Convened some SF-based folks at a dumpling shop that I discovered in the Castro, where the soup dumplings are plentiful and corks can be pulled for free. The theme was broadly “olde” Riesling, but there were some last-minute audibles called, and we ended up with a nice selection of Rieslings, young and old; dry, fruity and sweet.
Older Dry Rieslings
‘02 Schloss Gobelsburg Riesling Alte Reben: This is relatively large scaled and big boned with very mature and oxidative flavors (or as a friend described it: oxidized). The acidity is still there and there is a lovely mineral undertone to the palate, but this is past peak, if still enjoyable.
‘02 Nigl Riesling Reserve: There are loads of mineral and hints of citrus on the palate, with a polished, smooth, viscous texture. Acidity is well-integrated into the palate. Very classy wine. Person who brought it thinks it's at its peak right now, based on other bottles he has had.
‘97 Nikolaihof Fass Severin Vinothek: I actually had this a couple of months ago, and I felt back then it was a little woody on the finish. This bottle was much better though: very subtle white flower on the nose while the palate is loaded with minerals. It has an elegant, perhaps slightly waxy, mouthfeel and excellent tension and energy, with a hit of tart acidity and spiciness on the finish. No overt oak flavor, though the spice at the end may be a product of the barrel influence (this is aged in large oak cask for 25 years).
‘97 Nikolaihof Vinothek: A less intense, less complex, less interesting version of the Fass Severin. Petrol on the nose, still decent acidity, but kind of bruised apple and bland on the palate. The person who brought it thought it was oxidized, and generally less good, than his other bottles. Oh well.
‘05 Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile: A little more white fruit driven than the Austrian wines, though still primarily mineral-forward on the palate. This does feel ripe for a CFE, and while the acidity is sufficient and lively, it’s a little richer and fuller than other iterations of this wine I’ve had in the past. Still quite good, but definitely not as steely and tense as I expected.
Younger Dry Rieslings
‘12 Von Winning Kirchenstuck GG: This is a little tight on the nose. The palate is delicate, mineral, polished and refined, but there is a distinct trace of vanilla, presumably from the oak. It’s good, but I can see the oak-averse not being a fan of this. Definitely slimmer than the Austrian wines, though it does feel like its in a similar genre (big and bold). I was told this is the flagship
‘12 Von Winning Kieselberg GG: The acidity here is a bit jagged, though I don’t personally mind it. Hints of citrus and minerals, with a glycerin texture and a vanilla-inflected finish. Again: oak alert (though it's not offensively oaky).
‘21 Donnhoff Felsenberg GG: The broadest, ripest wine out of the three Donnhoff GGs, but it still has good acidity. Not flabby, with plenty of mineral cut, and if I had it by itself (which I did last time I had this and enjoyed quite a bit back then), it would be a good wine. But it was just simpler than the other Donnhoffs and was plain outclassed.
‘21 Donnhoff Hollenpfad Im Muhlenberg GG: Floral on the nose with citrus, sea salt, and minerals on the palate, like the condensation of a sea breeze. Very elegant, it also has mouth-watering acidity. Not the flashiest of the Donnhoffs (that would go to the Dellchen), but perhaps the most elegant and lissome, etched with filigreed details.
‘21 Donnhoff Dellchen GG: This is electric with racy, (borderline searing) acidity with a complex palate of crushed rocks, herbs, lemons, a touch of smoke, and a interesting reddish fruit note. Where the Hollenpfad feels airier and lighter, this is brooding, almost creamy, and dark-toned in comparison.This was great and it would be interesting to see what will happen with this wine as age helps to uncoil the acidity.
Pradikat Rieslings
‘75 Schloss Eltz Rauenthaler Baiken Auslese: After uncorking, there was initially a hit of turpentine on the nose, however it blows off, and you get aromas of caramel and petrol. The color is getting dark (a light brown), but the palate is still lively and fresh, with mature flavors reminding me of apricot, sour orange, burnt sugar, spices, and ginger. The sweetness, though, is not particularly pronounced. This is probably on the downslope, but it seems to be a rather graceful descent into senescence. Charming and delightful.
‘02 Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Kabinett: This is intense and rich, yet balanced, elegant (almost airy on the palate) with yellow fruit, spices, anise, medicinal herbs, and perhaps the subtleist hint of botrytis. The sweetness is well-integrated and the finish is mouth-wateringly tart.
‘01 Muller Catoir Haardter Burgengarten Riesling Spatlese #2133: An intense, lively, and elegant wine with a firm, mineral spine, but also ripe, almost tropical fruit notes, spice and a hint of bitterness on the finish. Racy and mouth-watering on the finish, with the receding sweetness keeping the ripping acidity in check. Yum.
‘97 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Auslese #9: There is this lovely, honeyed note on the nose (with some petrol) while it has an elegant lightness on the palate. It tastes more like a Spatlese with a gentle (but sufficient) acidity balanced with an orange-honeyed sweetness. I did not get any hint of botrytis. I was told that AP #9 was the “clean” auslese and that Zilliken produces other Auslese APs that have a heavier botrytis influence.
‘01 Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Spatlese: This is ambrosial. Rich, intense, stony, with a nicely integrated honey note. Perfectly balanced acidity. Damn good; my favorite of the pradikat wines (and it had some stiff competition).
‘03 Schloss Saarstein Serriger Schloss Saarstein Goldkap Auslese: Less overtly acidic and intense than most of the other fruity Rieslings. Elegant, not overbearing, well-judged acidity. Notably sweet, but the finely-tuned acidity prevents it from becoming cloying. If there is one knock, it is like the volume is turned down here; if the ‘01s are on 10, this is a 6: just noticeably quieter and softer.
‘89 Weingut Lingenfelder Grosskarlbacher Osterberg TBA: Very dark, mature flavors and the apricot is pronounced, but this is very fresh and the acidity is still there and well-integrated. I have found the heavy apricot/botrytis flavors from TBAs to be a little too overbearing in the past, but this is nicely balanced and the wine is surprisingly nimble on the palate.
There was also a ‘92 Lauer Sekt Brut and a ‘20 Shadowfolk The Dark Side of Aurora (which is from the village of Pommern and the vineyard called Goldberg) that I didn’t get to. I remember the ‘92 Lauer Sekt Brut being slightly reminiscent of fermenting pickle juice when I had it last year.
There was also some leftover ‘10 Huet Clos de Bourg Demi-Sec, but it didn’t evolve too much from the Saturday Huet-A-Thon.
Older Dry Rieslings
‘02 Schloss Gobelsburg Riesling Alte Reben: This is relatively large scaled and big boned with very mature and oxidative flavors (or as a friend described it: oxidized). The acidity is still there and there is a lovely mineral undertone to the palate, but this is past peak, if still enjoyable.
‘02 Nigl Riesling Reserve: There are loads of mineral and hints of citrus on the palate, with a polished, smooth, viscous texture. Acidity is well-integrated into the palate. Very classy wine. Person who brought it thinks it's at its peak right now, based on other bottles he has had.
‘97 Nikolaihof Fass Severin Vinothek: I actually had this a couple of months ago, and I felt back then it was a little woody on the finish. This bottle was much better though: very subtle white flower on the nose while the palate is loaded with minerals. It has an elegant, perhaps slightly waxy, mouthfeel and excellent tension and energy, with a hit of tart acidity and spiciness on the finish. No overt oak flavor, though the spice at the end may be a product of the barrel influence (this is aged in large oak cask for 25 years).
‘97 Nikolaihof Vinothek: A less intense, less complex, less interesting version of the Fass Severin. Petrol on the nose, still decent acidity, but kind of bruised apple and bland on the palate. The person who brought it thought it was oxidized, and generally less good, than his other bottles. Oh well.
‘05 Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile: A little more white fruit driven than the Austrian wines, though still primarily mineral-forward on the palate. This does feel ripe for a CFE, and while the acidity is sufficient and lively, it’s a little richer and fuller than other iterations of this wine I’ve had in the past. Still quite good, but definitely not as steely and tense as I expected.
Younger Dry Rieslings
‘12 Von Winning Kirchenstuck GG: This is a little tight on the nose. The palate is delicate, mineral, polished and refined, but there is a distinct trace of vanilla, presumably from the oak. It’s good, but I can see the oak-averse not being a fan of this. Definitely slimmer than the Austrian wines, though it does feel like its in a similar genre (big and bold). I was told this is the flagship
‘12 Von Winning Kieselberg GG: The acidity here is a bit jagged, though I don’t personally mind it. Hints of citrus and minerals, with a glycerin texture and a vanilla-inflected finish. Again: oak alert (though it's not offensively oaky).
‘21 Donnhoff Felsenberg GG: The broadest, ripest wine out of the three Donnhoff GGs, but it still has good acidity. Not flabby, with plenty of mineral cut, and if I had it by itself (which I did last time I had this and enjoyed quite a bit back then), it would be a good wine. But it was just simpler than the other Donnhoffs and was plain outclassed.
‘21 Donnhoff Hollenpfad Im Muhlenberg GG: Floral on the nose with citrus, sea salt, and minerals on the palate, like the condensation of a sea breeze. Very elegant, it also has mouth-watering acidity. Not the flashiest of the Donnhoffs (that would go to the Dellchen), but perhaps the most elegant and lissome, etched with filigreed details.
‘21 Donnhoff Dellchen GG: This is electric with racy, (borderline searing) acidity with a complex palate of crushed rocks, herbs, lemons, a touch of smoke, and a interesting reddish fruit note. Where the Hollenpfad feels airier and lighter, this is brooding, almost creamy, and dark-toned in comparison.This was great and it would be interesting to see what will happen with this wine as age helps to uncoil the acidity.
Pradikat Rieslings
‘75 Schloss Eltz Rauenthaler Baiken Auslese: After uncorking, there was initially a hit of turpentine on the nose, however it blows off, and you get aromas of caramel and petrol. The color is getting dark (a light brown), but the palate is still lively and fresh, with mature flavors reminding me of apricot, sour orange, burnt sugar, spices, and ginger. The sweetness, though, is not particularly pronounced. This is probably on the downslope, but it seems to be a rather graceful descent into senescence. Charming and delightful.
‘02 Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Kabinett: This is intense and rich, yet balanced, elegant (almost airy on the palate) with yellow fruit, spices, anise, medicinal herbs, and perhaps the subtleist hint of botrytis. The sweetness is well-integrated and the finish is mouth-wateringly tart.
‘01 Muller Catoir Haardter Burgengarten Riesling Spatlese #2133: An intense, lively, and elegant wine with a firm, mineral spine, but also ripe, almost tropical fruit notes, spice and a hint of bitterness on the finish. Racy and mouth-watering on the finish, with the receding sweetness keeping the ripping acidity in check. Yum.
‘97 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Auslese #9: There is this lovely, honeyed note on the nose (with some petrol) while it has an elegant lightness on the palate. It tastes more like a Spatlese with a gentle (but sufficient) acidity balanced with an orange-honeyed sweetness. I did not get any hint of botrytis. I was told that AP #9 was the “clean” auslese and that Zilliken produces other Auslese APs that have a heavier botrytis influence.
‘01 Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Spatlese: This is ambrosial. Rich, intense, stony, with a nicely integrated honey note. Perfectly balanced acidity. Damn good; my favorite of the pradikat wines (and it had some stiff competition).
‘03 Schloss Saarstein Serriger Schloss Saarstein Goldkap Auslese: Less overtly acidic and intense than most of the other fruity Rieslings. Elegant, not overbearing, well-judged acidity. Notably sweet, but the finely-tuned acidity prevents it from becoming cloying. If there is one knock, it is like the volume is turned down here; if the ‘01s are on 10, this is a 6: just noticeably quieter and softer.
‘89 Weingut Lingenfelder Grosskarlbacher Osterberg TBA: Very dark, mature flavors and the apricot is pronounced, but this is very fresh and the acidity is still there and well-integrated. I have found the heavy apricot/botrytis flavors from TBAs to be a little too overbearing in the past, but this is nicely balanced and the wine is surprisingly nimble on the palate.
There was also a ‘92 Lauer Sekt Brut and a ‘20 Shadowfolk The Dark Side of Aurora (which is from the village of Pommern and the vineyard called Goldberg) that I didn’t get to. I remember the ‘92 Lauer Sekt Brut being slightly reminiscent of fermenting pickle juice when I had it last year.
There was also some leftover ‘10 Huet Clos de Bourg Demi-Sec, but it didn’t evolve too much from the Saturday Huet-A-Thon.