A few fine fellows got together to sample a range of Rieslings without theme. Nice, unpretentious Asian restaurant in Jersey City. The GPS directed me to a parking lot which is now a construction site for some new mega-apartment building. That’s Jersey City for you. Street parking is like getting an audience with the pope. At least near White Eagle Hall there’s a better chance. Seeing The Feelies there on the 22nd.
So, wines. There they were, ripe for the picking.
NV Mailly Champagne, Grand Cru Reserve Brut (12.0%). Darker gold, maybe tan color, active mousse, more flat than shiny. Richly honeyed nose, endowed with tangerine to lemon citrus, spun sugar, pear, peach, apricot fruit, whisper of chalk, generously long dissolve. Medium to full-bodied, expansive with a filling foaminess. Ripe orchard fruits with more abundant lime, pink grapefruit citrus. Turns quite bready towards the finish. Nothing cerebral just yum.
2017 Red Newt Cellars Riesling, Finger Lakes, Lahoma Vineyard, The Knoll (12.6%). Good shine to the basic layers of gold. Customary nose of blood orange, hint of diesel mix of clay and slate, not finding it particularly minerally, flattens out before the dissolve. Medium-bodied, compact. The acidity gives it a puncher’s profile. Chalky and here more minerality comes through. Citrus comes to the fore. The apple. Pear flavors more crisp than juicy. Nicely linear.
2015 Red Newt Cellars Riesling, Finger Lakes, Lahoma Vineyard, The Knoll (13.2%). Darkened color, shines despite, blockish appearance. Direct nose albeit opens slowly. Minty and doughy at once, orange pith. Fruit scents do not leave distinct impressions, no wanting overall. Full-bodied, I find the acidity somewhat flat. Makes it pull up through the mid-palate. More dough notes. Sour lemon rides along persimmon, apple, pear flavors. Chalkiness peers out at the end. Strikes a good balance between sweet and sour.
2024 Apollo’s Praise Riesling, Finger Lakes, Lahoma Vineyard, Pentecostal Block (8.5%). Worn gold with a faint glow to it, distorts more than presents utmost clarity. The nose draws you in like being pouring into a bowl, bodacious blueberry, apricot, strawberry fruit, interestingly all over the map, stone dust and naval orange notes, rose water, vague nuttiness, pregnant lift, more about oomph than delineation. Close to full-bodied, soft and warm, fills every mouth crevice. Cellar aged apples, apricots, pears. The acidity is on the weak side but, to me, the wine is aimed more at friendliness than contemplation. The sweet core draws you into sip after sip, immersing yourself in the happiness. Just don’t expect profundity. No clue whatsoever about aging ability. (Screwcap)
2002 Josef Spreitzer Riesling, Rheingau, Oestricher Lenchen, Erstes Gewächs AP #34 (12.5%). Glowing, dark gold color that likely will be amber down the road, more fuzzy than crisply transparent, looks its age. The nose is angular and somewhat disjointed, the pineapple, kumquat, star fruit scents lack friendliness, the licorice and molasses feel out of place, sauna smoke the only element consistent first to last sniff. Full-bodied, on the heavy side, considerable yeast and dough during the attack. Not exactly toasty if close. Sour white grapefruit supports the likewise tart array of fruit. Acidity is a match for the body yet doesn’t provide direction. Yeast really distracts when warmer. The fruit a mixed cocktail and again too sour to soak in. This is it, about all it will ever achieve.
2017 Clemens Busch Riesling, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Pündericher Marienburg, Grosses Gëwachs AP #29 (12.5%). Bright gold, green tint, layered. Lots of rubber at first in the nose, floral with garden herbs, typical apricot, peach, apple scents, everything in place. Medium-bodied, firm and close to the old “fist in glove.” Acidity feels flat to me. Still, the mixed citrus is bright. Nothing tropical, maybe some pineapple, more peach/apricot. Pink and white grapefruit mix. Lemongrass, thyme. Dry but not too so. Comes off as in an odd, awkward place.
2012 Hugel et Fils Riesling, Alsace, Schonenbourg, Grossi Läue Édition Limitée (12.6%). Pale white gold, empty rims, moderately youthful. In terms of texture has a laser burst of a nose, lemon zest, wet stone, fruit skin and pit, minimal richness and at times oddly quiet. Close to full-bodied, brawny and almost chewy through the mouth entry then develops a friendlier relaxed feel. Acidity average, allows more for a semi-sweet profile. Flirts with doughiness. Opens well approaching room temperature. Enjoyed it.
2002 Grosset Riesling, Clare Valley, Polish Hill (13.0%). Clean, trim shine to the moderate gold hue, good bounce to it, little sign of aging. Sinewy nose of diesel, wet slate, charcoal, sand dust, lingering apricot pit, pear skin, it’s not “hard” as it in a brick wall, more like a rubber floor mat, minute give. Medium-bodied, stern acidity, not friendly and this doesn’t change with air. Still, it chugs ahead. So much diesel fumes it’s crazy. Wastes no time squaring up and pile driving forward. Interesting toastiness rises up, more so than citrus or fruit. As it keeps worming into the palate it’s hard to parse out flavors. Has to be taken as a whole or give up. (Screwcap)
2018 Buchegger Riesling, Kremstal, Ried Moosburgerin, Reserve (13.0%). White-greenish straw color, consistent to the rims. The nose has grip, sticks to the nostrils, lemon-lime zest, bay leaf, rosemary, slate with lighter rubber. Medium-bodied, the acidity fits the body. Opens easily over time while staying wiry. Not that ripe, peach, apricot pit, apple skin. Quiet citrus. To me these aren’t “flaws” but help it display more transparency. Liked it better nearer room temperature but should have spent more time with it.
2021 Hermann Ludes Riesling, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Thörnicher Ritsch, “Monster” Kabinett AP #7 (7.5%). Very clear, transparent white straw hue. The nose comprised of light rubber and diesel, serene pear, apricot, melon scents, sparkly minerality and lemon curd, the overall effect is not compact per se, however, there’s not much separation. Medium-bodied, tight mouth entry, chalky and stony. Loosens up going forward. Attractive lemon-honey accents and ripe orchard fruits. Acidity brings welcome tingle. The citrus becomes totally dominant. High wattage. (Screwcap)
2020 Andreas Laible Riesling, Baden, Durbacher Plauelrain Stollenberg, Grosses Gëwachs AP #7 (13.0%). Trim gold, good darkness, consistent throughout. Smoothly penetrating nose of lemon meringue, wet stone then a burst of diesel, openly knit, tends to dissolve a little prematurely. Medium-bodied, has lemon-lime pucker to it. Really biting, the acidity is more than the body can handle. Floral water, pear and apple skin flavors. In my estimation the acidity makes it on the unbalanced side and shortens the finish.
2015 Joh. Jos. Prum Riesling, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Graacher Himmelreich, Auslese AP #16 (7.5%). Visually youthful which does not surprise me, solid block more than surface shine, looks like it could be a barrel sample. Resonant, rich nose with a nice buoyancy too, semi-tropical, tangelo to tangerine citrus, molasses, keeps going and going. Full-on attack, slowly recedes and firms up towards the finish. Acidity today feels lackluster. A kaleidoscope of mixed citrus, honey, mango, guava, apricot, pineapple, yahoo! So much baby fat right now. 1500 ml bottle.