TN: Tale of Two Rieslings

2021 August Kesseler Riesling Kabinett - light colour, light weight, clean wine but not much of interest. Nothing off, just not enough 'there', there.


2003 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Heimbourg polar antithesis to the Kesseler. Medium amber colour, a tad oxidative, but kept improving the longer it was opened, still has good balance, higher weight than the other wine and a good mouth feel, and it just kept getting better and better after opening. I gave the bottle to my friend to take home and he advised that it kept improving for hours and picked up a roasted nut element he really liked. He made one interesting comment that I think is true - he said it really wasn't very much like a Riesling, but more like an aged Jura wine!

[David M. Bueker]

Honestly the Z-H sounds like a wine from a hot vintage that is past its prime. Maybe interesting in other ways, but not as what it was actually supposed to be.

You may be right, David. I have one more bottle - will put it on the schedule to open soon and see if it is consistent.

Oddly enough, I rarely see an Alsatian that turns out to be a 'dog', albeit one with some flavour interest.