Tasting the Rieslings of Selbach-Oster with Johannes Selbach and George Miliotes MS

After his discourse on the Selbach-Oster environment, Johannes Selbach charted a course through the vineyard management and winemaking practices before turning his full attention to guiding us in the tasting of the estate's wines.

Selbach-Oster specializes in Riesling and experience, plus extended residency, are key inputs to their continuing success. The estate is farmed organically and sustainably with a goal of high quality through low yields. Grapes are hand-picked at optimal ripeness in multiple passes on the steep slopes (Grapes from the Anreicht, Schmitt, and Rotlay crus are block-picked in a single picking very late in the season.).

Johannes Selbach and George Miliotes MS

According to Johannes, winemaking at the estate is "super simplistic." Grapes are fermented by wild yeasts in fudres and stainless steel tanks. No enzymes or fining is employed during the fermentation/aging process.

Now on to the tasting.

Johannes feels that Riesling is misunderstood and under-appreciated by the general public because much of it is grown outside of the areas within which it does best. Selbach-Oster makes all styles of Rieslings with balance being a common thread. I have included the vineyards-holdings map from the prior post in order to provide context.

Flight 1

• 2012 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese Trocken
• 2016 Selbach-Oster Zetlinger Schlossberg "Bömer" Riesling

According to Johannes, these two single-vineyard wines are presented to show the contrast; Bömer is a cru (deep soil of decomposed slate) in its parent vineyard.

The Sonnenuhr was aged in old fudres. It showed citrus, honey, sweet grapefruit, and lime. Viscous and textured. Lengthy finish. Moving out of its primary phase. The Schlossberg shows passion fruit, florality, nuts, and a touch of honey. Elegant. Broader base than the Sonnenuhr and not as intense. More open on the palate. Delicate, spicy finish.

Flight 2

• 1983 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Kabinett Halbtrocken
• 2005 Selbach-Oster Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese Halbtrocken

Johannes indicated that 1983 was a classic vintage in Mosel. The Schlossberg had a honeyed nose with accompanying notes of nuts, fresh herbs and mint. Elegant. Balanced, with a lengthy finish.

2005 was also an excellent vintage which yielded "super-ripe" grapes that were fermented slowly in cool conditions. The Graacher Domprobst was nutty with oxidative notes surrounding honey, citrus, cocoa, and caramel. Caramel on the palate.

Flights 1 and 2 lineup

Dungeness Crab Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Flight 3

• 2016 Selbach-Oster Mosel Riesling Kabinett
• 2008 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Kabinett
• 1985 Selbach-Oster Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett

The 2016 Mosel Riesling Kabinett is the estate Kabinett and the estate's best-selling wine. The grapes are picked early to keep the potential alcohol in check while providing great fruit and acidity for the backbone.  Slate, sweet ripe fruit, citrus, and minerality on the nose along with a hint of yeastiness. Fruit and acidity notable on the palate along with salinity. Rich. Beautiful.

The Schlossberg had a rich golden color. Oxidative notes, butterscotch, and lime on the nose. Thick, rich, and nutty on the palate with umami in the mid-portions. Juicy. Long, rich, mineral finish.

The Graacher Himmelreich was the product of a classic late-ripening vintage. Herbaceous, with lime and blackpepper present. Rounder on the palate than was the case with the stablemates. High acid levels. Lime, herbs, and a savory character on the palate.

Flight 3 lineup

Riesling-Braised Veal Short Ribs with
Wild Mushroom Risotto

Flight 4

• 2009 Selbach-Oster Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese
• 2001 Selbach-Oster Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese
• 1990 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese
• 1976 Selbach-Oster Wehlener Hofberg Riesling Spätlese

The year 2009 was warm, with a bright autumn and longer hang time for the grapes. Peach, apricot, lime, and herbs on the nose. Bright, young, sweet and succulent on the palate. Primary fruit phase. The acidity provides the structure to carry the wine's weight.

2001 was a classic vintage. Herbs, tobacco, and lemon on the nose. Younger on the palate. Acidity engages salivary glands. Some hardness on the fruit but definitely ripe. Limey finish.

1990 was a great vintage with weather originating from the Russian plains and no instances of botrytis. The vintage was characterized by fantastic ripeness and great acidity. The wine shows some resemblance to the 1983 and 1985 in relation to herbaceousness. Thick, rich, honeyed nose with nuttiness, mint, rosemary, and dried herbs. Acidity, leanness, and limeskin on the palate. Beautiful wine.

1976 saw tons of botrytis and very little Spätlese in the region. Eucalyptus and mint on the nose and palate. Salinity, acidity, and eucalyptus define the palate.

Flight 4 lineup

Flight 5

• 2016 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelrich Riesling Auslese
• 2006 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Beerenauslese

2016 was a good vintage. A warm summer, with last-minute rain, and a fall without rain meant no botrytis. The wine was delicately fragrant. Elegant. Fresh and succulent. Great acidity. Balanced, with a lengthy finish. Johannes does not see this wine being sweet enough to pair with heavy desserts but, in his opinion, it is a classic Mosel Auslese that will age for 50+ years.

Johannes thinks that 2006 was the greatest vintage ever and this particular wine was the best sweet wine in all of Germany in 2008. Botrytis, beeswax, honey, golden buttered caramel. Layered. Balanced complexity of sugar and acidity. Salivary glands exercised intensely.

Flight 4 lineup

Apple Bread Pudding

This was an excellent tasting on all fronts:

• The environment was well-suited to the event with the openness providing lots of light but also a nice flow of air into and through the space
• There was a wide range of wines from across the producer's portfolio and an excellent mix of older and newer wines
• The estate principal was present and provided a true Masterclass. This was a very informative session
• The food was absolutely phenomenal. I have been to this venue a number of times now and I am still to come across a dish that I did not like.
• The wines were excellent. With the exception of the 1976 Riesling Spätslese (I wish the acid level was a little higher), I found these wines to be balanced regardless of the sweetness level on the label. A number of them were truly elegant. 

Thank you George for putting this event together. Thank you Johannes for producing such excellent wines and presenting them in the authoritative -- yet fun -- manner that you employ.


©Wine -- Mise en abyme

A Riesling tasting with Johannes Selbach (Selbach-Oster) and George Miliotes MS: The environment

The excitement was palpable in Wine Bar George's Barrel Room. Attendees had gathered for a much-anticipated tasting of the wines of Selbach-Oster, said tasting to be led by the current principal Johannes Selbach. I was happy to see the overwhelming response to George's continuing effort to bring back high-quality, estate-principal-led tastings to the Orlando area.

The tasting was titled "An Epic Afternoon of Riesling with Johannes Selbach and George Miliotes" and the advertised lineup of wines pointed to it being so. The tasting would include 13 of the estate's wines in four flights, with some of the wines issuing from watershed vintages.

In his opening remarks, George remarked that he had been friends with Johannes for over 30 years and what a pleasure it was to have him here in person to helm the tasting. At the conclusion of his remarks George turned the floor over to Johannes.

George's opening remarks

Johannes thanked us for being there and then launched into a description of the Selbach-Oster environment. His family has been making wine in the central part of the Mosel for over 400 years. The 24-ha property is populated with mostly old (some up to 100 years old), ungrafted (55%) Riesling (98% with the remainder being Pinot Blanc), the indigenous variety of the region.

Johannes Selbach

Riesling, according to Johannes, is adapted to cold and the long growing season. Mosel is the largest growing region in the world, thanks in large part to its soil and microclimate. The soil is a slate called Blue Devonian and originates from ocean-floor deposits laid down bertween 440 and 400 million years ago. This soil is similar to the soils found in the Douro (Portugal) and Priorat (Spain).

Mosel has a northern continental climate and this, in combination with the river, provides a microclimate that is advantageous for grapegrowing. The river wends its way through the region and reflects the suns rays, supplementing the ripening effect of direct sunlight on the fruit. The river also serves as a store of heat during the day and releases that warmth back into the vineyards during the nighttime. The hillsides bordering the river are very steep -- up to 60% in some cases -- and mostly south-facing, allowing direct sunlight for the better part of the day.

By Friedrich Petersdorff - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.0 de,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8938732

The soil is rocky and meager, forcing the vines to send their roots deep in search of water and nutrients. The soils are endowed with slate stones which, like the river, provide both reflective and warmth-storage functions. These conditions, according to Selbach-Oster, permit a "long, gentle growing season and a markedly late harvest" with concomitant benefits to the fruit and wine.

Turning from the general to the specific, we see that Selbach-Oster owns five key sites on the right bank of the heart of the middle Mosel and, further, three highly rated crus within the first three of these. the details of these holdings are featured in the figure below.

Once Johannes had completed his overview of the Selbach-Oster environment, he pivoted to the actual tasting. I iwll cover that phase in a subsequent post


©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Tasting aged wines with Jean K. Reilly MW and The Young Somms of Orlando

There is a collegial, ambitious, smart group of young sommeliers currently plying their trade at restaurants, wine bars, wine shops, and distributorships in the greater Orlando area. Since her arrival in the area, Jean K. Reilly MW has served as both mentor and glue to this group, encouraging their efforts and providing opportunities for skills/knowledge improvement. Her choice of Orlando as home has been a boon to these aspirants.

It was within this context that Jean partnered with me to expose these Somms to a focused tasting of aged wines from the world's leading regions. The tasting was held at Primo at the JW Marriott and was fully subscribed (15 attendees).

After a presentation on red-wine aging (the subject of my most recent blog post), we turned to the actual tasting. Jean's design called for the six wines to be tasted twice: first, to assess them on their merit and, second, to return deliberately disordered wines to their initial order based solely on sensory perception. The picture below shows the wines arrayed by order of the initial tasting. The wines were tasted left to right.

The wines were opened about 1.5 hours before the tasting. They were ordered from lightest body to weightest. The tasting notes that follow are an amalgam of attendee observations.

Bouvier-Girodet Gevrey-Chambertin 'Vielles Vignes' 2004
According to BBR, a cold snap in June delayed flowering and the remainder of the summer was colder and wetter than normal resulting in high incidences of oidium and mildew. The weather dried out in August and was fine in September, with quality fruit for those who selected rigorously.

The Bouvier-Girodet showed lifted sour cherry, moss, cedar, leather, mushroom, vanilla, and smoke. Elegant in the mouth. Crisp with a lengthy finish.

La Rioja Alta Rioja 904 Gran Reserva 2001
The weather during the growing season was optimal for grapevine development resulting in the vintage being awarded a Excellent rating by the D.O.Ca Rioja Control Board. The wine is a blend of Tempranillo (90%) and Graciano.

Vanilla, coconut, earth, wet clay, dill, and raspberry on the nose. Freshness with some salinity on the palate. Ripe fruit. Tannins still apparent. Lengthy, drying finish.

Aldo Conterno Barolo Bricco Bussia 'Colonello' 1978
Growing conditions similar to those experienced in Côte de Nuit in 2004 with cool, wet weather during the summer followed by a wonderful September.

Oxidative notes to begin, followed by mushroom, rust, tar, and Granny's attic. Beautiful wine on the palate. Still some astringency (but does not get in the way) along with tart cherry and leather. Long. Many years of pleasant drinking still ahead.

Chateau L'Evangile Pomerol 1990
Very mild winter followed by a cool spring and hot summer. Light rain in early September. Exceptionally high-quality Merlot.

This wine was a blend of 80% Merlot - 20% Cabernet Franc, aged for 18 months in oak barrels. Dried flowers with a plum undercurrent. Dried herbs, spice, and a savoriness. Mature tannins. Long, creamy finish. This wine did nothing to detract from my love of, and fascination with, this label.

Chateau Leoville-Las Cases St-Julien 2003
This was the famous heat wave vintage. The grapes were fermented in a mix of wood, concrete and stainless steel vats and then aged in partially new oak barrels for 18 months. The blend for this vintage was Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Merlot (17%), and Cabernet Franc (13%).

This wine is well-developed on the nose. Blue fruit, caramel, cedar, vanilla, and some savoriness. Red and black fruit on the palate. This wine is aging very well with another 5 to 10 years before reaching its peak.

Seavey Cabernet Sauvignon 1994
100% Cabernet Sauvignon fruit planted on the hills above St. Helena. Aged in 50% new French oak barrels.

Rich aroma profile. Chocolate, cherries, and some age-related Granny's attic notes. Round on the palate. Lowest acid of the wines that we have tasted so far but still very pleasant.

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Mission accomplished. The Young Guns engaged fully in both of the tasting exercises and, at the conclusion of the event, effusively thanked us for the opportunity. The light continues to shine on Orlando.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

The evolotion of components during red-wine aging

According to winecurmudgeon.com, "as much as 90% of the wine bought in the U.S. is drunk within 24 hours" of purchase and "some 95 percent of all wine purchased in the U.S. is consumed within a week." And that result maps closely to the production dynamic as, according to Jancis Robinson MW, only small percentages of red and white wines produced can improve such that they provide greater drinking enjoyment at 5 years of age than they did at 1 year of age.

For those wines with aging potential, complex chemical reactions between their components -- and over an extended period -- will alter the aroma, color, mouthfeel, and taste such that they become more pleasing to the taster. Table 1 below captures the factors which contribute to the ageability of wine.

Table 1. Factors contributing to the Ageability of Wines

Factor	Selected Potential Impacts
Grape Variety	Tannin and acidity are great preservatives; varieties with medium-to-high levels of one or both of these components are good candidates for aging
Vintage	High-heat vintages may result in low acid levels and damaged skins Too-wet vintages introduce disease risk and increases the ratio of water to acid/phenolics
Viticultural Practices	Overly long hang times may negatively affect acidity levels Picking too early may yield phonetically unripe grapes
Wine Region	Hot climates yield lower-acid fruit
Winemaking Style	Malolactic fermentation  on a low-acid wine will lead to even lower acid levels Shorter post-fermentation maceration will yield lower tannin levels and the potential aging time of the wines
Bottle Storage	Poor storage conditions will negatively affect the life and quality of the aged wine

In the foregoing table, the role of acidity and tannins in preserving the wine against attack by microbes is highlighted but the ratio of these two components, plus sugar, to water is a key determinant as to how well a wine will age. The more diluted these components, the less well the wine will age. In addition, maceration length, and, hence, the increased volume of phenolic extraction, will improve the ageability of the wine. Acid and tannin levels of major grape varieties are provided in the figure below.

While a lot of attention on aging is focused on residence in the buyer's cellar, the aging process actually begins in the winemaker's cellar. The figure below is a block diagram which provides an overarching view of the aging process.

Table 2 below summarizes the changes that each of the wine components undergo from the freshly fermented stage until the bottle is opened many years down the road.

Table 2. Summary of the changes that wine components undergo during aging.

Component	Young Red Wine	Maturation	Cellar Aging
Color	Inky dark color due to monomeric anthocyanin pigments extracted from skin	Monomers replaced by polymeric form (anthocyanin pigments + tannins)	Color loss due to continued polymerization and precipitation of tannin-anthocyanin complexes     - Light brick red after 5 - 10 years      - Light orange-red color further out
Aroma	Varietal, grape, and yeasty aromas Alcohols, esters, fatty acids, aldehydes, and ketones	Acquisition of toasted aromas to include     - Smoky     - Spicy     - Cocoa     - Vanilla     - Roasted coffee     - Toasted bread	Loss of certain grape and yeasty aromas retention of varietal aromas  Formation of new aromas (Savory, for example Synthesis of new esters Integration of all flavors to produce a harmonious and pleasing fragrance
Alcohol	Amount of alcohol in wine = ºBrix x ).55 Residual sugar should range between 0.2 - 0.3 g/l	- Oxidized to acetaldehyde
Acidity	- Red wines should range between 0.6 and 0.8% TA	- Malolactic fermentation changes malic acid to the softer lactic acid	Acid precipitation Ester formation     - Loss of acidity makes wine taste less astringent and mellower
Bitterness	Grape tannins are largely responsible for the bitter taste in wine	Oxidative and non-oxidative polymerization of phenolic compounds     - Reduced astringency     - Smoother, softer taste	Flavonoid phenols polymerize and become less bitter, more astringent Further polymerization leads to eventual precipitation     - Reduction in phenolic compounds     - reduction in astringency
Astringency	- Grape tannins are responsible for the astringency in wine	- Conversely, astringency is increased by the phenolic products absorbed into the wine from barrel - Astringency can be reduced by fining	Loss of astringency due to polymerization and precipitation of tannins     - Wine becomes mellower and smoother

Wine Maturation
Wine is matured in wooden barrels to: (i) enhance its flavor, aroma, and complexity through transfer of substances from the wood to the wine; and (ii) allow gradual oxidation of the wine.

In the first instance, many of the wood's native aromatic compounds, as well as the aromatic compounds created during seasoning and toasting, are absorbed, and integrated, into the wine, thus contributing to wine richness and aromatic complexity.  For example, hemicellulose will hydrolyze upon exposure to wine, creating, as a result, sugars and acetyl groups.  The sugars are further converted to furanaldehydes and ketones while the acetyl groups are converted to acetic acid during maturation.  A small proportion of lignin will dissolve in wine (these are called native lignins) while some undergo ethanolysis and are oxidized to aromatic compounds.  These compounds have low olfactory thresholds and will, therefore, impact the wine's aromatic profile. As noted by Dr. Murli Dharmadikari, common descriptors of oak-aged wines are oaky, vanilla, smoky, toasty, spicy, and coconut.

In terms of gradual oxidation, wine loss from barrels amount to approximately 2% per year, resulting from the fact that water and ethanol are smaller molecules and will diffuse into the wood and, ultimately, escape as vapor.  If the air in the cellar is dry, more water is lost and the wine is more concentrated in terms of alcohol.  If the environment is too humid then more alcohol is lost, reducing the ethanol content in the remaining wine.  This loss of liquid opens up a space between the wine surface and the barrel which the winemaker generally "tops up" in order to prevent oxidation and acetic spoilage.  During this "topping-up" process, small amounts of oxygen are dissolved in the wine.  Oxygen is also introduced into the wine during winery operations such as filtering and racking.

The oxygen which is now in the wine reacts with resident phenolic compounds in a manner such that: (i) tannins are softened (polymerization and precipitation as well as tannin-polysaccharide combinations); (ii) complex aromas develop; and (iii) there is improvement in the wine's body and mouthfeel.

In a Herjavec, et al., study, the authors found that the sensorial characteristics of barrel-aged wines were modified, due to the wood-derived compounds. These wines manifested roundness in taste with a complex retro nasal aroma." Barrel toast also affected flavor perception: aging in medium-toast barrels yielded a smoky, roasted, and raw oak flavor while light toast resulted in a more fruity aroma.

Cellar Aging
As the wine continues to age under ideal conditions, chemical oxidation and polymerization and precipitation will result in a continued loss of astringency and color. The loss of astringency results in a mellower wine while the loss of color yields a light orange-red colored wine.

The perception of acidity will decrease -- and with it the perception of astringency -- due to formation of esters resulting from chemical interactions between acids and alcohol and some precipitation of acids.

Beatty discusses the formation of savory aromas (beef broth, cured, smoked and grilled meats, mushrooms, vegetables and herbs, roasted nuts, caramel, and soy sauce) resulting from Maillard reactions ("a series of chemical reactions between reduced sugars and compounds with free ammonia acids") which can occur under wine-like conditions (relatively low pH, relatively low storage temperatures, an aqueous solution) at very slow reaction rates to "produce savory aromas over the course of years or even decades of aging."

And finally, the aged wine will exhibit a bouquet that is more developed and layered and should also show a lengthened finish.

Bibliography
Alyssa Mae Beatty, Characterization of "savory" aroma compounds in aged red wines via gas chromatography-olfactometry and descriptive analysis. Dissertation, Purdue University.
Seth Cohen, Managing Wine Aroma, Presentation, North Carolina Wine Growers Association, 2/5/2012.
Dr. Murli Dharmadhikari, Wine Aging, extension.iastate.edu
Denis Dubourdieu and Takatasgi Tominaga, Evolution of Toasted Aromas  in red wine during barrel maturation.


©Wine -- Mise en abyme

A Vertical Tasting of Christian Moueix's Ulysses Napa Valley at Vintage Vino

The land upon which Christian Moueix's Ulysses Vineyard lies has had as many owners as its namesake had adventures on his epic journey home after the conclusion of the Trojan War. The land came into American lore as a part of the 1836 Rancho Caymus land grant by the Mexican government to the farmer/trapper/settler George C. Yount (after whom the town of Yountville is named). Yount planted the first grapes in the area on what is now the Napanook Vineyard (also currently owned by Mouiex and the source of the grapes for the highly regarded Dominus wine).

Yount sold 640 acres of Rancho Caymus to Charles Hopper in 1850. Hopper had originally traveled to California from Missouri in 1841 but had returned shortly thereafter. He came back out to California with his family in 1849 and settled in Napa Valley. Hopper planted his first vines on the property in 1873 and gifted the land to his daughter Missouri in 1877. Missouri was forced to sell the land in the 1880s after her husband's death.

The original ranch has been broken up and sold off in pieces. The land that comprises today's Vine Hill Vineyard, Missouri Hopper, Ulysses Vineyard, and Kelleher (see map below) passed through the ownerships of Whitton, Hahn, and Taddei before being purchased by Bruce Kelham in 1959. The Missouri Hopper Vineyard was purchased from the Kelham Family by Andy Beckstoffer in 1996.

The Ulysses Vineyard, as noted by Antonio Galloni (Vinous), had been a part of the Missouri Hopper Vineyard. It came under the ownership of the Schmidts either before or during the Beckstoffer acquisition and was purchased from them by Christian Moueix in 2008.

The soil at Ulysses is a deep, gravelly clay loam. It is valley floor soil, but with excellent drainage. When purchased it was home to a substantial number of Merlot vines but, given his early experience at Dominus, Christian pulled out all of the Merlot vines and replaced them with Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard composition is now 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot.

As is the practice at all Moueix properties, Ulysses is dry-farmed, a practice which, he maintains, enhances root depth and drought resistance.

Grapes are harvested at "perfect ripeness" and fermented/macerated with extraction facilitated by pump-overs. The wine is aged for 20 months in 40 - 50% new French oak.

John Siudut of Vintage Vino organized a tasting of the first three vintages (2012 - 2014) of Ulysses, said tasting held at Vintage Vino and led by him and Billy Hendriksen. Attendees were limited to 10 people in order to ensure meaningful pours for each participant. The bottles were opened at 2:00 pm and the tasting began a little after 5:00 pm.

Parlo and Soo

John showing a label to some of the attendees

They're happy

Billy prepping to lead the tasting

John bringing his expertise to bear

According to Billy, the 2012 growing season had heavy spring rain and a mild, warm summer. The Ulysses 2012 was perfumed with honeysuckle, dried herbs, leather, vanilla, and dark fruit. On the palate, dark fruit, green herbs, and green pepper.

The 2013 season was characterized by a very dry spring and consistently warm summer and fall. Early ripening with 6.4 inches of rain, compared to a historical average of 17.5 inches. Yields in 2013 were between 1.4 and 2.5 tons/acre. The 2013 Ulysses showed more green pepper than the 2012. Fruit-forward, vinous, with fruit somewhat overwhelmed by the green character. More green notes on the palate. Intense. More structured than the 2012.

The 2014 season had a dry, early winter with heavy rain in February. Much higher than average temperature with moderate heat spikes. Yields of 2.2 tons/acre. The 2014 Ulysses  exhibited dark fruit, wet cigarette, and baking spices on the nose. A slight green note. Lusher, plusher, and softer on the palate than the preceding wines. Creamy. Open.

For comparison purposes, we tasted two wines from other Moueix properties: 1996 Dominus (similar varietal composition as the Ulysses) and the 2005 Trotanoy (from his Pomerol estate of the same name; Merlot-dominant).

The Dominus showed chocolate, tobacco, coffee, black tea, coal tar, and a duskiness. Complete from front to back. Rich and creamy. Beautiful. Long, creamy finish.

The Trotanoy was young. Dark and red fruit, earth, and baking spices. Power on the palate with red fruit. Way too early.

The Ulysses wines are currently young wines from young vines but the long-term potential of this vineyard is apparent. Great job by John and Billy in walking us through this very revealing tasting.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme