WTN: My Rheingau's too big for my salad

Betsy made a so-called "Chinese chicken salad" (poached breast over red cabbage and soba with a peanut butter/ginger/garlic sauce- not authentic, but tasty). I went to cellar looking for a leaner MSR kabinett, somehow came upstairs with the 2005 August Kesseler Rudesheimer Berg Schlossberg Spatlese (Rheingau). OK, I know - '05, Rheingau, Spatlese - a formula for heavier style. But a review on store site I looked up when I was given bottle (thanks John Dawson!) had called it lean for vintage. Review was wrong. This is a big Riesling. Spiced peaches, some apricot, lime. Acidity keeps it from being overbearing, but plenty of sweetness here. There's a little vanilla/white chocolate note for a second that makes me wonder could this actually see oak, but it fades away quickly. A very tasty wine, though too big for this dish. If I had more I'd let sleep 5+ years, and then serve with truly spicy food.B+

A couple notes re identification. When I was given this, I looked on CT. They didn't list this vintage of the regular RBS Spatlese, only the Goldkap. Well, this has an off-gold capsule (a little orangey), but I think it's the regular. I'd call it batch #7, as AP ends with 007 06 (I thought about just listing full AP and titling note "James Bond Riesling", but figured Bueker was probably only one who pay enough attention to get it).

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

I can imagine this wine was almost too big for anything. But, I'm sure it was fun.

Faced with choosing wine from a very limited list on Saturday, I settled on the 06 Vollrads Castle Label for my own bit of Rheingau exploration. Normally I find Rheingau wines a touch too much for my tastes, but something about this wine screamed low level, crisp, and tart. I was actually dining with a table full of Germans who were all instinctively opposed to riesling ('too sweet!') but I convinced them that wouldn't be the case and indeed the Castle Label was crisp tart and decent as expected. We were dining in a Vietnamese restaurant and the food had some relatively-aggressive spicing that actually drowned out the wine for a while.

I think this would have been ok (or ok as anything is) with a truly spicy dish- Szechuan, Thai with a lot of bird chiles, etc. But this only had a little cayenne in the dressing.

OK, so I posted this on Usenet, and someone asked me what the hell were spiced peaches. Clearly not someone with a Southern grandmother. My grandmothers (maternal in Georgia, paternal in Alabama) both used to "put up" (can) peaches. We'd often take back a couple cases of mason jars - fruits, beans, chow chow, pickles. Plus sometimes a half a steer (my granddad furnished animal, dad paid for butchering, split). It was a very crowded station wagon.
A quick google found recipes, here's one:
http://www.pickyourown.org/peaches_spiced.htm

I think this would have been ok (or ok as anything is) with a truly spicy dish- Szechuan, Thai with a lot of bird chiles, etc.

Really?

Once the food gets really spicy I find my appreciation of wine and its nuances diminishes considerably.

I enjoy these Kesseler wines on their own. Or maybe with snacks while chatting, either before or after dinner (it's always the right time for riesling!).

[David M. Bueker]

I think you may have a goldkap. Kesseler typically uses green/black capsules for normal bottlings. I'll check.

We'd often take back a couple cases of mason jars - fruits, beans, chow chow, pickles. Plus sometimes a half a steer (my granddad furnished animal, dad paid for butchering, split). It was a very crowded station wagon.

That's a nice image Dale. I'm picturing a 1956 Ford Wagon with faux wood siding and half a cow strapped to the roof, but I suppose it was all cut up and iced down in one of those old metal coolers, eh?

David,
I'd appreciate any info. Zachys has it listed w/o GK, I'll tell John if you find out it is.

Bob,
I think a mid60s dark blue "Chevy II" (Nova) for a while, then as we got bigger Buick. At least one had the rear facing 3rd seat, where we'd sit surrounded with cheap polystyrene coolers filled with meat and dry ice (kind of a late 60s/early 70s airbag). Imagine if we were in an accident- raw meat, blood, smoke even if no one hurt.

Bob,
I think a mid60s dark blue "Chevy II" (Nova) for a while, then as we got bigger Buick. At least one had the rear facing 3rd seat, where we'd sit surrounded with cheap polystyrene coolers filled with meat and dry ice (kind of a late 60s/early 70s airbag). Imagine if we were in an accident- raw meat, blood, smoke even if no one hurt.

Nowhere near as romantic as I had thought...but life rarely is. Sounds a little hellish to me. How many kids?

2 kids. Memories don't seem hellish, but in actuality we were probably saying "when are we going to get home" for 300 miles.

It seems this is a GK. Someone posted on AFW:
The AP 2201600706 is the Goldkapsel Spätlese...
Wein-plus.de says (roughly translated): Fine Peach-Abricot bouquet with a filigree of herbs and spices. Lean, very sweet fruit, clear. again slight herbal notes, fine acidity, has got liveliness, minerals in background, not overwhelmingly deep, good end. 85pts (=excellent)

I think Wein-plus and I have differing opinions on what lean is! WS is on their side, calling it sleek for vintage.

PS I should add I did like this better as an apertif last night while Betsy was cooking

I think a mid60s dark blue "Chevy II" (Nova) for a while, then as we got bigger Buick. At least one had the rear facing 3rd seat, where we'd sit surrounded with cheap polystyrene coolers filled with meat and dry ice (kind of a late 60s/early 70s airbag).

Ah, the rear-facing seat! Such memories! I'd love to see a station wagon revival...