Belated (mostly short) notes on the first of four 2005 German Riesling release tastings I attended last year, dating back to May 13th, 2006. Held at Boucherville in Zürich. Wines presented here not in the order tasted, but alphabetical. For simplicity’s sake these remain in the old, blurrier “adjectival” rating system some found more acceptable (cf. postscript if necessary).
Bassermann-Jordan Scheurebe Auslese 2005
7.5% alcohol. Pink grapefruit on the nose, golden sultanas, smooth, tasty, little depth, but then, it is a Scheurebe, who cares? Rating: Very good!
Bassermann-Jordan Riesling Auslese Deidesheimer Hohenmorgen 2005
8.5% alcohol. Softly tannic, softest possible rubber note, nicely minerally, fairly long, aromatic aftertaste, good subtlety. Rating: Very good!
Bassermann-Jordan Riesling Beerenauslese Deidesheimer Kieselberg 2005
7.5% alcohol. Gluey, not fresh enough, a bit light. Nice aromatic acidity, bitter note and minerality, fair body, quite long. Rating: Very good plus?
Bastgen Riesling Auslese Paulinshofberg 2005
Pretty, a bit steelier than most, the terroir expression is not particularly attractive. Rating: About very good (plus?)
Bastgen Riesling Beerenauslese Paulinshofberg 2005
Elegant, more blossoms, appley, red berries, clean and pure, crisp acids, tannic. Nice QPR. Rating: Very good!
Emrich-Schönleber Riesling Spätlese trocken Monzinger Frühlingsplätzchen 2005
Not too impressive mouthfeel, but pretty. Rating: About very good
Emrich-Schönleber Riesling QbA halbtrocken “Lenz” 2005
Nicely complete, faint raisins, good spice, minerals and acidity. Easier to interpret. Rating: Very good
Gunderloch Riesling Kabinett “Jean Baptiste” 2005
Medium-dry, not too fruity. Rating: Good!
Gunderloch Riesling Kabinett Nackenheim Rothenberg 2004
In a difficult rubbery phase, a bit medicinal on the nose, but fairly full-tasting on the palate. Rating: About very good?
Gunderloch Riesling Beerenauslese Nackenheim Rothenberg 2004
Picked at over 200° Oechsle, rather TBA-like, almost Tokaj-like breadiness of botrytis, quince and dried apricot, a very dried-fruity, dense and oily BA. Rating: About outstanding
Gunderloch Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Nackenheim Rothenberg 2004
Picked on January 28th, 2006! Drier and more medicinal botrytis, extremely dried-fruity TBA, dried apple among other, ironically fresher and more oxidative than the BA. Both wines lack individuality – it is hardly incidental that the style has turned superficial ever since wines have been fermented using cultured yeasts. Rating: About outstanding
Kerpen Riesling Spätlese trocken Alte Reben Wehlener Sonnenuhr 2005
13% alcohol. Well-concentrated and intense, smooth lemon, lime and basil, high and noticeable alcohol, which is never my favourite aspect of German dry Riesling, other than that no edges to be found, quite ripe acids, a little malic acid makes itself felt, too. Rating: Very good!
Kerpen Riesling Kabinett feinherb Graacher Himmelreich 2005
11% alcohol but still noticeable. More blackcurrant and smoke, quartz dust minerality, aromatic but not too ripe acidity, quite long. Rating: Very good
Kerpen Riesling Kabinett Wehlener Sonnenuhr 2005
Best on the floral nose, spring flowers and herbs, pretty enough, if a bit too expensive for what it is. Rating: About very good?
Kerpen Riesling Spätlese* Wehlener Sonnenuhr 2005
Fairly Auslese-like in ripeness and sweetness, fatter flowers, smooth and nicely candied, but ultimately a bit hollow in the middle, medium length. Rating: About very good
Kerpen Riesling Auslese** Wehlener Sonnenuhr 2005
Ripe acids, more vinosity, much longer. Nice candied blackcurrant and apple, fairly sweet, not an understatement bottling, though. Rating: Very good!
Kerpen Riesling Beerenauslese Graacher Domprobst 2005
I have had other Kerpen Bas before, but had not realised Kerpen ever makes wine so seriously concentrated and intense as this one. Wow! Picked at 190° Oechsle, this holds 300 g/l residual sugar and does not even come close to tasting overbearingly sweet, lovely overall integration. Gluey botrytis and dense white blossoms, candied balm mint, clean and pure, viscous, long. Fairly priced for what it is. Rating: Outstanding!
August Kesseler Riesling Spätlese Gold Capsule Rüdesheimer Berg Schlossberg 2005
A bit Auslese-like in ripeness, even showed a touch of botrytis. Good density, viscous, old-viney, very precise, good depth and length. Not inexpensive for the Prädikat’s level. Rating: Excellent!
(Could this be a misprint in the flyer? I also tasted an SPL GK #007 from the Rüdesheimer Berg Rosenberg sometime last year. Are there really Kesseler Gold Capsule Spätlesen from both sites?)
August Kesseler Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule Rüdesheimer Berg Roseneck 2005
More aromatic on the nose, a touch of blackcurrant, ripe acidity and nice depth, not better but yet longer. Rating: Excellent
Leitz Riesling Spätlese trocken Rüdesheimer Bischofsberg 2005
Barrel sample. Acids that can be smelled, faint cassis, some herbs, a bit closed, a bit dry and hollow in the middle. Rating: About very good
Leitz Riesling Spätlese trocken Rüdesheimer Berg Schlossberg 2005
Stony, a bit darkly smoky, some herbs, dry and tannic, good cut. Rating: Very good(!)
Leitz Riesling Spätlese Rüdesheimer Magdalenenkreuz 2005
Again cooler pit fruit, blossoms and acids, rather like a Mosel Kabinett than a Rheingau Spätlese, as Rainer observed. Abit short on the finish, and the residual sweetness seems a bit desintegrated from the rest. Rating: Very good
Leitz Riesling Spätlese Rüdesheimer Berg Schlossberg 2005
Quite noble terroir, nicely sweet, also showing some cassis. Rating: Very good!
Leitz Riesling Spätlese trocken Alte Reben Rottland 2005
Barrel sample. Higher alcohol and less baby fat than the other Leitz Trocken, but much fruitier, some smoky herbs. This and the next wine showed more terroir expression than the previous ones. Rating: Very good!
Leitz Riesling Spätlese trocken Alte Reben Rüdesheimer Berg Schlossberg 2005
From circa 40-years-old vines. Interesting, attractive minerality, some lime. The 12.5% alcohol makes itself felt. Rating: Very good!
Dr. Loosen Riesling QbA trocken “Blauschiefer” 2005
Stone dust mainly. “Not too dry, nicely harmonious,” says Rainer quite rightly, but also that “it is the wine’s firm acids that give it length, not its density.” Rating: About very good
Dr. Loosen Riesling QbA trocken Bernkasteler Lay 2005
“Lay” is dialect for slate. From 60- to 70-years-old ungrafted vines. Darker and smokier minerality, but with more subtlety and length. Rating: About very good
Dr. Loosen Riesling QbA trocken Ürziger Würzgarten 2005
From over 100-years-old ungrafted vines. The site-typical aromatics of spicy spring flowers and hers surpass what is going on the palate, this needs a little time to open up and express itself more. Rating: Very good
Dr. Loosen Riesling Kabinett Erdener Treppchen 2005
Papaya, well-concentrated, pure and precise, nice acidity, tasty and long. Rating: Very good!
Dr. Loosen Riesling Spätlese Ürziger Würzgarten 2005
From 60- to 70-years-old ungrafted vines. Lovely sultana and candied tropical fruit, smooth, shows some baby fat, always good for a wine’s development in bottle. Rating: Very good plus
Dr. Loosen Riesling Auslese Erdener Prälat 2005
More “golden” berries/sultanas, a bit superripe this one (although not overripe), good smoothness. Not as convincing as some years (e.g. 1996), although I kept wondering if it was merely not showing as well as it should. Rating: Excellent (plus?)
Dr. Loosen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule Ürziger Würzgarten 2005
Early (first week of October) 50 to 70% botrytis, super botrytis, quickly yielding drier berries than is usually the case. Nice acidity, creamy and clean. Very, very long. Rating: About outstanding
Dr. Loosen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule Erdener Prälat 2005
From 100- to 120-years-old ungrafted vines, of which Ernie told me 0.3% die each year. Like a small BA in character, subtle earthy minerality and raisins, quite smooth and sweet, lightly but nicely oily. Rating: Outstanding
Dr. Loosen Riesling Beerenauslese Ürziger Würzgarten 2005
Always love the ÜWG terroir expression when it is really there. A bit dried-fruity, sweet, smooth, dense, oily and long Rating: Outstanding!
Markus Molitor Riesling QbA trocken “Mosel” 2004
A harmoniously dry Trocken at 13-14 g/l residual sugar that Rainer urged me to taste, along with the next wine. Darkly minerally, good body, good intensity, long. Quite impressive although barely fruity at all, showing just a little grapefruit. Rating: Very good!
Markus Molitor Riesling Auslese** feinherb Zeltinger Sonnenuhr 2004
A bit fruitier and fuller tasting, more subtlety to the minerality, nice dried herbs, longer. Lovely terroir. For once an almost-Trocken that should not be tasted too coolly (alcohol does not stick out like a sore thumb if this is allowed to warm up a little in the glass). Rating: Very good plus/About excellent
Markus Molitor Riesling Kabinett Zeltinger Sonnenuhr 2004
Could be denser, but is nicely fresh and blossomy. Rating: About very good?
Markus Molitor Riesling Spätlese Zeltinger Sonnenuhr 2004
A bit denser and more candied, pretty soft flowers. Rating: Very good
Markus Molitor Riesling Auslese* trocken Zeltinger Sonnenuhr 1994
Nicely mature, fair complexity, coffee and faint clean rubber notes, nice green pit fruit notes. Rating: Very good!
Markus Molitor Riesling Auslese* Zeltinger Sonnenuhr 1994
A bit more viscous if less dense? Less intense minerality and finesse than the Trocken, but also less evolved, covering up more with its residual sweetness. Rating: Very good plus
Milz-Laurentiushof Riesling Auslese Trittenheimer Felsenkopf 2005
Sweet, darkly rubbery and exotic, more like a 2003, and fairly long. A touch oxidative? Too expensive for what it is. Rating: Very good
Milz-Laurentiushof Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule Trittenheimer Leiterchen 2005
Less attractive terroir compared to the Felsenkopf, an impression I have had every time I got to taste wine from both sites. Sweet, more opulence than depth, tasty enough. Too expensive for what it is. Rating: Very good
Milz-Laurentiushof Riesling Beerenauslese Trittenheimer Leiterchen 2005
Viscous spring flowers, lovely ripe acidity and a mouthpuckering bitter note, slate top note rather than underlying minerality. Also too expensive for what it is. Rating: About excellent
Müller-Catoir Riesling Spätlese Gimmeldinger Mandelgarten 2005
A bit oxidative, fair spices and herbs, good acidity, but not the aromatics, naturalness, intensity or power of old. As Rainer said, all these M-C’s are too polished. Rating: Good plus?
Müller-Catoir Riesling Auslese Haardter Bürgergarten 2005
Pretty subtlety of strawberry and sultana fruit, touch of grapefruit. Fair length. Rating: Very good!
Müller-Catoir Scheurebe Auslese Haardter Mandelring 2005
Grapefruit, lacks intensity and complexity. Rating: Good plus?
Müller-Catoir Scheurebe Auslese Haardter Mandelring 2005
Sweeter, more “golden” raisins, somewhat more serious. Better but also too polished. Rating: About very good
Müller-Catoir Rieslaner Auslese Haardter Herzog 2005
Just typical enough, balanced. Much less fruity, tropical or intense than M-C’s 2001s. Earthier, good sweetness, rather “filling” style. Rating: Good! (even if this takes an unexpectedly positive turn, it will probably never be better than about very good quality)
Müller-Catoir Rieslaner Beerenauslese Gimmeldinger Schlössl 2005
Clean glue, blackcurrant, soft lychee, mango, pure, smooth, oily, fresh and a bit mouthpuckering, quite long. Ultimately a bit superficial, tastes as if fermented using cultured yeasts. Rating: About outstanding
Müller-Catoir Rieslaner Trockenbeerenauslese Gimmeldinger Schlössl 2005
Dried-fruitier and breadier, but not too oxidative for an M-C TBA at all. Some honey and concentrated flowers, yellow mango, some balm mint, peppermint, mineral dust and a pretty, soft bitter note. A bit more depth than the BA, another sizeable wine few modern wine drinkers will take fault with, but again uniform in style. Too bad the great M-C era of natural-tasting, nicely rustic brutes seems to have ended after the great 2001 vintage. Rating: Outstanding
Pfeffingen Scheurebe Auslese Ungsteiner Herrenberg 2005
A bit medicinal, especially on the palate. Softer on the nose, more intense palate. Long. Rating: Very good
Pfeffingen Scheurebe Beerenauslese Ungsteiner Herrenberg 2005
Picked at 156° Oechsle. Quite dense, viscous, intense, but no more than the overall size of a M-C AL at best. Rating: Very good (plus?)
Pfeffingen Scheurebe Trockenbeerenauslese Ungsteiner Herrenberg 2005
183° Oechsle. Dentist’s waiting-room scent, as Rainer said. Quite viscous and sweet, verging on cloying. But maybe there is more to it? Rating: Very good (plus?)
Van Volxem Saar Riesling trocken 2005
Closed on the nose, nice density and body, uncommon finesse and structure for this bottling. Nice medium-dark soil notes, already expressive wine in this vintage that nonetheless seemed to hold back some reserve fruit. Nice QPR wine that made me look forward to tasting Van Volxems top wines from the 2005 portfolio. Rating: Very good!
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
P.S.
For those who have problems interpreting my "adjectival scoring", the numerical correspondences are as follows:
79 and below = Not good (i.e. no need to figure out exactly)
80 – 84 = Good (same as 16 and over in the European 20-point system)
85 – 89 = Very good (same as 17 and over; I sometimes use Excellent to indicate 88 – 89, or almost-outstanding)
90 – 94 = Outstanding (same as 18 and over)
95 – 99 = Great (or Classic, same as 19 and over; I sometimes use Near-Perfect to indicate a 98 – 99 score)
100 = Perfect (20/20)
Note I will rarely buy wine below my own Excellent rating (that's where wine really starts standing out for individuality from the mass of technically impeccably-made wines) except for an occasional and there truly exceptional QPR (I must insist any wine in the Very Good category with me is serious stuff, way above average wine, that I still wouldn't buy because I've got to somehow limit my wine buying). But if a wine is costly, it had better be at least outstanding!