Yesterday it was time to drink some Riesling.
Kloster Eberbach Rauenthaler Baiken Riesling Spätlese 2003
Very soft and ripe. Would need more acidity.
Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Reisling Spätlese 2003
Also soft and very ripe but it does have better acidity than the Eberbach. And it still seems quite primary, so I guess it has a long life ahead. But I do like more energy in my Riesling. This seems so gentle.
Dopff Riesling GC Schoenenburg 2008
Corked.
Jurtschisch Riesling Zöbinger Heiligenstein 2010
It has some pear-like scents that made me think of cool fermentation; dry, fruity and powerful. Perfectly adequate but not perhaps hugely exciting.
Hirtzberger Riesling Singerriedel 2006
My FSM this is huge! Super-ripe fruit, quite tropical; lowish acidity (or then it is just swamped by such levels of sweet, ripe fruit that it doesn't taste much), huge, alcoholic, hot, huge, persistent and huge. Huge. Impressive, but too huge.
Prager Riesling Wachstum Bodestein 2008
Now here we have a Riesling! Spicy nose; dry, powerful, high acidity and persistent. This is the type of Austrian Riesling I really like.
Schmelz Riesling Smaragd Dürnsteiner 2011
Smells spicy and peppery and really more like GV than a Riesling. Very weighty and a bit hot, but it does have clean fruit and proper acidity. Had it not come after the pretty much perfect Prager I would probably have enjoyed it more.
After these youthful indiscretions, it was time to drink some antiques from Weingut Osberger from Kremstal, Austria.
1930 Riesling Kabinett
Very weird. It didn't smell of wine, but of Sake! Dry and acidic. Pretty dead.
1931 Riesling Auslese
Clear, orange colour. Lovely aromas of orange pee and honey; fresh, acidic, lively, full-bodied palate - obviously old and with plenty of oxidative elements, but this was still a lovely wine. But it was more an old wine than an old Riesling.
1933 Riesling Spätlese
Honey, lime and something really weird like toothpaste. Refreshing and quite lively and once I got used to that spearmint toothpaste sensation I ended up quite enjoying it.
1937 Riesling Spätlese
It smells of soap, nettles and piss. Astringent. Not really my thing.
1942 Riesling Kabinett
Orange in colour; orange peel in aromas; orange marmalade minus any hint of sweetness on the palate. Lovely but very dry and forceful now so some fat on the plate helps. This is the only one of these antiques that really seemed obviously like old Riesling to me instead of old wine generically.
1943 Riesling Kabinett
Brown and dead.
1946 Riesling Auslese
Root vegetables. Super intense, earthy roots. It was a bit too much and I couldn't drink it. Though I have no idea what could cause such an intense rooty sensation in a wine.
1964 Riesling Spätlese
Corked.