WTN: 2004 August Eser Rheingau Reisling Oestricher Lenchen Kabinett Dry Austria. http://www.eser-wein.de 12.0% alcohol. Imported by MHW Ltd. Manhasset, New York. Andrea Robinson Wine Club. $15. Pale yellow color, flecks of green, pale hue, lovely aromas and tastes of apples and citrus and a nutty character, firm acidity, not a bit of sweetness, long, long finish. A wonderful food wine -- we had it with second day pasta in a meat and tomato sauce. It worked just beautifully -- the acidity of the Riesling brought the subdued tomato sauce alive. A very pretty wine indeed. 4*+.
Regards, Bob
Andrea Robinson notes: I have adored Riesling in all its guises, since virtually the beginning of my wine career more than 15 years ago. This Riesling from the Rheingau district in Germany ably displays all the Riesling attributes I love: incredible fruit and flavor density without heaviness, and abundant food-loving acidity.
Let's zero in on the label. Oestrich (ESS-trich) is a village in Germany. The possessive "-er" suffix just means "from Oestrich" in the same way that if you are from New York you are called a "New Yorker." Lenchen (LEN-chen) is the name of the single vineyard from which the grapes are sourced. As the label indicates, it is bone dry with no sweetness at all. And it is gorgeous! The fragrance is of crisp green apple slices and cream. On the palate you get more green apples, citrus peel and again a creaminess that is surprisingly mouth-filling. The acidity is marvelous, stretching the finish for more than a minute - stick with that finish for long enough and you'll taste a haunting nuttiness that to me hints at how beautifully the wine will age. It will cellar well for at least 10 years.
And since it drinks so beautifully now, and is such a great price, I've added it to my stash of summer quaffers. Here's a summery dish to pair with it. Be sure to "butterfly" the shrimp - cut them 3/4 of the way through on the vein side, from head to tail, so they will lay open. This ensures they cook evenly and quickly
GRILLED SHRIMP WITH ASIAN MAYONNAISE Serves 4
1 cup mayonnaise
1 T toasted sesame oil
1 T soy sauce
1 T grated fresh ginger
1 T fresh lime juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 ½ lb extra large shrimp, peeled, deveined and butterflied
2 T olive oil
1 T chopped fresh cilantro, optional
Preheat grill to medium. Mix the first five ingredients to combine, add salt and pepper to taste, and set aside. Mix the shrimp with the olive oil, chopped cilantro, if using, a few pinches of kosher salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Grill the shrimp, turning frequently, until cooked through and lightly charred on the edges, about 7-10 minutes total depending on size of shrimp. Serve hot or at room temperature with the mayonnaise.