Browse Tag

pfalz

The bigger they are

Müller-Catoir 2006 Haardter Herzog Rieslaner Beerenauslese 14 07 (Pfalz) – From 375 ml. Thudding sugar of nearly unbelievable intensity. Huge molten metal paired with grilled pineapple. But oh, so overwhelmingly sweet. (3/10)

The Haardter they fall

Müller-Catoir 2008 Haardter Herzog Rieslaner Spätlese 20 09 (Pfalz) – Huge, huge, huge. Banana cream and raspberry popsicle. Oddly, I mean both in a positive way. Powerful, and in fact a little overwhelming. (3/10)

Dürk diggler

Darting 2007 Dürkheimer Fronhof Scheurebe Beerenauslese 030 08 (Pfalz) – From 375 ml. Not as lurid as the tropical soap factory that scheurebe can sometimes be, but still with one foot in the drink umbrella and lounge chair genre. Thankfully, the other foots in a big vat of (loose) structure and vibrancy. Very sweet, but not in a tooth-eroding way, and fun. (1/10)

Prince Ruprecht

Koehler-Ruprecht 2002 Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Auslese 04 03 (Pfalz) – Back up the diesel tank! Very light cream, with a texture that alternates between a gritty roughness and a down feather softness. Powerful at its metallic core. Sweet and intense, good fantastic acidity. The long finish leaves the minerality in exposed solitude. Very, very good. (12/08)

Haardt & soul

[label]Müller-Catoir 2007 Haardt Muskateller Kabinett Trocken 09 08 (Pfalz) – Perfumed, of course…mostly orange blossom…with huge acidity and a lovely slosh of iron flakes. Rather huge for a muscat that’s not fortified or otherwise enhanced, and absolutely stuffed with muscatty goodness. The finish is lengthy, which (again) isn’t what one usually expects from the grape. I’ve had a few muscats that were better than this, but only a few. (12/08)

The Ungeheurer of the wolf

[winery]von Buhl 1996 Forster Ungeheurer Riesling Auslese 35 97 (Pfalz) – Huge minerality…I mean, truly massive rockiness…with, nonetheless, a fine balance between the stones, biting acidity, and precise sweetness. And yet, its actual palate presence is less insistent than it threatens; it’s like a really outstanding German riesling is blowing past one’s nose, but not yet settling on the palate. Despite the age, this is still one for the future. (9/08)

Give it to me Haardter

[towerMüller-Catoir 1998 Haardter Bürgergarten Riesling Spätlese 19 99 (Pfalz) – My regular M-C source has brought so many rieslaners, scheureben, and muskatellers of late that I’d almost forgotten they make riesling. This wine stirs the memory in quite a hurry. If lemon-lime could be crystallized and calcified, this is what they’d taste like, with shattered crystals in electrified water the dominant textural component. There’s no lack of apple sculpted from granite, either, but to me this wine is like drinking a chandelier explosion. Striking. (8/08)

Ferris von Buhl’s day off

[riesling]von Buhl 1996 Forster Ungeheuer Riesling Auslese 35 97 (Pfalz) – Massive, roboticized apple in a sheath of brilliant metallicism, firing laser-beam acidity at all who approach. Shiny and terrific. (4/08)

TN: Darting left and right

[bottles & glasses]Darting 2005 Dürkheimer Steinberg Muskateller Kabinett Trocken 008 06 (Pfalz) – Floral, showing lime rind and white pepper. It’s on the short side, and perhaps a touch green, but it’s nice. I think being surrounded by bigger wines does some organoleptic violence here. (6/07)

TN: The Haardter they fall

[label]Müller-Catoir 1998 Haardter Mandelring Scheurebe Spätlese 21 99, fuder 9830 (Pfalz) – Thyme, cat pee, asparagus, grass and grapefruit with spicy acidity. Just a year ago, this was tropical and massively sweet. Now? It’s produce aisle soda. (3/07)

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