by Keith M » Sun Oct 24, 2010 3:04 pm
The October meeting of the San Francisco chapter of the German Wine Society offered a chance for all of us riesling lovers to taste the other varieties of German wine grapes—from regions both well-known to us as well as those more rarely seen in the United States. With a very useful guide to these unusual grapes in hand (helpfully assembled and distributed by our very own Von) the journey into the lesser traveled pathways of German wine had begun. First off from Rheinhessen, the 2008 Muhlenhoff Müller Thurgau Trocken called into question esteemed wine writer Hugh Johnson's diatribes against the grape (a cross of riesling and madeleine royale). Unlike the more unfortunate overcropped versions, this one was plush in fruit but dry. Tangy simple fruit. Nothing complex, but certainly a crisp pleasant table wine. Always excited to see a Franken entry (even one, alas, not in bocksbeutel), I found the 2007 Hans Wirsching Iphöfer Kronsberg Scheurebe Kabinett Trocken a lovely and unusual less ripe approach to scheurebe. Pleasant and crisp on the nose and fruity and yet crisp in the mouth—very pleasant. I far preferred it to the competing scheurebe, the 2008 Kruger-Rumpf Scheurebe Trocken from the Nahe (though there were differing opinions on this across the room—so my Franken boosterism must be taken into account). Minty eucalyptus on the nose (thanks Shane!) it tasted very loose and, to me, lacked focus. Others found it more playful and fun. Back to Franken (this time in bocksbeutel!) for what was for many (including myself) the wine of the night—the 2008 Graf von Schönborn Silvaner Kabinett Trocken. Layered but silent nose, taste slightly salty, very structured, excellent potential here and very bright but earthy—cool! The 2009 Dostert Alva Elbling from the Mosel sparked some different takes among members. The ancient grape often finds its way into sekt due to its firm acid backbone, and this one showed tart and tight as well. Some found it an interesting alternative to sauvignon blanc, but I found the juicy-fruit nature of the acid to be a bit much. Another great region I love to see, Baden contributed the 2009 Ziereisen Heugumber Gutedel—gutedel (meaning good and noble, a modest name indeed) is known as chasselas in neighboring Switzerland). Herbaceous, tart and simple—not my favorite of the tasting and a bit challenging. The 2008 Schloss Saarstein Pinot Blanc from the Saar went for the French name rather than the weissburgunder we all know and love. In any case, it had the nose of a fir tree and though tart offered pretty good definition. A tangy wine. Another contender for wine of the evening for folks around the room was the 2008 Müller-Catoir Hardt Muskateller Trocken from the Pfalz. A much, much riper nose than the previous three wines, the taste was refined, still tart yet bursting with beautiful flavor. Nicely rounded and a fun wine to drink. The sweetest entry for the evening was undoubtedly the 2008 Pfeffingen Gewürztraminer Spätlese, also from the Pfalz. Very rich nose, plush and sugar-filled in the mouth. Slight spice emboldened with a healthy dollop of sugar. Not my thing. Onto the reds, the 2008 Schnaitmann Lemberger from the rarely-seen-stateside Württemberg region was my favorite red of the night. Distinctive grape roll-up nose, yet tart, lean, tight and crisp in taste. Very firm edges that were very welcome in this wine—a distinctive approach to lemberger I'd gladly drink again. The 2008 A. Christmann Spätburgunder from the Pfalz had a crazy light color and unusual nose that reminded me of an undefined animal. Very spicy and unusual. The 2006 Julius Wasem & Sohne Ingleheimer Sonnenhang Spätburgunder Trocken from the Rheinhessen was also spicy, but felt a bit looser and less well defined. More tang here. Finally, Harris generously opened and shared his bottle of Becker Spätburgunder “R” from the Pfalz. Beautiful, generous fruit, firmness and definition. A beautiful wine and a fantastic end to the evening.
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Maybe I'm wrong here. BTW, I wasn't too impressed with that wine, either.