I had posted in the ‘Last 10’ thread and my recent wines included five different rieslings from the Ockfener Bockstein vineyard. I was asked via PM if I had posted notes on these wines and I had not other than in CT. Here they are in one place. It was fascinating as every wine was completely different. I opened these over the course of a couple days but such that I could taste the various verticals and horizontals within the group (does that make for a right triangle tasting?) The wine that launched my appreciation of the vineyard (though I didn’t open as part of this) was the 2010 St Urbans-Hof Kabinett. I have gone through about a half case of it already but have a case left I’m trying to age & taste over a decade (or more). I’ve never bought more of any one wine but hard to go wrong at $15/btl
2011 St. Urbans-Hof Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett- Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (10/22/2012)
Light, crisp and complex with notes of apple and dough on the nose. The palate has apple, cookie dough and spice. Moderate acidity, no where near the amount of the 2010 vintage of this wine. A hint of stone fruit comes through on the mid-length finish. Overall I like the 2010 better, but this is delicious on its own and a great value for $16. (89 pts.)
Yes that note is two years old… my note from 7/14 is “Matches my notes from October 2012. Very little change. More minerality and a slightly lengthier finish.”
2012 St. Urbans-Hof Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett- Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (7/15/2014)
Some petrol aromas on the PnP that blew off on day 2. This has very strong minerality along with green apple/floral notes and medium+ acidity. Just off-dry. Very tasty now, and a great qpr that should live at least a decade. (91 pts.)
2012 St. Urbans-Hof Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spätlese- Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (7/15/2014)
Pear and floral aromas. The wine’s standout is its soft, plush mouthfeel. Moderate sweetness and moderate acidity add structure to the apple, pear, stone fruit and floral notes. Delicate yet structured with a fairly long finish. Don’t hesitate to pop a bottle now but this should age for some time. (92 pts.)
2011 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett- Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (7/16/2014)
The nose is distinctly lemon bar with a bit of apricot and herbs. The palate is off-dry with flavors that match the nose and a fairly lengthy finish. Fantastic balance between the acid, minerality & sweetness. (90 pts.)
2012 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett- Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (7/16/2014)
A fresh mix of citrus, tropical fruit, stone fruit and herbs on the nose. The palate shows tropical fruit and honey, but both fairly dry. Very intriguing and tasty with a large dose of minerality, medium acidity and a medium-length finish. (91 pts.)
While we’re on the topic, does anyone with more German language skills than me know why Ockfener is shortened to “Ockfen” on the St Urbans-Hof bottles (though they call it by its full name on their website) while Zilliken leaves it off entirely?
+1 on an overlooked site, every wine I thought “great QPR”
Thanks for the notes, David. It’s been my experience that in the past (before climate change) this vineyard did not always have the ripeness for Auslese wines but when they did they could be glorious. And the Kabinett and Spatlese were very satisfying and good QPR as others have indicated.
Ockfener Bockstein or, in the past, “Ockfener Bocksteiner” is considered, along with Scharzhofberg, to be one of the very best sites on the Saar and was often listed as just “Bocksteiner” or “Bockstein.” As Harry explained, most single vineyards include the village or town, with an adjectival -er ending, plus the site name. This is the possessive form.
For the new VDP classification—which is trying to be like Burgundy—a top-rated single vineyard, called Grosse Lage, or grand cru, should, ideally, be listed without the village name on the front label. (Hence, no Ockfener Bockstein. It’s just Bockstein now.) This is problematic because there are many sites with the same name, such as Herrenberg or Schlossberg. Formerly, the VDP’s top sites were called Erste Lage, or premier cru. There are, however, other issues with the VDP classification. But I plan to write more about this in an article on my site.
Other important producers with holdings in Bockstein include Dr. Wagner and Dr. Fischer. The latter has been sold. By the way, Auslese ripeness is no problem in Bockstein.
Lars, Auslese is not a problem for Bockstein now but isn’t it true that back in the 70’s and 80’s the grapes sometimes did not ripen to an auslese standard? In my recollection, in some years the wines were quite austere but exhibited beautiful balance of mineral, acid and ripeness in the better vintages.
