A few more Germans as part of a mixed case I purchased on a trip to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The Bassermann-Jordan was nice enough for my tastes, but Baron zu Knyphausen, a producer I do not believe I have encountered before, did not make a good first impression based on these wines . . .
2006 Bassermann-Jordan Deidesheimer Paradiesgarten Pfalz Riesling Kabinett (Pfalz, Germany) screwcap closure, 10% - imported to USA by Valckenberg International – appears deep brilliant gold, lots of clingers, reflective, smell dark moss and lurking nature, bit of syrup on nose, with swirl, rain on rocks, taste heavier, suggestive of thickness, more like what I associate with spätlese in terms of texture, taste lemony and bit syrupy, very light and understated finish which I found very pleasant with a slow fade of flavors, tastes tangy and zippy a few steps toward razorlike while not going all the way, an almost vinegary yet very pleasant element, zippy, fizzed texture, as it opens up it moves further toward mineral and, in particular, grapefruit rind, pleasant, and though it was good with food, salty meats brought forth its more honeyed side which I didn’t like as much, alone it was much more zippy and pleasant, by day two this had fallen into a simple overly sweet mess, drinkable but much more one-dimensional, pleasant wine for $20/$17 with discount, but I would not seek it out again at that price
2006 Baron zu Knyphausen Rheingau Riesling QbA (Rheingau, Germany) synthetic stopper closure, 10% - imported to USA by Valckenberg International –– appears deep gold, smell lots of grape, simple, bit overpowering, taste heavy and laden, thick, heavy sweet, bit of spice, bit of tartness, bit of alcohol, unbalanced, weird, pleasant but hot, not worth revisiting at $14/$12 with discount
2006 Baron zu Knyphausen Rheingau Riesling Kabinett Baron K’ (Rheingau, Germany) cork closure, 10.5% - imported to USA by Valckenberg International – appears light pale straw gold, smell herbsy and bit hot upfront, very slight cheesy fruit, with swirl very fresh green apple, bit sugary, nice nose, seems like candle wax at times, but this could easily be the environment, mouthfeel light and easy flow, taste sweet and spritz upfront, quickly moves to easy sweet mix, nice and easy finish, at its best this wine offered a nice tart yet sweet apple charlotte, with mix of flavors that complimented each other nicely, but it seemed like it quickly fell apart into a gloppy mess with underripe and overripe notes distracting attention from whatever else was there, some promise here not realized, at $16/$14 with discount, I wouldn’t return to this wine