Short notes from a tasting of some of Germany's top wines hosted by German wine authority Joel Payne who stopped over in Manila while doing the rounds of Asia giving talks for the VDP.
Clemens Busch Spatburgunder Sekt Brut 2008 - Mosel. Probably the first German Blanc de Noirs I've had. Quite rich and dry. White chocolate. Lemon rind. Weissbier. Lemon rind. Interesting and pleasant enough.
Next came the 12 Grosses Gewachs wines all from the 2008 vintage.
Hans Wirsching Julius-Echter Berg Silvaner - Franken. Talcum powder. Good fruit and depth. Among the better Silvaners I've tried.
Okonomierat Rebholz Im Sonnenschein Weisser Burgunder - Pfalz. I'm not a fan of PInot Blanc but this was quite good. A bit of lychee. Lean. Spicy on the finish.
Dr. Heger Schlossberg Grauer Burgunder - Baden. We don't see too many wines from Baden so this was interesting. Spicy. Bacon fat. About 1/3 was aged in oak barrel of which 1/3 was new. Some picked up the vanilla notes of the barrels but I could't detect it.
Schlossgut Diel Burgberg Riesling - Nahe. Good fruit. Biscuits. Lean Quite long. Very good.
Dr. Burklin-Wolf Pechstein Riesling - Pfalz. Sweet nose. Full-bodied. A bit of honey and apple. Maybe there's some overripe fruit in this. Impressive.
Knipser Steinbuckel Riesling - Pfalz. A little bitter. Muted. Not too interesting.
Schloss Schonborn Marcobrunn Riesling - Rheingau. Excellent balance. Taut. Good length.
Robert Weil Graefenberg Riesling - Rheingau. Strange, exotic nose. Cologne. Very complex. Excellent.
Battenfeld Spanier Frauenberg Riesling - Rheinhessen. Smoky, stony. A little bitter on the finish.
We took a little break from the dry wines and had a Spatlese next.
Willi Schaefer Domprobst Riesling Spatlese - Butterscotch and honey. Well balanced acidity and sweetness.
Next came the Spatburgunders
Jean Stodden Rosenthal Spatburgunder Grosses Gewachs - Ahr. Candied nose. Quite rich mouthfeel but very dry.
Weingut Bernhart Raedling Spatburgunder Grosses Gewachs - Pfalz. Dark. Bacon fat. Not too interesting.
I wasn't too impressed by the Spatburgunders.
Although there was some snacks available, we decided to have dinner in the restaurant. I had brought with me a Coudoulet de Beacastel Cotes du Rhone and a Tablas Creek Esprit de Beacastel both from 2005 and thought it would be fun to try them side by side.
Chateau de Beaucastel Coudoulet de Beaucastel Cotes du Rhone 2005 - Sweet nose. Ripe, juicy wine. Not deep and complex but rather charming. Very good. I preferred this over the Tablas Creek.
Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel 2005 - From Paso Robles. The vines are grown from cuttings taken from Chateau de Beaucastel. Beaucastel stink on the nose although it blew off after a bit. Soil, loam, chocolate and coffee grounds. Deep but a bit tight. Maybe this should have been decanted. Possibly in a dumb phase. Soft tannins.
Chapoutier Les Coufis de Paille de l' Ardeche 2001 - Viognier dried on straw mats. Bottled as Vin de Table as this technique isn't permitted in the Rhone. Hard to make out the color in the dimly lit restaurant but it looked almost copper. Certainly it was rather deep. Nose was a bit muted but the flavor was explosive. Candied fruits, honey, rich and syrupy. Silky smooth with great balance making it surprisingly easy to drink. Not at all cloying. Excellent and by far the best Vin de Table I've ever had!