Your notes make me want to try Steinmetz again, especially the am Fels. Thanks for posting, Scott.
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That was so much fun! Can’t wait to join again (hopefully in April). Keep posting what you’re drinking!
I was there last week. The wines are very well made. I need to find a few more bottles locally to try.
I opened a bottle of 2011 Schaefer Domprobst Spät #10 a few weeks ago, and it was pretty good in a slightly richer style than I usually prefer. No danger of fast decline but it would need a good amount of time to slim down a little and become something more, and it’s really hard to say if it has the skeleton for that type of development. No prob though handling a few days in the open bottle.
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lol lowkey thought you said forgottenbeerenlausen… 
2010 Alfred Merkelbach Erdener Treppchen riesling auslese
I used to throw whatever the latest Merkelbach that showed up at my local vino store in my shopping basket as an afterthought and accumulated quite a few over the years. And they remained something of an afterthought while lingering in my cellar almost never making it to my must open list. Thus low expectations were exquisitely shattered with this one. Nearly everything you want in mature auslese (but seemed less sweet, more spatlese). Just a delight with tuna mac and cheese while sitting on the Washington coast watching stormy waves roll in. 4- (out of 5)
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Low expectations for Merkelbach???
I admit my past cost bigotry on this. Probably based on prior experience with many ordinary/boring rieslings in the sub-$25 range. This one cost me a whole $18.
A couple of early takes on 24:
Julian Haart 2024 Mosel and JJ Kabi
11% and 8% respectively. I was in the Mosel last week and Julian kindly gave me these. 24 is a high acid vintage that’s for sure. In the mould of 21, maybe a bit more flesh. Too early to say. JJ has a nice blackberry leaf element, green fruits. Mosel is steely, the same blackberry note, green plum. Un-austere.
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I’m guessing it’s one of the ‘challenging’ vintages where the best/our favorite winemakers will all make some delicious wines, in the vintage style. But maybe further down the quality tree there will be some weak wines.
Maybe. Too early to say. But if I only buy wines from my favourite producers I won’t be too upset.
The vast majority of wines aren’t bottled yet.
I tasted through his entire lineup in December and was blown away. Especially from the higher end bottles. I tasted at two other Mosel producers and I think I am going to LOVE 2024!
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Is 2024 going to be a short vintage? I read the news about the hail and other weather issues last year devastating the crop.
I have similar thoughts on Merkelbach but not based upon price as there’s so many good Mosel producers in the <$25 range. I’ve found them uninspiring and lacking the depth I prefer which is unfortunate because the stretch from Urzig to Kinheim is some of my favorite vineyard sites on the Mosel.
Merkelbach was and to a great degree still is old school. It probably appeals more to people who have been drinking on release wines since the 1990s or 1980s.
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