WTN: 2005 Muelenhof Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese

So this was my very first German wine and my first Riesling as well. I really enjoyed it! I know only the very basics about German wine terminology, so any feedback or corrections are welcome .

2005 Muelenhof Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese - a Terry Thiese selection, Imported by: Micheal Skurnik Wines, NY. $17.99 USD. 9 % ABV.

This wine had a light golden yellow colour. There was some petrol on the nose as well as fresh ginger. On the palate was an intense amount of peaches, honey, pears and some lychee fruit. The finish was long and honey sweet.

There was a slight spritz in this wine that was very refreshing. It was sweet, but very balanced. This might sound strange, but this wine reminded me of Luden's Honey Cough Drops (which I always liked)...LOL...I interpreted the "medicinal" flavour and aroma as "petrol". This wine went wonderfully with a triple cream cheese.

[David M. Bueker]

No feedback here except well done. Meulenhof is really nice QPR producer, the Wehlener Sonnenuhr is a classic vineyard & 2005 is great vintage for rich, honeyed wines that will age as well as 1st growth Bordeaux.

As far as the spritz if you have any of the wine left (difficult I know ) you might consider tasting it on day 2 to see how the spritz calms and the texture changes. Riesling lasts for days/years.

Maria, you may already be aware of this, but in many instances it's more reliable to buy a wine on the basis of the back label rather than the front one. In this case, Terry Thiese/Skurnik is about as sure a thing as you're likely to find for German/Austrian wines. The wine sounds like a winner.

Mark Lipton

Welcome to the Riesling world. It's a good thing!

Thank you all for your replies!

David - I was unaware of Rieslings aging potential...I will have to pick up a few more bottles for the cellar. What changes occur during aging?

Rahsaan - I did taste this wine over a 2 day period and I did notice that the spritz wasn't as lively on the 2nd day...although, it was definitely not absent altogether...I wonder if that was because I kept it in the fridge. I actually liked the spritz in this wine though.

Mark - I was aware of the quality of the Terry Thiese/Skurnik importer selections...that is the main reason I chose it, because I know absolutely nothing about Rieslings otherwise. You all gave me great importer recommendations on my "Importance of Importers" thread...it definitely paid off in this situation!

Thanks JC! I am excited to try some more!

Great to have you in the Riesling club! How about trying one from Austria, Maria.

David - I was unaware of Rieslings aging potential...I will have to pick up a few more bottles for the cellar. What changes occur during aging?

Not David but riesling is one of the Grand Grapes for aging, with some Expensive 19th century versions still making the rounds..

Generally speaking, as with most wine, the upfront juicy fruit will subside with aging and you get the tertiary related flavors (i.e. the classic riesling petrol, or dried fruit flavors). The sweet wines also appear drier with age. However, one shold note that there is still a debate over what happens to the sugar and whether or not it actually disappears or just appears to have disappeared. I don't have the scientific knowledeg to weigh in on this..

Rahsaan - I did taste this wine over a 2 day period and I did notice that the spritz wasn't as lively on the 2nd day...although, it was definitely not absent altogether...I wonder if that was because I kept it in the fridge.

I think the strength of the spritz (most likely CO2 if I'm not mistaken) on day 2 just speaks to the resilience of these rieslings. Sometimes I find it distracting in a young wine as I want to get closer to the fruit on my tongue and may prefer them on days 2 or even 3. But, to each his/her own..

[David M. Bueker]

While the tertiary components of aged Riesling can indeed be compelling, there's a nifty "sweet spot" in German Riesling development where there is still quite a lot of primary fruit, but it is accompanied by a smoky element and developing creaminess on the palate. That is my favorite time to drink a Rielsing. Mt (very) general rule is to enjoy Spatlese in its first two-three years of life, but then lay it down for 5-7 more. Once it hits age 8 or so there will be all kinds of lovely changes. The stage Rahsaan refers to takes 15-20 years, and to be perfectly honest is not as much my sort of thing, at least for spatlese. In auslese it takes about 20 (maybe more), but the added depth and richness of an auslese means that there's more primary & secondary elements still around when those tertiary elements hit.