Did I miss something? WTN - Weingut Eugen Müller 2000 Riesling

I went into a wine shop yesterday that I have never been to. Ironically it is very close to home and easily accessible, just an older sign and so familiar, I never paid it any attention. I went in to find a very nice selection of old world wines, mainly French. There was also quite a large section of German wines, which I really liked. As I was searching around I realized this was the kind of place that one might be able to find a gem in. A lot of older vintages, tucked away wines, dusty shelves etc. A shop keeper that didn't even suspiciously glance at me as I went into a corner shelf to check out a bottle. I was in heaven after all!

To come to the point, I found a bottle of 1995 Alsace Grand Cru Riesling. Of course I failed to note the producer. I took the bottle up to the counter, rather skeptical at this point, and asked if he thought the bottle could have any life left. His eyes went from foggy to bright very quickly after looking over the label and he quickly snatched the bottle and put it under the counter, remarking that the wine was way over the hill.

The wine was $ 14.99 and honestly, just for the fun of it, I would have spent the money myself. I was just trying to possibly spark up a conversation. He referred me to a nice moderately priced Riesling from the Pfalz, which I am enjoying now.

Did I miss something here? Is he enjoying (rightfully) his Riesling right now? Or was the wine probably over the hill? I have really no knowledge of the Alsace and its classification system. Has it any merit?

Regardless, I am happy to have found a great local place (and so close to home!) to buy nice wine.

The wine he referred me to:

Winegut Eugen Müller 2000 Riesling Kabinett Pfalz 9.0 % vol Gutsabfüllung $9.99

The nose is ripe with subtle fruit and a tone of slate with a backdrop of smoky petrol. The palate is a tad flabby with nice apricot/peach fruit and a ton of slate. The finish starts out crisp but drops quickly at the last second, leaving this wine some how disjointed. Great qualities, I just would have loved to have had a tighter, crisper finish.

Tyler,
1995 was a better than average vintage in Alsace, but it would depend entirely on the producer, which Grand Cru, and how it's been stored as to how the wine is doing these days. For $15, I'd buy it in a heartbeat if only for curiosity's sake. Eugen Muller is a solid Pfalz producer with some nice vineyards around Forst, but 2000 was not a great vintage (terrible really in the Pfalz with lots of late-year rain and widespread rot). For $10, AND a bad vintage, it seems like you got a pretty enjoyable bottle. Happy hunting in your new shop!

Prost!
Bill

Tyler,
Is this shoppe in/near Maumee by any chance? I go to Toledo/Rossford for a tasting event every February and last year we "discovered" a little shop that I beleive was in or near Maumee. It was located in a sort of run-down/half empty shopping center. The guy apparently also runs some sort of catering/dinners in the back room. Anyways, he had lot of gems and best of all he was more than willing to negotiate on price especially on older stuff.
Just curious if this is the same place.
Bill

Bill,

Thanks for the info, sounds like I should have bought it. I was very satisfied with the Riesling, though while in Germany I didn't hear many good things about the Pfalz. I was glad I tried it.


Bill,

How coincidental! The shop is indeed in Maumee at the corner of the AW Trail and S. Detroit in a nice little shopping center called Parkway Plaza. I grew up literally right behind it on the river, and it really is odd that I have never been in there. How fun that you were able to pick that up from the description I gave.