WTN: German Riesling 2006 release tasting

The yearly event hosted by Max Gerstl (who himself was absent that day, unfortunately), this time in Zurich on May 12th, 2007. Went there with, or rather met there, Rainer, Henrik, Marc and more of the usual suspects.

The greatest vintage of all time? Not one vintner I asked thought so. Early ripeness, rain, fast-spreading botrytis, rot – need I say more? They seemed, as they virtually always do, very happy with the result, but they all agreed that 2005, on the whole, was superior. Henrik Möbitz, himself a gifted (he would probably refer to himself as hobby) vintner, looked over my shoulder a few times and said my rating was some of the most realistic he had ever seen, plus commented on the vintage that in contrast to 2005’s “satiny phenols and botrytis” the 2006s in general seem “flatter and more earthy” (in a difficult to translate sense of not always fully clean and crystalline) to him. He also told me he welcomes hype and inflationary ratings from wine critics all over the world, for the simple reason that once people have lost all trust, they will be forced to once again judge what they want to buy themselves – I wonder if most people’s mind works like that, though.

Tasting notes presented here in the order the wines appear in the flyer, not the order we tasted them in. There would have been more (and from more producers), but I am not only a slow taster, one simply runs into so many people one rarely sees at these yearly events.

Ironically, by the way, by far the greatest wine that day (actually the only truly great one), even including the ones we ordered from a restaurant wine list with dinner, was Márta Wille-Baumkauff’s Tokaj Pendits 2003 Tokaji Aszú-Essencia (see other post).

Dönnhoff Riesling Kabinett Oberhäuser Leistenberg 2006
Vanilla slate to lemon some nice fat, but currently the nose hints at more than the palate reveals. Rating: 87+?

Dönnhoff Riesling Spätlese Felsentürmchen 2006
The two Spätlesen led to an interesting discussion with Hermann Dönnhoff, quite simply because they reveal a density and an ageworthiness that his wines rarely do at this Prädikat level. 2006 is a Spätlese year he said and that the Auslesen for once are hardly a step up in density. How true! Felsentürmchen is a parcel in the Schlossböckelheimer Felsenberg. Quite concentrated, good viscosity and depth, good extract (the dry extract of these Spätlesen is over 35 g/l) and body, quite long on the finish. Not cheap, but worth it in this vintage, after all, this seems as fine as the 2001 VdP-Auction version! Rating: 89+?

Dönnhoff Riesling Spätlese Oberhäuser Brücke 2006
Also viscous, good body, not too sweet. Found this relatively light last time I tasted it, but now realize it has similarly high extract as the exceptionally successful Felsentürmchen, and also greater density than usual, plus the minerality of Brücke wines tends to be deeper and more finesseful. Inching closer to the Robert Weil price category (a huge problem in my book, as those tend to be almost supernaturally expressive and finesseful in their finest renditions), but still worth owning (and cellaring) in this vintage, as I am rather convinced these are the most ageworthy Dönnhoff Spätlesen in years. Rating: 90(+?)

Dönnhoff Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule Schlossböckelheimer Kupfergrube 2006
Subjectively lesser density than the SPLs, ironically. Some bready botrytis, medium body, a little viscosity, pretty wine. Rating: 88+?

Dönnhoff Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule Oberhäuser Brücke 2006
Faint clean rubber to the botrytis, a bit more density, darker and more attractive minerality than the Kupfergrube, nicely firm, aromatic acidity, a bit tannic, longer. Not particularly expensive for a Brücke GKA, but one can see this falls a fraction short of a VdP-Auction wine this year. Rating: 90(+?)

Dönnhoff Riesling Beerenauslese Oberhäuser Brücke 2006
Lovely, quite clean, faintly bready botrytis, sweet, medium viscosity, long, complex fruit, good minerality. Quite mouth-puckering acidity hidden in here. Not particularly expensive for a Dönnhoff BA, I guess, and still a borderline QPR. The Spätlesen are the standouts of the portfolio in this vintage. Rating: 91+

Robert Weil Riesling Spätlese 2006
Actually an all-Wasseros selection, though noticeably more simplistic than the “labeled” single vineyard Spätlesen. Subtle apple, not too sweet, fair body and length. Rating: 87+?

Robert Weil Riesling Spätlese Kiedrich Turmberg 2006
This used to be a cru for over 500 years before it fell out of the classification in 1971, because the site was judged to be too small! Nicely full and sweet, round and long. The parcel was subsequently treated as a part of the Wasseros vineyard. Picked 109° Oechsle, 9.9 g/l acidity. Some blueberry to light pale apple and stone dust, faintly tannic. Greater oily smoothness even than the Gräfenberg. Pretty acidity. Hard to tell if this was merely the more closed of the two at this stage or if this site yields wine of more straightforward (still quite exceptional) expression. Rating: 90+

Robert Weil Riesling Spätlese Kiedrich Gräfenberg 2006
Picked 111° Oechsle, 9.8 g/l acidity. More complex, though barely exotic or tropical in this vintage, faint blackcurrant superripeness top note. More complex apple, honey dew melon and minerality, aromatic acidity, long, quite finesseful aftertaste, what terroir expression, what a beauty! As expensive as this may seem for a Spätlese (though still under 40 dollars, and more like an ideally balanced, not too sweet Auslese), it remains one of most attractive buys year in, year out. Rating: 92+

Jakob Kühn Riesling Kabinett Oestrich Lehnchen 2006
Firm, good body, little fruit, strong, dark minerality. Rating: 85+

Jakob Kühn Riesling Spätlese Oestrich Lehnchen 2006
Crisp fruit freshness, pure and firm, some cut, lively, quite stone-dusty, long. Rating: 88+

Jakob Kühn Riesling Auslese Oestrich Lehnchen 2006
Strong roasted-rubbery brown bread botrytis, still a bit yeasty, firm macerated apple, stony-flinty minerality, quite long. Rating: ~90

Jakob Kühn Riesling Beerenauslese Oestrich Lehnchen 2006
A more dried-fruity and oxidative (in the positive sense) style. Highly concentrated, bready-botrytised yellow fruit, dried apricot, strong acidity with cut, viscous and firm wine. Needs bottle age to bring out more complexity, though. All these wines come with Stelvin screw cap capsules, Kühn insists they have been tested and proven for forty years. Rating: 91+

Wittmann Riesling Auslese Westhofen Morstein 2006
A stone dust, quite subtle apple flavours. Rating: 88+

Wittmann Riesling Beerenauslese Westhofen Morstein 2006
Thick, highly viscous, clean butter and glue botrytis, honeyed-clean and blossomy peach, vanilla, quite long. Rating: 90+?

Wittmann Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Westhofen Morstein 2006
Tighter fruit, minerality and more mouth-puckering acidity, more palate-staining and longer. Firm, vinosity, fine herbs and quite fresh apple. Concentrated terroir expression. Some of my friends found the Wittmann wines rather less impressive. Rating: 91+

Keller Riesling Spätlese 2006
Tasty and medium-sweet, faint herb fruit, quite balanced, but a bit bland and short. Rating: 86

Keller Riesling Auslese Westhofen Kirchspiel 2006
Quite botrytised, little stone dust, also a bit bland, medium length at best. Rating: 87+?

Keller Riesling Auslese*** Westhofen Morstein 2006
BA-like as usual with Three Star Auslesen from this producer. Quite clean botrytis, a subtlety in smoothness kind of wine for a Keller (was informed that the Dalsheimer Hubacker version is – much? – more impressive), quite long. Rating: 88+?

Keller Trockenbeerenauslese “Cuvée” 2006
50% Riesling, 50% Rieslaner. Mouth-puckering acidity, high-acid in the context of the Rieslings. Quite clean botrytis, exotic, racy. One to drink young. Rating: 87

Keller Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Gold Capsule Westhofen Morstein 2006
180 g/l residual sugar. Smooth, very oily-viscous, clean faintly bready botrytis, soft white glue, quite long, firm acidity, fresh enough, some blossoms, merely faint oxidation. Rating: ~90

Keller Rieslaner Trockenbeerenauslese Gold Capsule Monsheimer Silberberg 2006
Dried apricot, strong brown bread botrytis, rather viscous, quite high-acid, good length. Rating: 91

Keller Riesling Erstes Gewächs Dalsheimer Hubacker 2006
Not poured at the booth, tasted afterwards with dinner. The firmer and more minerally of the two Erste Gewächse, but really way too closed to judge fairly. May turn out to be the greater wine, judging from the structure along, but one needs to believe in aging any of these, and personally, I would put my money elsewhere if it comes to dry Riesling. After all, these wines are not inexpensive at all. Rating: 87+

Keller Riesling Erstes Gewächs Westhofen Kirchspiel 2006
Not poured at the booth, tasted afterwards with dinner. Attractive tannic florality, the more elegant and approachable of the two. Rating: 87+/88?

Christoffel Riesling Spätlese Ürziger Würzgarten 2006
Picked at 121° Oechsle. This tastes as if made with cultured yeasts (a leveledness and artificiality that is hard to grasp in words, but I am reminded of when I one year it suddenly crossed my mind, so I asked Gunderloch’s winemaker if they had changed to cultured yeasts, and she said they just had) – anyone know? Some of the terroir-typical spicy herbs and apple only (love the wines from this site and am saddened by the fact that Christoffel has not been up to speed for years). Rating: 86+?

Christoffel Riesling Auslese*** Ürziger Würzgarten 2006
Same as if made with cultured yeasts artificiality. Botrytised, very sweet lightly golden apple, fairly terroir-expressive, medium length. Rating: 87+?

Missed tasting Christoffel’s Two Star Erdener Treppchen Auslese, unfortunate perhaps, as Max Gerstl claims in his flyer it is exceptionally good (the problem being, of course, that I tend to not read flyers, or then only after tastings).

Fritz Haag Riesling Kabinett #3 Brauneberger Juffer 2006
Quite balanced and tasty, fair length, some residual yeast here. Rating: 84+

Fritz Haag Riesling Spätlese Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr 2006
A bit Auslese-like in ripeness and balance, fair body, some spring flowers and herbs, medium length. Rating: 87+?

Fritz Haag Riesling Auslese #10 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr 2006
Viscous, some botrytis, sweeter for this bottling than in some years, some residual yeast that still renders this reminiscent of a beer, some sulfur also, but quite long and tasty. Rating: 88+/89

Fritz Haag Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule #12 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr 2006
Sweeter than the #10, but also shows deeper, quite lovely, lightly viscous fruit, darker berry notes with a faint honey dipping, longer finish. Rating: 90(+?)

Fritz Haag Riesling Beerenauslese #16 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr 2006
Quite clean botrytis, if perhaps not ideally so. Attractive oily spring herbs, aromatic basil-flavoured acidity. Long wine. Liked this even better than last time. Rating: 90+/91(+?)

Fritz Haag Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Gold Capsule #18 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr 2006
Honey dew melon, lime blossom, oily-viscous brown bread botrytis. Not an especially dried-fruity TBA at all, merely minimal oxidation, the emphasis here is on nicely complex herbs and spring flowers. Long. Rating: 92+

Willi Haag Riesling QbA 2006
Firm acidity, some tannin, medium sweetness, nice stone dust and length. Fair QPR buy at just over 10 dollars. Rating: 87+/~88?

Willi Haag Riesling Auslese Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr 2006
Good body, clean herbaceous apple fruit with good complexity and a faint bitter note, crisp acidity, medium-plus length. A bit lean perhaps? Rating: 88(+?)

Willi Haag Riesling Beerenauslese #2 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr 2006
A Beerenauslese QPR buy at less than 27 dollars per half bottle. Nicely clean botrytis, quite concentrated, nice basil and chive, medium-plus length. Fairly bright, though not especially high-toned fruit. Tasty. Rating: 88+/89

Schloss Lieser Riesling Kabinett Brauneberger Juffer 2006
Herbs, crisp little wine that is a bit lighter than some, still nicely firm, fair body. Rating: 86+/87

Schloss Lieser Riesling Auslese Long Gold Capsule Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr 2006
Sweet and round, almost BA-like, though no heavyweight, some peach, good finesse and length. Minor vanilla to the slate here, too. Rating: 89+/90?

Schloss Lieser Riesling Auslese Long Gold Capsule Niederberg Helden 2006
Sweeter, more viscous, definitely BA-like, high and quite aromatic acidity, quite long. Creamy Auslese. Nice vanilla slate. Rating: ~90

Schloss Lieser Riesling Beerenauslese Niederberg Helden 2006
Picked at over 140° Oechsle. The botrytis seems almost cleaner than in the LGKA here, rather crystalline clarity for a 2006. Viscous, creamy, long, backed by quite mouth-puckering acidity. Sweet soft herbs, vanilla slate and Granny Smith apple. Sadly missed tasting the TBA here, as I got to this booth relatively late. Fairly priced for what it is. Rating: 91+?

Dr. Loosen Riesling Kabinett Bernkasteler Lay 2006
Barrel sample, which Ernst Loosen insists are easier to taste than recently bottled wine. A bit murky-looking, crisp if also slightly murky grapefruit. Rating: 86+?

Dr. Loosen Riesling Spätlese Ürziger Würzgarten 2006
Barrel sample. Nice ÜWG terroir expression, spicy herbs and spring flowers, medium-dark minerality, nice body, quite firm acidity, medium length. Rating: 88+/89

Dr. Loosen Riesling Auslese Erdener Prälat 2006
Barrel sample. When I told Ernie this has an absolutely terrific yeast top note right now (likely to disappear with filtering), he immediately poured himself a sip and admired it for himself. But difficult to judge as a result. Sweet finesseful grapefruit underneath. Rating: 88+

Dr. Loosen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule Ürziger Würzgarten 2006
Barrel sample. Sweet, round, quite terroir-typical, fairly long. A tiny bit hollow or yeastier than it subjectively appeared? Rating: 88+

Dr. Loosen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule Erdener Prälat 2006
Barrel sample. More depth than the ÜWG version, more depth and finesse as is often the case with Loosen’s Prälat, like a finely grained beer due to a little residual yeast at present, fairly long. Rating: 89+?

Dr. Loosen Riesling Beerenauslese “Blauschiefer” 2006
Barrel sample. A low-price BA aiming at newcomers to late harvest Riesling at 26 dollars per half or 50 per standard size bottle. From the Bernkasteler Lay vineyard. Faint clean rubber top note to the botrytis, Crème Brûlée and cream-like fruit that is tasty but a bit simple. Rating: 87+/88

Willi Schaefer Riesling Kabinett #3 Graacher Himmelreich 2006
Apple and lime blossom with cut, some stone dust, quite bright acidity, clean and pure, soft herbs. Rating: ~87

Willi Schaefer Riesling Spätlese #7 Graacher Himmelreich 2006
Similar to the Kabinett, just a fraction sweeter, riper and smoother. Firm, relatively dry future food accompaniment. Rating: 88+?

Willi Schaefer Riesling Auslese #9 Graacher Himmelreich 2006
This would actually be the Gold Capsule Auslese, only that all the wines at this winery wear golden coloured capsules. Picked at 125° Oechsle. Faint vanilla to the slate, quite clean botrytis, soft blackcurrant top note to crisp apple. Rating: 88+

Willi Schaefer Riesling Beerenauslese #15 Graacher Himmelreich 2006
Soft and clean botrytis, the emphasis here is on clean apple, ripe herbs, acidity with cut (this holds 10-plus g/l acidity) that is also aromatic and a long finish. The kind of wine Schaefer prefers drinking and thus making: botrytis must, above all, be clean, rather than copious – I could not agree more. Rating: 90+

Daniel Vollenweider Riesling Kabinett #1 Wolfer Goldgrube 2006
Fresh, complex and deep, a concentrated standout for a Kabinett, flavourful acidity, strong slate minerality, long finish. One of the QPR buys of the tasting. Rating: 89+/90!

Daniel Vollenweider Riesling Spätlese #2 Wolfer Goldgrube 2006
A somewhat Auslese-styled Spätlese, nicely firm with sound acids and a long finish and aftertaste. Rating: 88+

Daniel Vollenweider Riesling Auslese #5 Wolfer Goldgrube “Reiler” 2006
Reiler being a parcel within the Goldgrube. Wow! Botrytis, complex apple and deep slate, intense wine, good body, a little viscosity, very long on the finish. Perhaps the QPR buy of the tasting. Rating: 91+?

Daniel Vollenweider Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule #6 Wolfer Goldgrube 2006
Sweeter than the more approachable Reiler Auslese, very smooth and round, but I wonder if this has quite as much depth. There may probably more to this than I could discern at this stage, judging from my experience with Vollenweider’s wines. Rating: ~90

Daniel Vollenweider Riesling Auslese Long Gold Capsule #6 Wolfer Goldgrube 2006
More than only hints at great depth already on the nose. Clean brown bread botrytis, thicker and slatier dark fruit with a blackcurrant superripeness top note, oily, very long. The wine of the tasting, absolutely impossible to spit. Too bad it is so expensive. Rating: 93+/94

Daniel Vollenweider Riesling Beerenauslese #8 Wolfer Goldgrube 2006
Hugely viscous and dried-fruity yet lively, big brown bread botrytis, a passion fruit touch to the acidity, this coats the palate with orange and Tokaj-like tangerine flavours, quite long. Vollenweider continues to make BAs that put most other producers TBAs to shame, but then, it costs more than most of those. There is at least one TBA here, too, by the way. Rating: 93+?

Maximin Grünhaus Riesling Kabinett Grünhäuser Herrenberg 2006
A nicely thick and sweet Kabinett, quite complex in a forward and easy to interpret way. Tasty, a QPR favourite of many I spoke to. Rating: 87+?

Maximin Grünhaus Riesling Spätlese Grünhäuser Abtsberg 2006
A nice sweet and sour balance here, mainly apple with some herbs, basil-flavoured acidity. Rating: 87+/88

Maximin Grünhaus Riesling Auslese Grünhäuser Abtsberg 2006
Candied vanilla nose, quite smooth and clean sweet apple on the palate, though not too complex or deep, tasty, some grey stone dust. Rating: 88+?

Egon Müller Riesling QbA 2006
A bit lean, some body, fresh apple and basil, nicely natural-tasting (to me the raison d’être of Egon Müller wines). Rating: 86+?

Egon Müller Riesling Kabinett Scharzhofberg 2006
A bit tannic, medium-lean, but good depth and soil notes, medium length only. Nice, though not one of the great vintages for this bottling. Rating: 87+?

Egon Müller Le Gallais Riesling Spätlese Wiltinger Braune Kupp 2006
Good sweetness and dryness, complex basil and other herbs, a bit lean given relatively high alcohol, but also quite long. Yeastier from a second bottle, so perhaps my early ratings should be taken with a grain of salt. Rating: 88+

Egon Müller Riesling Spätlese Scharzhofberg 2006
Faint blackcurrant superripeness top note, but a slightly dry Auslese type, this one. Good body, lighter on its feet minerality the Kupp Spätlese, blossomy-round apple. From a second bottle firm and fairly dry as well. A future food accompaniment. Rating: 90+/91

Egon Müller Riesling Auslese Scharzhofberg 2006
Sweet apple with clean vanilla botrytis, viscous and thick, feels and tastes like a BA except that it does not come across as that sweet. Lovely dark slate, complex basil and other herbs again, very long on the finish. So natural-tasting again, the Egon Müller estate is truly the Romanée-Conti of Germany. One of the few wines with highly aromatic acidity (= acidity that can be smelled!), even if this is hardly a vintage of low-acid wines in general. A wine that did not stop growing on me and that I may be underrating, but at this price, I am afraid I will never find out. Rating: 92+

Zilliken Riesling Kabinett Saarburger Rausch 2006
Faint medicinal aroma. Some bright apple, dried herbs, just aromatic and flavourful enough acidity, medium-plus length. Rating: 84+

Zilliken Riesling Spätlese Saarburger Rausch 2006
A little pineapple, a faint mintiness, fairly sweet, good body and length, lemongrass acidity. Rating: 86+

Zilliken Riesling Auslese Saarburger Rausch 2006
Very little botrytis at all, just a little to give the wine smoothness, as Hanno Zilliken observed. Nicely sweet, a bit more complex, as well as longer than the previous two wines. Rating: 87+/88

Karthäuserhof Riesling Kabinett Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg 2006
Washed out, light and a bit oxidized already (just as Henrik had warned me), fairly short. Rating: 82

Karthäuserhof Riesling Spätlese Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg 2006
Spicier, more herbs, racier, more body, quite firm acidity. Rating: 87

Karthäuserhof Riesling Auslese Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg 2006
Offensive amount of sulfur here, also from a second bottle Michelle opened when she how people wrinkled their noses. Better on the palate, but still, this made me scratch my head, too. Rating: 84+?

Karthäuserhof Riesling Auslese #35 Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg 2006
Also a surplus of sulfur, quite sweet and full-tasting, some nice herbs, needs time. Rating: 86+

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

Thank you for very useful notes. I see Leitz dry Rieslings from 2006 reviewed here in Norway as some of best dry 2006s overall, and some of his most successful ever.

On another note; anybody here have any views on the Zilliken 05s, which I will be able to put my hands on if I so decide?

Thanks for the notes, Dave. 2005 is by far the greater vintage and we should be looking out for leftovers from Zilliken, Prüm and maybe the odd Egon Müller (providing we can muster the small change). BTW, Max and a bunch of well-known people from London was also at the Egon Müller weekend near Salzburg, where we tasted some of his greatest bts spanning half a century, spread over 3 days. As EM IV remarked at the tasting, this is going to remain a solitary event. No time to write over a 100 TNs but single bt TN requests - no problem.
Cheers, victor

Right, that must have been something. You'll have to tell me about it in more detail one day!

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

Oh my, the German Riesling 2005 notes... I attended all the release tastings I could last year, but never got to type the notes. As Victor indicates below, Zilliken's were among the best wines along with those of Egon Müller, Robert Weil, Daniel Vollenweider, Maximin Grünhaus and Jakob Kühn. Here's a sneak preview of my unfinished post:

Zilliken Riesling Kabinett Ockfener Bockstein 2005
Minerally-dry up front and on the finish, complex herbs, good vinosity and length, quite high-acid. Rating: Very good plus/About excellent

Zilliken Riesling Spätlese Saarburger Rausch 2005
Prefer the “nobler” soil notes here, sweeter, longer, extremely minerally, also high-acid. Rating: Excellent plus?

Zilliken Riesling Auslese #10 Saarburger Rausch 2005
Nicely fresh and bright, nice stone dust, vinosity, depth and length. Rating: About outstanding

Zilliken Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule Saarburger Rausch 2005
Touch of sunflower oil, ripe and aromatic acids, some vinosity, strong blackcurrant, long. Rating: Outstanding!

Zilliken Riesling Auslese Long Gold Capsule Saarburger Rausch 2005
Smoother, sweeter, more apple juice concentrate here, more appley acidity and a bitter note, lovely minerals and soft herbs. Rating: Outstanding!

Zilliken Riesling Beerenauslese Saarburger Rausch 2005
Viscous, light on its feet lime and balm mint and herb fruit and spring flowers, squeaky-clean botrytis, long and fresh. Rating: Outstanding!

Zilliken Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Saarburger Rausch 2005
Picked at 300° Oechsle. Viscous and white gluey balm mint, fresh and sweet apple, deep slate, strong acidity. Rating: Outstanding plus

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

Zilliken's were among the best wines along with those of...Jakob Kühn..

Really?! You found Kuhn to be one of the stars of the vintage? I have not tasted the 05s from them, but my tasting of previous vintages always left me the impression that the wines were slutty and simple and perhaps good QPR for people who like fruit bombs, but nothing serious.

Interesting..

Although they're probably last on my favourite portfolios that year (indicated in the reply you just had a look at), they were - as far as I remember my friends Rainer and Fredrik (from Sweden) liked them even better than me. What these wines do at times (no all of them) is emphasize a dried-fruitier character, perhaps at the cost of finesse, but then, they can be so concentrated, they offer more complexity and finesse than many others to begin with. As to whether the site per se brings forth wines that express themself increasingly or decreasingly with aging, I lack the experience to say. The style of winemaking may not favour it, as firmly structured as these wines tend to be.

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

[David M. Bueker]

Thank you for the notes David. I will have my shot at some of these wines in a couple of weeks.

It's interesting that you talk about the converging prices of Donnhoff and Weil. In my markets the Donnhoff wines are still well behind the Weil wines in price. I purchased the 2005 Donnhoff Brucke Spatlese for about $40, while the 2005 Weil Kiedrich Grafenberg Spatlese set me back $55.

emphasize a dried-fruitier character, perhaps at the cost of finesse, but then, they can be so concentrated, they offer more complexity and finesse than many others to begin with..

Well low finesse certainly fits with my experiences, and although "complexity" can be quite a difficult word to translate across tasters (for some reason I don't consider the kaleidoscope of bright cheap slutty flavors that I found in the Kuhn wines to be "complex") I will try to keep an open mind in the future.

Those Karthäuserhofs don't sound very good. A pity, as they are a property I have very much liked. Thanks for the notes.

Dönnhoff Riesling Spätlese Felsentürmchen 2006
The two Spätlesen led to an interesting discussion with Hermann Dönnhoff, quite simply because they reveal a density and an ageworthiness that his wines rarely do at this Prädikat level.

Do you have any specific examples of Dönnhoffs that were not ageworthy?

Thanks.

Have you followed David Bueker's and my discussions on the subject? It really depends on the definition of ageworthiness: Dönnhoff's wines, in my experience, keep very well, but improve in the strict sense that they gain in complexity, expression etc. they usually only do from a certain Prädikat level upwards, certainly starting from the VdP-Auction Gold Capsule Auslese. Note I do not claim these wines cannot be kept for years, they undergo a closed phase same as most Riesling, then open up again etc. But the patience it takes (and cost!) of cellaring wine versus enjoying it in its youthful fruit phase, IMHO, makes sense mostly for wines that actually taste better mature than young. Note I count very few producers' wines among the latter in terms of ageworthiness (in the sense of improvement with age), it is not that Dönnhoff is a negative exception, it is merely that wines that are truly worth the wait, such as Egon Müller's, Joh. Jos. Prüm's or Robert Weil's, are the exception, not the rule. If I put money in my cellar and wait for several decades, I expect to be (much) more bowled over by what is in the glass than when I drink the stuff immediately, that's all. Note this won't keep me from referring to myself a Dönnhoff fan, I really am. I just won't hold on to wines beneath a certain Prädikat level for half a lifetime, if and when I buy for that purpose, I tend to look elsewhere.

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

P.S.
I should really add something important here: given my preferences, I tend to buy and own a disproportionate amount of wine that demands patience anyhow, in other words, from my perspective there is absolutely nothing wrong with wine that gives as much or more pleasure if consumed immediately. I had an interesting discussion with a professional wine critic on this subject only two weeks ago - interesting because he is one of the few people I have ever met who agree with me. Ageworthiness should not be considered a qualitative characteristic except for wines people buy for this purpose, in other words, if a young Château Latour, Montrachet, Clos Ste-Hune or the like does not seem ageworthy, their fanbase is probably justified in being disappointed and, at the same time, it is understandable that some will be happy if once in a blue moon a vintage comes along they do not feel forced to lay away.

[David M. Bueker]

Indeed, David and I have a long-standing (back to old, tan WLDG days) discussion regarding the age worthiness (please note the intentional break rather than the use of ageworthiness) of Donnhoff's spatlesen.

I have come around to David's position regarding the kabinetts, as after cellaring several vintages of Leistenberg and Dellchen Kabinetts I can honestly say that they have lost more than they gained from time in the cellar, unlike some other kabinetts from say Egon Muller or even Willi Schaefer.

Regarding the spatlesen and non-GK auslesen I still believe that Donnhoff makes wines that reward cellaring. I'm not in the camp of lay them down for 25 years, but 10-12 year old Donnhoff Brucke and Hermannshohle Spatlese has shown me enough that I will continue to cellar the wines, especially since even at Donnhoff the wines have gotten bigger as global warming has turned the Nahe into the Pfalz (and the Pfalz into the French Riviera). Even the ostensibly "lesser" Kirschheck, which I always regarded as a drink young wine, has shown flashes of emergent brilliance from the pedestrian 1999 vintage.

While it will not be in any way definitive, I am planning a significant Donnhoff Spatlese vertical next year which will span a minumum of 10-12 vintages. We will at least get some opinions of whether or not the wines reward cellaring for the medium term, thus giving us something to drink while we wait for our Prums to mature.

While it will not be in any way definitive, I am planning a significant Donnhoff Spatlese vertical next year which will span a minumum of 10-12 vintages. We will at least get some opinions of whether or not the wines reward cellaring for the medium term, thus giving us something to drink while we wait for our Prums to mature.

Sounds very interesting. [EDIT: Although the question of decanting/Audouzing could prove thorny.]

Listen, a little off-topic, but what do you think about all this talk that the "greatest in a generation" 2001 Germans are falling apart [across the board]?

Never heard of that "talk"!? Who? Where? Which wines?

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

[David M. Bueker]

I have not heard/seen that talk either.

In all likelihood the "talk" is from people who had no prior experience with German wine, bought a #$%^load of 2001 & expected them to stay bright and flashy-fruity forever.

Well I have been peeking in on some & they are developing into stunning teenagers. I expect fantastic future development, not falling apart.

You know, it's so difficult to find the old threads amidst all of the noise out there, but try these two:

2001 Dönnhoff Norheimer Dellchen Riesling Kabinett Halbtrocken

German Rieslings in 2005? Questions....

And I have a nagging feeling that somebody like Schildknecht or Theise opined that he was surpised at how poorly the 2001's were showing these days.

But searching for these things takes forever.

[David M. Bueker]

Two things:

A tough adolescence (as John Trombley said) is a very different thing from falling apart. What I have seen is varying degrees of development depending on cellar conditions, state of the wine on purchase, etc. Also (and this does not refer to John), many folks who knew/know nothing about German wine bought long and deep in 2001. They are now surprised at the development, and do not like what they see. They did not understand what changes in a maturing Riesling, and so bought as if the wines would remain static forever. I have seen the same phenomenon with 1997 Cal Cabs. Wines change. They do not remain exuberantly fruity forever. Some people do not understand that. Those people should only drink young wine.

The internet has allowed anyone to provide information as if they are an expert. On the subject of German wine I can count those I trust on my fingers and a few toes.

And I have NEVER seen/heard Theise or Schildknecht say one negative word about 2001, except Schildknecht's comments (with which I agree) that outside of the Middle Mosel it was not the vintage of the century. Check my cellar, and with the exception of my ridiculously large Donnhoff purchase (an annual affair for me) about 80% of my 2001s are from the Middle Mosel, where I find the wines to be astoundingly delicious, as well as more classical than anyone has any right to believe.

The internet has allowed anyone to provide information as if they are an expert.

ROTFL!! So true! Like me, is who I am thinking of!

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

P.S.
Excuse me, by the way, vintage of which century?! Makes me feel like I can't count to one anymore...

[David M. Bueker]

David,

You are one of the people I trust! We may not always agree, but when I have tasted wines that you tasted your impressions are dead on.

As for vintage of the century, we've had two and possibly three already depending on who you ask and their opinion on 2003.

I really do wonder though, how much of the general improvement is the weather, and how much is the vineyard management and winemaking. Selections are so much better now, winemaking is cleaner, etc. When I taste wines from years like 2002 and 2004 where there were some harvest difficulties I can clearly tell the difference between the top performers and the second tier. And many of the second/thirD tier used to be at the top (e.g. von Simmern). Many of the advances in wine quality are due to a new generation (e.g. Ernie Loosen taking over the Loosen estate in the '80s) or just new blood (e.g. Daniel Vollenweider).

I have a sense that we could have another year like 1987 or 1991 and still end up with some wines that qualify for vintage of the century. As an example, look at the early reports on 2006 Bodeaux. In the old days the vintage would have been a disaster, and instead it's going to be pretty good with some amazing wines.

Dear David

Has that "improvement of the weather" never made you fear the Rieslings you and I like, i.e. the finesseful, crystalline, minerally ones, may soon become problematic to produce at all? It's a tought that has sometimes crossed my mind.

I have a sense that we could have another year like 1987 or 1991 and still end up with some wines that qualify for vintage of the century.

Hasn't that already happened? What about 2000 and the almost scaringly successful portfolio Daniel Vollenweider produced in that context (the poor dude really, trying to prove himself the world and perhaps those who support him, must have been sweating blood in his little vineyard)?

In the old days the vintage would have been a disaster, and instead it's going to be pretty good with some amazing wines.

Call me a cynic, but I am equally afraid that all the risk aversion made possible thanks/due to modern agricultural and wine making techniques has a side effect: it seems to keep even the most gifted producers to emulate the legendary, more down-to-earth-natural wines of the past, wines whose borderline size, ripeness, tannin (1928) or volatile acidity (1947) content etc. were possible only in an era in which some experienced vintner looked at the sky (instead of nervously obsessing about the latest weather forecasts) and walked into the vineyard each day tasting some grapes (instead of incorporating his enology school professor's concept of what "physiological ripeness" means exactly), and courageously decided to wait another day?

Note I would never claim everything is getting worse, on the contrary. But there seems to me to be a levelling effect both ways. Just look who and where some of the most stunning risk-taking is happening nowadays. Rarely in Bordeaux...

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

[David M. Bueker]

David,

Indeed I do fear for the death of things like pure, elegant and graceful kabinett, replaced by oceans of overheated auslese, smaragd and vendange tardive. It's why I have bought and continue to buy deeply in 2004 Germans.

I've never had the opportunity to taste mroe than 1 2000 Riesling from Daniel. My first real exposure to his wines was with the 2001s, and hten really through a visit to taste the 2002s. But I do have to say that he did wonders in 2002 which did trip up a few vintners.

I'm not as cynical as you about Bordeaux. I actually think there are commited vignerons in all areas tasting their grapes and making decisions based on what they think will make the best wine. There's a lot of risk-taking going on, but with the advent of the table de trie and all the other methodes used to cull out the best grapes/wine even a mis-step in predicting the weather or grape maturation can be "fixed" later on. Mind you I am not referrign to things like micro-oxygenation, but rather the increased selectivity and attention to detail that occurs in wineries the world over, including Bordeaux.

Agree with David on the Riesling question. Moreover, Dönnhoff is hyped out of all proportion in overseas markets due to fortuitous coverage from a few US journalists, who don't understand too much about the virtues of aged Riesling.
Disagree with him on Bordeaux. Right bankers are among the greatest risk takers in the world of wine. Whether I always like the result is another issue.

cheers, victor

[David M. Bueker]

Moreover, Dönnhoff is hyped out of all proportion in overseas markets due to fortuitous coverage from a few US journalists, who don't understand too much about the virtues of aged Riesling.

I will agree if you restrict your comment to a particular journalist who is no longer employed as such. The current US leader in German wine criticism, David Schildknecht, is also extremely high on Donnhoff, and he is one of the most knowlegable wine writers in the world on the subject of Riesling, both new release and aged. So I think the current "hype" is a little more justified than it used to be. Now the reaction to hte "hype" on a certain wine board (not here) is all out of proportion, and leads to some of the issues which Nathan raised above. People buy tons of a wine that gets 95+ points on release & expect it to remain in perfect stasis for 10 years then jump to perfect maturity at 10.1 years of age. Bah!

As for my personal preference for Donnhoff over all others (yes, all others), there is always a question of personal taste preferences, including such variables as producer, vineyard and vintage character. This will come out as heresy, but I happen to prefer the character of wines from the Nahe to anything out of the Saar. I love a good Scharzhofberger, but with Egon Muller prices hyped out of all proportion (over $200 for an "regular" auslese!), the standrd drops precipitously from there. I also love the wines of J. J. Prum, but admit that the 15 years wait taxes my patience some times. As for Weil, not enough diversity for me. I like to taste a producer across different vineyards. Great wines, but a one note song for me.