Had to look up filigreed
Well, duh. Are there vintages anywhere in the world where buying blind is a good idea?
2016 Italy, 2016 Bordeaux etc. for example
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So, go buy some 2016s made by Rolland.
haha…touché
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Martin, do you have similar impressions re: spätlese being the sweet spot (pun intended) of the vintage?
So far Brian, I haven’t tasted a 2020 Spätlese.
But based on the few 2020 bottles I know, I would recommend to buy 2020 Spätlese from Willi Schaefer, like Domprobst.
That’s an annual buy for me, no doubt about it 
Martin, thanks. I understand that some vintages are more consistent than others (I cannot comment on 2016 Barolo as I have not tasted any yet (have bought a few), but I agree with you based on what little 2016 Bordeaux I have tasted), but as I am sure you agree, producer, terroir, etc., always also make a difference, as does style.
Howard,
I totally agree with you.
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hate to intrude on this bro love fest but…
I’m not nearly as excited about the 2020 vintage after reading the Mosel report. I had already picked up some of the usual suspects, which some turn out aren’t that great. Very poor review of Falkenstein Mutter Anna. Glad I only bought 6. Not a stellar review of Kugel Peter or Meyer Nepal either. Nothing like 2019. Still glad about my Schaefer and Müller purchases.
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I agree to some extent; however, my personal opinions/scores don’t always match up with MFW, so I’m fairly sure I’ll really love the usual suspects, even if their scores are a little lower this vintage. I do really value the information provided by MFW though, and based on their report, will likely start out focusing on Spatlese and less on GKA+ (since I prefer botrytis). Also, I was a little surprised with Zilliken’s scores, and might forego those this vintage unless I see them for a good price.
I tend to prefer bigger/more powerful Rieslings a bit as well, so I can see myself getting a bit less 2020s and trying to get some of the remaining 2019s. Of course, this may all change once I finally taste some for myself.
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I’ll continue to buy the producers I love. Might not be a great vintage to explore the potential of producers new to me if so inclined. I too may not have as much enthusiasm for 2020 as a whole (especially after loading up a ton on 2019), but there are producers whose wines will always defy the vintage characteristics. Honestly, kind of sounds like a vintage my wife would love.
See my view in the other thread, which is different than yours: https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3292277#p3292277
(Note I have all the Falkensteins you mentioned locked in at some level already. As well as my Schaefer GD Spat and Kabi.)
Have faith. Try the wines yourself before you second-guess yourself based on what someone else said.
On Meyer Nepal specifically, it’s been leaner than the other NH Spat Feinherbs every year from 2016-18, so it’s not surprising that in a slightly cooler vintage like 2020 as compared to 2019, it might show less flamboyance young than last year or that the other sites might show a bit better young to reviewers. I like them all.
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Everyone needs to chill out a bit. I promise you this won’t be your last chance to buy German Riesling. It seems that this is not a vintage of the century but I’m sure many good wines were made. Try them, buy them, buy more or don’t. If you like them, very few wines will sell out before you have the opportunity to reload.
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If your reference point for Mosel wines is that you want a vintage that is as critically hyped as 2019 (particularly by the MFW guys) you are likely to be waiting a long time. Early reports on the vintage from various channels sound pretty good to me. Much more what I’m looking for than ‘18, for example. The Zilliken wines sound like they are showing quite a bit of sweetness at this point. I bet they will show a whole lot more over time. I always find MFW’s Lauer scores to be lower than mine (thank goodness) and my sense is that there David and Jean actually like the wines a little more than last year. But I’m definitely part of the love fest and would be buying the same amount if it were a repeat of 2014 (many of which I’m really happy to own).
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Interesting. 2014 is my least favorite vintage of the last decade+.
Well, it’s everyone’s least favorite vintage of the last decade. That’s why I was using it as the example of buying regardless of vintage quality. (I also find your takes on German Riesling to generally be totally bizarre, but that’s neither here nor there.)
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We are clearly 180 degrees misaligned on wine taste. Doesn’t make either of us right or wrong. We just like different things.
I’ve never gone deep on Lauer but have started to think it may have been a mistake. Peter is in a zone, knowing his hillsides extremely well, and it’s only with hindsight that I see some of the wines need time in bottle to really elevate. I’m now dipping a bit more. Though still conservative. I committed a couple weeks ago to 2020 Senior, Kupp Kabi (Fass 8), and Stirn.
2019 Stirn made me swoon at Riesling Study 5 in Brooklyn a few weeks ago, and I immediately sourced it. That wine is ridiculous.
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