Let's talk about 2011 in the Mosel

WINE TALK
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Time flies, and it won’t be long before I get my palate around a lot of 2011 rieslings. I’m a huge fan of 2010 in the Mosel, and I’m excited to see what’s in store for 2011. When I visited the Mosel Valley in early October of 2011, it was sunny, warm and all-around delightful. Some of the winemakers spoke of their excitement for the 2011 vintage as producing a larger crop than 2010, and the potential of the late-harvest wines. However, there was that crazy but sporadic hail storm in August that nailed a bunch of vineyards, and left some untouched.

I thought a post from Terry Theise on the 2011 vintage was really interesting:

2011 is a two-week trip you take with a new lover, the first such journey through the familiar crucible of 24-hours together day after day, and you can’t believe how well you got along, how un-messy it was, how good you were together. If 2010 was Yikes Mikes, 2011 is easy-peasy.

This doesn’t mean the ‘11s are simple wines. They make fewer demands than did the ‘10s, but most of them are interesting and some of them are markedly complex. Their extracts are normal – not low – and their acids are often gentle. Since German Riesling often attracts drinkers who relish high acidity, some of you might find these wines gentler than you prefer. The rest of us – yes, us – will find the wines structured on the smooth side, but acids are not conspicuously absent.

The whole post: http://www.skurnikwines.com/msw/2011germanvintage.html

I started thinking about 2011 after having a 2011 Weingut Nonnenhof Riesling Classic this weekend. It was way too hot outside, so I popped this and really enjoyed it…
This riesling showed a bit of spritz in the glass, which I love. Aromatically, this displays flowers, orange rind, white peach and smoky minerals. On the palate the wine is so tangy, with lovely freshness and lots of minerals. There’s a hefty dose of acid on this wine, which I’m thrilled about. At 14% alcohol, this wine is dry with some serious thickness and richness from the alcohol. But the acid and fruit keep it all in balance. Lovely apricot and white peach linger on the finish.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the 2011 vintage in the Mosel? Any tasting notes of new 2011 wines? I’d love to hear impressions from the great group on these boards. Cheers!

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Isaac,

Do a search, as I posted a bunch of notes from the Theise tasting. 2011 is likeable. 2011 is a really good back rub, where 2010 is something al ittle more…adventurous. They each have their place.

As far as the MOsel (and based just on what I tasted), I really enjoyed Meulenhof (!!), Willi Schaefer, Selbach-Oster and Reuscher-Haart (VALUE!) from the Mosel. The notes are around here somewhere.

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thanks, David. I like your analogy. I’ve searched around, but maybe I’m an idiot, cuz I’m not coming up with much. I’m looking forward to trying some Selbach-Oster. Anrecht is always good, and Thiese mentioned it in this post.

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Try this link: 2011 Theise German Tasting Thoughts (Donnhoff notes now added) - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers

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awesome, thanks!

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I bought my usual suspects based a little advice but mostly past form. Ill go over and try them in September and buy a few more then.

Not many opportunities to sample over her…

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In general, it’s a very ripe vintage with less acidity and more quantities than in 2010. The wines are evolving, so that it’s difficult to make quick judgements based on just one tasting. I, too, liked the 2011 Anrecht on both of my visits to Selbach-Oster.

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That’s always true, though unless you live near to the wineries it’s a hard problem to fix.

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Maybe Lars has a spare room for us all? :slight_smile:

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that would be nice. [cheers.gif]

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It would be interesting to taste a group of 2011s along with their 2009s to compare/contrast. I may have to do just that.

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2011 reminded me more of 2007 than 2009.

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David: That’s true. Nonetheless, if I had only tasted certain Mosel Rieslings on one occasion, I might have found them less to my liking. In other vintages, the wines delighted from the get-go. The opposite is also true. I’ve also had wines that were a favorite early on and now seem less to my taste. In addition, some producers make wines that show well out of the gate, others need more time to develop and show their real qualities.

Russell and Isaac: I might not have a spare room for you all, but just let me know when you’re in Trier for sharing a bottle of Mosel wine.

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Well…yeah…ok…doesn’t fix anything. You’re just lucky to be on site.

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By and large the 2011s are approachable and easy to like. Some wines, however, have more breadth and are becoming more focused with time in bottle.

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Anyone had any JJPrum? Garagiste just had a big offering the other day.

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So Lars, what are people supposed to do? Must we withhold comments on wines until we have approved tasting opportunities prior to commenting? I take my tastings very seriously, and to have you casually dismiss my lone real opportunity to taste since it doesn’t meet your standards smacks of extreme arrogance on your part. Or perhaps it’s just a set up to get people to subscribe…

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Isaac, go to Phil Bernstein at McArthurs. He has the best selection of German wines that I know of in town and knows his stuff.

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I think what Lars says is true, not arrogant.

That’s not to say it only applies to you David!

Lars, I used to visit Trier very often, monthly. But not so much since I moved to the middle east!

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David: I’m sorry if you took my comment this way. In a previous thread, I mentioned that trade tasting events might be less to my liking, but they do have their purpose and are sometimes the only opportunity to taste so many wines. In fact, I thanked you for your tasting notes. You’ve good notes. My point was just cautionary advice on quick opinions. You seem to be a little defensive at times and rather opinionated. I also don’t want to get into a silly spat on a wine board. That’s not my style. In addition, http://www.larscarlberg.com/ focuses on in-depth articles and profiles instead of tasting notes.

My first post on this or any wine board was in reply to comments, including yours, about Mosel wine and sur lie (on the lees), Peter Lauer in particular. You wrote, “sur lie is not common at all [for Mosel wine],” especially the producers you know and like. Yet, that’s untrue, and Johannes Selbach of Selbach-Oster, for example, feels that extended lees aging is most important to his wines. https://wineimport.discoursehosting.net/t/do-the-wines-of-peter-lauer-see-extended-sur-lie-aging/46901/1