WTN: Gunderloch "Jean Baptiste" Riesling Kabinett 2003

Rheinhessen.

Yellow, green color in the glass.

Spicy nose at first, opening up and becoming quite rich with time and revealing honey and a hint of petrol.

I must confess to being quite underwhelmed with the first few mouthfuls of what has become, over the years, a very dependable wine in our home. The wine seemed quite simple, featuring light green apple fruit and not much in the way of anything else.

With a little bit of time, the wine opened up to reveal much (much) more.

Slightly sweet, honeyed, crisp and slightly tart green apples, lemon, lime and some gentle grapefruit rind, good intensity and weight and a hint of petrol.

Slightly drying, with light grapefruit rind and green apple on the fairly long and mouthwatering finish.

I have been drinking this wine since the 1993 vintage and I can't recall ever having a bad or disappointing bottle.

Hi Bruce,

This wine is my house white, affordable, very good quality, and reliable. I have been drinking the 2003 for some time. I just purchased 3 of the 2005 riesling kabinett 'Jean Baptiste' and I will be trying it soon. Have you tried it yet? I will post a tasting note when I drink the first bottle. I have so many rieslings to chose from that sometimes it takes a while to get around to it. (My cellar selection of whites is 90% rieslings.)

I just purchased 3 of the 2005 riesling kabinett 'Jean Baptiste' and I will be trying it soon. Have you tried it yet?

Hi Tom.

I think I have some of the 2005 but haven't tried it yet. I look forward to your report.

[David M. Bueker]

I like the Jean Baptiste for its predictably off-dry style, though the price has gone into the high teens, making it less of a house wine choice when I can get other halbtrocken styled Rielsings for less.

It is around $15 (Canadian) here in Ontario David and has been at $15 as long as I can recall. There aren't many other good German Rieslings you can buy here for that price.

$16 Cdn up here, should be quite a few TNs on the `05 on this forum.

One of my personal QPR favorites but the 03 was just like a lot of wines out of Europe that year weak. The heat did not help many wines IMHO.