Wine Berserkers - international wine social media, online community, and discussion

I'm probably headed into analogy overload, but this morning I started thinking about Federer, Djokovic and Nadal. Each of them is a spectacular player. Each is attempting to achieve the same thing. They have very different techniques/styles. Forgetting personalities (always advisable when Djoker is ...

They do age forever (so far...forever is only 25 years or so to date). I actually struggle with the right time to open many of the vintages, as they seem to remain in stasis for such a long time. I may plow through a lot of this 2016 just because it is so yummy now. There's plenty of other vintages ...

2010 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese ** (Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer) Anyone ever try this wine even in another vintage? $34.99 locally and seems to have good notes on Tracker. Selbach-Oster “homer” here. Everything they make from the Zeltinger Sonnenuhr is excellent. Have no fear.

Interesting Alan. I would have never figured you for much of a Gibourg fan. Given the examples you cite, I feel like your personal, stylistic preferences are being substituted for transparency, with styles you do not enjoy being labeled as stamped. I actually find the Fourrier style to be quite tran...

I went a little nutty. Besides a case of mixed Richter Kabinetts, I ordered 18 different bottles, to taste through the range. Most of those will be opened in the next several months.

I luckily have and continue to plan for Kabinett centric ageing, regularly bringing in Magnums of Kabinett more than any other pradikat level. I went gonzo big on the '19 Richter range, as he made an outstanding range, once again. I find the charm, versatility and appetizing qualities of Kabinett t...

Apparently it’s open older Rhys day. Sorry yours wasn’t so good. The 2008 Alpine was very fine.

I read the topic to ask for the top five producers by preference vs in the cellar though I guess the top five in ones cellar likely reflects the top five by preference. I would have a lot of Keller in the cellar if they were more affordable. My favorite by my own purchasing over the last 4-5 years ...

I read the topic to ask for the top five producers by preference vs in the cellar though I guess the top five in ones cellar likely reflects the top five by preference. I would have a lot of Keller in the cellar if they were more affordable. My favorite by my own purchasing over the last 4-5 years ...

Some of those light "stamps" might be a necessity since producers are working with less heralded dirt in growing the raw materials.

2008 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (2/23/2021) Getting on towards thirteen years from the vintage, and there is a clear glimmer of developing maturity. It’s not yet heading in the sous bois direction, but there is a distinct element of um...

Eric Ifune wrote: ↑February 23rd, 2021, 3:36 pm JJ Prum
Muller Catoir
Donnhoff
Gunderloch (Knew Fritz Hasselbach RIP)
Burklin Wolf

HGS Catoir?

Life is itself a series of choices - interventions if you will. If one chooses to pursue a completely "natural" life then I would expect them to have very short life span.

JJ Prum Donnhoff Schaefer Merkelbach Falkenstein By level: Spatlese Kabinett Auslese Spatlese Feinherb Kabinett Feinherb Trocken I was often told by German producers that the sweeter wines such as Spatlese, Auslese, BA, TBA and Ice Wine was majority of the time sold to the UK and USA market. The Tr...

Winemaking signature has always struck me as similar to cooking great ingredients - do you like your freshly caught lobster steamed and served with lemon wedges or poached in butter? Both are still going to taste like lobster, but they are very different styles. Is one any more legitimate than the o...

Emrich-Schonleber Heymann-Lowenstein Keller Willi Schaefer Dr. Loosen (soft spot for Ernst Loosen as he is a super nice man). On a side note, I wish quality German Riesling was better imported into the US. You can find it, but much harder than Italian, Spanish, French, etc. What part of the U.S. do...

Idlewild just released their first ever Erbaluce.

Number 9 for me How about by value : ) That is an excellent point in general. I’d say that ranking by $, rather than by #, is better guide to a collectors judgement of the worth of a wine. Why? I bought tons of Prum when it was crazy inexpensive for what it is. The dollars don't add up, but the bot...

Whatever happened to Toni Jost? Their Bacharacher Hahn Kabinett was a mainstay in my early German wine appreciation in the early 90s. From my memory and tastings, the wines got pretty inconsistent in the late 1990s. I bought a fair bit when I was first getting heavily into German Riesling, but that...

I am betting that Sara gets Ratzenberger through Moore Bros.

RichardFlack wrote: ↑February 23rd, 2021, 8:06 am Where is Egon Müller?

(I can’t really play, as sadly I have very little German wine these days, my wife dislikes them. JJ Prum probably top by number of bottles, then Muller and Von Kesselstatt (Josephshöffer))

Egon Muller lives in the pantheon of the unaffordable.

While a few producers are dwindling (e.g. J. J. Christoffel, as I drink up my horde of 2001s), the top 5 has remained remarkably stable. 1. Donnhoff 2. J. J. Prum 3. Selbach-Oster 4. Willi Schaefer (tied) 4. von Schubert (tied) As long as I keep buying from the top 5 nobody else will ever catch up, ...

I'll jump at a chance of asking the Rieslings experts in this discussion. What is the difference between a Kabinett and Grosses Gewächs? Definition-wise but especially in terms ageing/development and ageability. OK, I'll jump in to start it. Kabinett and Grosses Gewachs are very different things. K...

Thanks. Those old vines have been a great addition for Loewen, though I miss the old school miniatures of Schmitt-Wagner.

Nice introduction! Don’t get jaded.

Still so much to explore.

Dan Petroski at Massican makes a couple of somewhat quirky blends focused on Italian white grapes. His Annia and Gemina blends are both worth exploring. I drink a lot of the Annia, which is a mix of tocai friuliano, ribolla gialla and chardonnay.

larry schaffer wrote: ↑February 22nd, 2021, 6:27 pm Pricing?

Website shows the Rosé at $27.50.

Never thought I would buy Barolos as the cheaper option.

Arneis and Cortese are two whites that I really enjoy.

Check out Idlewild https://www.idlewildwines.com/

I am not as knowledgeable about German Riesling, but I think I am right that the same producer approaches how they pick and process a Kabinett differently than a Spatlese, than an Auslese, etc. Now I guess if the question is how sweet a wine tastes, then maybe there is a time period when an older A...

Lots of mid-90s “great estates of the Rheingau” wines have been around. Almost all are decent, but a pale shadow of what they should be.

Thanks, David. So, in your opinion, can one reasonably substitute a 20 yo Kab. for a 30 yo Spat.? Or is there enough difference to merit buying and ageing both? Up to this point, I've not bought Kabinett with the intention of extended cellaring (except for one bottling, in particular, of which I've...

2016 Lagier Meredith Syrah - USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder (2/22/2021) On night one I thought this was the most open/giving Lagier Meredith Syrah I had ever tasted. 48 hours later I go back to it, and while I am still convinced as of its forward nature, there is so much more that it was ...

Do Kabinett, Spatlese, and Auslese all converge with age (even if on different timelines)? In some senses yes, in others no. Not trying to be cagey/coy, but I often see high quality, older Rieslings that display a certain core "rieslingness." I first noticed it at a dinner where we drank ...

I still love the noble sweet wines. I just don't find as many opportunities to open them, and outside of spicy foods and some roasted meat dishes or cheese I find less opportunity to pair them with meals than kabinett or off-dry riesling. We have taken to opening them on Saturday afternoons while w...

Brian S t o t t e r wrote: ↑February 22nd, 2021, 9:11 am I've been buying bigger quantities of my favorite kabinetts and and feinherb/halbtrocken in general because I have a hard time keeping my hands off them when young.

Feinherb has become the #1 category for Riesling consumption at Schloss Bueker.

Kabinett with 20 or more years of age is a rare treat. It’s too easy to slurp them all down at release. 33 is longer than I might have hoped for with an ‘87. Glad it showed so well. Given the sheer size of so many modern kabinetts, I have to think that 30 is the low end of potential longevity from a...

Doug Schulman wrote: ↑February 22nd, 2021, 5:18 am Sounds great. I love this bottling with some age on it.

Same here. Wanted to test drive this newer release. Lots of stuffing, so it should age just fine.

We had some homemade French Onion Soup, so wine matching was going to be dodgy no matter what.

2013 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Cuvée des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre - France, Alsace (2/21/2021) Off dry, and very aromatic, it’s textbook Gewurztraminer. Roses, ginger, lychee, and spice are all present, allied to an oily texture that leaves an indelible palate presence. It’s an exercise in mobile ba...

Cheryl,

Is the 2018 Morisoli Cab for sale yet, or not until this fall? Saw your photo of it on IG, and was immediately tempted to buy!

+1 on Margaine!

I have already opened a 2018 Elyse Napa Cab, and it’s delicious. Definitely “baby Bevan” which is great QPR.

And any suggestions for producers from Rheinhessem, Rheingau or Nahe that has long cellaring Search for the last two items “nahe” and you’ll find a bunch of hits. (Top right corner) let’s talk nahe, best value under 50. Let’s talk rheingau. German and Austrian wines are widely covered on the boards...

There is a 1997 Riesling Beerenauslese lurking somewhere in my cellar.

He is making wine for Elyse.

Crazy bargains for Russell’s winemaking.

2016 Idlewild Cortese Fox Hill Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County (2/20/2021) À point from the first sip, with a rich texture and a lovely mix of yellow fruit and savory tones. As it warms up from cellar temperature there is a saline brightness, and the finish picks up a slig...

2018 Paetra Gewürztraminer - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Van Duzer Corridor (2/20/2021) Un-screw and pour! Immediate Gewurz aromatics. The tropical and spice elements jump out of the glass. There's a deep, almost dark rose tone. It feels like a bass note, which is not what I expected, but it gi...

Statins?

John Morris wrote: ↑February 20th, 2021, 9:02 am Lyle Fass is offering the wooden case set of all nine 2016 reservas for $980, or almost $110 a bottle.

I saw that and nearly spat out my wine.

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