Spent some time in Germany with the in-laws, which meant we were drinking plenty of dry German wines. Since I have come into the picture they are more likely to drink riesling instead of weissburgunder, which is good for me, and these are a few from this trip.
The 2006 von Buhl Kabinett trocken was tight constricted and boring, fitting all the German trocken stereotypes. The 2005 von Buhl QbA trocken was more interesting. It was broader, fuller, with more to play around with. But ultimately was also a bit boring and stereotypical.
However, the 2006 Burklin Wolf QbA trocken was a fun easy wine, with plenty of glistening spicy mineral fruit and slightly-sweet riesling character. We drank many bottles of this with pleasure.
Always available by the case-load is the Sasbach cooperative wine, and I usually find it great fun to sip and sip and sip. Nothing to think about, but who cares. The recent vintage 2006 Sasbach Winzergenossenschaft Rote Halde Spatburgunder Trocken Qualitatswein was no exception. And was delightfully rich, smokey, and fresh juicy pie, bottle after bottle. The more ambitious 2005 Sasbach Winzergenossenschaft Spatburgunder Spatlese Trocken “Orchidea” was more or less in the same spirit, more focused and less round and juicy. But also less joy and not as fun. Although still fun enough to drink and sip and sip and drink.
My favorites were the 2005 Hans Wirsching Julius Echter Berg Riesling Spatlese Trocken and the 2005 Hans Wirsching Iphofer Kronsberg Riesling Spatlese Trocken.
One night we served the Iphofer Kronsberg before the JEB, which did not do the JEB any favors, because the Iphofer Kronsberg is such a poised golden mineral elegant bottle of wine. Did I mention deep elegant and poised? Coming afterwards, the JEB seemed a bit sour, simple, and undistinguished.
But, a bottle of the JEB on its own was lovely, zesty, citrusy, spicy, mineral riesling pleasure. Complete with glass closure, this was great fun. Unfortunately, our second bottle of the Iphofer Kronsberg was corked.
Rounding out the group was a 2006 Wegeler Winkel Jesuitengarten Erstes Gewachs, which had plenty of brassy matte Rheingau fruit. Decent poise, elegance, and presence, but without the minerals of the Wirsching, and without the electricity of the Wirschings that really got me excited.
