Clemens Busch is in town staying with a friend of mine, who organized a nice dinner with various wine folk, in a scenic BedStuy basement, in honor of Clemens’ wines. Great occasion for me to meet Clemens, but also to taste a bunch of his wines together, as my previous exposure had always been scattershot and never gave me a good sense of things. Needless to say, this selection was very persuasive. Something else to add to the list!
We started with 2022 Pündericher Nonnengarten, which was so sweet and vivid. Clemens explained how the grapes were burned from the heat reflecting off stones in the vineyard, a very intense year. Long slow fermentation, 18 months on the lees. The richness was not my favorite style, but it was a fine way to get started.
The contrast with 2021 Marienburg "Fahrlay" GG could not have been more dramatic, such fresh minerality, those lovely herbal 2021 flavors, but still plenty of power. A strong composed wine that hits my notes.
2020 Marienburg "Fahrlay" Reserve was a different animal. Two years in barrel (28 months on lees), big and bold and lots of rich texture. Very impressive wine, although not my favorite for drinking in quantity.
Instead, I would reach for 2021 Marienburg "Falkenlay" GG where we have the lovely 2021 vintage character, but a bit more spice and body than the Fahrlay. Develops nicely with air and is only beginning. So good.
2020 Marienburg "Falkenlay" GG was another lovely wine, as was the 2019 Marienburg "Falkenlay" GG, both reflecting their vintages, as they should, with strength, power and cut. All good.
With 2018 Marienburg "Falkenlay" GG we come to what Clemens describes as ‘the perfect vintage’ in the vineyard. Clearly no problem with ripeness, as the increasing octane power was obvious, although the mineral structure remained present, so the through-line was clear. Probably not my favorite vintage on the table, but one would want to revisit everything with time.
At this point the crowd is getting ‘boisterous’ and 2021 Marienburg "Fahrlay-Terrassen" GG is tough to read. Interesting blend of zesty spicy flavors and a broader palate than the 2021 Fahrlay. Again, one would do well to return.
The 2019 Marienburg "Raffes" had many fans in the room, sparking much discussion about whether anyone could accurately pinpoint the extent of RS, and how Clemens was all the better for not needing the GG designation with that RS. It is certainly a unique expression and the combination of the rich honeyed flavors with the elegance and poise are certainly something to be admired.
But on the evening I was more excited about drinking the 2019 Marienburg "Rothenpfad" GG which was so elegant but also so layered, structured, yet fresh. A very nice wine that does many things, all of them well and all of them good, and all of them drinkable!
Now it was time to branch out. After debating ‘foreign’ wines, I stayed close to the theme with 2023 Kilburg Goldtröpfchen Trocken and 2023 Kilburg Ohligsberg Trocken, but these were tough to drink after the elegance, poise and depth of the Clemens Busch wines. Naturally the Goldtröpfchen was plenty rich and still young 2023 tropical in flavors, while the Ohlisberg had that cut my tongue loves, making one think about wind and minerals, while still showing the juicy young 2023 character. Nothing wrong with these wines but it was not their night to shine.
Robert too remained on-Mosel with the 1969 JJ Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr feine Auslese, which led to a short debate about whether the ‘umami’ flavors were TCA. Would be curious to see how it developed with more air, but it did show some lovely aged marmalade flavors alongside the savory ethereal aged character. I think the final verdict was not-corked, but also not-perfect. However, never let perfect be the enemy of the good. Because this was very good!
As was the 1996 JJ Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett which was still plenty fresh, and we all remarked how it would likely be difficult to identify the vintage if served blind. That said, there was some resolved aged character and this was deliciously easy to drink.
But no time to dally, it was a red wine nightcap brace, starting with 2021 Lignier Monthélie Sur la Velle that had some of us scratching our heads. So rich, deep, suave and seamless, I would have been hard-pressed to call this 2021 Côte de Beaune if served blind. Presumably this was the Lignier Effect. But don’t take any of this as a critique, it was absolutely delicious and I probably took too many pours for it being so late in the evening! (Which may explain why I still tasted its aromatic delights this morning…)
2022 Daniel Fries Pinot Noir “Vom Schiefer” was in a tough position – for me – coming after the Lignier. Crunchy Mosel pinot without the same depth (and of course without the same pricetag). Lots of (knowledgable) folks in the room were fans, so could revisit.
Someone didn’t get the red wine nightcap memo and opened 2023 Schloss Gobelsburg Zöbing Riesling, which was a bold zesty flavorful young slap in the face. Not a wine to contemplate, but a fine wine to drink and move us out into the night. This is my idea of an easy restaurant order when sitting with non-geeks (or geeks).
But that was it for the evening. I left a bottle unopened and a few others may have done the same, but that was fine, the mission was accomplished.