Wine Focus for October 2017: Germany!

David is right about TDN. Scientist agree that it is linked to too much sun exposure, especially after veraison, although I personally also link it to certain soils, e g muschelkalk.

Greetings from Sweden / Fredrik L

David is right about TDN. Scientist agree that it is linked to too much sun exposure, especially after veraison, although I personally also link it to certain soils, e g muschelkalk.

Greetings from Sweden / Fredrik L

I like wine "faults" in moderation. My personal world would be poorer if petrol flavours were eliminated from all Riesling wines. Same goes for brett in moderation on some Loire CabFranc, S.Rhône and brett + VA on Ch.Musar............

As for people as arrogant as Michel Chapoutier who thinks that he can teach Alsatians to eliminate TDN and make better wine....

PS: I should have added methoxypyrazines to the "faults" which I like, even require, in moderation. This time in my Bordeaux and Loire reds.

Thanks for the discussion on gasolein!! None to report on my following Mosbacher, sorry to say!

2014 Georg Mosbacher Deidesheimer Riesling Kabinett Feinherb, Pfalz.

My second Mosbacher this month. Good nat cork, 12% alc, # 014-15.

Light yellow straw initially but seemed to be darker somewhat overnight?
I expected more pronounced aromas but noted apples, some floral tones, citrus/lime and peach.
On pouring, initial entry thought was needs more depth and complexity. Hint of rs, some crisp acidity but did not wow. Apple, citrus, mineral, mid-palate is very nice though but all falls away somewhat. Color darkened overnight but palate held up well, just needed more zing.

1993 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (10/9/2017)
This close to my ideal for MSR Riesling. It was light/medium bodied showing gentle sweetness balanced by deliciously crisp acidity, finely focus, elegant, long and exuding aromas and flavour, in which strands of peachy citrus, apple, petrol, steel and minerals were detectable with none standing out. The only way this differs from a TN from 2011 is that the struck match hints from initial sulphur dosing have almost completely disappeared. It is so sad that it is hard to find Kabinett like this nowadays, many being much heavier and sweeter downgrades from Spätlese and Auslese. Excellent.

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[David M. Bueker]

I think I still might have a bottle of that 1993.

Don't know if you saw it Tim, but I posted in the main forum (forgot to add it here) on the 2012 Abstberg Kabinett. It needed a lot of air, but once it opened up there was a wonderful, filigreed texture and elegant body to the wine, with all the classic Grunhaus/Abstberg aromas and flavors. I am sure it was richer than the 1993, but it was at least in the same mold. Now to wait 20 years!

I was browsing the shelves of a local shop for a crisp aromatic white to go with a meal and haven't had a wine from this producer for awhile:

2016 Bürklin-Wolf Estate Riesling (Trocken), Pfalz:

Youngish gold, very fragrant: grapefruit and maybe a whiff of creosote (not in a bad way).
Nervy, tastes very dry, with under-ripe peach, lime, decent weight, lots of steely mineral notes. Succulent and lip smacking. A friend would prefer it with a bit more RS (3.5 g/l, 7.8 g/l TA, 12% abv), but it is a great wine with the right food.
This comes from biodynamically farmed vineyards in Wachenheim, Deidesheim and Rupertsberg, bottled under screwcap. Excellent value at $15.

Good for you Joe, nice find.

While I am here, anyone have an opinion on Theo Minges? Some 2015s have showed up here in town.

TN: 2010 Emrich-Schonleber Riesling "Mineral" Trocken, Nahe Ger.

12% alc, good cork, $30 Cdn, Lot 07-11. Opened one hour. My second bottle and notes previous seem to show little development over past 9 months or so.

Color is a light to medium lemon, very attractive. Big aromatic aromas here with citrus, apricot, slate earth, apple for sure. Some floral tones on day 2 and still intense.
Initial entry thought is top drawer! Dry-ish, acidity is not overpowering. Might have seem some spritz in younger days? Some spicy mineral tones but not a big complex wine at last on day 1. Good fruit balance, apple, pear., unripe peach. "Like the refreshing crispness" from across the table in our igloo! The complexity holds up well on second day, nice harmony here. Think this could cellar longer but happy to pull from the cellar.
Food was pork snitzel with bok choy and minted mushrooms and sprouts.

[Robin Garr]

Dr. Loosen 2015 "Blue Slate" Riesling Kabinett Mosel Prädikatswein ($19.99)

Ripe, juicy peaches on the nose and palate at first, joined by tangerine as the wine warms in the glass. Sharp acidity works to balance fresh-fruit sweetness on the palate, again becoming a little more rounded and subtle with warmth; this wine is really better at cellar than refrigerator temperature. Aromatic fruit and tingly acidity linger, with a hint of stony minerality becoming more evident in the long finish. Just 8 percent alcohol, not unusual in German whites. U.S. importer: Loosen Brothers USA, Salem, Oregon. (Oct. , 2017)

FOOD MATCH: Its zippy acidity makes it a bit tart for drinking alone, but it comes into its own when its edges are softened by a fatty food companion, buttery cheeses or sausages or pork.

WHEN TO DRINK: There's no rush for Riesling, but I would look to Dr. Loosen's higher-end offerings for cellaring.

VALUE:
This fine Kabinett is fairly priced even a couple of bucks over Wine-Searcher.com's $18 average U.S. retail; if you can grab it from one of the vendors offering it in the middle teens, it's a top value.

WEB LINK
Dr. Loosen's English-language website offers this fact sheet on all the estate Rieslings. Page down to find a paragraph on "Blue Slate" with links to technical information and label images.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find vendors and compare prices for Dr. Loosen "Blue Slate" Riesling Kabinett on Wine-Searcher.com.


Wagner Stempel 2015 Rheinhessen Riesling Trocken Gutswein ($19.99)

Clear straw color. Its bold aroma starts out with a strong whiff of that "minerally" Riesling scent that some liken to petrol or clean motor oil - in a good way - but after an hour or so in the glass it opens up to something more like fragrant white flowers with a back note of honeydew melon. On the palate it's rather full-bodied, almost unctuous, but firmly shaped by tart, mouth-watering acidity. A distinct touch of stony minerality joins more subtle honeydew and brisk acidity, all hanging on with a not-unpleasant touch of bitterness joining in a very long finish. The label lists alcohol at 12.5%. U.S. importer: Cellars International Inc., Rudi Wiest, Carlsbad, Calif. (Oct. 5, 2017)

FOOD MATCH: The bold aromatics and pushy acidity made a surprisingly good match with an early-fall dinner of Tuscan-style white beans with onions, garlic, good olive oil and fresh minced sage.

WHEN TO DRINK: It might be interesting to see what a few years in the cellar would do with its bold aromas.

VALUE:
It's a buck or two over Wine-Searcher.com's $18 average retail but still fairly priced; better still if you can get a better price down to $15 at some Wine-Searcher links.

WEB LINK
Importer Rudi Wiest offers this fact sheet about Wagner Stempel on its web page.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find vendors and compare prices for https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/wagner+stempel+riesling+trocken+rheinessen+germany/1/usa?referring_site=WLP on Wine-Searcher.com.


Fritz Zimmer 2015 Mosel Riesling Auslese Deutscher Mosel Prädikatswein ($14.99)

Transparent straw color. Light but delicious scent of melon and orange blossom leads into a bright, fresh flavor that's all about tangerine juice, pleasantly sweet but crisp, with sufficient acidity to keep the fresh-fruit sugars in balance. There's a touch of "stony, rainwater" minerality lurking behind the sweet citrus, but tangerine and orange blossom play the lead roles. It's easy to drink at a very light (but typical for Mosel Auslese) 7.5% alcohol. U.S. importer: Winesellers Ltd., Niles, Ill. (Oct. , 2017)

FOOD MATCH: It went quite well with an Italian-style dish of long-cooked romano beans with onions and garlic and plenty of grated Parmigiano, and its light sweetness would also hold up to modestly hot-and-spicy fare. It also went well with cheese, and of course would be fine for sipping before or after dinner or any other time.

WHEN TO DRINK: Although Riesling certainly can age, the modest model is so delicious right now, I'd be tempted to drink it up soon and save the more upscale bottles for cellaring.

VALUE:
It's a decent value in the mid-teens.

WEB LINK
Here's a fact sheet about the winery from importer Winesellers Ltd.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
WineSearcher.com came up short on this item, but you'll find a large selection of various other Mosel Riesling Auslese wines at this Wine-Searcher link.

[Jenise]

Good writing there, Robin. I especially loved your unusual characterization "pushy acidity" within the context of food pairing on the trocken (which sounds like my kind of riesling).

2015 Bremmer Calmont Riesling Kabinett (Mosel), Franzen:

Von der steileste Weinbergslage Europas = 65 degrees!
Pretty light gold, and fragrant, with a touch of honey, and a faint raspberry like note on the nose. Fantastic attack, honeyed lemons, bracing acidity, pretty full bodied for a Kab. Well put together with a lingering finish, with a slight quinine touch. Very fine. Screwcap, 8.0% abv, $20.

[David M. Bueker]

2001 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (10/25/2017)
Tasted over two evenings, this is finally in the early maturity window where I so love German Riesling. There is still plenty of ripe apple and berry fruit, but it also has a smoky, not quite petrol tome added to the fruit. The youthful sweetness has merged into the whole, so while it is still a "sweet wine" it shows an effortless balance, and does not come across as just sweet. Lovely now, but still likely has 10-15 years (or more) of fine drinking ahead.

2015 Theo Minges Gleisweiler Holle Riesling Kabinett Trocken, Pfalz.

$26 Cdn, SC, 13.5% alc, Lot 37-16. Theo seems to get plenty of attention on various forums and having seen this new arrival downtown, thought I would give the `15 a try.

Deepish yellow in color. Sharp citrus nose, lime, very much mineral driven. Has some nice spice too as it opens after an hour. Initial entry thought is slight spritz, lots of acidity here! Grapefruit, green apple, dry.."no rs" from across the table. Medium-bodied, does not have much of a rich mouthfeel at this early stage. Some pear on day 2 but nothing much developed overnight. Have to think this might be typical of the vintage in the Pfalz?

[David M. Bueker]

Sounds pretty much like what to expect from a Kabinett trocken.

Indeed. Kabinett trocken is not the place to look for 'rich mouthfeel', even in 2015, especially now when whatever fruit it had last year is probably receding.

That is a fair comment Rahsaan, thanks for the interest.

Was not my best written TN on reflection but will do better .

[Jenise]

Shucks. Was going to use this topic to weed out my German shelf but Bob's had a bad cold so we haven't opened a bottle of wine at home in two weeks (but for one evening because we had guests).

Shucks. Was going to use this topic to weed out my German shelf but Bob's had a bad cold so we haven't opened a bottle of wine at home in two weeks (but for one evening because we had guests).

Tough month for me too. I love German wine and always like opening them. But traveled a bunch this month on the weekends (wine time). And then had other wine plans.

No issue, just keep posting here. I just entered something in Wine Focus Spain 2 days ago.

2012 Donnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spatlese, Nahe, Germany. A.P. Nr. 7753010 11 13. 8.5% abv. Light gold hue and spritzig when first poured. Pear notes seem prominent amid a fruit cocktail bouquet of scents and flavors. The wine displays some sweetness and a slight taint of petrol. I had this with a veal scaloppini piccata (minus the capers) and also as a sipper/aperitif before dinner. I found the wine especially irresistible on the fourth evening after I opened it.

2015 Joh. Jos. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese, Mosel, Germany. A.P. Nr. 2 576 511 12 16. Slate soil. Imported by Cellars International Inc. Rudi Wiest selection. 8% abv. I bought more German wine than usual of the 2015 vintage and wanted to try one bottle. Spritz when first poured both the first evening opened and on the second evening. Straw color with clarity. Riesling nose of white peach, delicate florals (lily of the valley?) Very young but really delicious even now--sippable and gulpable. The acidity that is natural to the wine balances the residual sugar. When I paired it with breaded baked fish and macaroni and cheese the acidity cut through the rich cheese sauce.

[David M. Bueker]

Two very nice wines JC!

Curious why you refer to petrol as a "taint."

Perhaps wrong word choice. I didn't think of the petrol scent as tainting the wine but maybe should have said a suggestion or hint of petrol.

I think that this wine has become a GG in more recent vintages labelled simply "Dellchen".

2004 Dönnhoff Norheimer Dellchen Riesling Spätlese trocken - Germany, Nahe (11/1/2017)
Another lovely bottle, alas my last, for now, trocken from Dönnhoff. It was seamless and harmonious with a beautiful nose where fragrant white fruit flowers and gentle petrol were in balance. The palate was medium bodied and subjectively dry with a little RS, I think, perfectly balanced by moreish acidity adding complexity in the form of fine minerals, honey hints and discreet spice to the aromas from the nose and showing a marked saline spine supporting the finish. Very good.

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