WTN: 2001 Schloss Schönborn, Erbacher Marcobrunn, Spatlese

2001 Schloss Schönborn, Erbacher Marcobrunn, Spatlese (Rheingau), 9%, #016 02

Shimmering light golden color. Fuller bodied with somewhat muted yellow stone fruit flavors along with lime and green apples. A touch of minerals. Not showing much acidity. Touch of bitterness on the follow. The wine was OK, but nothing remotely special. It lacked focus and precision and left me thinking "so what".

Perhaps I should have waited a few years to open this?

Redwinger

2001 Schloss Schönborn, Erbacher Marcobrunn, Spatlese (Rheingau), 9%, #016 02

Shimmering light golden color. Fuller bodied with somewhat muted yellow stone fruit flavors along with lime and green apples. A touch of minerals. Not showing much acidity. Touch of bitterness on the follow. The wine was OK, but nothing remotely special. It lacked focus and precision and left me thinking "so what".

Perhaps I should have waited a few years to open this?

Redwinger

When I used to drink a lot of German QmP this was one of my favourites but the last one I had was the 1970 many years ago - although it would probably still be fine.

However I doubt that its age would provide such a negative experience since IMO one of the key things about these wines is that they taste great [quite different but still great] at almost anytime in their usually very long lives.

If it's a wine you know and usually like could it just have been an off bottle? I somehow doubt that a few more years would provide an enormously different 'liking' for it although a lot more years would usually have changed the flavour profile considerably.

Nigel-
Perhaps my note came across as a bit more negative than I intended. I don't think it was flawed and it was quite serviceable all in all. I was hoping for something just a a bit more interesting/exciting...that's all.
Bill

I have fallen in love with some past Erbacher Marcobrunn from Schloss Schonborn. Not sure I've ever had the 2001. Generally it is one of my favorites from that region.

I have fallen in love with some past Erbacher Marcobrunn from Schloss Schonborn. Not sure I've ever had the 2001. Generally it is one of my favorites from that region.

I too can relish the thoughts of some excellent (past) EM`s from SS!

[David M. Bueker]

Schonborn is one of those formerly great Rheingau estates that has fallen on hard times and not quite made it back. There are occasional glimpses of what used to be but not many.

Schonborn is one of those formerly great Rheingau estates that has fallen on hard times and not quite made it back. There are occasional glimpses of what used to be but not many.

Interesting to know: the few basic '01s we saw certainly were not glimpses of what used to be, so I haven't tried any since. Have you tried the basic '06s? IIRC, I just saw some of them - worth trying?

-O

[David M. Bueker]

I am not wasting money on Schonborn until I am certain of a true revival.

I'm inclined to stick up for such an historic estate as Schloss Schönborn, but I can't. The wines really aren't exciting. It's a shame because they own (probably) the very best parcels of the Marcobrunn, one of the 'gau and Germany's great sites. Is anything worse than wasted talent? BUT, surely the Estate has seen worse (and longer) stretches of mediocrity in its 650 year history.

Cheers,
Bill