WTN: Silvanerzeit - old guard (Ruck) + new guard (Leipold's)

2023 Leipold’s Sylvaner Gässberg and 2023 Leipold’s Schilfsandstein Silvaner Trocken. I’ve seen people describe the Gässberg as the more linear wine but that’s not how these two bottles showed at this young state. Both delicious in their own way, but the Gässberg was plumper plusher and layered. The Schilfsandstein was more angular and compact, crunchy and rocky, although it really blossomed over two days as it grew in breadth. Both very nice wines with that bright herbal silvaner character, in powerful yet elegant interpretations.

2018 and 2019 Johann Ruck Iphöfer Julius-Echter-Berg Silvaner GG show the more precise, delicate and herbal bite side of silvaner, which is also fun to drink. The 2019 shows much more green grapey fruits that feel young, and which go very well with dinner. But the 2018 may have been more enjoyable for me now, with zesty golden flavors that are in a very good place to play off the tense mineral linear structure.

All good wines, new guard and old, just a matter of taste and occasion.

Is Ruck well known? The only Iphofer Julius-Echter-Berg wines I've ever seen I think are Wirsching. Not a lot of Franken on NY shelves, But all three sound interesting.

Is Ruck well known? The only Iphofer Julius-Echter-Berg wines I've ever seen I think are Wirsching...

Leipold's is now imported to the US by vom Boden, and pretty available at usual suspect locations in Nyc, but the old school names are indeed hard to find.

Wirsching is a big old school name in Iphofen, and of course the juggernaut Juliusspital. Ruck is another big old school Iphofen name, although nowhere near the commercial scale/size of the other two. (Juliusspital is 1 million + bottles a year, Wirsching roughly 500K and Ruck around 80K).

And I'm no expert, but JEB is the flagship vineyard for Iphofen, overlooking the village, very scenic, lots of label status, although I don't know the nuances of which parcels are better/different!

I like to take advantage and drink these wines in Germany. But I must admit that I don't love silvaner. It has its place and I like it, but not enough flavor for me to drink too often. Similar reason I rarely get around to Muscadet.

[David M. Bueker]

I like Silvaner. I just don’t like it enough to pursue it.

I like Silvaner. I just don’t like it enough to pursue it.

My feelings exactly. Actually my favorite Silvaner is probably Italian (KuenHof). But I don't go looking for it

[David M. Bueker]

Mine is Dirler-Cade, but now that I am no longer buying the wines (retirement cutbacks) I don’t really miss it. I would rather drink their Riesling anyway.

Interesting. I can't say I've drunk widely enough to have a 'favorite' silvaner, but will keep my eyes open for non-German versions on restaurant menus (where I'm more likely to purchase, easier simpler food wines).

Silvaner has a place in my heart (and cellar) mostly because it fits the bill of unoaked, crisp, minerally white with moderate ABV. In this it joins Muscadet and Weissburgunder/PB as whites that both Jean and I enjoy, along with SB, GV and Albariño. One of my favorite Silvaners is from Weltner in Rodelsee, which Lyle brings in.

Silvaner has a place in my heart (and cellar) mostly because it fits the bill of unoaked, crisp, minerally white with moderate ABV. In this it joins Muscadet and Weissburgunder/PB as whites that both Jean and I enjoy, along with SB, GV and Albariño...

Ha! At least our analysis is consistent, if the interpretations are different. That is pretty much a list of grapes that I find enjoyable but not 'interesting' enough to purchase in quantity. Although GV would be most likely to break out and contend with my favorites (riesling, chenin, white Burg).