A few of us gathered today at Classic Storage for a tasting of young German Riesling and two recent 2008 champagne releases. All German wines were double decanted the night before and left open for 3 hours. The champagnes were opened about 30 minutes prior to serving with first glasses poured left untouched to air for about 15 minutes.
2008 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame
pale yellow color, fruit-forward nose, somewhat sweet, citrus notes, hints of dark berry, on the palate a mid-weight, monolithic- but in a simplistic way, lacking the drama of other top 2008s tasted and a bit leaner as well, lemon notes on the good lengthy finish, after a couple of hours shut down completely, as a champagne a pretty wine with a good future, but as a tete de cuvee from a vintage like 2008 this falls short of expectations.
(***)+, 2025+
2008 Dom Perignon
pale champagne color, magnificent nose of roasted nuts, mousse and hints of rose petal, tart apples and almost zesty citrus, the sort of marshmallow feel and scent to which I am accustomed is there- but compressed and reserved despite its intensity, on the palate this behaves like no Dom Perignon I have ever tasted at release- a massive impact that lands with a certain grace, a tidal wave of lime acids cushioned by layer upon layer of bright and as yet undeveloped cream, tightly wound and tense with evident fruit- but for now the smoky and nutty textures are in command, persistent, intense, lavishly layered, after two hours the “lemon wall” (as I have come to call it when speaking of this vintage) comes on with blistering intensity as this shuts down harder than any other 2008 I have tried to date, comparisons are very difficult as there are none for the vintages I have sampled in their youth, looking back further the best comparison I see at present is the 1966, but however the details fall into place in the years to come- it is clear this is going to be a truly legendary vintage for Dom Perignon and a singular one as well. The only downside is that for we who love Dom in its full creamy maturity there is a very, very long wait ahead.
(*****)+! 2035++
(Note- the exclamation point is for the fact I have- for now- given this 5+ stars. The scale goes to 5, but as does Broadbent in his use of the 5 star scale, I permit myself the very occasional 6th star or potential for such. In nearly 25 years of tasting and thousands of tasting notes, this is perhaps the 4th or 5th time I have taken the liberty.)
2016 von Schubert Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett
medium pale yellow, grapefruit, honeysuckle and blood orange on the nose, hints of sweet cassis, on the palate lightly honeyed despite having the deft lightness and zest of a classic Kabinett, intense slate notes, fine long finish with little acid bursts and twists all along the way, somewhat closed at this point- moreso than 2016s tasted last year, lively and pretty but with some serious potential.
(****), 2022-2040
2016 von Schubert Maximin Grunhauser Abtsberg Riesling Spatlese
medium pale yellow color, subdued nose, berries, pink blossoms, hints of red fruits among the citrus, on the palate slightly sweet and fairly closed, dark slate notes, viscous, soft and rounded, very pretty with all the edgy details brushed with honey, excellent finish, at first this paled in comparison to the more lively Kabinetts- but as the afternoon wore on it came out of its shell a bit to reveal a very cuddly and alluring side that will make this quite wonderful when it is mature. A classic beauty.
(****), 2022-2040
2016 von Schubert Maximin Grunhauser Abtsberg Riesling Kabinett Auction
medium pale yellow color, the brightest and liveliest nose of the flight, like bright sunlight over a broad and substantial plain of mature yellow grasses punctuated with small dashes of zesty citrus peel, honey tones, on the palate smashingly good- vibrant, aggressive blood orange, brilliant lime acids into the long finish with length to burn, lovely honey notes throughout add some elegance, violets with time, a wine of pure joy bursting with the eagerness of youth, a fine future ahead.
(****)+, 2025-2045
2016 von Schubert Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Eiswein
medium yellow color, a delectable nose of citrus, cassis, mango and a hint of yellow raisins, a mousse like tone as well wrapped in dark blossoms, on the palate pleasantly elegant, sleek and yet also very deep, earth and blueberry notes accompany the array of sensations noted in the aromatics, nicely honeyed but never heavy, superb long finish with substantial acids coated in earthy honey tones, already drinking beautifully- this will do well with some age and will need it more than most Eiswein.
()+, 2025-2040
2017 Muller-Catoir Haardter Mandelring Scheurebe Spatlese
pale yellow color, on the nose dark fruits, figs, lemons, on the palate another reminder of just how extreme the 2017 vintage has been in Germany, awesome impact- wild and weird (a good thing to say when speaking of Scheurebe), loads of dark fruits in the mid-palate and the sort of mousse and cocoa bean note that usually makes this friendly at a young age is so intense and tight as to seem slightly bitter, piercing acid finish- racy and hard, everything is here for this to be an uncommonly long lived and decadent Scheurebe- but it has not quite come together just yet, a rare case where it is best to just bury a Scheurebe in the cellar and forget it for a while, for fans of Muller-Catoir young and old- this is a must-have IMHO- and I for one have stocked enough to watch this closely over what should be a fascinating couple of decades and beyond.
(****)+, 2025-2050
2017 Muller-Catoir Mussbacher Eselhaut Rieslaner Auslese
light yellow color, raging bananas on the nose, red fruits, on the palate, on the palate intense blood oranges, banana and coconut, fine zesty mid-palate with serious Auslese heft to it, notes of dried dates on the long and fine finish, with time some grass notes develop as well as hints of an intricate mineral web in the aromatics, sappy and delicious fruit that sinks into the palate, not quite as extreme as the Scheurebe Spatlese today but still with plenty of excitement and showing fine potential.
(****), 2030-2055, as is often the case this will probably drink well most of its life, but it will need some time to really shine
2008 J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese
young light yellow color still, at the end of a tasting including 2008 Champagnes and 2017 Rieslings this was a restful and tranquil ending to a roller coaster of an afternoon, pure honeysuckle, peach and light citrus on the nose, on the palate deft, rose petals, lively pear and citrus fruit with classic restraint, very fine length with acids that are noticeable but which have come into proper balance, peaches, soft clay and zesty cream notes in time, this is just starting to unfurl and is a truly beautiful bottle of wine.
**(), 2023-2040
![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}