TN: 2 to drink up '98 du Cauze, '02 Christoffel

Friday we had herb-roasted chicken with Brussels sprouts and a small pasta side; the wine was the 1998 Ch. du Cauze (St. Emilion). Warm black plum fruit, a little cedar, clean finish. The tannins of this wine's youth have pretty much resolved. Not the most complex of wines, but I think I paid $12-13 for this, and it's a more than decent Merlot for that money. Tastes pretty mature, I don't think it's falling off a cliff, but this is not one for the ages. B

With shaking beef accompanied by shrimp rice noodles and urap (a salad of long beans, sprouts, etc) the 2002 J.J. Christoffel Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett (Mosel- Saar- Ruwer). This was a Skurnik import, not one of the PC grey-market steals, and indeed it had a synthetic cork (my Urz.. Wurz kabs from PC seem to have natural). There's a creamy texture to this that's a little more mature than I would expect from a '02, the fruit is more on the peachy side of the spectrum than the green apples I remember on release. Even with the creaminess there is good acidity, and some mineral-slate on the finish. I'd listen to Robert Eymael's advice to drink up if you have the synthetic closure Kabs. B-B+

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.