WTN: Wirsching Wrocks and Grünhaus Flops

2014 Wirsching Julius-Echter-Berg Silvaner GG was a lovely lovely bottle of wine. Pure verdant juice, but not at all vegetal. Green in the best shimmering silvaner sense. Plus, it is so deep, with drive, persistence and minerality. Total package. And a perfect accompaniment to fish in sage butter cream sauce with spinach and potatoes. Also a welcome bottle because since arriving in Germany last week I've had so many crisp, decent but forgettable 2014s. This was not one of them. (Admittedly it was the first 2014 GG of the week, but still...)

And I'll say it again, people may criticize Wirsching for being the opposite of artisanal, but I still enjoy my experiences with certain bottlings. Call me a heathen if you like.

On the flip side, 2007 Grünhaus Abtsberg QbA Riesling trocken was golden hollow and dead. The last bottle in the cellar from the stash that we served at my wedding dinner in 2008. It was never great, but the fresh frisky fun of that first summer is gone. (And yes, I am only talking about the wine here!) Oh well.

And as far as the title goes, I'm clearly only referring to these two bottles. No blanket comparisons of the producers!

[David M. Bueker]

I like some Wirsching bottles as well. They also have the benefit of being available!

Too bad about the Grunhaus. Their regular QbA seems to be near to immortal.

Too bad about the Grunhaus. Their regular QbA seems to be near to immortal.

Yes, it was the (non-trocken) reputation that led me to keep waiting on this last bottle these past few years. We visit the in-laws (and their cellar) a few times per year at the most, and each time I would debate whether it was still too young to show what it could evolve into.

Of course I suppose one could always argue that this was an off-showing in some bizarre intermediary stage. Who knows. But it tasted pretty past-it to me!