WTN: 2010 Theise DI Tasting - Rheingau/Rheinhessen

[David M. Bueker]

Leitz

2009 Leitz Riesling Eins Zwei Dry ‘3’
Crisp citrus with a very dry profile throughout. Good vale. Very good-

2009 Leitz Rudesheimer Berg Rottland Trocken ‘Alte Reben’
Again very crisp and quite rich all the way through. Long finish & good balance. Excellent

2009 Leitz Rudesheimer Klosterlay Riesling Kabinett
Showing very much as kabinett (ok, modern kabinett, but not auslese as kabinett), and off-dry rather than full sweet. Good balance here. Very good

2009 Leitz Rudesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Riesling Spatlese
This drinks very well now (I think he bottles the ‘value’ wines earlier, which probably helps). Again quite bright and rather elegant rather than being a powerhouse. Tasty. Very good

2009 Leitz Rudesheimer Berg Rottland Riesling Spatlese
Electric peach acid test! Vibrant & juicy. Excellent

2009 Leitz Rudesheimer Berg Roseneck Riesling Spatlese
This is stunning! Bright citrus, firm minerals, very long finish. Roseneck has been my favorite Leitz Spatlese for several vintages running & this continues the run. Outstanding

2009 Leitz Rudesheimer Klosterberg Riesling Eiswein
Great richness and not painfully acidic. Long, penetrating, lingering finish. Excellent+

Spreitzer

2009 SpreitzerRiesling Trocken
A vinous pick-me-up. Bright and refreshing, if a tad short. Good+

2009 Spreitzer Oestricher Doosberg Riesling Spatlese Trocken Alte Reben
Very good balance, and fine depth of flavor. Long finish – not too acidic. Very good+

2009 Spreitzer Riesling Halbtrocken (liters)
Balanced, refreshing and fruity. Easy to drink & easy to afford. Good value. Very good

2009 Spreitzer Riesling ‘101’
This might actually be a master class in summertime Riesling. Good balance, just off dry and very drinkable. Also a fine value. Very good+

2008 Spreizter Oestricher Lenchen Riesling Kabinett
Yes this is a 2008, and it’s delicious. Smoky, mineral, rich but not over-sweet. Fantastic kabinett (more like spatlese, but delicious nonetheless). Excellent

2009 Spreizter Oestricher Lenchen Riesling Kabinett
Fresher, with more overt fruit, but overshadowed by the multi-faceted complexity of the 2008. Very good

2009 Spreitzer Winkeler Jesuitengarten Riesling Spatlese
A very big wine – loads of back end substance and phenolic grip. Sweet. Very good+

2009 Spreizter Oestricher Lenchen Riesling Spatlese ‘303’
Sweet, bright, honeyed and spicy. This is a monster. Excellent-

Strub

2009 Strub Riesling ‘Soil to Soul’
Nutty and slightly green at the same time. Very minerally on the back end. Off dry and easy to drink. Nice value as well. Very good

2009 Strub Niersteiner Bruckchen Riesling Kabinett
Slightly smoky over its normal chalky base. Perhaps a touch sweeter than I recall some vintages of this wine. Good+

2009 Strub Niersteiner Paterberg Riesling Spatlese
Sweet limes squirted on the rocks. Add some crushed mint leaves & shake. Interesting wine. Very good

Geil – excellent performance here! Fine values across the board as well.

2009 Geil Muskateller Trocken
Floral, honeysuckle, peach, lime accents – fabulous Muscat aromatics and fine balance on the palate. Yum. Excellent

2009 Geil Bechtheimer Geyersberg Riesling Spatlese Trocken
Very precise and uncompromisingly dry. Like pouring mineral water over rocks. Very good

2009 Geil Bechtheimer Rosengarten Riesling Kabinett
Balanced, elegant and very bright and bracing on the finish. There’s notable phenolic richness here. Very good+

2009 Geil Bechtheimer Heilig Kreuz Scheurebe Kabinett
A slight herbal tinge over ripe grapefruit. This reminds me of the best Scheurebe from Lingenfelder. Excellent

2009 Geil Bechtheimer Geyersberg Riesling Spatlese
Balanced, peachy and very bright on the finish. Drinks very well now. Very good+

Agree for the most part again. Leitz hit it out of the park and the Roseneck Spätlese was spectacular. I'm glad I got to actually sit down and drink a few glasses of that the previous night, as that's a wine that really needs time and attention with all its layers and depth. Really enjoyed what I tasted at the Spreitzer table as well (my palate was tiring a little by then, so I had focused mainly on the trocken, 09 Kabinett and the Spätlesen), and I will be on the look out for some of the Jesuitengarten.

The Strub wines sound very nice, wish I'd been able to get around to those. And Geil's Scheurebe Kabinett is becoming one of my favourite buys vintage-to-vintage (loved the '07 and the '08, may also grab more of the '07 soon as Pops has a bit in stock and that's my favourite vintage of this wine from what I've tried).

Did you try anything from the Gysler or Wagner-Stempel bottlings at the next table?

[David M. Bueker]

I missed the Gysler and Wagner Stempel bottlings much to my dismay.

You did not miss much at Wagner-Stempel. The Vom Porphyry was very stony, balanced but rather forbidding, and the Heerkretz Spätlese was just big, ripe and sweet wine that didn't have much in the way of distinctiveness or character.

Thanks for all of these notes. I haven't responded as I haven't tasted any 2009s, but I'm noting those of most interest. Especially the QPRs like the Jakob Schnieders and Leitz.

I've been trying to figure out DI. Usually with wine I think Direct Import, but that's not it. Only other DI's I can think of are Detective Inspector (I read a lot of mysteries) and Drill Instructor. ???

Schneider, Kruger-Rumpf, Geil, Leitz and Meulenhof are hitting it out of the park in terms of QPR this year. Have always liked Meulenhof's wines and prices (Spats are usually in the $17-20 range, Kabs a bit less), and this year they had a tremendous collection.

[David M. Bueker]

It's Direct Import. Even though it's not really, thats what Skurnik calls it.

Thanks David. It's certainly correct (they do directly import it!), just not how most of us use the term.
With the dollar a bit stronger will be interested to see pricing on the QPR end.

[David M. Bueker]

Some of hte prices are lower than in the recent past (notably Donnhoff!!), but realize that many producers have held back on their pricing due to the strenth of the dollar, so I don't think price changes will be particularly large. I do know that some wines (e.g. the Schneider Kabinett I wrote about in the Nahe section) are being sold at a very low price, taking advantage of the dollar, but not all can do this.