WTN: 2010 Müller-Catoir Bürgergarten Riesling

WTN: 2010 Müller-Catoir Haardter Bürgergarten Riesling Spätlese Trocken –Pfalz, Germany 13,0% alc.

This is probably my favorite mid-tier Müller-Catoir Riesling because it is simply the most complete. I kept going back and forth with the 2009s between the more subtle, but classier Herrenberg and the more forward Bürgergarten, but for 2010 I think I’m ready to declare this my favorite.

It is astonishingly good. Peach, Mirabelle, clover honey, cherry, cherry pit and still more cherry! The concentration of fruit is incredible as is the spicy paprika, irony, minerality. Sizzling, joy-buzzer acidity on the finish. When there is dry Riesling that tastes this good, I simply cannot understand the backlash against the style.

Cheers,
Bill

Different vintage, but I was also excited by the 2007. It seemed, to me, to be on par with a GG at half the price. How long do you reckon these take to peak?

When there is dry Riesling that tastes this good, I simply cannot understand the backlash against the style.

I'm not too implicated in the debate because I find good off-dry and dry riesling and Germany and I'm happy about that. But in all fairness the debate is not over whether or not good dry riesling exists but whether some dry rieslings would be better with a bit of r.s. and with less ambitious pricing.

Different vintage, but I was also excited by the 2007. It seemed, to me, to be on par with a GG at half the price. How long do you reckon these take to peak?

Man, I don't know. 2010 is such a weird vintage, but its coming together and easier to read now than it was earlier. I would think that the 2010 with more stuffing will go a bit longer than the 2007 given the lack of acid in the latter. I don't think that 10 or 15 years will be a problem for 2007 and maybe another few for 2010. There is still a 3-liter of Breumel in den Mauern GG 2010 that I've been eyeballing for the express purpose of laying it down for a long time. We'll see.

Cheers,
Bill

When there is dry Riesling that tastes this good, I simply cannot understand the backlash against the style.

I'm not too implicated in the debate because I find good off-dry and dry riesling and Germany and I'm happy about that. But in all fairness the debate is not over whether or not good dry riesling exists but whether some dry rieslings would be better with a bit of r.s. and with less ambitious pricing.

Hi Rahsaan,

Whether or not the wines would taste better with more sugar is a matter of opinion. If there was enough of a market for sweeter wines then I think that we can all agree that they would be made to fill that demand.

As for the GGs costing more money…
We can use Müller-Catoir as an example.
The ‘village-level’ Haardt Riesling is 10€
The ‘Terroir-level’ Haardter Bürgergarten is 16€
The ‘GG’ Breumel in den Mauern from the Haardter Bürgergarten is 24€
In years when a Riesling Auslese is produced from The Breumel parcel it costs 16€ for 375ml (more expensive than the dry wines)

I don’t think that these 6 or 8€ price increases are significant given the noticeably higher increase in quality as one goes up the ladder.

I’ve heard it argued that people are now paying twice as much for the same Spätlese Trocken that they used to buy before GG labeling came along. It is simply not the same wine. It is often the case that a producer will employ a completely different, more labor intensive, and lower-yielding trellising system for GG designated wines. Dry, healthy, ripe, botrytis-free wines also require a lot more vineyard work than Sweeter wines which are more forgiving of defects like botrytis (not to mention that wines with significant botrytis require many more enzyme and chemical additions in the winery.) If a winery happens to be organic, or works without chemical fertilizers, the amount of vineyard work required for producing clean, dry wines in Germany is enormous (Far more than a comparable wine from France, Spain, or Italy.)

Personally, I don’t think that 32€ (which is on the high-side for GG Riesling in Germany) is too much to pay.

It sounds to me that what people are really upset about is the exchange rate. Rebholz or Dönnhoff or Müller-Catoir has nothing to do with that, nor does the VDP for inventing Großes Gewächs.

Cheers,
Bill

Bill,

They don't need 10 year to come around right? You were talking about how long they will hold out? I am drinking the 2006 today, half of it over lunch and the rest this evening, and like the 2007, it seems like it's ready but might need a few years to smooth out. But I kinda like its roughness, has a bit of Tom Waits sandpaper to it. So now is actually a good time for me.

I've noticed that Muller-Catoir is the one place where my inventory is a real mess. I simply have no idea what's in the fridge with this guy. My fault, really, but at this time, unless I start pulling out bottles just to write down the labels, I can't plan ahead.

Bill,

They don't need 10 year to come around right? You were talking about how long they will hold out?

Right. I think that M-Cs are pretty nice right out of the box, but they do shut down for a few years (some of the 2009s are sound alseep right now.) Time and oxygen do marvelous things for dry Riesling.

Cheers,
Bill

As for the GGs costing more money…
We can use Müller-Catoir as an example.
The ‘village-level’ Haardt Riesling is 10€
The ‘Terroir-level’ Haardter Bürgergarten is 16€
The ‘GG’ Breumel in den Mauern from the Haardter Bürgergarten is 24€
In years when a Riesling Auslese is produced from The Breumel parcel it costs 16€ for 375ml (more expensive than the dry wines)

I don’t think that these 6 or 8€ price increases are significant given the noticeably higher increase in quality as one goes up the ladder.

I’ve heard it argued that people are now paying twice as much for the same Spätlese Trocken that they used to buy before GG labeling came along. It is simply not the same wine. It is often the case that a producer will employ a completely different, more labor intensive, and lower-yielding trellising system for GG designated wines. Dry, healthy, ripe, botrytis-free wines also require a lot more vineyard work than Sweeter wines which are more forgiving of defects like botrytis (not to mention that wines with significant botrytis require many more enzyme and chemical additions in the winery.) If a winery happens to be organic, or works without chemical fertilizers, the amount of vineyard work required for producing clean, dry wines in Germany is enormous (Far more than a comparable wine from France, Spain, or Italy.)

Personally, I don’t think that 32€ (which is on the high-side for GG Riesling in Germany) is too much to pay.

It sounds to me that what people are really upset about is the exchange rate. Rebholz or Dönnhoff or Müller-Catoir has nothing to do with that, nor does the VDP for inventing Großes Gewächs.

Just throwing this out in terms of pricing (at least in my neck of the woods here)...

Catoir 'Breumel in den Mauern' GG - $60-70 here
Donnhoff Dellchen/Hermannshohle GG - $55-60, higher in the last couple of vintages
Schafer-Frohlich Felseneck GG - $70-80, same for Schonleber's top GGs
Rebholz Im Sonnenschein GG - $80
Keller Hubacker/Kirchspiel GG - $65

Hirtzberger Hochrain Smaragd - $65 for the '09
Prager Klaus - $55 (60 for Achleiten and Bodenstein)
Hirsch Heiligenstein/Gaisberg - $40-45
Nikolaihof Steiner Hund - $60
Alzinger Steinertal - $55-60
Brundlmayer Lyra - $45
FX Steinertal - $60

The exchange rate is not the issue. Both the top German and Austrian wines are bought with the same weak dollar, are made in very similar styles, and with a few exceptions (Donnhoff Hermannshohle and Rebholz Kastanienbusch) I've found the Austrians superior, am more comfortable aging them and usually consider them better value. I have no problems with GGs and drink them consistently, but with the exception of a few top wines that I think are worth it, I'm not spending on them - particularly not with a few cases of Prager, Hirtzberger and Alzinger to enjoy at better prices.

Whether or not the wines would taste better with more sugar is a matter of opinion. If there was enough of a market for sweeter wines then I think that we can all agree that they would be made to fill that demand.

Sure. I'm not saying that either side is correct. Just pointing out that for those who complain about dry German riesling, the fact that one is delicious and affordable doesn't affect the broader critique.

Salil,

I love Austrian Riesling too. But dry Austrian Riesling and dry German Riesling are different animals. They are made in different styles under different conditions in different terroir –and showcasing terroir is what GG aims to do. If you like the Austrian style better, by all means drink it. I haven’t been to Austria in a couple of years and can’t speak about ex-cellar prices from those estates. The discrepancy in the pricing of the German wines doesn't reflect the local ex-cellar pricing at all.

Rahsaan,
Although the conversation always shifts to GG, there are dozens of good, more affordable dry Riesling too. And sure, some bad ones as well.

Cheers,
Bill