NYE Wines - Riesling and Pinot Noir

I had a small dinner party for New Years Eve, with shrimp cocktail, cream of mushroom soup, a rolled, stuffed pork loin, etc. The wine recommendations for the pork were either Riesling or Pinot Noir. I have plenty of my home made versions both wines, but decided to tap into my growing inventory of store-bought wines.
2011 Merkelbach Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Spatlese - Light straw, hints of anise and pineapple. Long finish, but soft, sweet and almost cloying. Good, but not what I was hoping for.
2007 Drouhin Vero Pinot Noir - Burgundy - Nice color, but an overall disappointment. Nose seemed muted - not much going on. Good acid, but not a very log or full finish. Frankly, I've had several local PNs I've enjoyed more.
Note to self - post more of the wines I drink, good or bad. For instance, I just realized I never posted notes about a great dinner I had last January, on Inauguration Day in Baltimore with James & Jeanette Roscoe where we had '95 Phelps Insignia and a great Amarone.

Any meal with the Roscoes can be entertaining. Love it when we take over Samos Restaurant in Greektown, Baltimore (or at least one corner of the small restaurant.)

2007 Drouhin Vero Pinot Noir - Burgundy - Nice color, but an overall disappointment. Nose seemed muted - not much going on. Good acid, but not a very log or full finish. Frankly, I've had several local PNs I've enjoyed more.

2007 and a very entry level wine. Not sure 'long' and 'full finish' are realistic expectations!

[David M. Bueker]

Howie,

You and I must have a very different perception of sweetness. If there is one producer I would say has never made a cloying sweet riesling it would be Merkelbach.

Howie,

You and I must have a very different perception of sweetness. If there is one producer I would say has never made a cloying sweet riesling it would be Merkelbach.

It definitely did not have the acidity to balance the sweetness. I did a search here and you posted on the 2012 Spatlese and Kabinett. Perhaps the 2011 is a different animal.
Rahsaan - I have no idea where the Pinot Noir came from. I found it in my wine cooler - probably given to me, as I have no recollection of buying it.

[David M. Bueker]

2011 is a lower acid vintage for sure. I've had the wine a few times (believe it or not I don't post on everything), but don't recall cloying ever coming to mind. That being said, your rieslings (from what I recall) are in the halbtrocken range when they have any sweetness, so a full sweet German could seem over the top.

Thanks, David. It seemed to have a syrupy finish. I don't recall any of the wines in the Wehlener Sonnenuhr vertical at MoCool exhibiting that.

[David M. Bueker]

I don't recall the vintages or even the specific wines (if they were all posted). What Wehlener Sonnenuhr wines were served?

I don't know the wine but have found that 'cloying' is very much in the eye of the beholder when it comes to German wine. I'm not speaking about Howie because I don't know his palate, but many people that I know interpret any sweetness as 'cloying' because they're judging it against their 'normal' perceptions of dry wine and since it's a different style/animal it seems 'cloying'.

It's rather annoying because I'm afraid to open German off-dry wines for people unless I know their palate, it's just too dangerous.

Wehlener Sonnenuhr vertical MoCool 2013. This was a wonderful tasting. I liked every wine. I also like sweet wines like Beerenauslese, TBA and Ice wines, but this one just did not have the acidity for palate cleansing and balance, at least to accompany the pork dish.

[David M. Bueker]

Now I am totally confused, as I find 2005 and especially 2003 to be some of the most over the top vintages in terms of sweetness without balancing acidity.

Well, they were tasted under very different circumstances - one paired with a meal - the others in a line-up. And who knows - maybe my palate was having an off day, as I also found the PN lacking.

[David M. Bueker]

That you were underwhelmed by that PN, especially from an OK, but not fine vintage, is not surprising at all.