I tend to prefer my Rieslings with some sweetness - though essentially anti-Platonic in my views (if that doesn't sound too oxymoronic), I find the ideal of Riesling in the sugary, steely Saar&Ruwer and in similar low alcohol, sugary styles from elsewhere in Germany. Yet, oddly enough, in Alsace and Austria I find the bone dry style my ideal. I hope someone will someday give me a reason why I love sugar in Germany and love austere dryness elsewhere; I haven't so far been able to put into words my seemingly contradictory preferences.
Domaine Joseph Scharsch Riesling Altenberg de Wolxheim 2007 - Alsace; label
24,30€; 13% abv; 7 g/l rs; 7,3 g/l acidity. As I have come to expect from this producer, this is a delightful wine at a moderate price (for Finland, anyway). The nose is a bit quiet and is not very expressive, but it has lovely floral and citric aromas, very mineral. The palate has lovely intensity, grip and purity of fruit. It is dry and steely, yet despite being young it isn't austere. Though in a slightly inexpressive stage, I think this is a lovely, elegant, dry Alsace Riesling. Try again in a few years.
Georg Breuer Rüdesheimer Berg Rottland Riesling 2004 - Rheingau, label
12,5% abv. Quite dumb and inexpressive just now. It smells of lime and minerals and pure Riesling fruit, but these typically loud aromas are now as quiet as Morton Feldman's late compositions. Dry and grippy and a little too much on the austerely charmless side for my liking. Yet everything about this seems to show promise: I very much want to try this some years on from now.
We were dumb enough to open these now, though it wasn't a great surprise that they were dumb. But even academic exercises can be fun.
