A break between shifts at work and a quick BART ride across the Bay afforded me the opportunity to introduce myself to the 2009 German vintage via a tasting hosted by Dee Vine Wines in San Francisco. Starting off with a sparkler from the Rheingau, the 2007 Solter Riesling Sekt was quite different from previous vintages, with a vibrant expressive fruit-driven nose and a ripe tropical element balanced by lots of tartness. Very expressive, very playful, slightly tropical, very different and festive. Moving onto the Pfalz and a new part of the Dee Vine portfolio, the 2009 Bassermann-Jordan Riesling Trocken smelled of tart green mango and tasted slightly layered, but rather simple at the moment. Pleasant enough, but not showing what it's got (or maybe it is). The 2009 Bassermann-Jordan Deidersheimer Kisselberg Riesling Kabinett Trocken on the other hand, offered a beautiful structured but awfully silent nose, with taste of plush good fruit, fantastic fruit vinified in a structured dry style. Outstanding riper approach to trocken, in my opinion. The Ruwer was also surprisingly plush with the 2009 Karthäuserhof Riesling Feinherb with a fantastic nose but a bit of back and forth between ripe peaches and super tart acid, though easy drinking at first, it felt like the alcohol started to peek through a bit. The nose on the 2009 Reinert Wiltinger Schlossberg Riesling Feinherb from the Saar was nearly impossible to read (heavily chilled wines on this occasion, so the noses in general felt more silent) but tasted just plain fun, explosive peach and pear with simple clean stony elements. Really enjoyed the fun here. Also new to the Dee Vine offerings, Mosel classic 2009 Dr H Thanisch Riesling had sulfur aplenty on the nose and great earthy licorice tangy notes. I'm not so familiar with this producer, but this was an interesting tangy interpretation for 2009. Back to the Ruwer, the 2009 Karthäuserhof Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Kabinett offered a stupendous nose with lime, honey and stone—delightful to sniff. Rich focused and precise with great acid, this is a great painting on a great canvas. Y. U. M.
Onto to the Mosel to a less familiar producer for me, the 2009 Rosch Leiwener Klostergarten Riesling Kabinett had inklings of depth on the nose, but the taste was super rich, very powerful and intense, both in terms of flavor and concentration. A bit too much for me to handle right now. The Saar's 2009 von Hövel Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett, on the other hand, was rich, delicious, balanced tangy with a fantastic focus—the nose was unusual in a way hard to describe, but this is crowd-pleasing Saar riesling (who couldn't like this DJ on the mix?). Whoo-wee needed that cleansing before the super ripe licorice approach on the palate for the 2009 Schmitges Riesling Kabinett Red Slate from the middle Mosel. The herbal nose had slight interest, but the wine felt like it lacked life in the mouth, meh. The multidimensional potpouri nose of the 2009 Weil Riesling Kabinett from the Rheingau sparked plenty of conversation, and the initial richness was completely forgivable given the degree of superb polish evident in this wine. I don't want to drink this type of wine everyday, but, dear me, it is an outstanding pleasure now and then. Sulfur was back on the nose of the 2009 Knebel Winninger Röttgen Riesling Kabinett from a part of the Mosel I have much less familiarity with. Feels hotter than the 9.5% alcohol level would suggest and the richness and intensity don't feel integrated here, but the Weil was probably a hard act to follow.
Harder to read the nose on the Rheingau's 2009 Prinz Hallgartener Jungfer Riesling Kabinett, tangy richness, well-balanced, but, yeah, pretty rich—I'm seeing a bit of a theme for the 2009ers. Ruwer to the rescue with the 2009 Erben von Beulwitz Kaseler Nies'chen Riesling Spätlese Alte Reben with playful mix of richness and acid—elegant nose. Fun. But, holy moly, the Nahe struts its stuff with the 2009 Emrich-Schönleber Monzinger Frühlingsplätzchen Riesling Spätlese which had a perfume (no -d) nose and pure delicious lime juice that I love about the Nahe wines I encounter. Sweet, rounded, perfect. Guzzlicious. Back to the Mosel for the new DVW arrival, the 2009 Dr H Thanisch Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Spätlese was sprouting lots of sulfur, but still the structure on the nose was impressive. I found it layered, interesting, and quite intellectual—though I hadn't really made up my mind to whether I liked it. Others found it harder to read or marked by super-tight winemaking (one fellow taster claimed to taste stainless steel, though I think we both doubted it was used—though I wouldn't know in any case). I'll need to become more familiar with this producer to better understand these wines. Back to that Rheingau powerlifter for the 2009 Weil Kiedrich Turmberg Riesling Spätlese which was delicious and sparky, and rich yet still has the other things needed to make that richness delicious and avoid too much of a good thing. Finally leaving the tour of 2009, the 2004 Rosch Leiweiner Klostergarten Riesling Eiswein from the middle Mosel was honeyed, intense and, to me, tasted thick and gloopy. Others found the 2004 acid there that I didn't. I loved the flavors but it tasted much more TBAish to me than icewineish, so I'm glad to pass on that one and let other palates enjoy the beauty it offers. 2009 certainly offers some promise as a vintage—for me the cooler regions of the Saar and Ruwer seemed to fit my palate preferences and the richer style of trocken seemed to do well. A bit harder, however, for wines that went with a richer approach, as the richness potential seems a bit over the top for my preferences. But hopefully, I'll be able to experience more from the vintage and see how useful those guidelines are.