It was a beautiful day back in the Bay Area, sunny, pleasant, cool enough for a turtleneck and bright enough for sunglasses. Perfect for heading over to a tasting of the 2007 Germans at Dee Vine Wines in San Francisco.
My impressions on the particular wines were fleeting, but are included below. Additional observations:
1. I loved the Kabinetts. Everything about them was lovely and though I could drink them right now (and will try not to), they seem like burning just a bit more of the fat off will make these delicious accompanying wines for a meal. This is the most impressive experience I've had with Kabinetts in my oh-so-short experience with German wines.
2. I've got to get more into the Nahe. I never visited there while living in Germany, but I repeatedly have stunning examples from that region.
3. For 2007 at least, Middle Mosel wines I've had don't catch my fancy as much as wines from other regions--at least while young. An important caveat, as the Middle Mosel wines I've had with a bit of age on them (very limited in number) have been incredible.
4. I love half bottles. They had a few half bottles of Spätlese and Auslese wines, which are perfect purchases for me (less than stellar storing conditions combined with residential instability means I prefer wines aging somewhat faster, even if with less complexity). I only wish half bottles were more available for the Kabinett and simple everyday wines--I'd be able to try more wines!
Onto the wines . . .
Upon arriving, it was a sekt to prime my palate, the 2001 Solter Rheingau Riesling Brut Sekt was yeasty on the nose and frothy and green in my mouth, soft and approachable, but for less than $36, not tempting. I wasn't impressed at all with the 2007 Fritz Haag Estate Riesling Qualitätswein (Middle Mosel), the nose was pretty simple and though it had a bit of welcome zip upfront, the simple honeyed taste was very meh for me. But at least it cleared my palate for the more substantial 2007 Emrich-Schönleber Monziger Kabinett (Nahe) which had a lively floral and savory nose and was rich (think kiwi) but very refreshing, even though the acid was pretty light. One of those wines that kind of reminds me what a soft drink/soda should taste like. According to the DVW pourer, this Kabinett was a combo of grapes from the Frühlingsplätzchen and Halenberg vineyards--though Emrich-Schönleber usually reserves the Halenberg grapes for use in Spätlese wines. $30 is serious cash for a Kabinett for me, but this wine impressed. Then it was back to the Mosel for the 2007 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett (Middle Mosel) which had a dollop more acid than the Emrich-Schönleber Kabinett which it needed to balance out its peachy richness, very nice stuff, but at less than $29, I can't buy everything, so I passed. The last of the Kabinett wines was the 2007 Erben von Buelwitz Kaseler Nies'chen Riesling Kabinett (Ruwer). A neighbor of von Schubert Maximin Grünhaus in the Ruwer, I don't remember encountering this producer before, but on this day they impressed me quite a bit as a very well-priced source of Ruwer wines, which I am also developing a hankering for. This particular wine had a light touch on the nose, a touch of acid upfront and then very fun lemony and tropical elements. A fun wine, and for $19, a really good deal.
Onto the Spätlese wines, which were, in general, a bit more fatty and overpoweringly rich at this stage for me, so harder to read. First up was the 2007 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Spätlese (Middle Mosel), which I liked quite a bit, it was direct and pointed, yet rounded out in my mouth, then sharpened again for the finish. Still there was a whole lot of incredibly rich peachiness that was a bit much right now. Liked but did not love for less than $33. The 2007 Emrich-Schönleber Monzinger Frühlingsplätzchen Riesling Spätlese (Nahe) was the first wine that wowed me with a rich, complex and interesting nose and then a buttery/silky/slithery mouthfeel with a bit of rocky grainyness, nice stuff and sophisticated for less than $44. The 2007 Erben von Beulwitz Kaseler Nies'chen Riesling Spätlese Alte Reben (Ruwer) had a beautiful nose of stone and cement, but was a touch too caramelly for me in the mouth, drinkable, but not exciting for me right now at $25 (but still, what a price, comparatively typing). I was very taken with the 2007 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese (Middle Mosel) with a more cheesy, yet reserved nose and taste hinting richness rather than laying it on thick, feels light yet has a substantial structure and a beautiful fade on the finish, yum for less than $40. Very different was the 2007 Emrich-Schönleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Spätlese (Nahe) which was more like a very rich, very substantial lemony dessert, it flowed well and it would be interested to revisit this one, but at less than $50, I probably won't. The first Rheingau of the tasting moved things into the soft, seductive and sensual with the 2007 Prinz Hallgartener Jungfer Riesling Spätlese (Rheingau) with an explosive, interesting nose and delicate lemon meringue in the mouth, mighty interesting and for a half bottle available for less than $21, a good chance to experiment. Finally the 2007 Schmitges Erdener Prälat Riesling Spätlese Old Vines ** (Middle Mosel) was a much higher octane approach to my nose, more pointed and tasting flatter and broader than the others, but still with a nice touch of acid, rich strawberry here and lots of fun--seemed like a substantial dessert to me for $36.
Continuing with the Mosel, the first Auslese was the 2007 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Auslese (Middle Mosel) which introduced a more flowery and ethereal nose, and the taste reminded me of soft slithery honeybees, whatever that means, less than $43. The Ruwer impressed yet again with the 2007 Erben von Beulwitz Kaseler Nies'chen Riesling Auslese Alte Reben (Ruwer) with very appealing honey and cheese nose and then BAM acid on the palate and rich delicacies, yum, what a food wine here, less than $37 for a half, or less than $57 full. Back to the Mosel for the 2007 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese #10 (Middle Mosel) which had a very wafting nose and a quick fading acid followed by rich butter--this thing is too parching for me and makes me yearn for something refreshing to drink, less than $33 half or $55 full. Again from the Mosel is the 2007 Schmitges Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese (Middle Mosel) which had wonderful dollops of well-bound acid and something like cement drying (though I would not call it mineral), much more pleasing finish than the previous Fritz Haag.
By this point, folks had opened (but not quite fully chilled) a bottle of the 2004 Solter Deutscher Spätburgunder Rosé Sekt which was delicate and nice, but showing its alcohol quite a bit (hard to say as it wasn't really cold), but I loved it spicyness and fruit, and for less than $19, much more doable than the 2001 Riesling Sekt, but not enough to excite me.
Then onto the 1998 Schlossgut Diel Dorsheimer Burgberg Riesling Spätlese Goldkapsel Auction (Nahe) which had that wonderful hard-to-describe aged Riesling smell combined with rich seductive spicy notes, but though it was very soft in the mouth, still overly rich for me. The 1997 Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothenberg Riesling Auslese (Rheinhessen) had a bit of stinky sulfur, but made me think of savory chicken with spices--mouthwatering. This wine was rich and thick, yet not, and a fantastic fading lovely finish--I could enjoy much more of this. But taking the cake for my preferences was the 1994 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Beerenauslese (Middle Mosel) which had depth and depth on the nose and tasted rich and delicate, combining a wonderful spicy fruit pie with piping hot pecan pie, eminently drinkable and shockingly good. If this is what Mosel can do over the long haul, it is worth the wait. An instructive finish.
Bonus Coffee Tasting Note! As I type these up at Peet's, here's my tasting note for Peet's Fair Trade Blend: smell cherries, fruity, soft nose, mouthfeel is smooth and quite juicy, taste soft and sweet, juicy cherries with just a bit of dirt, very darkly roasted, which was overpowering when the coffee was hot, but now that the coffee is lukewarm, is actually very pleasant, a nice cup of joe, if a bit less earthy (and chocolatey) than my usual preference, for juicy/fruity coffee, this is very likable. From producer: Fair Trade Blend has the distinctive tang and clean character of Central American coffees – smoothed by fuller-bodied coffees from chapters in Indonesia, then pointed up and finished in the Peet’s roast.
Edited those pesky umlauts.
