By happenstance the restaurant we dined at had a nice selection of aged riesling my eyes happened upon a couple of '98 Spatlese and decided to grab those to do a little comparison.
1998 Müller-Catoir Haardter Bürgergarten Riesling Spätlese
Incredibly young and filled with life. Feels like it’s just emerging out of its long slumber to pounce. Grapefruit pith, peach, papaya, white flowers. Full body without feeling heavy. It’s got a hell of a pep in its step. Slightly salty finish that lingers and leaves you wanting more. This didn’t last long
1998 Alfred Merkelbach Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese #17
Quite the contrast to the M-C Bürgergarten. RS much more receded. Herbal and spicy. Kiwi, gooseberries, fennel. Beeswax and honey. Lighter in weight and a further along its life than the M-C
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Nice notes. Not surprised about the bodies of these two. I can see the M-C is at 10% alc. which is high for a spätlese. I am sure the Merkelbach was more in the 7-8.5% range. Of course, Pfalz produces bigger Rieslings than Mosel, so they can make bigger Spätlesen if they want, too. The M-C was made in the heyday of M-C when Hans Günter Schwarz was the winemaker (his last vintage was 2001, I believe). Two good finds on a restaurant list!
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1998 was especially great for Muller-Catoir.
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That ‘98 Catoir is a legend. I still have a couple left. An era that ended 20 years ago.
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Great find! Congrats! And, thanks for your great note.
If I had some of this, I’d be in no rush to drink it. It was drinking well right, but also felt like it could go another 10-20 years with grace. Beautiful wine. Enjoy your remaining bottles!
To echo what has already been said, M-C absolutely killed it in 1998.