July (AND August!) Wine Focus: Riesling Around the World

[David M. Bueker]

This month we will be revisiting an old friend, Riesling. There have been many stories about Riesling, about its resurgence, about its sugar (or lack thereof), even about the bottle shape. The winds of fashion have been also blowing Riesling onto a new course in recent years, with the rise of dry Riesling in markets outside of Europe. Regional styles are changing. Germany’s Rieslings are getting drier out of stylistic choice while the Rieslings of Alsace are getting sweeter due to climate change. Austria does not get the recognition it deserves, perhaps because there is no controversy to spur conversation. Speaking of recognition, when was the last time anyone talked about Australian Riesling? There has been some recent coverage of American Riesling, specifically in Oregon, but not much buzz there either.

For the month of July 2016 let’s take a look at what is going on with Riesling around the world. There is a wealth of Riesling available at retail, and a wide variation in vintage styles from the last few years on retailer shelves. 2015 is supposed to be a great vintage for German Riesling, displacing the sometimes interesting, but often spotty 2014. Early news for Austria is that 2015 is very good, if not at the same level as the wonderful 2013 vintage wines. Alsace goes through its heat cycles, with 2013 so far showing delicious and well balanced wines that are not quite as rich and sweet as some other recent vintages.

Pull some corks, and enjoy a refreshing glass of Riesling with summer fare.

[Robin Garr]

I think this is going to be a good one!

Good choice indeed. David asked...Speaking of recognition, when was the last time anyone talked about Australian Riesling? Good point although I do mention (quite) often, in fact just posted the other week on a 2008 Dry Dam from d`Arenberg .

First up from me might be the 2009 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Riesling from Margaret River.

I will be posting some Riesling notes the second half of July.

[Robin Garr]

I haven't been following Australian Riesling since the very start, but a quick search turns up this TN on Leasingham 1996 Clare Valley (Australia) Riesling in 1999, which refers to another tasting the year prior; and I tasted and wrote up a ton of them during visits to Oz as as one of Warren Mason's Top 1OO wine judges in 2000 and 2003.

Leasingham 1996 Clare Valley (Australia) Riesling ($7.59)
Clear, pale gold, with a markedly citric aroma, lime peel and apples and a whiff of the odd but pleasant "petrol" quality of older Riesling. Crisp fruit flavors mirror the aroma, fresh and clean; tart lemon-lime and muted "petrol" in a very long finish. Previously tasted a little over a year ago, it's showing interesting evolution and greater complexity. U.S. importer: International Cellars, Chantilly, Va. (Nov. 14, 1999)

[David M. Bueker]

Speaking of falling off the map. I cannot recall the last time I saw a bottle of Leasingham.

[Robin Garr]

Speaking of falling off the map. I cannot recall the last time I saw a bottle of Leasingham.

True! And digital photography has come a little way since those days, too.

Leasingham..now there is a name from the past. Just checked here, liquor board only mentions a Cab/Malbec here in AB.

[Robin Garr]

Huber 2014 "Terrassen" Traisental Riesling ($19.99)

This transparent pale-gold Austrian white offers fresh, appealing aromas: Apples and a gentler whiff of peach, and a hint of the odd but pleasant "petrol" minerality that often appears in good Riesling. Crisp and faintly prickly on the palate, it's dry and appropriately tart, and shows subtle but not overwhelming nuances of stone fruits - peach and apricot - along with zippy lemon zest in a long, clean finish. Bone-dry and light with a gentle 12% alcohol. U.S. importer: Broadbent Selections Inc., Sonoma, Calif. (June 28, 2016)

FOOD MATCH: Riesling is one of the most versatile of wines. It will pair beautifully with a wide range of freshwater fish and delicate seafood, but it will also work with poultry and pork; it matches well with meatless fare, and works and plays nicely with cheeses. We enjoyed it very much as an aperitif with thin slices from a chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Another day it made an impressive match with the flavors of creamy lemon pasta, a New York Times recipe by Barbara Kafka.

WHEN TO DRINK: There's no reason not to enjoy this fresh, vibrant Riesling in its youth, but note that Riesling can be a surprising ager, especially for a white, and the sturdy modern screw cap may enhance its shelf life. If you're in a mood to experiment, it couldn't hurt to put one or two aside in good cellar conditions for five years or even more.

VALUE: I paid a few bucks over Wine-Searcher.com's reported $15 U.S. average retail, but it's a good wine, and I didn't feel too badly abused at $20. Still, if online wine buying is legal where you live, it may pay off to shop around.

WEB LINK
Click here for the winery fact sheet on this wine in English. Also, here is importer Broadbent's bio and info sheet on the Markus Huber winery.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Look for vendors and compare prices for Huber "Terrassen" Traisental Riesling on Wine-Searcher.com.

Thanks for the link to the recipe, Robin. I will try it out in coming weeks. Robin, could you please make the MoCool thread a sticky near the top of the forum? Thanks.

[Robin Garr]

Robin, could you please make the MoCool thread a sticky near the top of the forum? Thanks.

Good idea!

[David M. Bueker]

2009 Kruger-Rumpf Münsterer Pittersberg Riesling Auslese - Germany, Nahe (7/1/2016)
Much more open than most 2009s, though being an Auslese probably has a lot to do with it. Floral, peach and spicy aromas and flavors are carried by a rich but lively palate presence. It's certainly sweet, a big Auslese, but nicely balanced and drinkable. We finished up the bottle very quickly.

This thread is very good timing for me.

I recently had a few Rebholz bottles, each absolutely delicious in its own way.

The 2011 Rebholz Im Sonnenschein Riesling GG is crystal clear and razor-wire fresh, but with lots of flavor (mostly fresh clear citrus, maybe tilting tree fruits/apple/pear as well). It shows depth (and breadth) with air, and some savory toasty elements I have found in previous bottles. Not sure what the long-term trajectory is for this. But right now the crisp clarity is plenty fun for what it is.

2012 Rebholz Im Sonnenschein Riesling GG is rounder and more golden than the 2011, although of course still with plenty of lightness, elegance and clarity. Focused, polished, and fresh. Absolutely lovely. Although a bit less effusive than my last bottle a few months ago, so I wonder if it's going through 'a stage'. (Of course any number of other factors could explain those differences, so...)

My first 2012 Rebholz "Ganz Horn" Im Sonnenschein Riesling GG was even better than expected. How often does that happen. Very much in the mold of the regular Im Sonnenschein, but with more depth and more firm focus, yet still with all that fresh elegant lively Rebholz clarity. Yes!

Hi Rahsaan, thought you might be around in the not too distant future! Might have some good notes too after tonight . DevIne Wines staff BBQ and sure to be some great wines to report on.

[David M. Bueker]

I let other people buy Rebholz!

2004 Dönnhoff Norheimer Dellchen Riesling Spätlese trocken - Germany, Nahe (7/2/2016)
Beautiful colour of light gold with green tints. Lively nose with white fruit, fragrant flower, light spice and hydrocarbon touches. The dry leaning to tendre palate was medium bodied, suave yet lively adding minerals, hints of honey and sugar to the aromas from the nose but these last were balanced by crisp mouthwatering acidity and a saline backbone. Two years ago I commented on a slight tartness on finish but that has now disappeared and the wine now gives a less dry impression than I noted then perhaps due to greater fragrance. Very good but I don't think I'll wait too long before I open my last bottle.

Posted from CellarTracker

This cuvée is now a GG with little more than "Dellchen" on its label in recent vintages. Hands up those who agree that the labelling still being used for 2004 told us more about the origin and contents of the bottle. I'm barely suppressing my ritual rant .

This cuvée is now a GG with little more than "Dellchen" on its label in recent vintages. Hands up those who agree that the labelling still being used for 2004 told us more about the origin and contents of the bottle. I'm barely suppressing my ritual rant .

Dellchen is the vineyard. Maybe there are other Dellchens in other villages, but I doubt it.

And not sure how either GG or Spatlese trocken tells you more/less about the wine, in both cases you know the general direction but need vintage details to get really precise. (As in every other region in the world)

I let other people buy Rebholz!

I've become a very big fan of Rebholz. The combination of clear understated elegance but with firm fruit is very appealing to me. But I've only purchased in Germany where their GGs top out in the high 30euros. Which is not cheap in general public terms, but seems more than fair to me. Plus that is nowhere near the top of the German GG pricing scale, with plenty of other more crowd-pleasing names at 40-60euros.

But, I see that in the US Rebholz is somehow crazy expensive and in line with the top prestige producers. Not sure why.

This cuvée is now a GG with little more than "Dellchen" on its label in recent vintages. Hands up those who agree that the labelling still being used for 2004 told us more about the origin and contents of the bottle. I'm barely suppressing my ritual rant .

Dellchen is the vineyard. Maybe there are other Dellchens in other villages, but I doubt it.

And not sure how either GG or Spatlese trocken tells you more/less about the wine, in both cases you know the general direction but need vintage details to get really precise. (As in every other region in the world)

Rahsaan, I recently saw a post from Claude Kolm on another site where he enumerated a number of cases where vineyard names appearing alone on VDP labels were a source of confusion because those names exist in several villages; I don't know whether Dellchen is one of those.

To know that GG and Spätlese trocken are equivalent one has to be familiar with VDP labelling, which few people outside Germany are. I congratulate Dönnhoff for adding the words Riesling and Trocken on his Dellchen GG label, which is helpful. I don't think all producers do that but I admit to having bought few GG bottles as none are available here .

Rahsaan, I recently saw a post from Claude Kolm on another site where he enumerated a number of cases where vineyard names appearing alone on VDP labels were a source of confusion because those names exist in several villages...

I can see how that confusion would arise. But I wonder how big of a deal it is. I would imagine that the type of people who care enough to look into the vineyard names probably also know where those vineyards are. But I could be wrong and either way there's no excuse for not having the full information somewhere on the bottle.

(This can also be an issue in France, I think pretty much every region with vineyard-specific names has its own "Perrières")

(This can also be an issue in France, I think pretty much every region with vineyard-specific names has its own "Perrières")

Not as I see it. Perrières does occur in several places, most importantly Meursault, but I can't think of any case where it is the only name on the label without the village name appearing as well. Burgundy GCs name only vineyard but there is only one Chambertin, Musigny, La Tâche........AFIK.

Incidentally I got rapped on the knuckles by Claude Kolm when I compared the VDP classification to the Burgundian one. This duplication of names was only one of the reasons why he claimed that VDP was very different.

[David M. Bueker]

Tim,

The region still appears on the label, and most producers put the whole vineyard name on the back label. If it's too much trouble to turn the bottle around then I can't help you.

Not to mention that it's pretty much just Sonnenuhr that can be an issue and a few others, but it's not even close to a large number of duplicate names that can be GG.

Tim,

The region still appears on the label, and most producers put the whole vineyard name on the back label. If it's too much trouble to turn the bottle around then I can't help you.

Not to mention that it's pretty much just Sonnenuhr that can be an issue and a few others, but it's not even close to a large number of duplicate names that can be GG.

Thanks for that high quality reply, David . I am looking at the moment at a display of Dellchen labels and none since it went GG mention Nahe. Of course you can say that is not needed with Dönnhoff's name on the label but is the same true with a less well known producer? Some back labels are more helpful and some are not. Duplicate names are never helpful and I'm surprised if you pretend otherwise.

Always when browsing the shelves downtown, I look at the back label on many German wines for additional info. Have to say this is an interesting discussion and no major rant from Tim...yet .