It’s in your head now, getting even closer to your first curiosity order
Will be hanging with Julian today!
And I loved the '22’s, so apparently my palette is contrarian.
(To be fair, I haven’t had much Feinherb. But what I have has been pretty lackluster, except for Ludes.)
@Colby_Scott Lars was being coy, so I’ll say it: hunt down a Falkenstein feinherb.
In the running IMHO also are Selbach-Oster, Stein, Loersch, Lauer, probably some others I’m forgetting. I also like Ludes a lot .
I showed Julian this thread. He was very amused.
In addition to the producers of good fienherb already mentioned, I also usually really like Molitor green caps.
I agree. The upper level ones can be profound.
Perhaps your palate is contrarian, but I love the '22s, including the feinherb wines, that we produced.
Yesterday this was more friendly, rounder acidic structure while still on the lean side with citrus fruits and herbal.
On a separate note
On to today’s Riesling. My first thought is - how can this (and most of Stein’s wines in general) be available in Europe at the price they are sold for? If you’re in Europe not buying these directly from Stein, to quote my favorite A-team member - “I pity the fool”.
And despite the modest prices I treasure every bottle, and nonetheless I don’t hesitate pulling bottles.
Haven’t had any Falkenstein feinherb, but will make it a point to try and report back. If I can find some, that is…
S.A. Prum 2016 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett:
This is the lightest Kabinett I have ever tasted; it borders on dilute. It broadens, thankfully, in the middle with a very nice and somewhat evolved fruit profile and salinity. The acidity is rather mild, though sufficient to keep it balanced, but the end result is a rather clipped finish. I would happily drink this anytime, but at $40, the value just isn’t there.
I opened a Stein 2022 Alfer Hoelle last night. Beautiful wine. Fantastic balance, beautiful fruit, long finish. top notch!
Nobody ever accused SA Prüm of competing with JJ Prüm on quality.
I’m happy to hear!
Same with me. I will say I do think it is closed and will need a number of years to fully open up. I still enjoyed it and think the RS that it has is needed in 2022.
I found a 2013 SA Prüm WS GG in Helsinki and I bought it in the name of science. It was oxidized so bad it was undrinkable.
A. J. Adam Hofberg Kabinett 2009 from the Magnum was a beauty. Not really a Kabinett in style but more o a sweet, creamy, generous Spätlese with lots of tasty spices and fruit.
I’m curious why you think the '22 Stein Alfer Holle needed the RS it had because of the vintage?
Usually, I would think RS is helpful in balancing excessive acidity, but '22 as a vintage didn’t come across as very acidic to me. Are there other ways in which RS can help address a deficiency caused by a mid-ish vintage? Providing more body/depth for a dilute vintage, perhaps?
And here’s a follow-up question that is more about the '22 vintage as a whole:
I generally agree with you that '22 has been significantly less impressive than the '21 because of the lower acidity and wines coming across as flabbier in general (at least to me), but I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on why '22 has been underwhelming for you.
The answers to both questions are related.
2022 is too soft and boring for me. The Stein 1900 vineyard vines are extremely old and I think the RS gives it more depth and complexity that I think will it allow it to age well. If it were not for the age of the vines and quality of the vineyard I don’t think just having more RS would help so this would not have been a solution for most other wines. My comment was definitely limited to Stein 1900. I hope that helps explain my thinking.
That makes sense. (and I agree with you that I think the '22 Stein Alfer Holle is absolutely terrific and complex).