Enjoyed some very fine Sichuan food and an assortment of Rieslings this past weekend at Earl Spicy in Millbrae. Highlight was the Vollenweider vertical with some bonus wines thrown in (a Sauvignon Blanc made a cameo).
2022 Andreas Tscheppe Sauvignon Blanc Blue Dragonfly: Served blind. An intense blast of reduction on the nose. We’re talking full on rotten eggs. On the palate, intense, jagged acidity commingling with liquified rocks and subtle streaks of citrus and herbs. I felt like it might have been a Sauvignon Blanc, basically because it was so sharp, lean and mineral, and I didn’t really have any better guesses (though I accidentally called out Weissburgunder: whoops, need to have my English-German dictionary with me next time!). Definitely a natural wine, but very clean and stable. It was nice and definitely interesting (eminently flavorful, mineral, and complex battery acid; that’s not quite a backhanded compliment), but other people at the table were bigger fans of it than me. Glad I had it though.
2023 Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Kabinett: Fairly sleek and clean on the palate, with plenty of green and white orchard fruit. There’s also a hint of sweetness balanced by a soft, but sufficient acidity. A very nice pradikat Riesling
2023 Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Kabinett Wurzelecht: Basically an amped up version of the regular WG Kabinett. Lots of complexity on the palate that is quite bright and sharp. While you get the crisp green and white fruit, there’s more minerality and acid, a denser mid-palate, and a longer finish. This is absolutely terrific.
2021 Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Kabinett: The acid here is much more pronounced than its ‘23 counterparts, to a point that it almost overwhelms the fruit and mineral flavors on the palate. This seemed quite a bit harsher than when I last tasted this a year or two ago. I suspect this is shutting down. One thing I did notice was that this was a bit more complex and dense than the ‘23 regular Kabinett; probably because of the ‘23 losing all of the ungrafted Wurzelecht fruit. Something to keep in mind moving forward.
2010 Vollenweider Krover Steffensberg Spatlese: This is in a nice place right now. While it has pronounced and racy acidity, the fruit is quite vibrant at this point and complements the acidity well. While richer than the Kabinetts, this is still a very elegant wine that pirouettes rather than plods.
2004 Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Spätlese Padauer: Brighter, more acidic, and airier on the palate than the Portz. Still deep and intense, but it doesn’t feel as tertiary or as rich as its counterpart. I personally preferred this to the Portz: this is a more elegant expression of the Goldgrube that is finely etched and filigreed.
2004 Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Spätlese Portz: Rich and dense, texturally sleek, and while the acidity is present, it doesn’t dance across the palate like it does with the Padauer. However, the tertiary characteristics are more pronounced, with a touch of almond nuttiness framing the pretty yellowish fruit.
2001 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Urziger Wurzgarten Spätlese: Watermelon and strawberries on the nose. On the palate, there's baked apple infused with warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Subtle tertiary notes of marzipan add to the complexity. Acidity is integrated, but still mouthwatering, and texturally, the wine is silky and sleek. Beautiful stuff!
2001 Müller-Catoir Haardter Bürgergarten Riesling Spätlese #2134: Tasted a little weird and disjointed. Acidity was good, but the flavors were rather muted. Perhaps an off bottle, though it wasn’t corked or obviously flawed in any way. Bummer.
2018 Clemens Busch Riesling Trocken O: I really liked this wine! Lots of orange peel and other citrus notes on the nose, the palate was surprisingly clean, very citric, mineral, and bright. There weren’t very many Riesling varietal characteristics in the wine; definitely a case of the skin-contact dominating the flavors and aromas, but it was still very enjoyable and fun.
2018 Egon Muller/Le Gallais Wiltinger Braune Kupp Spatlese: Very fresh and bright with persistent, lively acidity, green fruit on the palate, a very light touch of sweetness, and a firm mineral spine. Very precise and balanced.
2020 Kilburg Ohligsburg Trocken: This tasted and smelled very shut down. Not very giving on the nose and fairly hollow on the palate. Person who brought it said it was much more open and pleasurable a couple of months ago. If I had any, I would hold.
2021 Kilburg Ohligsburg Kabinett: Someone brought this, but it never got around to me. I’m a huge fan of the ‘22, so I’m assuming this was even more electric. Oh well.
2022 Andreas Tscheppe Sauvignon Blanc Blue Dragonfly: Served blind. An intense blast of reduction on the nose. We’re talking full on rotten eggs. On the palate, intense, jagged acidity commingling with liquified rocks and subtle streaks of citrus and herbs. I felt like it might have been a Sauvignon Blanc, basically because it was so sharp, lean and mineral, and I didn’t really have any better guesses (though I accidentally called out Weissburgunder: whoops, need to have my English-German dictionary with me next time!). Definitely a natural wine, but very clean and stable. It was nice and definitely interesting (eminently flavorful, mineral, and complex battery acid; that’s not quite a backhanded compliment), but other people at the table were bigger fans of it than me. Glad I had it though.
2023 Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Kabinett: Fairly sleek and clean on the palate, with plenty of green and white orchard fruit. There’s also a hint of sweetness balanced by a soft, but sufficient acidity. A very nice pradikat Riesling
2023 Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Kabinett Wurzelecht: Basically an amped up version of the regular WG Kabinett. Lots of complexity on the palate that is quite bright and sharp. While you get the crisp green and white fruit, there’s more minerality and acid, a denser mid-palate, and a longer finish. This is absolutely terrific.
2021 Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Kabinett: The acid here is much more pronounced than its ‘23 counterparts, to a point that it almost overwhelms the fruit and mineral flavors on the palate. This seemed quite a bit harsher than when I last tasted this a year or two ago. I suspect this is shutting down. One thing I did notice was that this was a bit more complex and dense than the ‘23 regular Kabinett; probably because of the ‘23 losing all of the ungrafted Wurzelecht fruit. Something to keep in mind moving forward.
2010 Vollenweider Krover Steffensberg Spatlese: This is in a nice place right now. While it has pronounced and racy acidity, the fruit is quite vibrant at this point and complements the acidity well. While richer than the Kabinetts, this is still a very elegant wine that pirouettes rather than plods.
2004 Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Spätlese Padauer: Brighter, more acidic, and airier on the palate than the Portz. Still deep and intense, but it doesn’t feel as tertiary or as rich as its counterpart. I personally preferred this to the Portz: this is a more elegant expression of the Goldgrube that is finely etched and filigreed.
2004 Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Spätlese Portz: Rich and dense, texturally sleek, and while the acidity is present, it doesn’t dance across the palate like it does with the Padauer. However, the tertiary characteristics are more pronounced, with a touch of almond nuttiness framing the pretty yellowish fruit.
2001 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Urziger Wurzgarten Spätlese: Watermelon and strawberries on the nose. On the palate, there's baked apple infused with warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Subtle tertiary notes of marzipan add to the complexity. Acidity is integrated, but still mouthwatering, and texturally, the wine is silky and sleek. Beautiful stuff!
2001 Müller-Catoir Haardter Bürgergarten Riesling Spätlese #2134: Tasted a little weird and disjointed. Acidity was good, but the flavors were rather muted. Perhaps an off bottle, though it wasn’t corked or obviously flawed in any way. Bummer.
2018 Clemens Busch Riesling Trocken O: I really liked this wine! Lots of orange peel and other citrus notes on the nose, the palate was surprisingly clean, very citric, mineral, and bright. There weren’t very many Riesling varietal characteristics in the wine; definitely a case of the skin-contact dominating the flavors and aromas, but it was still very enjoyable and fun.
2018 Egon Muller/Le Gallais Wiltinger Braune Kupp Spatlese: Very fresh and bright with persistent, lively acidity, green fruit on the palate, a very light touch of sweetness, and a firm mineral spine. Very precise and balanced.
2020 Kilburg Ohligsburg Trocken: This tasted and smelled very shut down. Not very giving on the nose and fairly hollow on the palate. Person who brought it said it was much more open and pleasurable a couple of months ago. If I had any, I would hold.
2021 Kilburg Ohligsburg Kabinett: Someone brought this, but it never got around to me. I’m a huge fan of the ‘22, so I’m assuming this was even more electric. Oh well.