Flatiron in San Francisco hosted a Skurnik portfolio tasting last month where winemakers were on hand pouring their wines to all of the guests. I had a passing familiarity with most of the names (except for Reinisch), but never had any of the wines before except for Selbach-Oster.
Some topline thoughts:
I thought all of the producers had interesting and worthwhile wines, though I enjoyed the Spreitzer lineup the most. Probably had to do with the conversation I had with the winemaker, who was the most talkative out of everyone, but I found his dry wines to be really good (especially the Hallgartener Hendelberg Riesling Alte Reben trocken based on its cost-performance), and the Kabinett was delicious.
I was also surprised at how enjoyable the Selbach-Oster’s trocken wines were, though I suspect the RS in those wines were on the higher-end permissible. The Rotlay Auslese was unsurprisingly excellent.
The Feinherb “Porphyr” was my favorite wine in the Hexamer lineup. Just intensely mineral and saline, with just enough RS to provide some balance.
Burklin Wolf was also good, but the barrel influence was quite evident in the winemaking. Not overbearing, but noticeable (and within my level of oak tolerance). Certainly less oaky than von Winning (though that may not be saying much).
Reinisch was interesting. I have not had any Austrian Pinot Noirs before, and they weren’t bad (if a bit fruit forward). Also fun to try Rotgipfler and Saint Laurent for the first time.
Dr. Burklin Wolf - Pfalz
2022 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Wachenheimer Riesling: A palate of lemons, wet rocks, and rich, ripe yellow fruit framed with a subtle touch of oak tannin, adding some spice on the finish. A dense mid-palate with a nice acid spine. Straightforward, but an elegant entry-level wine.
2018 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Wachenheim Riesling R late release: An expressively floral nose. The texture here is quite fine, light-weight, and silky with a good acidity, generous yellow fruit intermingled with citrus and salt, inflected with a hint of bitter herbs. Finish here is quite long.
2020 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Wachenheimer Böhlig Riesling: A silky, seamless texture with flavors of lemon, lime, rocks, salt and bitter herbs. Powerful and intense. While there's a polish that seems barrel influence, it doesn't come across as particularly glossy. Acidity is on point.
2021 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Ruppertsberger Gaisböhl Riesling: There's a wild, expressive nose that is floral and fruity, but also has a hint of funk and wet earth. The acidity is mouth-watering and vibrant, but already well-integrated into the filigreed, silky texture. While the silk is probably has a barrel-influenced, there are no oaky flavors or off-putting gloss. Layers of salty, citrus, and herbal flavors that crescendo into a long, tart finish.
Hexamer - Nahe
2023 Hexamer Riesling trocken: An expressive floral nose. There's very nice acidity on the palate with an undertone of white fruit and prominent notes of salt and minerals. Pretty enjoyable, if straightforward.
2023 Hexamer Riesling Feinherb "Porphyr": Very saline and rocky palate. There's also subtle white fruit that adds an extra dimension, but it is a supporting player to the ashy, volcanic minerality. Evolves into a tart, lemon finish imbued with herbal complexity. I really enjoyed this wine.
2023 Hexamer Riesling Quarzit: The nose is expressively fruit. The palate has a distinct sweetness to it coating the peachy flavors of white orchard fruit. While there is minerality and the acidity is quite sharp and mouth-watering, the wine is defined by its generous fruit, especially in comparison to the Porphyr Feinherb.
2023 Hexamer Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Riesling Spätlese: Juicy and honeyed fruit that is quite sweet, but balanced with good acidity. Quite easy drinking and tasty. Highly enjoyable.
Selbach-Oster - Mosel
2023 Selbach-Oster Riesling trocken: A lemony, saline nose with some floral notes. The acidity is sharp, but not jagged, and is lively and bright. The palate is quite rich and giving, with generous orchard fruit seasoned with salt and hints of lime.
2021 Selbach-Oster Weissburgunder trocken: Reminds me of lemony, salty sea water on the nose. The palate, however, is quite rich with distinct honeyed notes. Not particularly complex, but nice enough. The residual sugar seems noticeable, despite being a trocken.
2021 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Riesling trocken Alte Reben: Quite a rich, intense nose that comes across as quite honeyed, fruity and floral that would make me think this was a pradikat wine. The palate is ripe, with intense white and yellow fruit, but balanced with lively acidity. Quite easy drinking, though I suspect the residual sugar is on the higher end for a trocken. A blend of fruit from Zeltinger Sonnenuhr and Himmelreich.
2022 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Großes Gewächs: The nose is a little tight and unexpressive, though you get hints of florals and honeyed orchard fruit. The palate has more pronounced minerality and salt, with an undertone of white fruit and lemony citrus. Quite tart and the acidity provides balance to the ripeness.
2019 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett halbtrocken: Quite tart and salty, but generous white fruit on the palate. Acidity is good, which balances the richness, and the finish ends with a mineral-laden salinity.
2020 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 'Rotlay': Nicely expressive floral and fruity nose. The acidity is quite refreshing, balancing the intense green and white fruit flavors, and texturally, the wine is also delicate and finessed. While the flavors are tilted more towards fruit than minerality, you do get flavors of slate on the finish. This is just super yummy.
Spreitzer - Rheingau
2021 Weingut Spreitzer Riesling Estate Riesling Trocken: Surprisingly deep and intense palate. Primarily just white fruit, citrus, and salt, but the acidity is so lively and the wine is so giving, I can't help but have smile on my face. So easy to drink, but has plenty of character to it.
2023 Weingut Spreitzer Hallgartener Hendelberg Riesling Alte Reben trocken: Rich, dense, and layered with a fine, almost airy texture and plenty of salt, minerality, and acidity. Very giving and generous fruit, but resolutely dry. Nice salty finish.
2023 Weingut Spreitzer Klosterberg Riesling Alte Reben trocken: Very expressive floral nose. Lots of complexity on the palate: has the citrus, salinity, and minerality of the village level wines, but also layers of herbs and spice. Fresh acidity with great tension.
2021 Weingut Spreitzer Oestricher Lenchen Rosengarten Riesling Großes Gewächs: Very fine, silky texture. Lemon and peach on the palate with intense minerality, salinity, and ripe acidity. Very intense, lively and bright. Not austere at all; very giving and open. Long finish. Very delicious.
2022 Weingut Spreitzer Riesling 101: Kind of basic Riesling. Nice nose, and decent acidity that keeps the sweetness from being cloying, but a little fruity and simple. Lacking depth, but not bad either.
2023 Weingut Spreitzer Oestricher Lenchen Riesling Kabinett: Lovely kabinett. Expressively floral and fruity nose with just a touch of honey on it. Very nice balance of sweetness and acidity on the palate with just a touch of honeyed richness and a pronounced saline and mineral streak. Nice, long finish. Richer than a Mosel kabinett, but I really like the balance here.
Reinisch - Thermenregion (Austria)
2023 Johanneshof Reinisch Rotgipfler: A slight honeyed note on the aromatic nose. A crisp, linear, and stony wine with decent acidity. Fairly straightforward, easy-drinking white wine. My first time having a wine made out of Rotgipfler.
2016 Johanneshof Reinisch St. Laurent Grande Reserve Holzspur: A very dark nose that reminds me of blackberry and cassis. Very straightforward and lush dark red fruit with a velvety texture and silky tannins. Not overly complex, but not ponderous or monolithic either. Perhaps a bit heavy on the palate for my tastes, but still plenty drinkable.
2022 Johanneshof Reinisch Pinot Noir: Darker cherry nose with accents of mint. The palate has juicy red fruit with some medicinal green notes, but is otherwise pure and straightforward. It is texturally silky with just a dusting of tannins to provide some grip. No oak at all. Perhaps a bit simple, but satisfying.
2018 Johanneshof Reinisch Pinot Noir Gumpoldskirchen: Nose is quite meaty and savory with aromas of dark cherry. The palate is quite fruit forward with a lush, velvety texture. Tannins are already quite polished. Bitter herbal notes on the finish add complexity. Much more intense than the estate Pinot Noir.
2018 Johanneshof Reinisch Pinot Noir Holzspur: Quite structured and still rather tight with pronounced dusty tannins and firm acidity. Quite silky and elegant, more so than the Gumpoldskirchen or Estate Pinot Noirs. More mineral-laden and less fruit-forward as well. The winemaker characterized this cuvee as "stricter" and I think that's a good way to describe this.
Some topline thoughts:
I thought all of the producers had interesting and worthwhile wines, though I enjoyed the Spreitzer lineup the most. Probably had to do with the conversation I had with the winemaker, who was the most talkative out of everyone, but I found his dry wines to be really good (especially the Hallgartener Hendelberg Riesling Alte Reben trocken based on its cost-performance), and the Kabinett was delicious.
I was also surprised at how enjoyable the Selbach-Oster’s trocken wines were, though I suspect the RS in those wines were on the higher-end permissible. The Rotlay Auslese was unsurprisingly excellent.
The Feinherb “Porphyr” was my favorite wine in the Hexamer lineup. Just intensely mineral and saline, with just enough RS to provide some balance.
Burklin Wolf was also good, but the barrel influence was quite evident in the winemaking. Not overbearing, but noticeable (and within my level of oak tolerance). Certainly less oaky than von Winning (though that may not be saying much).
Reinisch was interesting. I have not had any Austrian Pinot Noirs before, and they weren’t bad (if a bit fruit forward). Also fun to try Rotgipfler and Saint Laurent for the first time.
Dr. Burklin Wolf - Pfalz
2022 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Wachenheimer Riesling: A palate of lemons, wet rocks, and rich, ripe yellow fruit framed with a subtle touch of oak tannin, adding some spice on the finish. A dense mid-palate with a nice acid spine. Straightforward, but an elegant entry-level wine.
2018 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Wachenheim Riesling R late release: An expressively floral nose. The texture here is quite fine, light-weight, and silky with a good acidity, generous yellow fruit intermingled with citrus and salt, inflected with a hint of bitter herbs. Finish here is quite long.
2020 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Wachenheimer Böhlig Riesling: A silky, seamless texture with flavors of lemon, lime, rocks, salt and bitter herbs. Powerful and intense. While there's a polish that seems barrel influence, it doesn't come across as particularly glossy. Acidity is on point.
2021 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Ruppertsberger Gaisböhl Riesling: There's a wild, expressive nose that is floral and fruity, but also has a hint of funk and wet earth. The acidity is mouth-watering and vibrant, but already well-integrated into the filigreed, silky texture. While the silk is probably has a barrel-influenced, there are no oaky flavors or off-putting gloss. Layers of salty, citrus, and herbal flavors that crescendo into a long, tart finish.
Hexamer - Nahe
2023 Hexamer Riesling trocken: An expressive floral nose. There's very nice acidity on the palate with an undertone of white fruit and prominent notes of salt and minerals. Pretty enjoyable, if straightforward.
2023 Hexamer Riesling Feinherb "Porphyr": Very saline and rocky palate. There's also subtle white fruit that adds an extra dimension, but it is a supporting player to the ashy, volcanic minerality. Evolves into a tart, lemon finish imbued with herbal complexity. I really enjoyed this wine.
2023 Hexamer Riesling Quarzit: The nose is expressively fruit. The palate has a distinct sweetness to it coating the peachy flavors of white orchard fruit. While there is minerality and the acidity is quite sharp and mouth-watering, the wine is defined by its generous fruit, especially in comparison to the Porphyr Feinherb.
2023 Hexamer Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Riesling Spätlese: Juicy and honeyed fruit that is quite sweet, but balanced with good acidity. Quite easy drinking and tasty. Highly enjoyable.
Selbach-Oster - Mosel
2023 Selbach-Oster Riesling trocken: A lemony, saline nose with some floral notes. The acidity is sharp, but not jagged, and is lively and bright. The palate is quite rich and giving, with generous orchard fruit seasoned with salt and hints of lime.
2021 Selbach-Oster Weissburgunder trocken: Reminds me of lemony, salty sea water on the nose. The palate, however, is quite rich with distinct honeyed notes. Not particularly complex, but nice enough. The residual sugar seems noticeable, despite being a trocken.
2021 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Riesling trocken Alte Reben: Quite a rich, intense nose that comes across as quite honeyed, fruity and floral that would make me think this was a pradikat wine. The palate is ripe, with intense white and yellow fruit, but balanced with lively acidity. Quite easy drinking, though I suspect the residual sugar is on the higher end for a trocken. A blend of fruit from Zeltinger Sonnenuhr and Himmelreich.
2022 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Großes Gewächs: The nose is a little tight and unexpressive, though you get hints of florals and honeyed orchard fruit. The palate has more pronounced minerality and salt, with an undertone of white fruit and lemony citrus. Quite tart and the acidity provides balance to the ripeness.
2019 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett halbtrocken: Quite tart and salty, but generous white fruit on the palate. Acidity is good, which balances the richness, and the finish ends with a mineral-laden salinity.
2020 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 'Rotlay': Nicely expressive floral and fruity nose. The acidity is quite refreshing, balancing the intense green and white fruit flavors, and texturally, the wine is also delicate and finessed. While the flavors are tilted more towards fruit than minerality, you do get flavors of slate on the finish. This is just super yummy.
Spreitzer - Rheingau
2021 Weingut Spreitzer Riesling Estate Riesling Trocken: Surprisingly deep and intense palate. Primarily just white fruit, citrus, and salt, but the acidity is so lively and the wine is so giving, I can't help but have smile on my face. So easy to drink, but has plenty of character to it.
2023 Weingut Spreitzer Hallgartener Hendelberg Riesling Alte Reben trocken: Rich, dense, and layered with a fine, almost airy texture and plenty of salt, minerality, and acidity. Very giving and generous fruit, but resolutely dry. Nice salty finish.
2023 Weingut Spreitzer Klosterberg Riesling Alte Reben trocken: Very expressive floral nose. Lots of complexity on the palate: has the citrus, salinity, and minerality of the village level wines, but also layers of herbs and spice. Fresh acidity with great tension.
2021 Weingut Spreitzer Oestricher Lenchen Rosengarten Riesling Großes Gewächs: Very fine, silky texture. Lemon and peach on the palate with intense minerality, salinity, and ripe acidity. Very intense, lively and bright. Not austere at all; very giving and open. Long finish. Very delicious.
2022 Weingut Spreitzer Riesling 101: Kind of basic Riesling. Nice nose, and decent acidity that keeps the sweetness from being cloying, but a little fruity and simple. Lacking depth, but not bad either.
2023 Weingut Spreitzer Oestricher Lenchen Riesling Kabinett: Lovely kabinett. Expressively floral and fruity nose with just a touch of honey on it. Very nice balance of sweetness and acidity on the palate with just a touch of honeyed richness and a pronounced saline and mineral streak. Nice, long finish. Richer than a Mosel kabinett, but I really like the balance here.
Reinisch - Thermenregion (Austria)
2023 Johanneshof Reinisch Rotgipfler: A slight honeyed note on the aromatic nose. A crisp, linear, and stony wine with decent acidity. Fairly straightforward, easy-drinking white wine. My first time having a wine made out of Rotgipfler.
2016 Johanneshof Reinisch St. Laurent Grande Reserve Holzspur: A very dark nose that reminds me of blackberry and cassis. Very straightforward and lush dark red fruit with a velvety texture and silky tannins. Not overly complex, but not ponderous or monolithic either. Perhaps a bit heavy on the palate for my tastes, but still plenty drinkable.
2022 Johanneshof Reinisch Pinot Noir: Darker cherry nose with accents of mint. The palate has juicy red fruit with some medicinal green notes, but is otherwise pure and straightforward. It is texturally silky with just a dusting of tannins to provide some grip. No oak at all. Perhaps a bit simple, but satisfying.
2018 Johanneshof Reinisch Pinot Noir Gumpoldskirchen: Nose is quite meaty and savory with aromas of dark cherry. The palate is quite fruit forward with a lush, velvety texture. Tannins are already quite polished. Bitter herbal notes on the finish add complexity. Much more intense than the estate Pinot Noir.
2018 Johanneshof Reinisch Pinot Noir Holzspur: Quite structured and still rather tight with pronounced dusty tannins and firm acidity. Quite silky and elegant, more so than the Gumpoldskirchen or Estate Pinot Noirs. More mineral-laden and less fruit-forward as well. The winemaker characterized this cuvee as "stricter" and I think that's a good way to describe this.