Sofia Thanisch’s wines have been variable for me in the last 15 years. But occasionally very good, mostly the auction Spatlese, particularly the anniversary special labels. Labels matter.
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I’m kind of curious about the different styles of pradikat wines people are seeing emerge from the Mosel in recent years.
I get that Falkenstein represents an archetype (leaner, racier, more acid-forward) that is growing in popularity, but I was wondering whether there are other styles out there, and which producers would be the best representatives of those types of style?
David, when you speak of an “old-school” style, how would you characterize that? Which producers would be good representatives of that style (Selbach, I’m guessing?) ( and by board consensus, I’m assuming you are talking about the leaner, acid-forward style).
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I opened a '21 Doctor GG in the interest of science. Lots of material, but wound up tight.
When I say old-school I am going even further old, such as Merkelbach, as well as the gone but not forgotten Carl Schmitt Wagner (vineyards now with Loewen). I don’t think of Selbach-Oster as “old-school.” Overlooked is more like it. I get that their wines won’t strip the enamel of your teeth, but they were early entrants into the specific parcel bottlings (e.g., Rotlay, Schmitt, Anrecht), and also got on the feinherb train back in 2012. I know I am thought of as a Selbach homer, but I cannot understand why they don’t get more love, unless it’s all about acidity levels.
And as for “board consensus” I am indeed speaking to the higher acid style, which I sometimes really enjoy, but there is a knife edge to walk in terms of balance.
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Thanks. I know Sofia Thanisch and visited the estate on more than one occasion in the past. But I’ll try to taste a bottle or two from either 2021 or 2022.
Tastes differ, of course, but some well-known producers have fallen behind. It’s about quality, not fashion.
I think she is making efforts to catch back up.
And if we talk about well known producers falling behind I might go off on another Rheingau rant!
And the next generation.
I don’t know what changes have been made in the winery and vineyards though. I’m not sure how much time the family spend pruning.
It does seem like many of the old Theise/Skurnik producers have been kind of forgotten. In fact, other than Willi Schaefer, I can’t think of any who are more visible/popular now than they were 5-10 years ago. I’m not sure whether that’s because of quality or fashion, or a little bit of both.
I like Selbach dry wines which indeed are old school stuff but not so much sweeter wines which imo are stylistically all over the place and very hard to buy blind. Just had the 2021 Graben GG a while ago and boy that was good wine!
The same could be said about many producers in the former Rudi Wiest portfolio. Do you have any particular producers from Terry Theise/Skurnik Wines in mind? It’s hard to forget or ignore Willi Schaefer.
The rise in quality on all fronts vineyard and cellar for Thanisch is pretty clealry due to Christina’s arrival.
She interned for 3 years with Caroline Gillot of Kühling-Gillot and was apparently incredible in her work ethic, motivation, and intuition. The precision and consistency of the Battenfeld/Gillot wines seem right up Christina’s stylistic alley, and certainly play a part in having shaped her approach.
The Lay 2021 Christina kabinett was not her first wine. She made a 2020 Lay Christina Spatlese too, in addition to the rest of the wines in the range that don’t bear her name.
The 2022 Doctor Kabi is plain outstanding…
Disclaimer, i am one of Thanisch’s US importers.
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Not in particular. I just don’t see the wines or get offered them as frequently as I used to.
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I was curious about this practice, too, after tasting a '17 Scheuermann “Sur Lies” riesling from the Pfalz recently that was excellent. I’ve ordered some of their '21. I don’t know how long they stay on the lees. The winery is only 10 years or so old.
The wines are imported by Super Glou in the US. The regular riesling trocken and the grauburgunder are also very good.
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I was kind of surprised that Selbach-Oster chose to make GGs in extra-tall antique-green bottles with gold caps.
OK. I’ve no idea.
I have been buying and drinking Selbach-Oster pradikat wines since the early 1990s, and have a dear friend who started 10 years earlier with their stuff. I have zero issue buying their pradikat wines without pre-tasting, as I have gotten to where I know what the various wines are going to be like within a quite small variance. I can count on two fingers my total disappointments in the last 20 years.
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At first, I didn’t think that you were referring to the Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch in the VDP, because you wrote that it’s “very large with many bulk bottlings.” It’s not that the other Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch in the Bernkasteler Ring is very large, but it’s bigger. That’s why I indicated the number of hectares of each estate in my previous comment.
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Got my hands on a few 2022 Flakenstein Auslese #5 (and some other cuvees). Never had a Falkenstein Auslese, but very excited to try!
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Bulk wine was maybe a bit harsh but I’m not sure if hectares does correlate with their annual production as cheaper entry level wines are probably made from bought grapes? I’m talking about the basic riesling that you can find shelves of airports etc.
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Sorry I understood that this was first wine she did make completely by herself from pruning to the bottle when I talked with her briefly. But anyway it was really good one and I regret for not purchasing it before it sold out. It was something like 14€ from the cellar door too. I have not tasted the 2020 spätlese.