WTN: 2 good Trocken Rieslings & Mastroberardino Taurasi

I once got to try the Radici 2003 which I thought an otherwise nice Aglianico, except for showing much warm year character. So I was happy to see a cooler year become available here. I was a bit surprised to see a touch of oak, because I didn't remember that with the '03 and when I years ago asked for recommendations for Aglianico, I was told this bottling was of a more traditional style! Oh well, it was still very enjoyable (but it could have been much more without the oak!). With Aglianico being reminiscent of Nebbiolo, it worked well with my take on a classic dish, beef braised in a Nebbiolo costing far less than Barolo:

• 2004 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici - Italy, Campania, Taurasi (8/29/2008)
  14,5% abv; 29,40€. A bit worrisome at first since I got a toffeed whiff of barrique. Sweet red berries, tar, dried flowers, a bit dusty and volatile (both in very pleasing amounts, though). Quite full bodied but very lively palate - it really dances on the tongue. It has plenty of tannins and quite a bit of acidity, too, so despite the slight sweet touch of red berries, this certainly (and gladly) is no fruit-forward wine. Long, savoury aftertaste. Despite the slight toffeed scent, this is not an offensively modern wine, but I still feel it would be better without that scent. Very young.

Sometimes Trockens do work, though I still prefer Kab-Spät-Aus with sugar in them. With some old Gouda for dessert these worked fine:

• 2005 Emrich-Schönleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Großes Gewächs - Germany, Nahe (8/29/2008)
  13% abv; 9g/l RS; 6,7g/l acidity; 44,60€. The nose has grapefruit, red berries and lots of minerals. Full bodied; good grip and very decent acidity for a warm year. It has a very charming grapefruit and quinine bitterness coupled with ripe and pure Riesling fruit. Very good.
• 2005 Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz Siebeldinger Im Sonnenschein Riesling Spätlese trocken - Germany, Pfalz (8/29/2008)
  A.P. 5 069 105 019 06; 40,50€; 13% abv; 7g/l RS, 6,2g/l acidity. Even upon opening the nose was quite lovely: lots of ripe Riesling fruit, very pure, very mineral, with a bit of quinine-bitterness. Full body, dry but not at all austere, lovely ripe fruit, moderate acidity and fair grip - moderately long. A nice wine (but overpriced here).

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