The second Klitzekleinen ring was held on Saturday 23d of September 2006. This year a couple of new winemakers from Traben-Trarbach was also part of this ring of young winemakers and they proved to be an interesting addition. This years guest were Weingut von Racknitz from the Nahe. Here are the notes:
<b><u>Weingut Richard Böcking, Traben-Trarbach</u></b>
<b>"V" Riesling qualitätswein trocken 2005</b>
Clean and fruity nose with hints of apricot and slate. Fruity and round style in the mouth. Some residual sugar noticable. Quite light wine with simple fruit. But clean. Decent acids and medium length. Modest quality.
<b>Trarbacher Burgberg riesling spätlese trocken 2005</b>
Subdued nose, but shows some more slate. More intence in the mouth. Again a quite slim wine, round in style and a touch of residual sugar. Better acids and balance. A slight step up in quality.
<b>Trarbacher Burgberg riesling kabinett feinherb 2005</b>
Slatey nose again. Some more citrus. Slim wine again, not very concentrated. A little more fruity, with hints of slate. A little more residual sugar. Higher acids here. Good balance. Decent quality.
<b>Trarbacher Ungsberg riesling spätlese feinherb 2005</b>
Fruitier nose with more apricot, also mineral and slate. Better concentration in the mouth. More serious wine. Finer minerality. Quite fruity styled. Fine acids and length. Good.
<b>Trarbacher Schlossberg riesling beerenauslese 2005</b>
Nose shows some botrytis, but is lacking a little intensity. Refreshing and a lighter BA in the mouth. Quite neutral style. Well-integrated botrytis and fine acids. Decent.
<i>I tried to sum up each winemaker in a couple words at the end. The words here were slim, round style and a little lacking in concentration. The best wine here were the Ungsberg spätlese feinherb. A more serious einzellage and a good wine.</i>
<b><u>Weingut Paul Moog Nachf., Traben-Trarbach</u></b>
<b>Trabener Kräuterhaus riesling kabinett trocken 2005</b>
Broad, fruity and quite earthy nose in this one. Some slate. Acidic and quite thin riesling in the mouth. Dry style, lacking fruit here. Not good.
<b>Trabener Schlossberg riesling spätlese halbtrocken 2005</b>
Nose shows a little more slate and white fruits. Some peach. Again earthy. Some sweetness in the mouth. Fruitier wine that hides some of the earthyness. Still a simple wine. Better acids. Modest quality.
<b>Trabener Gaispfad riesling spätlese 2005</b>
More fruit and sweetness in the nose. Medium concentration in the mouth. A quite creamy style with decent acids. Medium length. Again quite simple and a little earthy. Modest quality.
<b>Trabener Gaispfad riesling auslese 2005</b>
Fruity nose, some slate, a little finer nose. Sweet and creamy in the mouth. Some botrytis. Slight fat. Acids a little low for the balance. Better wine here, still modest quality.
<i>The words that ended up here were broad and earthy style. Quality was very modest here at best.</i>
<b><u>Artur Mentges, Traben-Trarbach/Wolf</u></b>
<b>Mentges-Riesling qualitätswein trocken 2005</b>
This had a shy nose, showed some spice and mineral. In the mouth it was a little rough wine with low concentration and thin fruit.
Showed some flowers and some mineral. Very simple. Acids also low. Quality: avoid.
<b>Kinheimer Hubertuslay riesling kabinett trocken 2005</b>
A little more in the nose here. Shows some slate and earth. Dry and slim wine in the mouth with quite high acids. More concentration,
but again a thin wine. Modest quality.
<b>Kinheimer Hubertuslay riesling spätlese trocken 2005</b>
Fruitier nose here. Also some slate and earth. Better concentration in the mouth. Fruit is again quite rough and simple. Some slate
and earth and more alcohol showing in the finish. Modest quality.
<b>Kinheimer Rosenberg riesling auslese 2005</b>
Nose shows hints of flowers and slate. In the mouth this is not the sweetest and fullest auslese, but the lower acids makes it a
little sweeter than it is. Fruit is quite simple and flowery. Modest quality.
<b>Lösnicher Försterlay riesling beerenauslese 2005</b>
Fine fruit and botrytis on the nose, well integrated. In the mouth this is a refreshing BA with fine acids. Fruity and fresh style.
Perhaps a bit simple and lacking depth. A little forgettable but a decent BA.
<i>The words here were rough and simple wines. Quality was modest, but the beerenauslese at the end was a positive surprise.</i>
<b><u>Clemens Busch, Pünderich</u></b>
<b>Pündericher Marienburg riesling kabinett trocken 2005</b>
Quite underripe flowery nose with fine hints of mineral. In the mouth this is a quite round and easy-drinking dry kabinett. Quite
slim and soft style with fine flowery, mineral fruit. Fine balance. Good wine.
<b>Pündericher Marienburg riesling spätlese trocken 2005</b>
More sweetness on the nose here with more intense slatey character. Fuller in the mouth. Dry and quite fullbodied spätlese trocken.
Fine mineral fruit and refreshing high aicds. Alcohol a little noticable in the back. Good wine.
<b>Pündericher Marienburg Falkenlay riesling spätlese 2004</b>
From a warm plot with south-slightly east-facing vines on red and grey slate. The nose shows a more honeyed wine with some botrytis.
A bit rougher and more intense effort. Also better depth here. In the mouth this is fuller with more concentration. Nice balance, but
not as refreshing acids as the other wines. Very good wine.
<b>Riesling "vom roten schiefer" 2005</b>
A more earthy and sweet nose with less intensity than the previous wine. Sweetness finely balanced with the acids. A little rougher
and more earthy fruit. Not as fine and a quality-step down. Good wine.
<b>Pündericher Marienburg riesling spätlese Fass 32 2003</b>
This was a very weird wine. Except the hint of caramel the nose here was very shy. With a lot of swirling there was some honey,
botrytis and slate. In the mouth this was a fullbodied wine with fruit closed down, showing again those notes of caramel only. It
is a sweeter wine with lower acids. Have to try again another time. Not rated.
<b>Pündericher Marienburg Falkenlay riesling auslese 2005</b>
Fine hints of slate, botrytis and mineral in the nose. In the mouth this is a creamy and rich styled auslese. Fine fruit, mineral
with fine botrytis. Good acids in the back. A great auslese that is tempting to drink now.
<i>The words that ended up for Clemens Busch was more serious. The 2005's showed typical style for this producer and very fine wines
indeed. The 2003 was a large question-mark.</i>
<b><u>Weingut Johann Lenz, Pünderich</u></b>
<b>Pündericher Marienburg riesling kabinett trocken 2005</b>
11% alc, 5g RS, 6,1g acid. Nose shows some white fruit, slate. Quite fruity style. Light and slim kabinett in the mouth. Dry and
clean. Little fruit, some slate. Simple. Modest quality.
<b>Pündericher Marienburg riesling kabinett halbtrocken 2005</b>
10% alc, 11g RS, 8g Säure. Again fruity style with some slate. Another quite slim wine showing a little more fruit. Also slate, but
a simple wine. Better balance and length. Decent quality.
<b>Pündericher Marienburg riesling spätlese halbtrocken 2005</b>
11,5% alc, 14,7g Restsüße, 8g Säure. More intense nose. Flowery fruit. A step up in intensity and concentration also in the mouth.
Fine fruit, but still quite simple and lacking depth. Some slate showing. Fine acids and good sipping-wine.
<b>Pündericher Marienburg riesling spätlese Liebeströpfchen 2005</b>
10% alc, 39g Restsüße, 8,7g Säure. Sweeter nose. Hints of flowers, botrytis and slate. In the mouth it is not as sweet as expected. Still quite slim style. This shows
more elegance. Finer balance between acds and fruit. A little caramel-note. Good.
<b>Pündericher Marienburg riesling beerenauslese 2005</b>
8,5% alc, 133g Restsüße, 8,7g Säure. Strange nose, shows botrytis and paint. Fine balance in the mouth between sweetness and acids.
Some fat in the entrance. Shows more botrytis on the palate, but also minerals. Decent quality.
<i>The words that sum up the wines from Johann Lenz were slim, fruity and simple wines. Some nice sipping-wines here, but nothing too
serious.</i>
<b><u>Weingut Konstantin Weiser, Traben-Trarbach</u></b>
<b>Enkircher Ellergrub riesling feinherb 2005</b>
Fine mineral nose. Hints of slate and flowers. Fine and mineral wine in the mouth with good depth. Quite elegant and well-balanced,
although a little rough in the finish. Very fine wine.
<b>Enkircher Ellergrub riesling spätlese feinherb 2005</b>
Normally there will be only one feinherb each year, but Konstantin Weiser desided to make two this special year. This wine displays
the same style as the previous. It is a little fuller in the mouth and again very elegant fine mineral style with good depth. Another
very fine effort, but perhaps not much more interesting than regular feinherb.
<b>Enkircher Ellergrub riesling kabinett 2005</b>
More flowers and fruit here. Fine hints of slate. Elegant and mineral wine in the mouth. Fine kabinett without some of the roughness
found in the feinherbs. Great balance between sweetness and acids. Pure, clean, mineral fruit. Great kabinett.
<b>Enkircher Ellergrub riesling spätlese 2005</b>
Flowers in the nose. But also a very fine minerality with a lot of slate. Sweeter and fuller in the mouth with more intense fruit.
Greatly balanced with fine acids. Some more citrus in the finish. Needs some age. Great spätlese.
<b>Enkircher Ellergrub riesling auslese 2005</b>
Nose shows more white fruits, botrytis and minerality. In the mouth this is a very elegant auslese for the year with intense
minerality and fine integrated botrytis. Sweet, but with cleansing acids and good length. Great auslese.
<b>Enkircher Ellergrub riesling beerenauslese 2005</b>
This shows more botrytis and honey. Still keeps the hints of slate. Sweeter and more concentrated in the mouth, but again a quite
elegant style with superb balance. Young and refreshing style right now. Great beerenauslese.
<i>The words here were mineral and elegant. This is the first vintage from this winemaker and surely ont to watch out for in the future.
Great wines here from the 2005-vintage.</i>
<b><u>Weingut Martin Müllen, Traben-Trarbach</u></b>
<b>Trarbacher Hühnerberg riesling trocken 2005</b>
Bottled three weeks earlier. Yellow colour. Stoney nose, hints of apricot. Showing aome fine minerality, but not giving very much
right now. Dry and high acids in the mouth. Even more closed than the nose. Fruit not showing at all. Some fine minerality.
Concentration probably there. A bit aggressive and rustic style right now. Really needs time to calm down. The structure seems great.
Promising wine. Very good wine.
<b>Kröver Steffensberg riesling spätlese** trocken 2005</b>
Yellow/green colour. Flowery nose, some apricot, slate and minerals. Fullbodied and concentrated wine in the mouth. Dry with great
structure. Slightly rustic style with fine fruit showing a lot more at this stage. Very fine. One of the better wines I have tasted
from this einzellage. Great wine.
<b>Trarbacher Hühnerberg riesling spätlese "C" 2005</b>
Straw colour. Fine nose of apricot, botrytis, slate and minerals. The botrytis is very fine and integrates well. In the mouth this is
a very fine wine. Shows a lot of botrytis, but still a smaller scaled wine. Greatly balanced and shows a lot of slate and minerality.
Great acidic structure, long taste. My wine of the day. Tremendous wine. All grapes for this wine was affected by botrytis.
<b>Trarbacher Hühnerberg riesling auslese 2005</b>
Straw colour. A lot of spritz. Nose a little closed, but fine notes of botrytis, well integrated, fine fruit-notes and minerality.
Fullbodied in the mouth. Complex fruit with fine hints of botrytis. Mineral notes and slate. Good depth. Fine structure and long
taste. Very fine auslese. Great wine.
<i>There was a couple of other wines served here, but as I already had tasted through the range I skipped some wines here. The quality
this year is great at Martin Müllen. The Hühnerberg "C" is really a great wine.</i>
<b><u>Weingut Melsheimer, Reil</u></b>
<b>Reiler Mullay-Hofberg riesling kabinett halbtrocken 2005</b>
Flowery nose, some slate and light earth. Light and acidic riesling in the mouth with a little low concentration of fruit. Fine aromas, quite slatey, some earth. Modest quality.
<b>Reiler Mullay-Hofberg riesling spätlese trocken 2005</b>
More intense nose, hints of sweet flowers. Dry and fruity style in the mouth. Again high acids but better concentration than the previous wine. Decent quality.
<b>Reiler Mullay-Hofberg riesling spätlese "Schäf" 2005</b>
More shy nose here, some hints of flowers and slate. Sweeter wine in the mouth with a better balance with the acids. Flowery and slatey fruit. Quite simple. Lacking a little depth. Good wine.
<b>Reiler Mullay-Hofberg riesling auslese "Langeberg" 2005</b>
Sweeter nose. Some botrytis. Also more minerals. Sweet auslese in the mouth. A bit creamy with lower acids. Fine slatey fruit, well integrated botrytis. This is quite fine style.
<b>Reiler Mullay-Hofberg riesling auslese 2005</b>
Fine nose. Hints of botrytis, sweet flowers, also some citrus. Lightly fat in the entrance. Quite creamy and sweet style again. Fine hints of slate and well intagrated botrytis. Some more citrus in the finish and better length. Very good wine.
<b>Reiler Mullay-Hofberg riesling beerenauslese 2005</b>
Nose shows tropical fruit and botrytis. Not very intense for a BA. Fruity styled in the mouth. Some fat in the entrance, but quite refreshing wine with fien acids and length. Good BA.
<i>The words that sum up this producer was creamy and slatey wines. I asked myself why I did not rat these wines higher. They are absolutely nice glasses. But there seems to be something lacking in the final balance of the wines. The drier wines seemed to acidic, the sweet wines a bit too creamy. Yet there are some fine aromas to be found here.</i>
<b><u>Weingut O., Traben-Trarbach</u></b>
<b>Trabener Kräuterhaus riesling spätlese feinherb 2005</b>
Fine nose of spice, apricot and mineral. Fruitier wine in the mouth. Hints of apricot. Quite dry style with decent acids and a bit rough finish. Decent quality.
<b>Trabener Kräuterhaus riesling spätlese 2005</b>
Nose is better here showing more slate and flowers, also the spice. In the mouth this is quite sweet with some fat. A little rich style. Fine slatey and flowery fruit. Some depth. Good acids. Good wine, more refined.
<b>Trabener Kräuterhaus riesling auslese 2005</b>
More shy nose on this one. Shows some botrytis and slate. Creamy and sweet auslese in the mouth. Shows some botrytis and slate. Fine fruit, but again a little rough style. Good wine, but I liked the spätlese better.
<b>Trabener Kräuterhaus riesling beerenauslese 2005</b>
A highly mineral BA on the nose with fine hints of botrytis. Fullbodied, yet elegant BA in the mouth. Less opulent than normal, more mineral and well-balanced BA. Fine acids. Very good wine.
<i>This is the first vintage from Weingut O., lead by Olaf Schneider. It is a good start, although he needs to refine the wines a little more . I asked Olaf Schneider about this and he said he liked to interfere as little as possible. When I said I felt the feinherb was a little rough he said that it was only pressed, laid away and then bottled when the fermentation had stopped. That was all the winemaking and it was an experiment. I like the attitude and there is something great in these wines. Look out for this producer in the future.</i>
<b><u>Weingut Staffelter Hof, Kröv</u></b>
<b>"De aale Jaan" riesling trocken 2001</b>
Quite evolved nose here. Hints of petrol and honey. Nice nose. In the mouth this is a dry, acidic and rustic wine. The fruit is
evolved and nice. A bit too rough style. Drink now. Modest quality.
<b>Riesling spätlese trocken "vieilles vignes" - alte reben 2005</b>
Flowery and fruity nose. Some slate. Fullbodied and dry riesling in the mouth. Fine fruit with more mineral intensity. Some honey.
Rustic finish with too much alcohol for me. Serve chilled. Decent quality.
<b>Kröver Letterlay riesling spätlese halbtrocken 2005</b>
More slatey nose here, showing less obvious fruit. Some apricot. Medium bodied in the mouth. Nice slatey fruit. A bit lower acids
than the norm for this vintage. Again a bit warm finish. Decent quality.
<b>Kröver Steffensberg riesling spätlese 2005</b>
Again a slatey nose, but with more interest. Fine minerality and some earth and apricot. Sweet in the mouth with a much better
balance with acids and alcohol. Fruit is fine too with hints of slate, mineral and a citrusy finish. Great wine.
<b>Kröver Letterlay "Virgin vines" riesling auslese 2005</b>
More botrytis in the nose with hints of slate and citrus. Fullbodied auslese in the mouth. Some fat in the entrance, but good balance.
Fine fruit with well integrated botrytis. Quite fruity and a little simpler than the previous wine. Very fine balance though. Very
good wine.
<b>Dhron Hofberger riesling eiswein 1998</b>
Evolved nose that shows mostly petrol, some mineral and caramel. Fullbodied and sweet eiswein in the mouth with not the finest
acidity on the palate. A bit rustic style. Decent quality.
<i>This was a bit uneven which has often been the case at the Staffelter hof. But please remember that the son has taken over the
winemaking here recently as is putting more effort into the wines than the previous generation. So this is a producer which
righfully now has gained a one-star rating in the Gault Millau. Look out for the Staffelter hof in the future. Still I think the
sweeter wines are much better here than the drier wines even in recent years.</i>
<b><u>Weingut Vollenweider, Traben-Trarbach</u></b>
<b>Wolfer Goldgrube riesling spätlese feinherb 2005</b>
Fine nose of slate, apricot and flowers. Quite complex. Powerful feinherb in the mouth. A bit rougher styled than earlier years,
especially in the finish. A little higher alcohol. Beautiful fruit though, complex and fine. Very good wine.
<b>Wolfer Goldgrube riesling spätlese 2005</b>
Light straw colour. Slatey nose, a bit closed and reductive in style. Shows some flowers and honey. Powerful spätlese in the mouth. Quite
ripe friut and massive. A bit too much?? The acids balance out in the finish. Gives length and hints of citrus. The most powerful blended
spätlese I have taste from Daniel Vollenweider. I am not too convinced right now, but will need to retaste later. This needs time to
calm down. Very good wine.
<b>Wolfer Goldgrube riesling auslese 2005</b>
Straw colour. Quite a lot of spritz. Nose a littel closed. Shows some botrytis - very fine botrytis, flowers and white fruits. Slight
fatness in the mouth, but botrytis is very fine indeed. Marries well with the fruit. Fruit giving little, closed. Some citrus in the
finish. Fine acids and balance. Very fine auslese.
<b>Shimbock riesling trocken 2005</b>
Yellow colour. Fine nose shows minerals, honey, slate, some spice. Fullbodied wine in the mouth. Fine fruit, light spice, fine
minerality. Fine acids, but alcohol i s too high here (14%) for me. Making the finish a bit rustic. If you can tolerate that this is
a very fine wine.
<b>Shimbock riesling 2005</b>
Yellow colour. More intence nose here. Aromatic, hints of sweet fruits, honey, slate, minerals and some spice. Fullbodied and opulent
style. Heavier fruit, more old-fashioned; honey, flowers. Some fine minerality. Sweet, but well balanced wine, but perhaps a little
less structure here. Great wine.
<b>Shimbock riesling auslese 2005</b>
Picked at 140 Oechsle. Yellow colour. Fine and aromatic nose. Hints of honey, botrytis, some raisins, spice, slate. Fullbodied in the
mouth. Some fat. Fine botrytis. Raisiny hints. Fine fruit and good structure here. I like that balance and elegance. Fine acids and
length. Great wine.
<i>The wines here were also tasted earlier, but I included the notes for the sake of the completeness. There is no doubt that this was
the best selection of the day with very fine wines made all over the lines. I might sound a little more critical in my notes, but it
is because I know these wines so well for earlier years.</i>
<b><u>Weingut von Racknitz, Odernheim/Nahe</u></b>
<b>Niederhäuser Kertz riesling 2005</b>
Sulphury nose. Reductive. Some spice and earth. Fullbodied and quite earthy wine in the mouth. Some slate. Dry with noticable alcohol
and quite soft acids for this vintage. Modest quality.
<b>Niederhäuser Klamm riesling 2005</b>
Shy nose here. Again quite reductive. Some slate showing. Fruitier in the mouth, but again not showing very much. Dry and fullbodied
with decent acids. A little more concentration. Finishes a bit short. Decent quality.
<b>Schlossböckelheimer Königsfels riesling 2005</b>
Earthier nose here. Hints of apricot, some mineral. Dry and fullbodied riesling in the mouth. Fine fruit, but a bit heavy styled with medium to low acids in the balance. Medium length. Good wine.
<b>Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle riesling 2005</b>
Sweeter and fruitier nose here. Also more racy and mineral. Fine slatey notes. Fullbodied and dry in the mouth again. Slightly too heavy style here too, but a tad more elegant than the other wines. Some citrus in the finish. The nose is best. Good wine and the best from this producer.
<b>Odernheimer Kloster Disibodenberg riesling 2005</b>
From a village south-west of Oberhausen. Nose is quite shy and more reductive again. Some mineral hints. More shy of fruit in the mouth, yet a fullbodied wine. Does not shows much at all. Lower acids and weaker structure than the previous wine. Short taste. Modest quality.
<b>Niederhäuser Rosenheck riesling 2005</b>
Clearly sweeter nose here. Riper style with hints of caramel. Sweet in the mouth also (the only wine not dry from this producer). A good dose of residual sugar. Fullbodied and rich styled wine. Too heavy for the acids. Also fruit is ripe and shows hints of caramel. No. Modest quality.
<i>The words here were dry and lacking. The wines here were all fullbodied but lacking in structure and interest. Perhaps they need some
more time in bottle?? The Hermannshöhle was clearly the best wine from here.</i>
The three more known producers here; Daniel Vollenweider, Martin Müllen and Clemens Busch still do make wines that are of good class.
But there was also a couple of new names that now can be added to the list; Konstantin Weiser and Weingut O. Both making their first
vintage in 2005. Konstantin Weiser is known also from Immich-Batterieberg and his first vintage under his own name, surely suggests
a winemaker that knows what he is doing. The wines showed both greatness and consistency. For Weingut O. consistency could be better,
but there were interesting things to find in Olaf Schneider's first vintage and this producer needs to be followed in the future.