only the cautionary raise-of-the-eyebrow that Germany is rather diverse in its regional possibilities,
and what might be a great vintage in the Rheingau is not always the tops in Sachsen or Württemberg
or even in the not-too-faraway Mosel.
Totally agree that the '09’s in the Mosel are very fine Rieslings.
My fave’s have been Reinhold Haart’s Wintricher Oligsberg Spatlese & his Piesporter Goldtropfchen Spatlese.
Not mentioning how fine his Piesporter Goldtropfchen “Erste Lage” Kabinett, which I tried and loved exactly a year ago,
would show a complete lapse in judgement on my part.
Bought up a bunch of '09 Karthauserhof Kabinett to be the house wine, and trying to keep my mitts off the '09 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Spatlese #5s. Beautiful wine.
I quite like the vintage, but as Howard notes long string (there are certainly wines that are too ripe for me in 05/06, and maybe a very few too lean in 08, but except for 2003 lots of homeruns since 2001). The 2009 Schaefer Frolich Felseneck Spat GK I’m sipping now is great (and should get better).
I haven’t tasted heavily since the 07s arrived, but I have to say I got a bit confused. At a big tasting here in 2009, all the winemakers cooed about 07 – talking about the long, even, ideal growing season – and everyone else I talked to loved the vintage. They seemed to have everything. Then 08 came along and people said, well, maybe it’s even better, in a different style. Similar things were said about 09. Then 2010 was adored by acid lovers. (I think it will put to the test if you are really a riesling devotee, since the acid can be gum curling in some cases.)
I thought the 2009 GG’s were phenomenal (mostly Donnhoffs with some Schafer-Frohlichs thrown in). That being said, the one 2010 GG I’ve tried - the Schafer Frohlich Felseneck - was my WOTY late in 2011.
I agree with Alan though that the off-dry 2009’s can be a little fat, but they are obviously still very young and will probably be really tasty once they’ve aged.
First had a bottle of the 009 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Kabinett at Daniel last summer with the wife and was blown away by how good it was for the price. Went out and bought a bunch and have to say it was one of my favorite whites of the year.
I like 2009 in general. I actually find the wines to have more spine than 2007 (again - in general), but they tend to be bigger thus hiding that spine a little more.
Overall John Morris speaks to a lot of my issue - I’m tired of the every year is a great vintage merry-go-round. I’m tired of hearing that this wine and that wine are can’t miss. I’m tired of buying. I’m tired of hearing that it is “Keller’s best vintage ever!”
I wish we could skip 2011, and maybe even 2012. I need a holiday. A very long one.
Last Saturday, I was invited to dinner at good friends. They opened a R. López de Heredia Tondonia Reserva Tinto 2000, yet a P. Lauer Kupp Faß 3 2009 starred. The week before another friend had opened at her birthday party an excellent P. Lauer Kupp Faß 1 2008.
I would agree that there’s a lot of hyperbole with regard to vintages among the wine trade (including some growers and their backers), but it’s not restricted to German Riesling. Then again, Germany has had a string of good vintages, even though I prefer years like 2008. But it’s difficult to generalize, even for one region or subregion. As the example above, the 2009 Faß 3 surprised me.
Last week I tasted some tank samples of 2011 at Fritz Haag and Schloss Lieser. The entry-level wines are very good. They’re estate-bottled from top slate sites. I especially like Schloss Lieser’s 2011 off-dry Gutswein, just labeled Riesling. (Thomas Haag’s 2010 was also great when tasted at the Mainzer Weinbörse last year.) A.J. Adam has an impressive new Gutsriesling to go along with his even better 2011 Dhroner. I’m also impressed by P. Lauer’s two entry-level 2011 Rieslings, both the dry (Faß 16) and off-dry (Barrel X in the US). At the moment, I’m sipping on the delicious 2010 Immich-Batterieberg C.A.I.