Browse Tag

mosel-saar-ruwer

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]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)

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)

Two-star general

[vineyard]JJ Christoffel 1997 Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese ** 09 98 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) – Extremely creamy, as these wines tend to be. Full of orange sorbet, smoothed out to remove the crystallization, and while there’s not enough nerve to prevent the drying finish from turning a little bloated, it’s definitely an OK wine. Just not really beyond that. (12/08)

Goodstube, Badstube

Dr. Heidemanns-Bergweiler 2007 Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese 017 08 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) – Deceives with simplicity, but peering into the wine’s innards results in a rather stern return glare from dark, coal-like minerality and amber-encased golden raspberries. Still very young, obviously. The finish could be longer. (12/08)

Osterizer

[label]Selbach-Oster 2007 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 009 08 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) – Very dense. Makrut lime, green apple, pear…and then dark, brooding coal underneath. A massive wine – certainly much larger than a spätlese should probably be, but then that’s the modern paradigm isn’t it? – but while it’s heavy, it’s balanced and long, and should age beautifully. (12/08)

Sonnenuhr & daughter

[label]Selbach-Oster 2007 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 027 08 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) – Severely sweet to the point of imbalance, with only decent acidity vs. what it needs, and a thick, soupy pear finish. I am quite aware that my impression of this wine is unusual (and frankly it’s the first Selbach-Oster I’ve disliked in a very, very long time), but unfortunately there’s no replacement bottle available. I’m burdening this note with such a lengthy caveat because I’m strongly suspicious that this particular bottle is not representative of the wine. (12/08)

Wee Willi

Willi Schaefer 2004 Riesling 01 05 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) – The best bottle so far, with a vibrant prickle and a windswept stone quality. The fruit lingers, but never asserts itself, leaving the rocky face bare. Tasty, though very, very light-bodied. (11/08)

Willi Schaefer 2004 Riesling 01 05 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) – Actually, this is even better than the last one, with more minerality and faceted angles of structure. Light but persistent, and a lot of fun to drink. Oops, it’s gone! (12/08)

Jack or Rebecca

Willi Schaefer 2004 Riesling 01 05 (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) – Simple, exposed minerality with a delicate hint of sweetness and a bit of fadeaway. This is where it has been for a while now, so it’s probably premature to say it’s actually fading. (10/08)