Arnt Egil Nordlien
Arnt Egil Nordlien
Visit at Weingut Willems-Willems
Weingut Willems-Willems is lead by Carolin Hofmann who have been fully responsible for the winemaking since 2004 after she gratuated as an enologist. The winery was founded by her parents in 1975 and is situated in Oberemmel. The vines are from the village's vineyards Altenberg, Rosenberg, Karlsberg and Niedermenniger Herrenberg. Caroline Hofmann has concentrated on the making of feinherb and dry rieslings, more than the traditional liebliche rieslings. I visited the estate in September. Unfortunately Carolin Hofmann could not be present as she exactly the same day was awarded as the young winemaker of the year in the Kleiner genialer weinfhrer for 2010 by Stuart Pigott. But I was lead through a tasting of the wines by mother Maria Willems, who made the wines at the Weingut prior to Carolin. At the entry level there is three rieslings without vineyard-designation; the trocken, Classic and the "Saar Schiefer". I am not sure that I see why there is need for three such selections. The top level dry rieslings are made from the two vineyard-selections Altenberg and Herrenberg. These two wines are in my opinion the most important wines of this weingut. They are dry terroir-driven wines that both represent something unique and individual. Both are very good buys for their price. Not to be forgotten is that there is also made some very good noble sweet wines at Weingut Willems-Willems. Mostly auslese, beerenauslese and trockenbeerenauslese. There is also an eiswein available, but this is rarer possible to make in this area. So to the single-notes on the wines we tasted:
Weisser burgunder qualittswein trocken 2008
12% alc/vol. Intense on the nose. Young flowery and a little yeasty. Fullbodied in the mouth. Simple wine, offering nice flowery fruit. Quite round style with medium acidity and length. Price:5,70
Willems riesling trocken 2008
11,5% alc/vol. Young flowery nose. More perfumed and aromatic riesling-character. Light and refreshing dry riesling in the mouth. Round and kind style offering nice young flowery and fruity riesling-aromatics. Uncomplicated. Price:4,90
Riesling Classic 2008
11,5% alc/vol. A little more intense riesling on the nose. Still quite equal to the previous wine. Floral, perfumed character. In the mouth it is offering a little more structure and a fine crispness. A little better acidity which lifts the wine to a longer taste and some citrus on the finish. Price:5,50
Riesling Saar "Schiefer" trocken 2008
11,5% alc/vol. This also has the same core of flowery, perfumed riesling-aromatics. But there is more slate and minerality here. Some citrus. A more Saar-feel in the mouth. Steely, slatey wine with an aromatic core. Fine riesling that is still on the simpler side. Price:7,50
Altenberg riesling 2007
From Oberemmeler Altenberg. 12% alc/vol, spontenously fermented. Slatey nose, mineral. Some flowers and perfume. Mineral approach. More powerful and concentrated riesling in the mouth. Light sweetness in the fruit, but fine mineral focus. Slate and good depth. Fine acidity and length. Some anise-notes on the finish. Very good dry riesling and my favourite of the day. Price:12,-
Herrenberg riesling 2008
From Niedermenniger Herrenberg. 11,5% alc/vol. Fermentation started spontanously. This has spent a little time in neutral large barrels. Also a mineral riesling, but with a fruitier core with tropical notes. Some more perfume. Light hints of the spontanous fermentation and slate. Medium bodied dry riesling in the mouth. Slatey wine, but again that clear core of tropicality in the fruit. Perhaps a little closed in the mouth. More open on the nose. This might be due to the bottling only a month earlier. Pretty wine. Different than the Altenberg with the fruitiness. This also has fine depth and minerality and looking at it objectively, this equals the Altenberg in quality. Yet I seem to prefer the Altenberg a little more. Price:12,-
Riesling Saar "Auf der mauer" feinherb 2008
10,5% alcohol, 20 g/L residual sugar. From vines in Oberemmeler Rosenberg. The nose is a little closed. It shows some sweet flowers and slate. In the mouth it is a lightly sweetish and typical Saar-riesling. With a flowery fruit with hints of slate and minerality. Fine balance and a decent wine. But clearly simpler than the two wines above. Price:6,50
Fusion II riesling 2007
12,5% alcohol. Deutsche tafelwein. Besides the Weingut Willems-Willems, Carolin Hofmann and her husband Jrgen Hofmann, runs the winery Wein- und sektgut Hofmann in Appenheim in Rheinhessen. This wine "Fusion II" is blended with 50% juice from each winery. The result is a lightly spicey and perfumed riesling that is quite different from the rest of the wines at Willems-Willems. It is a broader riesling in the mouth and lacking a little the elegance of the Saar-riesling. It has a fine fruit, a little earthier and with some spice. Not the deepest wine. Fine acidity and decent length. Good wine. Price:10,20
Oberemmeler Altenberg riesling sptlese 2008
8% alcohol. Intense nose. Sweetish, flowery. Some slate and citrus-notes. Young, primary and flowery Riesling in the mouth. Sweetish style with a good acidic backbone. Good length. Fine wine, yet lacking a little the depth of the dry Altenberg. Price:7,90
Oberemmeler Rosenberg riesling beerenauslese 2005
7,5% alcohol. Ripe, tropical nose. Some hints of botrytis and slate. Clean and tropical fruity BA in the mouth. Very clean and transparent botrytis-notes. Some slate notes. Nicely structured with high and cleansing acids balancing the sweetness. Long finish. Great BA. Young and primary. Price:49,- (37,5 cl)
Sptburgunder trocken im barrique gereift 2006
13% alcohol. Red colour. Sweetish nose. Red fruits and lots of oak-notes. Too much for my taste. Medium bodied sptburgunder in the mouth. Fruity, with some fine florality. Again the oak is a bit too disturbing for me. It makes the wine simpler. Fair acidity and some tannins in the back. Try again in a year or two and hope the oak integrates. Not my favorite. Price:14,-
Oberemmeler Rosenberg riesling trockenbeerenauslese 2005
6,5% alccohol. This bottle was not had at the tasting. I drank this at home over three days in December. Deep golden colour. Pretty nose. Fruity, lightly tropical notes and apricot. Much botrytis. Lightly mushroomy. On day two it gets even beter wwith hints of slate and strawberries. Thick and rich TBA in the mouth. Very powerful wine. Viscous and with lots of botrytis. Still this remains quite fruity. Hints of apricot, tropical elements. Some anise on the finish. Very young and primary. Fine acidity. Long taste. Still young, primary and creamy. A big TBA, but with a certain depth that gives promise for the future. Outstanding wine. Price: 99,-.
Weingut Willems-Willems is lead by Carolin Hofmann who have been fully responsible for the winemaking since 2004 after she gratuated as an enologist. The winery was founded by her parents in 1975 and is situated in Oberemmel. The vines are from the village's vineyards Altenberg, Rosenberg, Karlsberg and Niedermenniger Herrenberg. Caroline Hofmann has concentrated on the making of feinherb and dry rieslings, more than the traditional liebliche rieslings. I visited the estate in September. Unfortunately Carolin Hofmann could not be present as she exactly the same day was awarded as the young winemaker of the year in the Kleiner genialer weinfhrer for 2010 by Stuart Pigott. But I was lead through a tasting of the wines by mother Maria Willems, who made the wines at the Weingut prior to Carolin. At the entry level there is three rieslings without vineyard-designation; the trocken, Classic and the "Saar Schiefer". I am not sure that I see why there is need for three such selections. The top level dry rieslings are made from the two vineyard-selections Altenberg and Herrenberg. These two wines are in my opinion the most important wines of this weingut. They are dry terroir-driven wines that both represent something unique and individual. Both are very good buys for their price. Not to be forgotten is that there is also made some very good noble sweet wines at Weingut Willems-Willems. Mostly auslese, beerenauslese and trockenbeerenauslese. There is also an eiswein available, but this is rarer possible to make in this area. So to the single-notes on the wines we tasted:
Weisser burgunder qualittswein trocken 2008
12% alc/vol. Intense on the nose. Young flowery and a little yeasty. Fullbodied in the mouth. Simple wine, offering nice flowery fruit. Quite round style with medium acidity and length. Price:5,70
Willems riesling trocken 2008
11,5% alc/vol. Young flowery nose. More perfumed and aromatic riesling-character. Light and refreshing dry riesling in the mouth. Round and kind style offering nice young flowery and fruity riesling-aromatics. Uncomplicated. Price:4,90
Riesling Classic 2008
11,5% alc/vol. A little more intense riesling on the nose. Still quite equal to the previous wine. Floral, perfumed character. In the mouth it is offering a little more structure and a fine crispness. A little better acidity which lifts the wine to a longer taste and some citrus on the finish. Price:5,50
Riesling Saar "Schiefer" trocken 2008
11,5% alc/vol. This also has the same core of flowery, perfumed riesling-aromatics. But there is more slate and minerality here. Some citrus. A more Saar-feel in the mouth. Steely, slatey wine with an aromatic core. Fine riesling that is still on the simpler side. Price:7,50
Altenberg riesling 2007
From Oberemmeler Altenberg. 12% alc/vol, spontenously fermented. Slatey nose, mineral. Some flowers and perfume. Mineral approach. More powerful and concentrated riesling in the mouth. Light sweetness in the fruit, but fine mineral focus. Slate and good depth. Fine acidity and length. Some anise-notes on the finish. Very good dry riesling and my favourite of the day. Price:12,-
Herrenberg riesling 2008
From Niedermenniger Herrenberg. 11,5% alc/vol. Fermentation started spontanously. This has spent a little time in neutral large barrels. Also a mineral riesling, but with a fruitier core with tropical notes. Some more perfume. Light hints of the spontanous fermentation and slate. Medium bodied dry riesling in the mouth. Slatey wine, but again that clear core of tropicality in the fruit. Perhaps a little closed in the mouth. More open on the nose. This might be due to the bottling only a month earlier. Pretty wine. Different than the Altenberg with the fruitiness. This also has fine depth and minerality and looking at it objectively, this equals the Altenberg in quality. Yet I seem to prefer the Altenberg a little more. Price:12,-
Riesling Saar "Auf der mauer" feinherb 2008
10,5% alcohol, 20 g/L residual sugar. From vines in Oberemmeler Rosenberg. The nose is a little closed. It shows some sweet flowers and slate. In the mouth it is a lightly sweetish and typical Saar-riesling. With a flowery fruit with hints of slate and minerality. Fine balance and a decent wine. But clearly simpler than the two wines above. Price:6,50
Fusion II riesling 2007
12,5% alcohol. Deutsche tafelwein. Besides the Weingut Willems-Willems, Carolin Hofmann and her husband Jrgen Hofmann, runs the winery Wein- und sektgut Hofmann in Appenheim in Rheinhessen. This wine "Fusion II" is blended with 50% juice from each winery. The result is a lightly spicey and perfumed riesling that is quite different from the rest of the wines at Willems-Willems. It is a broader riesling in the mouth and lacking a little the elegance of the Saar-riesling. It has a fine fruit, a little earthier and with some spice. Not the deepest wine. Fine acidity and decent length. Good wine. Price:10,20
Oberemmeler Altenberg riesling sptlese 2008
8% alcohol. Intense nose. Sweetish, flowery. Some slate and citrus-notes. Young, primary and flowery Riesling in the mouth. Sweetish style with a good acidic backbone. Good length. Fine wine, yet lacking a little the depth of the dry Altenberg. Price:7,90
Oberemmeler Rosenberg riesling beerenauslese 2005
7,5% alcohol. Ripe, tropical nose. Some hints of botrytis and slate. Clean and tropical fruity BA in the mouth. Very clean and transparent botrytis-notes. Some slate notes. Nicely structured with high and cleansing acids balancing the sweetness. Long finish. Great BA. Young and primary. Price:49,- (37,5 cl)
Sptburgunder trocken im barrique gereift 2006
13% alcohol. Red colour. Sweetish nose. Red fruits and lots of oak-notes. Too much for my taste. Medium bodied sptburgunder in the mouth. Fruity, with some fine florality. Again the oak is a bit too disturbing for me. It makes the wine simpler. Fair acidity and some tannins in the back. Try again in a year or two and hope the oak integrates. Not my favorite. Price:14,-
Oberemmeler Rosenberg riesling trockenbeerenauslese 2005
6,5% alccohol. This bottle was not had at the tasting. I drank this at home over three days in December. Deep golden colour. Pretty nose. Fruity, lightly tropical notes and apricot. Much botrytis. Lightly mushroomy. On day two it gets even beter wwith hints of slate and strawberries. Thick and rich TBA in the mouth. Very powerful wine. Viscous and with lots of botrytis. Still this remains quite fruity. Hints of apricot, tropical elements. Some anise on the finish. Very young and primary. Fine acidity. Long taste. Still young, primary and creamy. A big TBA, but with a certain depth that gives promise for the future. Outstanding wine. Price: 99,-.