Tasting Dr L Riesling over on Netscape, Wine of the Month!!

Having just revisited the `04 Dr L Riesling the other week, imagine my surprise when I found the new `05 vintage up here in lumberjack country! And just as Robin announces the new format and the WOTM.
I am quite keen to get the ball rolling here so-to-speak and I look forward to comments and impressions. Always remember that one persons palate can be a lot different from someone elses, so here are my impressions of the newest vintage opened last night(food was ginger chicken breast with riz pilaff).

WTN: `05 Dr. Loosen Riesling QbA Dr. L---Middle Mosel, Germany.

Screw cap, 8.5% alc. AP Nr 2 907 805 0806.

Colour. Tiny bubbles in the glass, pale straw with very light brownish tinges. Nothing in the way of legs here, seems lively.

Nose. Fresh floral, pear, minerally/slate. Fellow taster thought "has nice delicacy and bouquet of flowers". After an hour, lots of peach over the pear and almost a sorbet quality. Nice!

Palate. My initial mouthfeel entry (ie my first impression) was frizzante and pear dominant.. Nice acid balance and a tangy lingering aftertaste. Obviously meant to be drunk young, refreshing and not flabby. The ripeness could appeal to a few here (I have a sweet tooth), fellow taster found "pear, peach, clean and fresh". I tried to figure out the tropical fruits, maybe pineapple and papaya?
I think this is a good wine to start off WOTM and new members will hopefully enjoy. Serve it nicely chilled but do not let the ice bucket take over, fruit will be killed!

*** after 24 hrs (vacu-vin seal), more citrus on the finish, not too racy still. Did not lose anything overnight!! The juicy pear is still there.

Cost was $ 17.00 Cdn.

[Robin Garr]

Thanks for the post, Bob. I've got the '05 here and will taste and post some time this week!

[James Roscoe]

Isn't $17 Cdn. alittle much for a simple Qba.? I will check the price at my BAWS and perhaps check it out against some of my other Qba's that I like at a lower price point. Can we post here?

[Robin Garr]

Isn't $17 Cdn. alittle much for a simple Qba.? I will check the price at my BAWS and perhaps check it out against some of my other Qba's that I like at a lower price point.

For what it's worth, I picked up the Dr L 2005 at Whole Foods Wine Shop here, which probably boasts the highest wine markups in our town, for $12.99. Looking on Wine-Searcher, wine.com has it for $13.99, which is not surprising, as Wine.com seems to set its prices at the very top of the range on almost everything it sells (I'd say there's a story in that), and it shows up at U.S. bricks-and-mortar retailers in a broad range of prices from $7-something to $13.

Can we post here?

"Wine of the Month" is still a work in progress, but its initial intent is that folks will be encouraged to post specifically on the month's topic wine in a separate folder on the Netscape forum, and to cross-post in this forum if they wish. Obviously there's no harm in starting a thread comparing it with other QbAs, or just to post WTNs about affordable QbAs. But it's probably going to be best to keep WOTM "pure" at least at the beginning, until we see how it works.

[James Roscoe]

I'll try to get to Netscape. I'm much more likely to try a Riesling than a Viognier. Although maybe I'll get over to Virginia and get a local bottle. I remember Horton doing an excellent Viognier.

WTN: 2005 “Dr. L” Riesling
Subdued nose with floral and citrus elements. Starts quite tangy with a feel of light carbonation. Definite ripe pear to the front, but nice green apple, and a bit of apricot/peach/something in the background. Crisp acidity makes it a very nice quaffer in my opinion. A solid match with some BBQ ribs, curry chicken and the ungodly humid weather. I do prefer the ’04 vintage of “Dr. L”, but at about $11 I wouldn’t exactly kick the ’05 out of the cellar as a house summer sipper.

BAWS

James, have you stolen my acronym for my Big Ass Wine Store?

[David M. Bueker]

FYI, the 2005 Dr. L is commonly available in Massachusetts for $9.99 and sometimes even less.

WTN: 2005 “Dr. L” Riesling
Subdued nose with floral and citrus elements. Starts quite tangy with a feel of light carbonation. Definite ripe pear to the front, but nice green apple, and a bit of apricot/peach/something in the background. Crisp acidity makes it a very nice quaffer in my opinion. A solid match with some BBQ ribs, curry chicken and the ungodly humid weather. I do prefer the ’04 vintage of “Dr. L”, but at about $11 I wouldn’t exactly kick the ’05 out of the cellar as a house summer sipper.

Good notes Sam. Pretty well on the same page with my impressions!!!! Can you or Robin cross post this on Netscape please?

[James Roscoe]

BAWS

James, have you stolen my acronym for my Big Ass Wine Store?

Yes, sue me!

Good notes Sam. Pretty well on the same page with my impressions!!!! Can you or Robin cross post this on Netscape please?

Bob, No problem. I posted the note in the WOTM folder. If you want to move it somewhere else please feel free to do so.

Yup, saw it. Great notes for the newbies we are trying to encourage! Whos up next!!!

Think I will retaste the `04 Dr L shortly!! Have a couple of Viogniers left for Wine Focus and thats it for this month.

[James Roscoe]

I went to my BAWS and searched for some Dr. L. and came up with zippo. They used to carry it. Now I'll have to schlep into DC or up to B'more to get it. It's not worth the trip. I got a couple of other cheap German rieslings I'm going to give a shot.

Yup, saw it. Great notes for the newbies we are trying to encourage! Whos up next!!!

I recently got both the '04 and '05 after SHMBO had a glass of Dr. L in a restaurant and liked it (year unknown). Like Sam. the '05 was $11 for me; the '04 was $14. I'll post notes as soon as we get a chance to open them.

Mark Lipton

Yes, sue me!


Nah, I won't sue you...if the description fits, use it.

I see a few notes about carbonation or frizzante in this wine. If anyone has any left (do this with a small amount in the bottom of the bottle), give it a really good shake to drive the bubbles out. Then re-taste.

On the last bottle I tried of this wine, we did this "experiment" and what was left was pretty bland and flabby.

Fortunately for the price of one of these, it's currently possible to pick up a spatlese or even Auslese from an ok (rather than inspiring) producer with about 10-15 years on it. I'm not sure if this is just in UK, but IMO worth keeping an eye out for bargains in aged german rieslings (I don't need to tell Otto this )

apologies for not tasting a more recent vintage - I might have a look to see if I can find a note from that tasting 2-3 years ago.

regards

Ian

[James Roscoe]

Yes, sue me!


Nah, I won't sue you...if the description fits, use it.

As you have noticed, I have not stopped using it. I just wish someone would open a decent wine shop within 20 mins. of my home. The BAWS is the best I have unless I make the run into DC. It's worth the trip about once every six to eight weeks.

Hi there Sam, am retasting the `04 after all the to and fro!! You know I quite like it and this one has more going for it than the newly released `05. Sure its not for everyone but a nice intro to Germany. Will post soon.

***wooooops, should have quoted Sam first I guess.

Hey Bob:

An interesting story - my wife and I had the luck to live in Germany about 10+ years ago in a town about 10KM from Dr Loosen's winery in Berkastel. At the time, I was more passionate about German beer than wine, but found myself slowly converting the longer I lived over there. I attribute the shift mainly to us spending more and more time down on the Mosel and frequenting what I didn't realize at the time - one of the most respected wineries in the world. I even dug through my pictures from last night and found several of them with Ernst (their head winemaster). At the time, I thought he was just a nice guy named "Ernst". Ah, to be young and foolish again ...

What fascinated me more about the place was how practical they were about the wine-making craft. I got to meet some of the team that produced wine, and the main impression I got out of them was that making good wine to them was a habit; they didn't overthink certain elements, and other best practices were just natural. I think because of that, you end up with a Reisling with flavors and experiences that can't rival ones produced in the U.S. Granted, Chateau Ste. Michelle produces a Dr L with grafts from over there with a decent presence, but it still can't hold up to the depth they produce it with over there in Berkastel.

Like Merlot and some other wines, I think Riesling gets a bad rap because it's somewhat a commoditized varietal, but if the naysayers had a chance to spend a month in the Mosel River Valley, they'd feel differently!

Now, where's my corkscrew? Ha ha ha ha.

DP

Welcome to the forum Don and thanks for this insight. The riesling grape is a very interesting one, I am a big fan of the wines from the land of Oz.
We have been tasting the Dr L Riesling this month over on Netscape but there have been some varied comments on this wine here!!! Its a good entry level wine, its not Schloss Schonborn or even close to a Rheingau from Weingut Johannishof!! Its a ten dollar bottle and excellent value, and the hot weather we are having right now calls for opening another bottle!!

Hello Bruce, here you go!!

Hello Bruce, here you go!!

Wow. Quite an impressive conversation going already.

FWIW: The 2005 Dr. L Riesling is selling for $13.95 here in Ontario.