These are the German Rieslings that I have had over the past month or so. No disappointments in this group.
2009 Maria Longen/Familie Rauen Thörnicher Ritsch Riesling Spätlese Feinherb Alte Reben
Maria Longen (whom I believe is the daughter of Josef Longen) is married to Harald Rauen, who is the winemaker. Together, they oversee the Weingut Familie Rauen. This comes from a parcel of 150-year-old ungrafted vines that belonged to the Longen family, and is labeled under Maria’s name. The only evidence of the Rauen connection on the bottle is the 'WFR' monogram on the capsule. Savio Soares is the importer.
From 500 ml bottle – strangely enough for a wine that isn’t sweet, it is only available in this format. Floral, lightly peppery, mineral nose. Full, rich, off-dry; round, with a crisp edge. Has a lot of extract, but keeps its balance well, and shows the characteristic finesse of a good Middle Mosel Riesling. Quite slaty, yeasty/doughy, with pear, tropical fruit, mint, and herbal flavors. Good overall length. Very good; I can easily see this improving for several years.
2009 Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Kabinett Erste Lage
Nose of sweet apples, mangoes, limestone, and yeast. The limestone/chalk aromas are interesting because I am well aware that this site is slate and “diabas”. Medium-bodied, concentrated, fleshy, lightly sweet, poised, silky, and extremely elegant. Really nice balance and acidity here, with a lightly crisp edge. Flavors of tropical fruits, Bartlett pears, and dark plums, along with light floral aromas, mesh seamlessly with chalky/slaty minerals to create something well beyond the sum of its aromatic parts. Shows impressive length for a Kabinett, with some marmalade notes on the finish. Young Kabinetts don’t get much better in my opinion.
2007 St. Urbans-Hof Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett
Nose is rather closed. Medium-bodied, elegant, well balanced, with good tension; slightly earthy, with some peach/plum flavors, and hints of spices. Should be really nice in a few years, but I’d personally hold off drinking it until then.
2007 Selbach-Oster Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese
Delicate slaty, fruity, slightly herbal nose. Full-bodied, round, layered, and concentrated, yet nicely balanced and focused. Lightly to moderately sweet, soft and fleshy, with a slightly crisp mineral edge. Currently in a fruit-dominated stage, with attractive cherry, tangerine, strawberry, pineapple, and Sprite flavors. Even so, its length might be its strongest point. Another excellent wine from Selbach-Oster.
2004 August Kesseler Lorcher Schloßberg Riesling Kabinett
Full-bodied, and moderately sweet, with some petrol on the nose, and apple, grapefruit, tropical fruit, and mineral notes. Well balanced, with good underlying acidity. This has slimmed down some since last year, and is showing a lot better now. Very good/excellent.
2002 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese
Stony nose. Full, round, lightly crisp, fresh, with good underlying acidity. Shows notes of cherries, limeade, minerals, and roses. Just starting to come into its own. Excellent.