WTN: Weekend Rieslings

A few great bottles with friends...

2009 Immich-Batterieberg Riesling C.A.I.
Ridiculous value at $20-ish from Crush and/or Chambers. (Screwcap alert, by the way!) This is all about freshness, purity and focus. Bright green apple and grapefruit over a vivid stony minerality with fantastic acidity keeping it really vibrant and razor-sharp.

2001 Reinhold Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese
Outstanding Spätlese. Slate, flowers and the start of developing creamy elements around a core of bright Riesling fruit ranging from fresh citrus to riper melon and peachy flavours. It's still very youthful and sweet, but there's tremendous balance, focus and refreshment here.

2005 Dönnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spätlese
Still drinking damn well (certainly much more approachable than I would have expected an '05 to be). A seamless combination of bright red fruits, peaches, honey and florality; medium weight and quite sweet but beautifully balanced with that typical Dönnhoff lightness of touch and impressive length.

2001 Eugen Müller Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Auslese
Ripe apples, peaches and apricots accented by gentle honeyed and petrolly elements. Very rich but nicely balanced by bright acids, and a nice match with some moderately spiced jerk chicken.

2009 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Großes Gewächs
Wild stuff. The aromatics here aren't too different from the Felseneck Spätlese; really exotic and opulent with bright floral-tinged white fruited flavours and that sponti-yeast funk the S-F wines always seem to show in their youth. In the mouth it's all about minerality; vividly stony and salty with floral touches and fresh citrus fruit flavours emerging with some air. Very ripe, rich and powerful, particularly compared to the '08, and I'm looking forward to seeing how this develops with some age.

2008 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Großes Gewächs
An amazing contrast to the '09 Felseneck GG - whereas the '09 is vividly floral and ripe, the emphasis here is on minerality and sheer precision. The first few sips taste like something that came from pure stone, but with time it develops an incredible flavour profile of fresh berries, flowers and talc around the vivid minerality. There's a remarkable sense of lightness and focus here, and a finish that just goes on and on. Spectacular; one of the most incredible Rieslings I've had. Really glad I have more!

Not a bad weekend, Riesling Boy.

How much did the GGs cost?

They're around $70.

[David M. Bueker]

They're around $70.

That's pretty painful given that the '09 Donnhoff GGs ran about $50.

Thanks. While I enjoy a GG now and then, I think the tariff is too high. Particularly as I see GG as more of a stylistic approach (and a marketing tool) rather than a quality demarcation (at least when it involves a vineyard, such as Bockenauer Felseneck, which also produces the off-dry versions).

Thanks. While I enjoy a GG now and then, I think the tariff is too high. Particularly as I see GG as more of a stylistic approach (and a marketing tool) rather than a quality demarcation (at least when it involves a vineyard, such as Bockenauer Felseneck, which also produces the off-dry versions).

Oh, definitely - GGs are basically marketing with a very fixed stylistic ideal. But there are a few producers - Rebholz, S-F and Donnhoff stand out for me in this regard - where the wines are truly stellar and distinctive to a point where I'm willing to pay for them. Still, it's annoying that in many cases the GG costs significantly more than a corresponding Spatlese or even Auslese from the same site. (On an aside - Schafer-Frohlich's collection in '08 really was something special. Went through a lot of his Bockenauer Felseneck Spatlese since release, this was the first time I tried the GG and I was really blown away.)

The stylistic rigidity combined with the increased cost courtesy of the GG imprimatur actually leads me to often not buy, as (beyond the fact that I don't think there's a qualitative difference) I'm concerned that this phenomenon may start crowding out the off-dry versions.

Salil -

Thank you for the notes. I had the 2002 version of the Eugen Muller Auslese that you mention, and remember it being a very good value. Haven't seen any other their other wines around since, outside of a Grosslage Kabinett that I did not buy.

Next time I go to New York, I may have to pick up a bottle or two of the Immich-Batterieberg wines. It sounds like this historic estate is finally living up to their potential again, which is good to hear.

Nice stuff. Makes me thirsty for rieslings. I can't remember the last time I had one. It's probably been months.

[David M. Bueker]

Nice stuff. Makes me thirsty for rieslings. I can't remember the last time I had one. It's probably been months.

You clearly need to stop by Northern CT on your way to or from work/home.

Maybe that explains it, I haven't been to the office/campus in over two months!

I suppose I could have had some riesling if I was ever free to meet Salil during one of his many trips to Nyc, but the schedule's tight these days...