Kesseler 2005 White 001 06 (Rheingau) – 70% sylvaner, 30% riesling. Less (appealingly) vegetal than many examples of the grape, with a little bit of a sharp edge that may be from the riesling, but retaining the clingier texture of the majority partner. There’s a bit of welcome rockiness, as well. A good value, though I think similarly-priced pure rieslings are a little more defined. (4/09)
Browse Tag
germany
Haus of walls
Schloss Wallhausen 2005 Riesling Spätlese 14 06 (Nahe) – Perfectly correct German riesling…acid, sugar, and lemon-apple fruit all intact…with nothing that adds to, or detracts from, the basic fact of it. (4/09)
One bourbon, one Scotch, & one beerenauslese
![[barrels]](http://www.anheuser.de/us/bilder/faesser.gif)
Anheuser 1999 Kreuznacher Krötenpfuhl Riesling Beerenauslese 049 00 (Nahe) – Extremely sweet, of course, apple, grapefruit, spice, raspberry. A touch of alcohol, believe it or not. This has been opened specifically for me, because apparently I liked it too much in the past. Well, I still like it, though not as much as before. It’s not particularly complex, for sure. But it’s sweet riesling with red fruit notes. Where’s the bad? (3/09)
Treppchen-dation
![[slate]](http://www.moenchhof.de/00_universalelemente/02_bilder/02_information/03_weingueter/schieferboden.jpg)
JJ Christoffel 2001 Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett 004 02 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) – Apple, peach, and zing, though some cream is already in development. Achieving a certain coherency, which makes it quite appealing at the moment. (3/09)
The Würz of times
JJ Christoffel Erben 2001 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett 005 02 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) – Sharp, gravelly, with a soda-water finish. A little disjointed. OK, a lot disjointed. But there’s spice, and…oh, hell, I don’t know what to make of this wine. It doesn’t seem to want to help, either. (3/09)
Berres do it, bees do it
CH Berres 2001 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese 12 02 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) – Raw iron and light petroleum, perhaps some aluminum. Shockingly primary (almost raw, actually); this not only is far from maturity, it’s not even close to closing up yet. (12/08)
Detzemer collector
Rauen 2004 Detzemer Maximiner Klosterlay Riesling Auslese Trocken 7 05 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) – Makrut lime, fresh coconut, and papaya. Bright and sunlit, and while the wine is good in a tropical sort of way while it lasts, the finish is disappointingly short. (12/08)
Zelt up
![[vineyard]](http://www.selbach-oster.de/sbslope.gif)
Selbach-Oster 2007 Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Spätlese “Schmitt” 020 08 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) – Electric green apple soda. Lightly sweet, with makrut lime lacings. Flawless balance and poise. A really gorgeous wine. Wow! (12/08)
To heck with the cherry
Dönnhoff 2003 Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spätlese 005 04 (Nahe) – Tangerine fatness at first sniff, which firms up to a long, columnar midpalate with only a little clinging fat. The finish is short. Everything in this wine happens way up front, and while it’s not bad for an ’03, it’s a little like a tin recreation of a riesling rather than the real thing. Eh. (12/08)
John Jacob Franz Karl Schmitt
Franz Karl Schmitt 1996 Niersteiner Pettenthal Riesling Auslese 10 97 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) – Moderately sweet. Lime, green apple, limestone, and shards of metal…perhaps mostly iron. Yet, in the end, not all that interesting. (12/08)