Stefan Vetter sylvaners: a bit of a disappointment

R

Rahsaan

Rahsaan
I was looking forward to Stefan Vetter’s sylvaners, having heard so many good things (and such low alcohol to boot). But these bottles did not convince and I probably won’t be following up on my own initiative. Tell me what I’m missing?

2019 Stefan Vetter Sylvaner
I took this to a raclette dinner, thinking it would be a good match. I suppose it was, although I found it very disappointing. Generic hazy unfiltered apple cider. Maybe I need to reorient my understanding of sylvaner, but I would have never picked this as sylvaner if tasted blind. Pretty much fit into the stereotype of generic natural wine and not inspiring to drink more.

2017 Stefan Vetter CK Sylvaner
More cider! But better tension and texture than the base bottling. Here we get some fine firm mineral quality, but overall the dull apple cider profile does not inspire me.

2017 Stefan Vetter GK Sylvaner
The most promising of the three. Still leaning apple/pear, but not all the way into dull cider. Instead, it is offset with other dimensions, pale citrus and white flowers. There is a plump juicy body that helps make it attractive, but also very light, firm and composed, with piercing saturated minerals lingering on the palate. This is a nice wine and I drink more of it than the other bottles. I guess this shows me why some people are so excited about Vetter, but with this flavor profile it’s not something I need to pursue.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
Stefan Vetter sylvaners: a bit of a disappointmentI was looking forward to Stefan Vetter’s sylvaners, having heard so many good things (and such low alcohol to boot). But these bottles did not convince and I probably won’t be following up on my own initiative. Tell me what I’m missing?

2019 Stefan Vetter Sylvaner
I took this to a raclette dinner, thinking it would be a good match. I suppose it was, although I found it very disappointing. Generic hazy unfiltered apple cider. Maybe I need to reorient my understanding of sylvaner, but I would have never picked this as sylvaner if tasted blind. Pretty much fit into the stereotype of generic natural wine and not inspiring to drink more.

2017 Stefan Vetter CK Sylvaner
More cider! But better tension and texture than the base bottling. Here we get some fine firm mineral quality, but overall the dull apple cider profile does not inspire me.

2017 Stefan Vetter GK Sylvaner
The most promising of the three. Still leaning apple/pear, but not all the way into dull cider. Instead, it is offset with other dimensions, pale citrus and white flowers. There is a plump juicy body that helps make it attractive, but also very light, firm and composed, with piercing saturated minerals lingering on the palate. This is a nice wine and I drink more of it than the other bottles. I guess this shows me why some people are so excited about Vetter, but with this flavor profile it’s not something I need to pursue.
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Agree. I wasn't a fan either. I had heard great things, but the couple I bought simply had way too much VA for my taste (cannot remember which cuvées now). And they were expensive.
 
originally posted by mark e:
And they were expensive.
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In Berlin, the base sylvaner was somewhere in the teens and the CK/GK were mid 30s euros, which I don’t find egregious.

But I’m also not in a rush to spend that money again!
 
Whose Sylvaners set the standard for youse all? I was fairly wowed by a Weltner sylvaner a year or two ago but haven’t got enough experience with the grape to know if there are finer examples out there.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by MLipton:
Whose Sylvaners set the standard for youse all? I was fairly wowed by a Weltner sylvaner a year or two ago but haven’t got enough experience with the grape to know if there are finer examples out there.

Mark Lipton
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Helmut Dolde, formerly with Selection Massale. Now imported by at least one other.
 
originally posted by Jim Hanlon:
originally posted by MLipton:
Whose Sylvaners set the standard for youse all? I was fairly wowed by a Weltner sylvaner a year or two ago but haven’t got enough experience with the grape to know if there are finer examples out there.

Mark Lipton
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Helmut Dolde, formerly with Selection Massale. Now imported by at least one other.
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Dolde's are life-affirming. I am still trying to get a handle on when exactly to drink alte reben; much easier with weiße jura that's just your classic drink (whenever you feel like it) and hold (for as long as you feel like it) specimen.

Just imagine how good they would be under cork, or at least diam. I am still drinking the 2014s, and I could give the statistical distribution implied by the infamous 2002 huet disorder thread a run for its politburo-printed roubles.
 
originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:

Dolde's are life-affirming. I am still trying to get a handle on when exactly to drink alte reben; much easier with weiße jura that's just your classic drink (whenever you feel like it) and hold (for as long as you feel like it) specimen.
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Well I suppose this puts Mark's point about expensive in context. I see the weiße jura sells under 10euros and the alte reben for around 10 euros. Haven't tried the wines, but assuming they are as good as you say, that would make Vetter's pricing egregious!
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
Kuenhof in the Sudtirol makes terrific Sylvaner.
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The problem with Alto Adige is that it is quite hot in the summer. The Künhof 2018 is 14% and the 2019 is 13.5%, both of which are too high for me. That is why I generally look for German Silvaners around 12%, which are lovely, light and fresh.
 
originally posted by MLipton:
Whose Sylvaners set the standard for youse all? I was fairly wowed by a Weltner sylvaner a year or two ago but haven’t got enough experience with the grape to know if there are finer examples out there.

Mark Lipton
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I can't claim any standard setting, but I have been enjoying Michael Frohlich's 2018 Escherndorfer Lump Erste Lage. I bought some 2016 GG's from Wirsching, Ruck, and Schmidtts Kinder when I was in Germany 3+ years ago. Seems early to open them, though.
 
I seem to like Stefan's wines much more than most in the thread. I do acknowledge some of the lower end cuvees have been variable. The earlier singe vineyard ones have aged fantastically well.

Full disclosure we sold these, I love Peter Leipold , he is a fantastic up and coming producer in Franken. We got universally great feedback on his Silvaners and Pinot Noir. He trained with Klaus-Peter Keller for 3+ years.

I just came back from Franken and I am more excited than ever for this region and Silvaner.
 
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