After I got home from our SantaFe group's tasting of sweet reds, I couldn't resist cracking the latest flyer I took at TJ's:
1. JosephHandler SweetRed Rheinhessen Dornfelder (Qualitatswein; A.P.Nr. 2 907 021 09; 9.5%) 2008: Very dark color; strong earthy/plummy/loganberry/boysenberry/blackcurrant slight pungent/ozone/tarry quite grapey almost Dolcetto-like nose; rather sweet (4%-6%?) very grapey/plummy/boysenberry/loganberry bit earthy/pungent fairly tart very juicy/grapey flavor w/ little tannins; tart very strong/plummy/licorice/boysenberry/loganberry juicy/huge fruit some earthy/pungent finish w/ slight tannic bite; quite a lot like a Piedmont Dolcetto w/ r.s.; screaming deal at $5.00
_____________________________________________
And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. This was a new wine on the shelf at our local TJ's. Not at all tempted to buy until I looked at the back label: Rheinhessen Dornfelder. I was hooked, since I've tried a couple of Dornfelders over the last month.
It was pretty classic Dornfelder w/ huge grapy character, though rather sweet on the palate, yet pretty good acidity. The grapey/earthy/licorice reminded me, as did the MokulumneGlen/Lodi last week, of Piedmont Dolcetto, though w/ r.s. and not the hard/tannic bite. It also reminded me a lot of the BrunoVerdi Sangue di Guida, but without the spritz. It also reminded me of a good Lambrusco, but w/o the spritz.
All in all, a pretty interesting dessert red, that would have done well in last night's red dessert wine tasting, along w/ the RidgeEssence and Olivares LH Monastrell...until they would have heard the price...then it would have be badly denigrated.
Sweet/low-alcohol/very grapey makes this clearly a dessert wine to go w/ heavy-duty sweets, maybe even chocolate.
This is not a wine that will appeal to everyone w/ its low-alcohol, noticible r.s. With gobs of hedonistic fruit, it will not find favor with the anti-flavor wine elite (AFWE). To appreciate this wine, you have to be able to think outside the box. But I'd recommend it anyone who can taste a red dessert wine w/ an open mind.
Tom