I don't "get" Riesling - Terry Help me out.

I have had a decent amount of Riesling; although I usually find them drinkable and pleasant white wines I have never been “wowed”.
What do you suggest as a wine for me to try to finally “get it”? What age do you prefer on Riesling? If you could provide me with names of specific wines and vintages of “Wow” wines I would appreciate it. Thank you - Ben

[worship.gif]

Cool avatar there dude.

Give me more to go on. Tell me a couple wines you tasted with high expectations and that didn’t work for you. And tell me why not.

It may be that you and Riesling just aren’t suited to each other. Last of all, what DO you go nuts over?

what producers, what specific wines, what vintages, what ripeness levels, BA or TBA, consumed all young @ or near release?

Not trying to jack Terry’s thread… rhetorical question, do you like wines with long, sumptous legs :stuck_out_tongue: ?

Then the ‘petrol’ thick Zind-Humbrecht dry Alsatian wines, might be for you?

Have you tried say, Trimbach Clos St. Hune, recent or older vintages, as a ‘wow’ Riesling wine?

To me a ripe/dry Riesling has a certain sweetish ‘spiciness’ that you won’t get from most other white varietals, which makes it a good compliment to certain foods, like spicy Asian cuisines. But it doesn’t lend itself well to more typical food that you’d have a Chardonnay with, imho.

“Jack [my] thread” sounds too kinky even for me.

NSFW Forum?

Ok so I have only had a few aged examples:

1976 & 1979 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese *

Mostly entry level wines that IMO underperformed after that:

2005 Von Buhl Armand Kabinett Riesling, a lot of Dr Loosen, and wines along these lines. I really didn’t mind the Petrol on the aged examples I have had, but they didn’t do it for me. I really enjoy any well made wine, whether it is SQN Syrah or an aged Barolo.

One of my buddies (although he has NOT had it) said if I want the pinnacle of Riesling I need to buy a bottle of 2001 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune. Would this be a fair statement? I have had a lot of 10-20 Rieslings; I am looking for some wow bottles (cost is not an issue) that will put the hook in me. Thank you for your time.

Obviously I can’t answer such a question impartially. Nor is it easy to do so in the abstract. If we were in a good wine store we could walk along and I’d say “Try this one,” or “Try that one,” but to contemplate the entire world of Rieslings makes me freeze. I think that onlookers should chime in with their suggestions.

OK, I’ll let myself make one single suggestion. Try the 2008 or 2009 Dönnhoff estate Riesling. It’s under $25, it has loads of mineral complexity and just a stealthy whisper of sweetness. It’s kind of a tabula rasa for great Riesling. If you dislike this wine, or if you’re indifferent to it, then do consider not trying to get into Riesling any more. Life’s too short to force your spontaneous preferences into any list of things you think you “should” like.

Thanks Terry. I will seek this out.

No! It’s more like a regurgitation of a conventional wisdom nurtured by people who have never bothered to explore Austria or Germany.

Starting with Ste Hune is a mistake. It’s like starting up with differential equations if you have not mastered algebra.

Glad to see you posting here david

Terry check it out…

There’s no guarantee that specific “wow” bottles will actually work for you, or that you have to spend stupid money to have a top notch Riesling experience. I had tried Riesling on several occasions and somehow it always seemed too sweet for my tastes. Then I happened to have a bottle with a meal and they worked perfectly together… I was hooked. It wasn’t even a bottle brought in by one of the top Riesling importers, like Skurnik or Wiest (though selecting from their portfolio might result in a better chance). Sometimes it is just serendipity.

Of course, the challenge is that it isn’t really possible for us to know what will best tickle your button. My recommendation would be to try a range of Rieslings, from perceptibly sweet to bracingly dry, alone and especially with food. Reading through Terry’s Riesling catalogs might stimulate the senses and give you some ideas as well. On the flip side, don’t force it.

Good advice Jim. I was just looking for a starting point; Terry has given that to me. Having said that, this 79 is fkn delicious!!