wine-involved guests, this Riesling appealed to me as a general good mood wine.
Le Mas de l’Ecriture 2007 Languedoc l’Emotion
And now back to the Languedoc, with the entry level bottling by the well-known (and somewhat expensive) Mas de l’Ecriture estate located in the Terasses du Larzac zone. The “Emotion” is a traditional blend of Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault.
Impression (-)
Immediately, this powerful red states its ambition with a very deep nose of ripe blackberry fruit and roasted coffee notes. Perhaps served a bit too warm, the alcohol really dominated the overall balance, with the soft tannins and relatively low acidity struggling to keep the wine together. It was definitely top-notch quality, but got a bit heavy with subsequent pours.
If I were to define the emotion which characterized the wine for me, I would refer to the bright red label, a color which represents strong, intense adrenaline inducing emotions associated with strength, power, passion and even danger! 
Jean-Marc Burgaud 2009 Morgon Côte de Py
Finally, among the Beaujolais elite, Jean-Marc Burgaud has been crafting wines from his eponymous Morgon estate since 1989. As a big fan of some other Gamay reds from this lauded vintage (Vissoux, Brun and Lapierre), I was expecting a whole lot from this bottle.
Impression (+)
While it didn’t necessarily disappoint, offering a very classic Morgon profile with juicy fruit and a nice supporting acidity, I guess I wasn’t blown away either as with the previous examples. This is probably due to the fact that this one came last in the series, thus losing the surprise and excitement factor. Still, I would very much recommend it for those wishing to get a feel for this top Beaujolais AOC.
Ah, Buhl, yes – I also have one of their GG sitting here, waiting for its time (a 2008 though). Not only do I enjoy the wines, I also like the label – and when you mention them to English speakers you can have fun rolling the Rs in “Reichsrat” to make it sound more Germanic…
RRRRight!
I kick myself for not bringing back more wines from this estate, especially since I’ve been there a few times (but settled for more immediate pleasures). I definitely should’ve stocked up on some Ungeheuer!