On the evening of Friday 22th september we went to visit a young and coming winemaker. Andreas Adam was only 22 when he six years ago continued to grow and bottle the grapes from his family's vineyard under the AJ Adam-label. For a generation the vineyards had been rented away. All grapes are in the Dhroner Hofberg-vineyard. IMO it is a good Mosel-vineyard that unfortunately has been a little forgotten. Reinhold Haart used to make a wine from here some years ago. But he owned so little here, that he exchanged it with some (more) land in the Wintricher Ohligsberg. The soil in Hofberg is a mix of slates. Mostle grey, but also red. It gives quite sleek wines, perhaps not as refined as the best in Mittel-Mosel with a little more earthyness found in the wines. The vines that Andreas Adam tend mostly have an age between 40-45 years old. Some younger vines inbetween. He still only owns a little more than a hectare and would probably need to expand a little in the years to come. With the 2004-vintage he gained a one-star rating in the Gault Millau german wine-guide, which is very good indeed. With this reputation some cuvees were already sold out. Here are the notes on the wines we tasted. Wines without prädikat are made in the feinherb/halbtrocken-style.
Dhroner Hofberg riesling 2004
12 g/L. rs, 12% alc. Straw colour. Mineral and earthy nose. Some slate. Quite elegant wine in the mouth. Good concentration. Fine acids and balance. Good length. Still quite young. Very interesting wine. A style that really suited this vineyard very well. This was one of my favorites of the day.
Dhroner Hofberg riesling spätlese 2004
Light straw colour, greenish hue. Fine nose, again slatey with an earthy touch. Some sweeter fruit. Fullbodied spätlese in the mouth. Again fine and precise style. Clean, well-balanced. Fine wine, but I preferred the previous bottle.
Dhroner Hofberg riesling spätlese 2005
Light straw colour. More citrusy nose here. Showing less. Andreas Adam says this has a little bottleshock yet, not too long time in bottle. Shows some of the same charater of slate and earth, but a little more fruity and citrusy. The wine is a little sweeter and more concentrated than the 2004, yet remains elegant and not as creamy as many other 2005's. Good, but the 2004 is perhaps a tad better. Will it change with time??
Dhroner Hofberg riesling auslese 2005
Straw/greenish colour. A mineral auslese with fine hints of very clean and well-intagrated botrytis. Fullbodied, concentrated in the mouth. Slight fat in the entrance. Typical 2005. But again remains elegant for the vintage. Good structure. Very good auslese and another favourite of the day.
Dhroner Hofberg riesling beerenauslese 2005
Deeper straw colour. This shows more botrytis, but also more fruit and even mineral and slatey hints. Some more fat and more concentration in the mouth. But a quite elegant and fruity BA with finely integrated botrytis and fine acids. Some tropical notes in the fruit. Young and needs time. Very fine BA.