TN: Mature Rieslings, Spätburgunder and more

My wife and I hosted a German-themed dinner last night, which was a good excuse to dig into the cellar as well as sample some current releases.

Starters: Speck-wrapped white asparagus and quark with bread

Emrich-Schonleber Mineral Trocken (Nahe)
A surprising amount of fruit (pears, peach) on the nose for a Trocken, and oodles of minerals (wet stones). Lots of acid keeps this very crisp. The leftovers 24 hours later testify to the quality. One of the guests began by saying he didn’t see the point of dry Rieslings, then tasted this and began asking questions about it. It seemed he might make an exception in this case.

First course: Smoked fish with fennel

1994 Schloss Saarstein - Serriger Schloss Saarstein - Spätlese (Saar)
Medium golden in color and much more advanced in aromas than I expected. Something very earthy, even musty. I thought perhaps some TCA, though no one else thought it was corked. Much richer and sweeter than I’d expected (no fingernails-on-the-blackboard tart Saar), yet with excellent acidity. I’m not even sure if this bottle is typical or ideal (I purchased it in 1997 on my first visit to a German winemaker), but this is at a lovely moment, with the sweetness and acidity wrestling with each other to see who gets the upper hand with each splash over the tongue. ~91
1996 Schloss Schönborn - Hochheim Daubhaus - Spätlese (Rheingau)
Much lighter in color, much younger , and more steely. Less on the nose and crisper in the mouth, but with layers and layers of flavor. A gorgeous wine. A Dan Posner special, in 1 liter. Wish I’d taken a chance on more. ~93

Second course: Black Forest potato salad, made with mustard and cider vinegar

I adored the 2002 QbAs and Kabinetts in 02. This was my first systematic sampling of the Spätleses (I tend to like my riesling quite mature). These three reflected their origins perfectly and their sweetness worked well with the potato salad.
Maximim Grünhaüser (von Schubert) – Abtsberg (Ruwer)
Very approachable – a bit more than I expected actually, since Green Maxes can sometimes be a bit austere. This was on the dryer side, though that could be just Ruwer acidity speaking. I’m afraid it was overshadowed by the richness of the next two, and at the moment it’s not offering the complexity they do. It wouldn’t surprise me if it shone better in another five or 10 years. Even the Grünhaüser 02 QbA was surprisingly unevolved when I opened a bottle a few months ago. (On a visit in late 2003, Dr. von Schubert matter-of-factly said the QbA would easily be a 20-year wine.) ~88

Fritz Haag – Brauneberger Juffer – Sonnenuhr (Middle Mosel)
Wow! What concentration! It’s not that it tastes so sweet, because there’s a steel rod of acidity running up the back of this. But the flavors are distilled. What’s Haag’s secret? Boy am I glad I have more of this, and of his 02 Kabinett. Maybe WOTN. 94+

Gunderloch – Nackenheimer Rothenberg (Rheinhessen)
As we head east to the Rhine, the structure changes again. This is much sweeter and the flavors are all honey. Personally, I prefer the Haag, but this is a terrific wine. This is a wee bit syrupy for me, but damn if it isn’t good. ~92.
Third course: Maultaschen (Schwabian pork ravioli on mild sauerkraut)

These two Trockens from Baden were recommended by Crush. Joe Salmone there, who I respect a lot, gushed about the Grauburgunder on their web site and I can see why.
2012 Koch - Weissburgunder (pinot blanc) Scheibenhardt (Baden)
Taught, not showing much now. Perhaps this should have been decanted. $27

2011 Koch – Grauburgunder* (pinot gris) (Baden)**
I gave up on Alsatian pinot gris ages ago. Most were just fat and flabby for my tastes. Most of the German interpretations I’ve had have the acidity missing from the French versions while preserving the grape’s complexity. This has great depth and structure, with some peach hints on the nose and the oily texture of the variety in the mouth. Then the acidity sneaks up from behind and slaps you on the butt. I absent-mindedly left the leftovers on the counter overnight, but retasting now it’s still very good. I’d guess this will be better in a couple of years. 91+ I’m only sorry it’s $43.

Main Course: Flying Pigs Farm Smoked Ham

Three Spätburgunders (pinot noirs) from different regions. What with feeding 12 people, I lost track of the wine preparation and didn’t decant these ahead. They were each enjoyable in their own way, but I suspect they’d have evolved a bit more with decanting.
It’s always hard to set aside your archetype of Burgundy when judging pinots from other places, if you love Burgundy. But these deserve to be judged on their own terms. Happily, none displayed overt oak or alcohol, even on a warm evening.

2005 Kopp - Spätburgunder “S” Trocken (dry) (Baden)
A gift from a German cousin six years ago and I know nothing about the producer. Very dark in color (barrique color fixing?), with oodles of ripe black cherry on the nose. At first this seemed brooding, with rather hard tannins. It softened up with air, though it never really developed much complexity on the mid-palate. It was nicely balanced, fairly extraced but a bit generic. It seemed like maybe they tried too hard to make a big wine and should have held back a bit here. ~87-90
2004 Fürst – Klingenberger (Schlossberg) – Spätburgunder “R” (Franken)
Purchased at the winery in 2006. Klingenberger was a famous vineyard into the 50s whose owners then neglected it. Fürst acquired it shortly before this wine was made. Sebastian Fürst told me they were going to rip out all the vines because they had been damaged by weedeaters and that 04 would be the last vintage for a while, but I see they have still offered some in later vintages. (Footnote: My two hours with Christian were one of the most spectacular tasting experiences I’ve ever had. The quality of their wines across all the white and red grapes, including Fruhburgunder, is stunning.)
A fairly dull hue, but nice clean fruit. Fairly feminine, with pure pinot aromas and flavors, though nothing you’d mistake for Burgundy. I went back and forth on this and regretted not decanting it. The leftovers today remind me of a Copain pinot of recent vintages. Good sour cherry with a trace of black cherry. I’m sorry I don’t have another bottle to probe over a full meal. ~87/88

2008 Rebholz – Pinot Noir Tradition Spätburgunder Dry (Pfalz)
Also a fairly dull hue. Lovely pinot fruit, with some floral notes. Similar in weight and general flavor profile to the Fürst but with more complexity and depth. This needs more time, but it’s very appealing now and was the group’s favorite. I found it surged and ebbed, but in a way that kept my interest. This is the one of the three I think would be most appealing to Burgundy lovers. $46 ~90

Dessert: Poached pears with barely sweetened strawberry/claret sauce with cinnamon.

1995 Franz Josef Justen-Schmitges - Erdener Treppchen- Auslese
My, this is a lovely wine. I don’t know the producer, but tagged along on an order a friend was placing with Garagiste a year and a half ago. At $31, I wish I’d loaded up. Dead-on Middle Mosel Auslese, with a perfect tension of sweetness and acidity. It’s evolving but has years ahead. Precisely Treppchen, pricely balanced. Another WOTN candidate. 94+

2001 Willi Haag - Brauneberg Juffer Sonnenuhr - Auslese
I bought a bunch of this and have wondered several times if I erred. Sometimes it’s one-dimensional or disjointed. Last night, it was beautiful and got better and better and better in the glass. This was another where the sugar and acidity were in a turf war, which made each sample an intrigue. Still fairly taught, without a lot of secondary notes. A trace of celery. Just the right balance. ~92+

‘Mature’ at 20 years? I’m sure Bueker’s going to poke in saying these are mere babes…

Thanks for taking care of it Mark.

That didn’t take long.

Seriously though, most estate Rieslings and kabinetts are likely fully mature before or at age 20. Spätlese and Auslese from good producers, not so much.

On the subject of Willi Haag, I am not aware of a more inconsistent producer. I stopped buying in the late 90s because the wines were a total crap shoot.

No quarrels on maturity. The only wine that was fully mature was the Schloss Saarstein and I think it shouldn’t have been.

On Willi Haag, my limited experience has been similar. In the case of this wine, I think maybe it’s one of those ungainly children that turns out handsome. It was certainly leaning that way last night, in adolescence.

Anybody know anything about Kopp?

Yeah that Saarstein does not sound right.

Sorry-no experience with Kopp.

The leftover Kopp showed some spiciness tonight that I suspect is from oak. Also something metallic. I like this less on retasting.

The Furst didn’t get any better, but it held firm. The Rebholz was finished off at dinner.

And I think the Schloss Saarstein was slightly corked after retasting it tonight. But the TCA was masked by some caramelization. Apart from the TCA, it was too advanced.

John, thanks for the notes on this interesting dinner.

I’ve had two of their Rieslings a while ago. The winery is in the Ortenau in the north of Baden where there’s some Riesling next to Spätburgunder, white Pinot varietals, Traminer and Scheurebe. Never had a Spätburgunder from them. Ewald Kopp died in 2012 and the winery is now run by his wife and his son. Kopp is one of many estates in Baden, which is quite well regarded, but not very well known outside the region.

Maultaschen (Schwabian pork ravioli on mild sauerkraut)

Maultaschen are traditionally filled with greens (Spinach or Mangold and herbs) and a bit of shredded pork. The legend goes that monks created Maultaschen in order to “hide” some pork in the Taschen to be able to eat meat on Fridays, which was religiously frowned upon. You find some Maultaschen with mostly pork and only some greens, but in my view the really good ones have more greens than pork. It has to be a rather fluffy mix.

Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris are in my view the best match for this when it shall be white. In the region, people also drink Trollinger with it.

Wow, quite a night, quite an undertaking. Thanks for sharing, John.

Reislings are one of these wines that I adore and yet drink so little of it. I need to remedy that, especially since it is one of the few wines that both my wife and I love. Once again the difficulty is, the wasteland of Florida, the land of Chardonnay and Cabernet. My local guy recently had some Donnhoff in stock, the basic Riesling, so I grabbed them. Never seen them around these parts before.

Post a picture of that fine meal!

My recipe has spinach and leeks, but Albert, the innkeeper/chef at the Landgasthof Traube in Göttelfingen, who taught me to make these, said the basic principal for his version is one third meat, one third fat, one third vegetables. I have followed that with success, using ground pork (which has a lot of fat as its sold in the U.S.), plus bacon and some speck, with some stale bread, condensed (canned) milk, plus leaks and/or onions, and frozen spinach. It yields a hearty, smoky dumpling.

I have drunk my share of Trollinger Halbtrocken while in the region and will stick to Grauburgunder and Weissburgunder, thank you.

As a footnote: When my mother and I showed up for the Maultaschen lesson, Albert explained that, if you’re going to learn to make Maultaschen, you must also learn to make potato salad. “Und so,” he punctuated this point, “Sie mussen pellen (you must peel),” and handed my mother a potato peeler and pointed her toward a bushel or so of potatoes that his son had just begun to attack.

I’m sure your mom was thrilled.

Albert was quite droll and she understood that and took it in stride.

Sounds good and that place looks good as well. In the north, where I live, we don’t get decent Maultaschen. But I get some from my mother in law when she comes visiting us. From a woman who sells them once a week to friend and family. I’ve never eaten better Maultaschen anywhere. I could imagine that they’re more like 40% pork, 40% greens and 20% fat and the pork seems to be more like hashed pig roast. But when I’m making them myself I use ground pork, too. Interesting about the canned milk. Is that to give a hint of creamy sweetness?

The milk helps moisten and bind the mixture.

I put it all in a food processor (as Albert does) to produce paste that you spread on a long sheet of pasta dough. The biggest challenge for me is finding a yard/meter-long roll of dough 6-9 inches/15-22 cm wide. I had to “glue” together small sheets with egg white this weekend and it was mess. They didn’t look particularly good.

I had some in Munich once that were OK, and some homemade ones that a cousin near Karlsruhe procured in my honor. But they didn’t compare to the Traube’s – or to mine, I may modestly add.

I’ve been slowly sipping the leftovers over the past week, and most have held up very well.

The 02 Gunderloch was still stunning last night, and the 96 Schloss Schonborn was delightfully steely, though it had lost a bit of its fruit. The 02 Fritz Haag also was yummy when I finished it off a few nights ago.

The 95 Justen-Schmitges Auslese was out of this world earlier in the week, perhaps better several days after it was opened. That was really a stand-out. And the 01 Willi Haag Auslese was still good last night, with the acidity waging a renewed fight against the sweetness.