So with all of the hype about Germany 2015; what are you buying?

So far for me:

Donnhoff
Niederhauser Hemannshohle GG
Niederhauser Hermannshohle spatlese
Oberhauser Brucke spatlese
Kreuznacher Krotenpful Kabinett

Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spatlese

Max Ferd Veldenzer Kabinett

Schafer-Frolich Felseneck Kabinett

Willi Schaefer
Domprobst spatlese AP5
Domprobst kabinett AP3

Nothing yet, I just got a deal on some aged Spatlese.

I will stick with some faves including JJ Prum, Donnhoff, Selbach-Oster and Von Kesselstatt.

2015s trickling out in Australia (e.g. JJ Prum offer won’t come out until ~April 2017) but so far have bought 6-12 bottles from each of AJ Adam, Egon Muller, Willi Schaefer and Schloss Lieser (mostly Kabinett and Auslese).

Not too worried about the hype, prices still seem reasonable and I’m confident they will provide plenty of enjoyment even if they don’t end up being the greatest vintage of all time.

12 x JJ Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett
12 x Keller Limestone - 4 Qba, 8 Kabinett (half gone already!)
12 x Shafer-Frolich Felseneck - 3 Kabinett, 9 Spatlese
12 x Heinz Eifel Spatlese

Waiting to hear about…

12 x JJ Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese
12 x JJ Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Auslese

Interesting to find someone else also buying Kabinett and Auslese, but not Spatlese. I’m buying mostly Kabinett from favorites such as Prum, Grunhaus, Schaefer, and a smattering of Auslese for posterity. Spatlese, for me, has become kind of a no-man’s land – sweeter than I need for daily drinking or pairing with spicy cuisine, and more expensive than Kabinett to boot. And for holding as something special, I just go ahead and buy the Auslese (although I like to age the Kabinetts as well).

[quote=“David_K”
Interesting to find someone else also buying Kabinett and Auslese, but not Spatlese… [/quote]


Well Spatlese is another name for Auslese these days anyway so why not skip a step?

We buy mostly dry, so Keller, Schafer-Frolich, Schoenleber, Battenfeld Spanier, Ratzenberger. Probably some Willi Schaefer and AJ Adam as well in the spatlese range.

Agree with this, I often describe it as a no man’s land as well. I do encounter Spatlese that I like, but definitely feel more comfortable/confident buying at Kabinett and Auslese level, especially if I haven’t tried prior to purchase.

Schafer-Frohlich, Schloss Lieser, Prum, Keller, and Willi Schaefer are the big ones for me, with a few bottles here and there of a bunch of others. As others have noted, prices aren’t really any higher than previous years, so it’s as good a year as any to stock the cellar and replenish, even if it doesn’t live up to all the hype.

Is this supposed to be a zingy vintage like 2001?

The Kabinetts we’ve tried certainly have decent acidity to them. Seems to be nicely ripe also.

You don’t believe in the W-S?

Too much to list. Probably a couple of hundred bottles.

Around 30% Kabinett, 30% Spatlese, 25% Auslese, 2-3% BA/TBA the rest dry.

About 20-30% up on average vintage purchases.

I went gaga over this vintage since this is my maiden EP vintage for Germany. Bought widely from GG-Kabinett-Spatlese-Auslese-BA as I yet to figure out what I really like. Concentration on GG, Spatlese, and Auslese.

Auslese wines tend to have more botrytis-affected grapes. There are exceptions, of course. In addition, most quality-conscious growers are harvesting grapes for Kabinett and Spätlese that often have ripeness levels above the minimum for Auslese, which is 88° Oechsle. In other words, many of the wines designated as Kabinett, Spätlese, and Grosses Gewächs (GG) are harvested at a ripeness level between 85° to 95° Oechsle.

Keller across the dry range plus the kellerkiste as usual. A few other GGs such as the Schafer-Frolich felseneck, Lauer and Zilliken. Only off dry/sweet were the Prums where I simply couldn’t resist given how fabulous they were.

So far 8 cases spread across:

JJ Prum
Schafer-Frolich
Donnhoff
Willi Schaefer
Schloss Lieser
Wagner-Stempel
Zilliken

Not that I don’t “believe” in Wehlener Sonnenuhr, it’s that my wife and I don’t like it as much as the Graacher Himmelreich. We find more slate and petrol noticeable in the W-S than the G-H. Add to that it’s more expensive and we don’t buy it anymore. I have scattered bottles of it from '83, '02, and '03 left which won’t be replaced either.

Russ, that is a very nice list. I am in envy and have to wonder what will show up here. Think a trip down to Calgary might pay dividends next spring.

Thanks Bob and yes, I’m pretty pleased with what I’ve been able to buy. A big shout out goes to Rob Panzer for the majority of these purchases. I was also fortunate to be able to purchase a few magnums of Prum. As far as this being one of the greatest Riesling vintages ever, who knows, but everything I have read says it will be very good at a minimum and, since I’m far from being a youngster, I will not have many more opportunities to sock away great Riesling for 15+ years.