WTN: Drink at Joe's

1989 Josephshoefer Trockenbeerenauslese Goldkapsel, Reichgraf von Kesselstatt

This is one amazing wine. I was first struck by the color: transparent deep gold with orange tones. I suspect that color hasn't changed much since the wine was first released. The aroma is fresh and magnificent--complex fruit and spice aromas that are such a unified whole that they're difficult to tease apart, and who would want to bother? And yes, a touch of botrytis shoe polish if you decide to go looking for it. The rich mouthfeel reminds me of glycerin. The flavors follow the aroma and are rich but not overwhelming. The acidity is quite high, but it serves to balance out the fruit and the rich sweetness and to keep everything dancing on the palate. This wine must have well over 50% residual sugar, but it is not in the least bit cloying. The finish is an explosive crescendo that lasts for many minutes. The whole experience leaves one begging to take another sip. This is right up there with 1983 d'Yquem and 1970 Quinta do Noval Nacional in my most memorable sweet wine experiences. The wine is fresh and youthful enough that I suspect it has a long life ahead of it, but it's hard to imagine it getting any better, so why postpone the pleasure? Triple Curly with an extra Woo! Woo! Woo!

-Paul W.

[David M. Bueker]

TBA from a heavy botrytis year! That’ll kill you if you’re not careful.

My recollection was that 1989 was a heavy botrytis year. Thanks for confirming that, Dave. But as I said in my tasting notes botrytis wasn't a dominant player in either the aroma or flavor of this wine. It was there all right, but in complete harmony with everything else. The result of a deft hand in winemaking, I guess.

I checked the label and my cellar inventory notes again. The inventory notes say this wine has the "Goldkapsel" designation; I've updated the TN to reflect that. I'd guess that Von Kesselstatt probably designates all of its BAs and TBAs as "Goldkapsel". The label says the alcohol level is 7%. About what one would expect from a TBA.

-Paul W.