An unplanned visit in the Mosel, when I had to pull off the highway in a bout of utter and complete exhaustion a week ago, calling up Olaf Schneider in the early evening, virtually intruding on his hospitality. I can hardly express my gratitude, as quite unexpectedly, I spent a wonderful day and a half in Traben-Trabach and vicinity, almost a mini-vacation of sorts...
Arrived late for dinner, but in time to go see Thorsten Melsheimer in Reil, a friend of his, and most pleasant hulk of a German vintner (as is Olaf himself), who made us taste some of his wines, none of which I took notes on – but wow, another vintner to reckon:
Melsheimer Riesling Kabinett Reiler Mullay-Hofberg 2009
Melsheimer Riesling Spätlese Reiler Mullay-Hofberg “Schäf” 2009
Melsheimer Riesling Beerenauslese Reiler Mullay-Hofberg 2007
Melsheimer Riesling Beerenauslese Reiler Mullay-Hofberg 2006
Melsheimer Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Reiler Mullay-Hofberg 2007
What all these wines have in common is a fruit/acid combination reminiscent of grapefruit, lemon and herbs, as well as nice concentration and intensity. Preferred the 2007 BA to the 2006, by the way.
Clueless as to what happened to my earlier “exhaustion” (have I mentioned I love Riesling?), Olaf and I stayed up for a little while longer after our return to his home, drinking rather than sampling a handful of his wines:
Weingut O. Riesling Auslese Ungsberg 2006
Weingut O. Riesling Spätlese Ungsberg 2009
Weingut O. Riesling Auslese Ungsberg 2009
Weingut O. Riesling Ungsberg “Bikiniblick” 2009
Weingut O. Riesling Spätlese Ungsberg 2007
Weingut O. Riesling Spätlese Ungsberg 2008
Weingut O. Riesling Spätlese Trabener Kräuterhaus 2008
Apart from the high quality of the wines, what makes them special is that they all share that truly unique Ungsberg minerality and acidity – which really comes to life in the fractionally more evolved 2006 Auslese.
Loved that twinkle in Olaf’s eyes when he explained the “Bikiniblick” (“bikini prospect”) parcel’s name, by the way, which overlooks the lido (now spa area) on the opposite riverside.
Stopped by Daniel Vollenweider’s winery the next morning, interrupting his preparations for next weekend’s (tomorrow’s?) courtyard festival:
Daniel Vollenweider Riesling Spätlese Schimbock 2008
A registered trade name, albeit truly from an eponymous parcel in the Trabener Würzgarten. Pretty little vanillin-scented botrytis kiss (quite prominent despite merely 5% botrytis). Sweet, ripe, juicy and quite rich for the vintage, if relatively broad compared to Daniel’s usually precise wines. Fairly long. Rating: 89(+?)
Daniel not only introduced me to up-and-coming vintner Christian Klein, who took me to the family winery and presented me with an assorted six-pack of his wines to sample with members of our little wine circle at home, but called up new star Andreas Adam in Neumagen-Drohn, who generously entertained me to a wine tasting on his veranda in the afternoon:
A. J. Adam Dhroner Riesling 2009
From 20-30-year-old vines in the Dhroner Hofberg. Aged in 50% fuder, 50% steel tank. Spontaneously fermented, as all the wines are here. 8.7 g/l residual sugar. Pretty spice and slate. No more than medium but complex fruit. Quite full body, exhibiting lightly (if nicely) alcoholic warmth at merely 11%. Quite long. Nice QPR. Rating: 87+/88
A. J. Adam Riesling Grosses Gewächs Piesporter Goldtröpfchen 2009
8.5 g/l residual sugar, 8 g/l acidity. First vintage, and already so promising! From ungrafted vines, terraced soil. Highly terroir-typical fruit and minerality (reminded me of great Reinhold Haart from before vineyard consolidation and replanting). Now this appears to be an expression of site that “fits” dry Riesling – at least to my taste. Deeper, saltier, more expressive, as Andreas Adam noted. Peppery and lively, too. Lightly tannic. Quite intense and long. The 12.5% alcohol is rather well-integrated. Curious to taste the yet better vintages Adam believes should follow once he has a better grip on the vineyard. Rating: 89+
A. J. Adam Riesling Grosses Gewächs Hofberg 2009
From 60-year-old vines in the Dhroner Hofberg. Identical 8.5 g/l residual sugar and 8 g/l acidity. Plumper, cozier, rounder, if more citrusy. Better integrated 12.5% alcohol. Albeit a more successful wine, I find the terroir expression either per se less captivating, or then less suited to dry wine. Rating: 89+/~90
A. J. Adam Riesling Hofberg 2009
From 60-year-old vines in the Dhroner Hofberg. The feinherb, that is, off-dry version of the first wine poured, so to speak, and that is exactly what this tastes like. Just fractionally sweet/off-dry at 18 g/l residual sugar. Smoother, old-vinier, more complex and longer, but no more intense than the dry, younger-vines Dhroner. The 11.5% alcohol is rather well-integrated. Rating: ~88(+?)
A. J. Adam Riesling Kabinett Hofberg 2009
Quite sweet for the Prädikat level. Round and a tiny bit loose on the mid-palate. Good acidity. Rating: 86+/87?
A. J. Adam Riesling Spätlese Hofberg 2009
Elegant, evenly ripe with a touch of blackcurrant cough drop, entirely botrytis-free. Greater sense of vinosity than the Kabinett, firmer and a bit sweeter. Andreas Adam finds it “sappy” as well as “dancing across the palate.” Rating: ~88+/89(+?)
A. J. Adam Riesling Auslese Hofberg 2009
100% botrytis here. Honeyed and floral. Clean and pure. Not particularly high (especially for a 2009) but nicely flavourful acidity at 9 g/l. Even so, there is something cool and restrained about this that reminds me of the Mosel wines from the eighties from areas whose wines have been changing in character in the meantime due to climate warming. Here, the terroir expression not only suits the wine, but really struck me as unique and recognizable (although debatable whether “recognizability” counts as a quality feature, it admittedly does to me). Rating: 91(+?)
Stopped by Guy Wach and Trimbach the following day, picking up sample bottles rather than tasting – more TNs will follow when I get to pull some corks at home:
Guy Wach Domaine des Marronniers Riesling Andlau 2009
High-acid and refreshingly floral-herbal middle-weight, nicely clean and pure and minerally, and fairly long. Not a wine to think about too hard, but pretty, pleasurable, and a great accompaniment to food. Finest vintage of this bottling we have had so far. Rating: 86
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
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„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti