WTN: Dee Vine 2003 Clearance

Hi All,

You might have heard that Dee Vine Wines is having a clearance of 2003 wines. I figured I would try ten of the cheapest to see if I could find a daily drinker even close to the delicious 2000 Hans Lang Hattenheimer Wisselbrunnen Spaetlese. Here's the first note:

2003 Reinhard & Beate Knebel Winninger Brückstück Riesling QbA Halbtrocken - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Mosel (7/18/2007)
Rainwater and bread nose, taste oddly like domestic "ice" beer and sweet tarts, finish fairly alcoholic for the modest listed percentage. Tastes nearly dry, lacking acid. I guess I should have listened to my own note before taking another try. Fair.

Posted from CellarTracker.

Walt

[David M. Bueker]

The dry/dry-ish 2003s are the worst of the lot in my opinion. The extra ripeness caused elevated alcohols and phenolic roughness.

If you want somethng inexpensive and dry-ish then I would suggest trying the 2004 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett Halbtrocken. Winesearcher shows it available at a shop in Mill Valley, CA. (I hear the 2005 is really good too, but I haven't personally tasted it.)

You might have heard that Dee Vine Wines is having a clearance of 2003 wines...I guess I should have listened to my own note before taking another try. Fair.

I'm not in town but I remember thinking that the prices were low but the wines were not necessarily that attractive.

I was intrigued by the low prices on the Wegeler and Kesseler spatleses, and potentially the Johannisberger, although I didn't necessarily need to buy them myself.

Did you try any of those?

Dear David,
I am not a fan of 2003 either, but I'm also not sorry I picked up a case and a half of Christoffel when Premier Cru put it on sale for what, $8? I agree that the overripeness can be a real problem, as it was with this one, even at 11.5%! Hardly a powerhouse at that weight, you'd think. I have really enjoyed the Selbach negociant wines when I can find them, but their distribution out here is terrible. I can't touch a Selbach anything for less than $12, which for me is getting a little high for daily consumption.
So, I figured I'd take a flyer on some of the clearance stuff, drink through it and see if I liked anything. I'll be posting fairly regularly as I pop bottles, but I can only drink so much by myself, I need help trying these!

Dear Rahsaan,
I've got a bottle each of the Kesseler and Wegeler, I'll be trying them in due course, but it may take a couple of weeks. Where are you haunting these days?

Walt

I'm also not sorry I picked up a case and a half of Christoffel when Premier Cru put it on sale for what, $8?

Which one of those bottlings do you still have? How are they developing?

I didn't do extensive study but I remember thinking that the price made them easy to open for crowds, but they were not necessarily worth much more IMHO..

Dear Rahsaan...Where are you haunting these days?

London at the moment. Will be back in Berkeley for Labor Day (and the Sept Dee Vine tasting )

[David M. Bueker]

Ah the Premier Cru Christoffel blowout. While I know folks tend to be happy with what they bought I can't stomach any of them. Most of the enjoyment seems to be about the price.

[David M. Bueker]

FYI - the Selbach-Oster is not negotiant wine.

The one I got was the Ürziger Würzgarten Spätlese, which is nearly mute right out of the bottle and (at least 9 months ago when I last tried one) really requires a splash decanting plus an hour in the decanter to wake up. It's sweet, to be sure, but has plenty of flavor and the bare minimum of acid needed for balance.

Enjoy London, I hear they are refitting all the loos to use U.S. $1 bills as toilet paper. I might be out of town for the Dee Vine tasting, but if not I'll see you there.

FYI - the Selbach-Oster is not negotiant wine.

Ah, yes, I always forget that the name that sounds like a conglomerate is the estate, thanks. I see that the 2004 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett Halbtrocken is $20, which for me puts it in the range of weekend bottle. For better or worse, I'd rather have a simple, food-enhancing wine for $10 than an interesting one for twice that. At least until my Amway business takes off.

Walt

[David M. Bueker]

I'd rather have a simple, food-enhancing wine for $10 than an interesting one for twice that. At least until my Amway business takes off.

Walt

You need Hofer Gruner Veltliner. $9 for a liter. The 2006 is the current vintage & it's a winner.

You need Hofer Gruner Veltliner. $9 for a liter. The 2006 is the current vintage & it's a winner.

Who doesn't need the Hofer Gruener? Biodynamic to boot! K&L in San Francisco is selling the 2005 for $11/L, but I'm sure they'll start carrying the '06 soon. Talk about a simple, food-enhancing wine! Remind me to try making "coq au Gruener" sometime.

Walt

[David M. Bueker]

The '05 is pretty darned good as well.

OK, who wants to pick a wine to go with caprese salad and grilled squash tonight? Here's the list, with alcohol levels, in random order:

($14.00, 12%) 2003 Müller-Catoir Haardter Bürgergarten Riesling Kabinett Halbtrocken (Germany, Pfalz)
($10.00, 10%) 2003 Schloss Vollrads Riesling Kabinett (Germany, Rheingau)
($9.00, 9.5%) 2003 Weingut Keller Westhofener Kirchspiel Riesling Kabinett (Germany, Rheinhessen)
($13.00, 8.5%) 2003 Erben von Beulwitz Kaseler Nies'chen Riesling Spätlese Alte Reben (Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Ruwer)
($9.00, 8.0%) 2003 Wegeler Rüdesheimer Berg Rottland Riesling Spätlese (Germany, Rheingau)
($7.00, 11.0%) 2003 Schloss Vollrads Riesling QbA (Germany, Rheingau)
($12.00, 8.5%) 2003 August Kesseler Riesling Estate Spätlese (Germany, Rheingau)
($5.00, 12.5%) 2003 Erben von Beulwitz Kaseler Nies'chen Riesling Kabinett Halbtrocken (Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Ruwer)

Walt

[David M. Bueker]

Ok I'll bite: Kesseler.

Ok I'll bite: Kesseler.

Boy, did you know you'd wield so much power over my dinner? Robin recommended Chianti, which seemed far too astringent for my taste. I added a dry-ish Mosel wine as a contrast.

2003 August Kesseler Riesling Estate Spätlese - Germany, Rheingau (7/20/2007)
10.5%, AP 22 016 011 04. For the first hour, there is no nose at all. Crystallinity, apple, and lime flavors, and mild sweetness, a balanced package. Full-bodied, yet lip-smacking acid and a bit of spritz. Good+

2003 Erben von Beulwitz Kaseler Nies'chen Riesling Kabinett Halbtrocken - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Ruwer (7/20/2007)
12.5%, AP 3 519 004 11 04. Again the yeast and rainwater nose, at first, but this time it's backed by a broad palate of almost-chardonnay-like fruit, plus a hint of latex rubber, a lush texture and perceptible acid. Finish with a hint bitterness. Insalata caprese is a good match. Good+.

Sorry to say that the Rheingau never really asserted itself, aroma-wise. It might well be closed by now.

Walt

One more wine that won't be gracing my table again:

2003 Schloss Vollrads Riesling QbA - Germany, Rheingau (7/25/2007)
11.0%, AP 27074 009 04. One note of fuzzy grapefruit, blah otherwise with no structure, marked by noticeable alcohol. Fair+.

Walt

[David M. Bueker]

One more wine that won't be gracing my table again:

2003 Schloss Vollrads Riesling QbA - Germany, Rheingau (7/25/2007)
11.0%, AP 27074 009 04. One note of fuzzy grapefruit, blah otherwise with no structure, marked by noticeable alcohol. Fair+.

Walt

Sadly a once fine producer that has not yet gotten its feet back under it.

2003 Weingut Keller Westhofener Kirchspiel Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Rheinhessen (8/23/2007)
9.5%, AP 4 275 043 14 04. Big apple and hard cider aromas, combined with lots of spritz, and this seems like a high end cider. Combine with a little tropical fruit and a hint of harshness, and you've got a reasonably pleasant quaffer. Good+.

[David M. Bueker]

Keller is a producer that gets a lot of great publicity & I don't see it. Just not my style.