Rainy Saturday, no problem. On my way to Dee Vine’s warehouse to escape the football crowds and submerge myself among the riesling throngs..
2004 Solter Spätburgunder Brut Sekt Rosé
A pleasant enough way to start off the affair, with chalky pale fruit and decent body, although I don’t need to buy this kind of thing..
NV Dehours Champagne Grande Réserve Extra-Brut
Very austere, astringent, pale, but without the energy or electricity of the Terre de Vertus (for example) that is a more winning example of the style (IMHO).
2004 Staatsweingut Assmannshäuser Höllenberg Spätburgunder Spätlese
Others were oohing and aahing over this wine, but I think they were being a bit (self consciously) excessive. It is nice, firm without being too stern, and ripe without being blowsy, but at the end of the day it doesn’t make me want to drink more.
2001 Lignier-Michelot Chambolle-Musigny
This is drinking well, open for business, friendly fruit, but not the most complex, and I would probably put my $42 plus tax (on sale) elsewhere.
Finally getting to riesling, there was a trio of 2006 Schloss Schönborn kabinetts. The Erbacher Marcobrunn was the weakest to my tastes, a bit round and dull for my preferences, showing the difficulties of the year. The Hattenheimer Nussbrunnen had nice fruit with better definition, and was probably drinking the best, to my tastes, although the Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg had the most glorious fruit (beyond kabinett), with the acid structure just a bit buried at the moment, but perhaps to emerge in the future?
The 2006 Wegeler Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett was another strange breed of kabinett, with some slatey slush and then those broad broad 2006 shoulders and lack of precision. Similarly, the 2006 Müller-Catoir Mussbacher Eselshaut Kabinett had some seriously tropical flavors on the nose and the palate, but then finished drier, austere, and slightly bitter. Weird. Any idea why that might be?
The spätleses and up had an easier time appearing balanced, and the 2006 Schloss Schönborn Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Spätlese was broad and rich yet more comfortable with its girth than the kabinetts. Although, I preferred the 2006 Wegeler Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese because it was firmer and more poised. Perhaps this would have been a candidate for purchase, but I was preoccupied with other things.
Of course everyone loved the 2006 Wegeler Bernkasteler Doctor Spätlese, rich, oily, layered. On my first taste I was not convinced, but returning for subsequent pours it seemed to have a nice poise that could bode well for the future, although I will not be buying any to find out.
The 2006 Müller-Catoir Haardter Herrenletten Spätlese was another weird wine, tropical and spicy, yet much more restrained on the palate and with the bitter astringent finish. What’s up with that?
Getting into auslese was even more of a crowd-pleasing endeavor, and the 2006 Schloss Schönborn Erbacher Marcobrunn Auslese was an unrepentant extrovert. Creamy and rich, maybe lacking a bit of the sparkle my MSR-loving self might like, but this was still a ball of pleasure for the moment. The 2006 Schloss Schönborn Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Auslese **** was also a flattering wine, plenty thick and plenty rich, but more complete and refined than the EM, and not quite as extroverted at the moment. Solid.
The 2006 Müller-Catoir Gimmeldinger-Schlössel Rieslaner Auslese was easy to like for many people, sweet and juicy, although the leafy funky notes were distracting for me, but perhaps I need to drink more rieslaner.
I was much happier with the 2006 von Hövel Scharzhofberger Auslese, which was my favorite wine of the day. Very open for business and very comfortable to drink, slinky, loose, and so ethereally light and delicate, literally floating across the palate like cloudjuice. Fun.
2006 Wegeler Bernkasteler Doctor Auslese was another big crowd pleaser, and another big ripe wine. Although I thought the spätlese showed better today.
Everyone loved the 1997 Gunderloch Nackenheimer Rothenberg Auslese as it was really in a great place, still lots of juicy creamy fruits at the core, but starting to pick up petrol and a mature texture, great balance and tension. A real pleasure to drink. Less so was the 1997 von Kesselstatt Scharzhofberger Auslese where the fruit was sour, hard, and compact/thin. Tough to drink.
But, there was plenty, and I left sated.
. The 2007 vintage promises better results -we might actually see TRUE Kabinett in '07 (and other prädikat levels) from what I've heard. On the upside, the Mittelrhein wines I've tried have been spectacular in 2006.