I tasted these wines at two separate tastings at Marty's in Newton this month. All of these are imported by Terry Theise, and distributed in Massachusetts by Atlantic Imports. In turn, Atlantic is under the same ownership as Marty's.
Overall, this was a solid, interesting group of wines, as one would expect from the Theise portfolio. Some standouts here, and only one relative disappointment.
2008 Reuscher-Haart Piesporter Riesling QbA
From 1L bottle. The second time I have had this value-based offering. A rather light textured, pleasant Mosel Riesling for near-term drinking.
2008 von Othegraven Riesling QbA Trocken Mosel
(Yes, I know that von Othegraven is in the Saar, but it’s technically a QbA Mosel now.)
Medium-bodied, dry, nicely mineral, with good acidity; shows notes of citrus fruits, peaches, and marjoram. Should be a nice wine for at least a few years. Very good.
2008 Hoffman-Simon Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett
I’ve had this once before, and while it’s a nice enough wine, it isn’t a standout Kabinett. Medium-bodied, with moderate underlying acidity; linear, with citrus/pear/lightly spicy notes. Good, but not my favorite from this vintage, which is especially strong for Mosel Kabinetts in my opinion.
2009 Kruger-Rumpf Münsterer Rheinberg Riesling Kabinett
Full-bodied, ripe, rounder, lightly sweet, well balanced, with good acidity; mineral, with notes of citrus fruits, peaches, golden plums, and wildflowers. Very good/excellent – this will be really nice down the road.
2009 Hexamer Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Riesling Spätlese **
Plump, ripe, Auslese-sweet, though, well balanced, with good underlying acidity. Lightly floral/smoky, with a more transparent minerality; shows notes of peaches, oranges, tropical fruits, and pears. Very good/excellent.
2008 Meulenhof - Erben Justen Ehlen Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spätlese Alte Reben *
From a small parcel in the Treppchen site with 50+ year old vines, which were never impacted by the restructuring of the rest of the vineyard (Flurbereinigung). Interesting cherry/floral nose. Ripe, well balanced, with good underlying acidity; a little more focused, and not quite as fat as the Hexamer. Shows citrus, pear, and tropical notes, with mineral/earthy/lightly herbal hints. Excellent.
2008 Erich und Maria Berger Gelber Muskateller Kamptal
Medium-bodied, steely, bone dry, well balanced, with moderate acidity. Somewhat floral – less so than many other Muscats, however, with peach, melon, and baking spice notes. Good, although I like the Schwarzbock Muscat better for a similar price.
2008 Ecker Grüner Veltliner Schloßberg
Light to medium-bodied, bone dry, moderately acidic; mineral, with stone fruit and peppery notes. Disappointingly, it’s a bit thin near the end, and there isn’t much of a finish.
2008 Walter Glatzer Weißburgunder Klassik Carnuntum
Light, peachy nose. Light to medium-bodied, bone dry, well balanced, with moderate acidity; mineral, with apricot and tropical fruit notes. Good – may have benefited from being served just a bit cooler though?
2008 Hirsch Riesling Zöbing
Medium-bodied, dry, linear, well balanced, with moderate acidity. Nicely mineral, with toprical fruit, citrus, apple, and some herbal notes. Very good.
2008 Alzinger Mühlpoint Grüner Veltliner Federspiel
Medium-bodied, tightly wound, with good underlying acidity. Bone dry, quite mineral, with citrus, apple, peppery, and thyme notes. Excellent – should age nicely.