WTN: 2010 Theise DI Tasting - Mosels Part 2

[David M. Bueker]

The rest of the Mosel wines I tasted on Tuesday:

Kerpen

2009 Kerpen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett
Elegant – very kabinett and also classically Mosel. Lots of apples and slate. Very good

2009 Kerpen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese
Only seems marginally richer than the kabinett, and also rather closed down. There were not many closed wines on this day but this was one of them. Very good(?)

2009 Kerpen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese*
The “artist label” wine. Shows greater richness, but still fine slate underpinnings. There’s a spiciness here as well. I like this a lot. Excellent-

2009 Kerpen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese*
This is luscious! Rich, honey-like & spicy with a little bit of finishing zing that is like squirting lemon juice on your tongue. Excellent!

Von Othegraven

Caveat – I had a hard time getting a solid read on these wines, as they had the most overt sulfur aromas of all the wines on show - so not much in the way of aromatics here, but the class of the wines was apparent on the palate.

2009 von Othegraven Kanzemer Altenberg Riesling Kabinett
Very bright and leafy –this is archetype Saar wine. So sad that its identity as Saar has been removed by German wine law. Very good(+)

2009 von Othegraven Wiltinger Kupp Riesling Kabinett
Somewhat more transparent on the aromatics than the Altenberg. More overt fruit aromas, but still a leafyness & deep mineral base. This is kabinett in style & auslese in complexity! Excellent+

2009 von Othegraven Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese Erste Lage
The extra richness of spatlese powered through some of the sulfurous aromas – less green flavors, more like ripe red apples (I said “Cortland apple” aloud while tasting it). Very good+

I wish more of these wines had been available for tasting, as even with the issue of the sulfur I really liked the flavors. Lots of class here.

Willi Schaefer

2009 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett
Ground up minerals in a glass with lime tonic water. This is very bright. Good+

2009 Willi Schaefer Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese
I admit that I have trouble with Will’s Wehlener. I keep expecting that Graach precision and chiseled brightness, and I get a more pillowy richness than one expects from a Schafer wine. That said this is still a more mineral driven wine than either Kerpen or Meulenhof which to my taste are even frutier renditions of Wehlen. Good+

2009 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spatlese #10
Apples & slate! There’s also a nuttiness to this wine. Tons of minerals. This is classic Schaefer. Excellent

2009 Willi Schaefer Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese
I admit that I have trouble with Will’s Wehlener. I keep expecting that Graach precision and chiseled brightness, and I get a more pillowy richness than one expects from a Schafer wine. That said this is still a more mineral driven wine than either Kerpen or Meulenhof which to my taste are even frutier renditions of Wehlen. Good+

Hi David, funny you should mention this - I've had the same experience. As I learn my way through the Mosel, I'm almost at the point of thinking no one can make bad Wehlener. And Schaefer is one of the elite. And his 07 W-S Kabniett lacks precision.

Thanks for posting all these notes, very helpful. We leave for Germany in 18 hours time, and are travelling through the Nahe and Mosel on July 20 to 23. I'll be interested to compare impressions!

cheers

Andrew

Thanks for this. Why so few Schaefers? Were those the only wines you tasted/noted? Were those the only wines he showed? I'm guessing those weren't the only wines TT imported this year?

Those were the only Schaefer wines poured, though Terry imported a few others. The lineups shown at the DI tasting usually aren't comprehensive across what's imported.

[David M. Bueker]

In general when you see a wide range of wines it is because the producer (or their representative/adult child/close friend) came to the USA for the tasting.

WIlli Schaefer's son Christoph came for the 2007 vintage & there were 6 wines poured. Back in the "old days" no Schaefer wines would be poured.

The same phenomenon happens with Donnhoff, and this year Cornelius came for the event.