2000 Kurt Darting Ungsteiner Herrenberg Scheurebe Auslese
Having had a good result pairing the 2000 Darting Rieslaner Auslese with the same dish, I tried this with a North African beef stew. Moderately spiced with cumin, cinnamon, etc though not really hot spicy, and lots of dried apricots and prunes that make it sweet.
So this is a 21 year-old wine from a truly bad vintage (I confess to not knowing the Scheurebe-specific vintage impression) and supposedly particularly bad in the Pfalz. The grape is not known for aging like Riesling. It’s been on my list for a cull party.
The color was clear and was mistaken for red by others at the table. I’d describe it as a very dark golden orange, not really brown.
It was very sweet, tongue coating but not hugely viscous, with wonderful apricot/peach flavors that were intense and long-lasting. Most surprising perhaps was the great acidity. From the fruit and the acidity I would have guessed it to be an Eiswein.
The note from my other bottle, in 2008, turns out to be much the same, dark then too, except for botrytis, which didn’t stick out this time. It may really be immortal (I have no more and don’t expect to see it).
I found Terry Theise’s description from his 2001 catalog, which quantitates the must weight and acidity:
“2000 Ungsteiner Herrenberg Scheurebe Auslese
130 degrees Oechsle (way into BA) with . . . ready? . . . over 16 grams of acidity. Over-the-top pink grapefruit. If this is “Auslese” then I am Marlene Dietrich; huge, succu-lent, caramel-ly; tremendous acid spine; lime-essence finish. Showy but solid! +
SOS: 4 (between three and fifteen years)”