A few recent wines from the Mosel and the Pfalz.
2009 Theo Minges Riesling Spätlese “Der Froschkönig”
Opened an hour before pouring. Mineral/floral/stone fruit nose. Full, round, fruity, ripe, lightly sweet, with moderate acidity; definitely not as dry as one might think at 12.5% alcohol. Smooth/polished texture; tastes of red plums, limes, passionfruit, and mineral, with hints of hibiscus and fresh herbs. The only thing holding this wine back is a very dry, hard, chalky finish that comes on abruptly and doesn’t sync with the rest of the picture, so to speak - at least to me. Good; I admire what Theo Minges is trying to do here, and hope that future vintages are even better. I expected to like this more. Perhaps I just hit it in a bad spot?
2009 Joh. Jos. Prüm Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett
The axiom has always been that Prüms need time before they are ready - this bottle was an exception, however. Light to moderate in weight, slightly riper than the previous wine, though still showing a good level of acidity. Nicely focused, with cool minerals/wet stones, and red berry, citrus, and apple flavors. No sulfur aromas, so it is already approachable. Excellent.
2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett
Still showing a good bit of sulfur on the nose. This is moderate in weight, with good tension for 2007, and good structure; showing notes of apples, red fruits, peaches, minerals, and a bit of salinity. This will be excellent, but I’d give it several years.
1995 Müller-Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Rieslaner Auslese
From 375 ml bottle. Apparently, some frozen grapes were used in this wine. Dark reddish-brown color. Tropical/tangerine/baking spice/dark chocolate nose, with a bit of botrytis. Lightly viscous, sweet, well balanced, with good underlying acidity. Tastes of blood oranges, cherries, and raisins; some mango and clove on the finish. Very good+.
1993 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Eiswein
From 375 ml bottle. Quite nicely balanced, with good underlying acidity; moderately sweet, silky, and light on its feet, so to speak. Clean, with no evidence of botrytis. Loaded with aromas and flavors of tangerines, blood oranges, and apricots, with hints of citrus blossoms, minerals, and mace. Excellent/outstanding.