Several Riesling-head friends gathered at a dumpling shop for a grand tasting of 19 Rieslings, mostly with some decent age on them (along with a spy from the Loire). There was also a 2003 Schloss Saarstein Serriger Schloss Saarsteiner Auslese Goldkap (say that one 5 times fast!) which somehow I forgot to taste!
YE OLDE RIESLINGS - (4/21/2024)
An embarrassment of Riesling riches. Meant to be a tasting of "older" rieslings across the spectrum, but we had a few interlopers. Surprisingly not a single PrĂĽm!
Austrians, an Alsatian, and some misfit weirdos
- 1992 Peter Lauer Sekt RĂ©serve Brut Nature - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Nice. More fizz and less aggressively herbal than the bottle we had a year ago. Excellent acid, with a bit of sweet orchard fruit to counteract the Chinese apothecary smell and flavors. Very enjoyable (to me). (92 points) - 2020 Shadowfolk Riesling The Dark Side of Aurora - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Very interesting. Intense salty slate minerals, high acidity, lemon, lemon peel. Does taste a bit more like natural wine (freshness and vibrancy, as opposed to riesling typicity). Decent complexity, ok finish.
I like this as an augmentation of what MSR riesling could be. Definitely want to explore this some more outside of this 20-riesling bash. (92 points) - 1997 Nikolaihof Riesling Fass Severin Vinothek - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Subtle, elegant, charming. Loads of depth and perfect balance - this wine thrums with acidity, herbs, yellow plums, umami, golden raisin, and a beeswax note that reminds me a bit of the LdH whites. Super fresh and remarkably light in color still. Medium bodied, but layered and super-textural. A stealthy crescendo of flowers and yellow plums on the finish. Really deserves to be studied over the course of an evening. WOTN for most. (96 points) - 1997 Nikolaihof Riesling Vinothek - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Sadly, a bit oxidized. Bruised apple on the nose, more pronounced on the palate. A couple shades darker than the Fass Severin. Not undrinkable, but clearly not a representative bottle. (NR/flawed) - 2002 Nigl Riesling Reserve - Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal
Firing on all cylinders. Sprightly and fresh, with vibrant acid and some secondary evolution. Orange peel, orange blossom water, crushed rocks, and a twinge of green herbs and some sort of exotic flower that I can't place. Medium bodied - lighter than I expected, but with a satiny texture. (94 points) - 2002 Schloss Gobelsburg Riesling Alte Reben - Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal
Darkest color of any dry riesling on the table tonight, perhaps a touch tired. A strong thrum of acidity, stone fruit and crushed rocks, a hint of caramelized nuts, and petrol. Nice glycerin texture. Would have been a pleasure to drink on its own, but hard to stand out in tonight's field. (92 points) - 2005 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile - France, Alsace
Terrific! PnP, and opens over the course of the evening. A mouthful of rocks, racy acidity, redolent of flowering quince, a hint of pineapple / guava, golden raisin. Tons of dry extract and a long, long finish. So sexy - not something I've not experienced in the handful of CFEs I've had, which have usually displayed more structural/intellectual gifts rather than overt pleasure. Still very young and will continue to evolve. Let's call this tied for WOTN for me -- it may not have the sheer class and completeness of the Nikolaihof, but it a pleasure-seeker's wine that can hold its own in a roomful of intellectual wines. (96 points)
GGs, young and less young
- 2021 Dönnhoff Roxheimer Höllenpfad Riesling im Mühlenberg Großes Gewächs - Germany, Nahe
Very floral and a lovely contrast to the Dellchen and Felsenberg. Elegant, floral, crystalline, with less of the wall-of-minerals that the other two show. Like rainwater perfumed by ripe melons and jasmine. Quite young, and shows a lot of promise. Oh so beautiful, even if the Dellchen was just a touch ahead in weight and completeness. (94 points) - 2021 Dönnhoff Felsenberg Riesling Großes Gewächs - Germany, Nahe
The tightest of the 3 Dönnhoff GGs. A wall of minerals, with some rainwater flowing through, yuzu aromatics, high acid, and more minerals piled on top for good measure. A bit linear and hard to get a read, although clearly a lot of stuffing. Maybe this will be the greater wine in 15 years, but right now it's the least extroverted. 91++ (91 points) - 2021 Dönnhoff Dellchen Riesling Großes Gewächs - Germany, Nahe
Wow. Unexpectedly open and generous from the get go. Whereas the fruit in the Felsenberg is submerged in the sea of rocky minerality, the fruit and aromatics leap out here like a playful school of dolphins. A complex array of citrus juice and peel (lemon, citron, pomelo?), barely ripe apricot, pastry cream, herbs and and a hint of campfire. There is so much to like in this wine. Glad to have some stashed away to watch evolve over time. (95 points) - 2012 von Winning Deidesheimer Kieselberg Riesling Großes Gewächs - Germany, Pfalz
Perhaps the only dry white I didn't care for tonight. Very dry, savory, mineral, with very stingy fruit and a distracting menthol/mint note. Overall, the kind of hard dry riesling that would make one question the ageability of GGs, if it wasn't for the very delicious 12 VW Forster Kirchenstück GG tasted next to it. (87 points) - 2012 von Winning Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Großes Gewächs - Germany, Pfalz
A completely different beast than the Kieselberg. Similar chiseled and taut profile, with a wall of dense savory minerals, but more generous on the fruit. It's still not a fruit-forward wine, veering more towards grapefruit and unripe apricot, but the bit of roundness makes all the difference. A von Winning winner. (93 points)
Prädikatswein und der Sptizel
- 2001 Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
A lovely 01 spätlese, if not at the level of the M-C burgengarten spät next to it. Great, vibrant acidity, medium bodied with an oily texture, a bit of petrol and mineral, and showing sweeter than the 97 Zilliken auslese. (92 points) - 2001 Müller-Catoir Haardter Bürgergarten Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Pfalz
Extroverted and racy, showing remarkably youthful energy, exotic fruit (guava, mango), salty minerals, and a hint of cumin and incense. Terrific concentration married to a laser beam of acidity, with just enough sweetness to soften the corners. A more complete wine than the '01 spatlese trocken we had last year, and the best non-dry wine tonight for me. (95 points) - 2002 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Forgot to record my notes, but I remember liking it a lot, with lovely acidity and a mouthwateringly delicate structure. Hard to fairly evaluate after a dozen higher pradikat and GG wines. - 1975 Schloss Eltz Gräflich Eltz'sche Gutsverwaltung Riesling Auslese - Germany, Rheingau
The oldest Riesling I've tried. Supposedly a good year, with much less botrytis than '76. Some bottle funk that blew off reasonably quickly. Autumnal, with some mushroom, caramel, and a hefty dose of petrol. Light botrytis, just a hint of marmalade and spice. Still shows some seams of ripe orchard fruit and vibrant acidity. A lot of the sweetness has melted away. Hanging on but probably on a slow graceful descent. (91 points) - 1997 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Thrilling acidity and crystalline raciness, with orange peel, peaches and cream, and a touch more petrol and secondary notes than a bottle 4 years ago. Lots of intensity, but perhaps just a touch less body than the 01's. Love this lighter style of auslese. (93 points) - 2010 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Clos du Bourg - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
A stealthy imposter in a line-up of fabulous Rieslings. Very classic Huet, with golden raisin, oyster shell, orange blossom honey, and a light waxiness. Lightly sweet like a kabinett, but with a heftier spatlese or auslese density frame. Compared to the '10 le Mont sec last week, it's a touch less focused and also less woolly. (93 points) - 1989 Lingenfelder GroĂźkarlbacher Osterberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese - Germany, Pfalz
Medium amber color. Eyewatering acidity! Elegant, with not as much botrytis as one would expect. Lovely orange peel and marmalade, apricot, and some more developed notes of button mushroom, Darjeeling tea, and dry caramel. On the less-sweet for a TBA, whether because it was made that way or the sugar is starting to drop out, hard to say. Not the most complex sticky and lacks a great finish, but really lovely and something I'd want to sip by the fire with a great book. (93 points)
