TN: 2021 Hofgut Falkenstein Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett "Mia" #22

WINE TALK
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  • 2021 Hofgut Falkenstein Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett "Mia" #22 - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (4/12/2023)
    Double decanted at 1pm. Recorked and opened at 8pm for dinner. Rather balanced, good sweetness and some bright acidity. Lacks the zippiness I expected from this vintage and especially this cuvée. Very quaffable and goes down quickly, but doesn't have the lightning in a bottle that the '19s had at this stage. (90 points)
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I admit I was underwhelmed by the Mia. The 2021 Peter Kugel was rockin’ when I had it 4 months ago.

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The 2021 Kugel Peter is one of my favorites. But I really like the 2021 Mia.

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I guess I liked the Mia quite a bit more. I found it classically Falkenstein with luscious fruit but really good balance and energy. I liked the ‘21 Gisela and Im Kleinschock more, but not massively. Need to try some of the ‘21 Spätlese Feinherbs - those have generally been my favorites the last few years.

I’ve also been thinking of revisiting some of the ‘19s … do folks see these shutting down?

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I think I know what you mean. I’ve noticed this in a few 2021 German Rieslings, from Mosel and from Nahe, and it has me questioning some of what has been said about the 2021 vintage.

Don’t get me wrong. These have all been delicious wines from good producers (like Loersch and Donnhoff). They just didn’t have the acid I expected (even the Apotheke), but taken in a vacuum they’re fine.

Interestingly, the ones closest to the acidity I expected were a Falkenstein Meyer Nepal and a Schafer-Frohlich Schiefergestein.

I have a tasting this Friday that includes 8 producers (including repeats of Falkenstein and Donnhoff) where I hope to get a better feel.

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Our NJ/Rockland group got to try both the Mia and the Im Kleinschock #20 yesterday (thanks @Juliec !) and completely agree that the Mia felt dilute and a bit flat. The #20 was killer!

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I just opened a 2021 Onkel Peter. Lightning in a bottle.

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Falkenstein for breakfast? Yum! :laughing:

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The Spat Feins that I’ve tasted so far (Onkel Peter and Meyer Nepal) have been fantastic. The Gisela and Klaus as well. While the Mia is still quite good, it wasn’t among my favorites.

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By “just opened” I mean last night :slight_smile:

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It was the very first vintage of Mia farmed by the Webers. The vines were more vigorous than normal from having been overfertlilized by the previous producer. Despite this, the vines were pruned short, the yields were kept low, and the grapes were good and ripe. This well-placed plot of old vines will only get better under their management.

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Thanks Lars, I look forward to seeing how this develops in future vintages.

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I’ll be an outlier, but I absolutely loved a bottle of the Mia I opened up last month. I loved the balance of sweetness and acidity and thought it was one of the better bottlings in 2021 that I’ve tried. Though to be fair, I’m not a “more acid is better” type of person. I like a touch of sweetness in my riesling, though obviously this was far higher acid than the typical Kabinett from basically all other producers.

My only issue with Mia is the price… at least from my source it was a decent bit more expensive than the other bottlings. I thought it was worth it, but given how good the other bottlings are I can see why some might not.

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Thanks for the insight! Can’t want to see how it develops.

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I liked it a lot as well but don’t have a problem with the price (25€).

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For some reason this bottling was $55 vs. $35 for basically everything else. Maybe just my merchant.

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No, not the merchant, that‘s what domestic pricing was like. Mia on par with Gisela, way ahead of the pack. In defence of Mia: I thoroughly enjoyed the bottles I had so far. If you expect battery acid you will be disappointed (I don‘t find the wines overly astringent myself). And based on what I had so far I also don‘t buy into the story of 2021 being so much different.

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The plot nicknamed Mia is on the slope in the central part of Bockstein. I found the first vintage showed well. The wine displayed a peppery, herby, smoky aroma and tasted precise, despite having more heft and being less zippy, if you will, than the various Euchariusberg Kabinetts.

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The 2022 vintage of Mia is also classy and even lighter than the 2021.

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I’m in the 2021 Mia is awesome camp. And wonderful evolution each day open.

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