Some thoughts on Mosel-Saar-Ruwer 2007

Anders, Thanks for your assessment, which are quite close to mine. Three quick comments:

Egon Müller Scharzhofberger AUslese GK is an auction bottling (that will be hammered this Autumn)

You write Erste Gewächs but it really means Erste Lage, which is a different concept to Erstes Gewächs / Grosses Gewächs... Germans like to make things complex ...

Anders, Thanks for your assessment, which are quite close to mine. Three quick comments:

Egon Müller Scharzhofberger AUslese GK is an auction bottling (that will be hammered this Autumn)

You write Erste Gewächs but it really means Erste Lage, which is a different concept to Erstes Gewächs / Grosses Gewächs... Germans like to make things complex ...

Thanks for the clarification and correction, Jean. I should have checked the different uses of "first growth" in Germany better. Erstes Gewächs is only used in the Rheingau, right? And in the other regions it is Grosses Gewächs. I've tried to learn this, but due to the lack of logics, I seem to forget it again...
Are not all the GKs auction wines? For instance the one Zilliken had at the tasting?

Cheers,
Anders

Rahsaan, I just noted that I need to correct my note. It refers to the 2006 Auslese "Rothenpfad", not "Falkenlay". Sorry, I'll correct it in my note above. Let us know what you find tomorrow. At least I think we could agree that he is a rather eccentric guy? But then, who isn't...?/A

The wines on display today were similar to what you describe, heavy, dry BAs.. The 06 Felsterasse and the 07 Pündericher Marienberg Spätlese and Auslese. The 06 vom Roten Schiefer on the other hand was a well-balanced gem, and apparently the 07 is still fermenting.

Thanks for the clarification and correction, Jean. I should have checked the different uses of "first growth" in Germany better. Erstes Gewächs is only used in the Rheingau, right? And in the other regions it is Grosses Gewächs. I've tried to learn this, but due to the lack of logics, I seem to forget it again...
Are not all the GKs auction wines? For instance the one Zilliken had at the tasting?

Erstes Gewächs is indeed only used in Rheingau - in fact, it is written in the law and hence it can't be changed to Grosses Gewächs that easily. Erste Lage is another concept which relates to vineyards and not to style. Estates using the 1ste Lage system commit themselves to only produces dry GG or off-dry Prädikat wines (which are not GGs) from these vineyards. There is still a little battle between the VDP and the MSR regional organisation on whether Kabinett bottlings from 1ste Lage vineyards shoud be allowed. National VDP is against and part of Grosser Ring is resisting: Theo Haart has a pleasure to always show a Goldtröpfchen Kabinett at the big opening tasting of GG in Berlin in September.

TO your other point on GK: not all the GKs go to the auctions. The Zilliken GK that you tasted is undoubtedly the AP3 and this will go in the regular sale. There will be on top an Auction GK (AP2) and, I think he made his mind up, an Auction lGK (AP1). JJ Prüm produces every vintage regular and auction GK bottlings, only to be differentiated by the AP number (and the white round sticker on the auction bottling). However, in principle, Egon Müller only brings GK bottlings to the auction (be it from the Scharzhofberger or the braune Kupp). Only exception was 2005, where he brought a Scharzhofberger GK on the regular market (because he had 5000l of it!) and a lGK to the Auction.

Hope my attempts at explanations don't confuse more than it helps

[
Hope my attempts at explanations don't confuse more than it helps

Quite on the contrary, Jean! Most helpful and interesting. As you said: "Germans like to make things complex"...
Cheers, /A

[David M. Bueker]

As you said: "Germans like to make things complex"...

And then tell us that they are doing it to "simplify" things for the consumer.