TN - MSR March Round-up

My humble tasting notes for highlights from March 2008. I am by no means an expert, only a faithful and dedicated fan. I included prices (USD in Oregon, USA) because I would like to know what others pay for similar wines here and abroad, and of course any other tasting notes on these wines.
Favorite QBA - 2005 Saarstein Riesling QBA $15.00 - my favorite, lots of citrus and melon with a punch of acid. Extra great quaffing.
Favorite Kabinett - 2002 Carl Schmitt-Wagner Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Kabinett $20.00 - Brilliant color, crisp light fruit that melts in your mouth.
Favorite Spatlese - 2005 Kesselstatt Josephshofer Spatlese $33.00 - Outstanding! Unique! - Golden clarity that coats the glass, Fat juicy peaches w/lemons and light spice and earth..the finish goes on and on.
Favorite Auslese - 2002 Dr. Wagner Ockfener Bockstein Auslese $33.00 - Bright brilliant light gold, fresh and spicy, with lots of citrus and melon that fill the mouth. This one stays on your palate forever.

Thanks
Michael

Sounds good, nice to hear about the 02 wines showing well.

Labels, just in case....

Michael

More labels

Favorite Auslese - 2002 Dr. Wagner Ockfener Bockstein Auslese $33.00

Who is the importer?

Nathan,

The importer for the 2002 Dr. Wagner Ockfener Bockstein Auslese is Ewald Moseler Selections - Portland, Oregon

Michael

Nathan,

The importer for the 2002 Dr. Wagner Ockfener Bockstein Auslese is Ewald Moseler Selections - Portland, Oregon

Michael

Yeah, I don't think I've seen either of those names [Dr Wagner or Ewald Moseler] back here on the East Coast.

Will keep an eye peeled for them, however.

BTW, it sounds like if you were to throw in some St Urbanshof and few others [Reinart, maybe?], then you could get a pretty nice horizontal out of that Bockstein vineyard.

[David M. Bueker]

Nathan,

Ewald Moseler is pretty much exclusive to the west coast. Dr. Wagner does show up in my neck of the woods through some local importers, so Moseler does not have an exclusive.

Nathan,
Sounds like a good project. I will collect a few more Ockfener Bocksteins this month, might have to go to Portland to find a few.
One of my favorite producers is Dr Fischer. We used to see it all the time here but not in the last 15 years. I have to order online to get their wines.
I like St.Urbans-hof. I have a couple of 2004 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Spatlese, (which are wonderful). I will try to find some from them. I see Kesselstatt alot here, but not the Reinhart. Any other suggestions?

Michael

Favorite Spatlese - 2005 Kesselstatt Josephshofer Spatlese $33.00 - Outstanding! Unique! - Golden clarity that coats the glass, Fat juicy peaches w/lemons and light spice and earth..the finish goes on and on.

Michael,
It is not hard to fall in love with the 2005's.
Cheers,
Sue

I will try to find some from them. I see Kesselstatt alot here, but not the Reinhart.

My bad - it looks like Reinert only has holdings across the river, in Ayler Koop.

But Wine-Searcher says that Zilliken & Dr Fischer both make wines from Ockfener Bockstein:

http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Ockfener+Bockstein/

Boy, the more I think about it, the more it seems like that could be a really fun tasting.

[David M. Bueker]

The Bockstein is a good but not great site. It has benefited greatly from the improved standard of winemaking over the last 15 years.

Unfortunately Dr. Fisher has not been part of that improved standard. Their wines have not kept up with the quality revolution.

David,
From your last post it sounds like Dr. Fischer has fallen out of favor? They are still with the Grosser Ring, my last bottles from 2002 and 2004 still have the Grosser Ring symbol. When I was in the restaurant business I was able to taste and buy 71's, 75's & 76's from Kabinett to Auslese, they were incredible wines! Have things changed? I have always felt that the wines from Ockfen were very different than the other great Saar sites.

Michael

[David M. Bueker]

I think the biggest thing is that things have not changed at Dr. Fisher while other estates have made leaps forward in overall quality. I still buy the occasional bottle (I have some '99 Wawerner Herrenberg Spatlese & '01 Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett in the cellar), but do not see the overall quality lvel to make them useful QPR.

David, your paragraph on Dr. Fischer is nicely put and exacty how I fell about the Estate as well. However, there is one flaw in my/our logic: if the old bottles are stunning (and they are!) AND if things haven't changed, we should be in for great bottles ...
Altough I think that "we" are right in our disgnostic, there is a nagging part in me that says that maybe Dr. Fischer suffers from the modern system (wines that need to be ready 3 months after fermentation): the Estate still makes wines in old casks and the traditional way.
What do you think?

[David M. Bueker]

David, your paragraph on Dr. Fischer is nicely put and exacty how I fell about the Estate as well. However, there is one flaw in my/our logic: if the old bottles are stunning (and they are!) AND if things haven't changed, we should be in for great bottles ...
Altough I think that "we" are right in our disgnostic, there is a nagging part in me that says that maybe Dr. Fischer suffers from the modern system (wines that need to be ready 3 months after fermentation): the Estate still makes wines in old casks and the traditional way.
What do you think?

That could be true. I've bought a few of their wines (see the two I listed above) on the blind recommendation of a close friend, and never been happy with their initial showing. That said, the '99 Wawerner Herrenberg Spatlese is delicious now. I'm about ready to pull the trigger on one of the '01 Bockstein Kabinetts.

I do think the estate went through a very rough patch in the '80s-mid '90s at least. I've had numerous '83, '85, '89, '90 and other releases that were just not good.

From that Egon Muller interview:

Q7: How would you compare the wines from Scharzhofberg with the well-known Ockfener Bockstein?

The wines are fairly similar. Both vineyards are not directly on the river, they’re on side valleys. Both are slate soils but the composition is slightly different. People like von Hovel, Zilliken or Wagner all have wines of a similar style and character. The differences are very subtle, you’d have to taste them to explain. These vineyards are not famous because they give you the highest must weights every year, but because they make very elegant wines.