MSR 2005: more impressions

I spent a glorious weekend in the Mosel region, enjoying warm spring wheather, blooming trees, and a bunch of new and old Rieslings. Just briefly, some impressions on the vintage. The wines are huge, dense, thick, but not flabby - there is little doubt this a legend in the making. But, big BUT, the wines are also (maybe unsurprisingly) hard to enjoy now. The thickness of the fruit makes them untransparent, hiding the minerality, not allowing the flavors to dance on the palate, like they do in lesser years. The 05s can get quite tiring. One producer for example (Vollenweider) was almost sick of young Riesling - which I don't thing has happened before. His wine are of course dense to the extreme, almost oversize for Mosel. Willy Schaefer achived more transparency and minerality (at this stage) with his Domprobst wines (personal favorite was the "small" Auslese AP06). The Himmelreich wines are more fruit driven and opulent. A Schloss Lieser Niederbeger Helden Spl was very fat. Theo Haart had 4 Spl available for tasting - they are stunning, and should be ragarded as bargain Auslsen. They have Auslese mouthfeel and structure, rather than overblown Spätlese style. I loved the Grafenberg and Göldtröpfchen in particular. His 03 Auslesen btw are developing nicely and start to show some elegance. Zilliken, I have mentioned before as having an epic vintage. I tasted the "missing links" now, that were left out last time, in particlar the auction Auslesen. The fit right in, to say the least. Unfortunately, the wine that was planned for auction Spl was sold completely to Switzerland (Auslese AP10). Great wine.

Start saving now for MSR 2005, and expect to wait for a long time to enjoy the return of your investments...

Peter

Thanks for the note, I can't wait to start tasting myself, and although it looks like I'll have to, it also looks like that may not be such a bad idea..

So how does the tasting trajectory and development differ from the 03 vintage, when I assume you tasted at similar intervals?

Really? I LOVED the 2005 Vollenweider "regular" Spatlese. Didn't find it tiring at all, and a complete pleasure to drink now.

To my taste, 2005 is nothing like 2003. I found excessive alcohol in everything I tasted from 2003, but other than in Daniel's Feinherb, I didn't find that anywhere in 2005s.

Really? I LOVED the 2005 Vollenweider "regular" Spatlese. Didn't find it tiring at all, and a complete pleasure to drink now.

I would probably go with the Reiler if I had to choose. But one cannot deny these wines are big beasts. Daniel only rejoined the drinking when I openen a 1990 (Kerpen WS Auslese *** - superb)

To my taste, 2005 is nothing like 2003. I found excessive alcohol in everything I tasted from 2003, but other than in Daniel's Feinherb, I didn't find that anywhere in 2005s.

I agree that 05 is vastly superior to 03. Did you taste Daniels trocken? The feinherb is rather mild by comparison...

Peter

So how does the tasting trajectory and development differ from the 03 vintage, when I assume you tasted at similar intervals?

For one thing, the growing seasons of 03 and 05 have no similarity at all. there was no drought or heat stress in 05 at all in MSR. The summer was rather fairly cool and wet. Only in September the warm wheather kicked in, and then after a rainy interlude streched into October all the way to the end of the harvest. Where the 03s for my taste have a superficial opulence masking an empty core, with low acidity than appears higher than it is because of the emptyness at the core, the 03s have a density and thickness in the middle that seems to mask the backbone and mineralty. I therfore belive that the 05s will age into great wines, while the 03s will mostly retire early. Maybe I'm totally wrong...

Peter

Did you taste Daniels trocken? The feinherb is rather mild by comparison...

No, he spared me on the trocken. The day I was there, the Reiler was showing very light, almost weightless, with a mild spritz. Full of flavor, yes, but a light feel in the mouth. Did you experience the same?

Also, a number of producers agree with us on 2003. I heard from a few producers - things like "drink up, they are headed downhill" and "the alcohol is only going to come more to the front, the more the wine ages".

None of Daniels wines appeared weightless to me. If the Reiler showed that way earlier, maybe it will do so again. I would be happy if it did.

Peter

I didn't find the Zilliken 05 line-up at all tiring to taste now. Indeed even the sweetest semmed to have their finish lined with a delicious minerality which prevented cloying. Mozart compared to Vollenweider's Brahms. Brilliant wines!

I didn't find the Zilliken 05 line-up at all tiring to taste now. Indeed even the sweetest semmed to have their finish lined with a delicious minerality which prevented cloying. Mozart compared to Vollenweider's Brahms. Brilliant wines!

I did not mean to imply Zilliken's wines were cloying. The acidity in his 05s is brilliant - for some palates even too brilliant. The issue is here more one of concentration. The wines are so dense that my palate waves the white flag after two sips from LGA upwards. Mozart maybe, but in a rather intense mood.

Peter

For one thing, the growing seasons of 03 and 05 have no similarity at all. there was no drought or heat stress in 05 at all in MSR. The summer was rather fairly cool and wet

Great to hear, I really do look forward to these wines.

And different from Anjou (another of my favorite places) where the drought conditions in 05 did remind one of 03.

The 2005 Vollenweider spatlese has finally made it to MA and I picked up a case today. Been looking forward to this! Thanks for the heads up

[David M. Bueker]

My Vollenweider 2005s remain hostage in MA. I need to get to them somehow.