TN: Riesling Rendezvous

[Christian Miller (CMM)]

I was in Woodinville WA a few weeks back to give a presentation to the IRF (International Riesling Foundation) and also attended part of the Riesling Rendezvous, and annual orgy of Riesling discussion and tasting hosted (expertly) by Ch. St. Michelle. While shmoozing and biz talk was the order of the day, I did manage to jot down some notes on the blizzard of Rieslings offered...

Australia
Riesling Eden Valley Julius 2007, Henschke grassy raw young Riesling nose, zingy acidity, bone dry and quite austere. Not much fun now. *(**?)

Riesling Eden Valley Julius 2002, Henschke Oh-ho, what a difference five years makes. Nice nose with hay/meadow flower, touch of smoke, really developed; still good acidity, dry but mellower palate with a terpene-inflected Alsatian tone. ***+

Michigan
Riesling Old Mission Peninsula Whole Cluster 2007, Ch. Grand Traverse nice appley-floral fruit in nose; off-dry with decent acidity, touch of Meyers lemon, medium body. ***+

Riesling Leelanau Peninsula 2007, Jana (Scott Harvey) pine woods tone with green apple fruit, grippy and taut, off-dry. ***

Riesling Leelanau Semi-Dry 2004, Shady Lane Cellars mature applesauce fruit with cider and pine tones; medium-body, just off-dry with decent length. Would be nice with pork chops and seared apples. ***

New Jersey (yes you heard right!)
Riesling Dry Hunterdon Cty New Jersey 2006, Unionville Vineyards intriguing complex aroma with smoke, pear-apple fruit and a variety of terpenes; medium-bodied and rather austere on the palate with some bitter phenols in the finish. **(*?)

Riesling Hunterdon Cty New Jersey 2006, Unionville Vineyards candied apple, smoke, pine forest and a touch of cherry mingle in the nose; just off-dry, medium body, decent fruit. 10% Vidal, I like it better than the Dry 100% Riesling. ***

California
Riesling Old Vines Napa Valley 2007, Jana (Scott Harvey) rather closed in with ripe pear-apple fruit. Hard to read, but seems to have decent balance and stuffing. *(**?) Believe it or not, this comes from the Rutherford Bench, a few acres of Riesling owned by some old grumpy Scotsman who couldnt care less that hes pulling 1.5 tons/acre and selling at $900 a ton in $5000/ton Cabernet country.

Washington
Riesling Columbia Valley Eroica 2007, Ch.St.Michelle/Loosen fragrant with lemon, green apple and floral tones; very lively and zesty, plenty of fruit but medium-light body, good length. Best Eroica yet IMHO, a very jolly quaff. ****

Riesling Columbia Valley Cold Creek 2007, Ch.St.Michelle more California style with middleweight ripe mellow grapey fruit, fairly long but simple. A warmer site, 25 year old vines. **+

Riesling Columbia Valley Cellarmasters 2007, Columbia Winery spiced applesauce in nose; ripe sweet plump and juicy fruit with sufficient acidity. Pandering but tasty, 6% RS. Good QPR. ***

Riesling Columbia Valley Small Lot Series 2007, Columbia Winery juicy ripe apple fruit with a touch of pine, good balance. ***+

Riesling Williamette Valley Danehauer 2007, Pacific Rim nice ripe nose and flavor with touches of spearmint and honeyed fruit; medium body, decent acidity, fairly long and round. ***

Germany
Riesling Nahe 2007, Donhoff tart, fruity, ultra-fresh, simple. Yeah its young, but this is just OK by Donhoff standards. **+

Riesling Kabinett Oberhauser Leistenberg 2007, Donhoff lovely floral-mineral aroma, light-bodied, ultra fresh with zesty acids, nice fruit, decent length. Textbook Kabinett in the lighter style. ****

Riesling Kabinett Oberhauser Brucke 2007, Donhoff closed-in nose, good acidity and fruit but tightly wound up and not showing much. **(**?)

Riesling Spatlese Kreuznacher Krotenpfuhl 2007, Donhoff silly-sounding vineyard name to either Anglo- or Francophones, but damn good wine. Terrific floral-spicy aroma with real complexity, medium-light body with grip and excellent length. ***(*)+

Riesling Auslese Niederhauser Hermannshohle 2007, Donhoff fine pine and baked apple with exotic spices (cardamom?), nice acidity, apricoty-nectarine fruit on palate, very very long. Yum!! ****+

Riesling Kabinett Halbtrocken 2007, Robert Weil closed in with some grip, rather austere. *(**?)

Riesling Spatlese Kiedrich Grafenberg 2006, Robert Weil fabulous aroma of great complexity with pine forest, a variety of flowers, succulent Mirabelle and white peach swirling with mineral; flavor is similar with a remarkable combination of light body and intensity, fine acidity, good length. A dazzling laser of a wine. *****

Riesling Burgberg Dry Grosses Gewachs 2006, Schlossgut Diel interesting grassy-piney nose; creamy, appley, stoney flavor with good acidity and grip; still seems young though. They referred to this as a grand cru wine. Between that, the town name and the Grosses Gewachs designation, Im even more confused than usual. **(**?)

Riesling Spatlese Dorsheimer Pittermanchen 2002, Schlossgut Diel open pear-apple fruit with floral-stone hints, rather lush and soft on the palate, lacks the density and complexity of the best vintages from this vineyard. Seems to be aging quickly. ***

New York
Riesling Finger Lakes Semi-Dry 2007, Dr. Konstantin Frank fairly classic - pine-floral hints in nose, decent fruit, medium-light body, moderate sweetness, nice acidity. ***

Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2001, Dr. Konstantin Frank deep piney-appley aroma, Alsatian in tone; medium body with some grip, mellow appley fruit with some earthy dry complexity, quite long. ****

Alsace
Riesling 2006 Alsace, Trimbach nice aroma with pine resin and floral touches over zesty citrus fruit, vibrant green-apple fruit, quite dry, good length. One of the better regular Trimbach Rieslings Ive had in recent years. ***+

Riesling Alsace Reserve 2006, Trimbach moderate nose, rather closed in but suggesting stony earth and pine forest; medium body with some grip, moderate acid, mouthcoating and quite long. **(**?)

Riesling Alsace Cuvee Frederic Emile 2002, Trimbach very young and raw still, green piney fruit, high acid, dry and hard finish with a spearmint hint. Hard to read where this will go. **(**?)

Riesling Alsace Cuvee Frederic Emile 2001, Trimbach On the other hand, this vintage seems ready to play. Beautifully developed aroma of Mirabellish fruit with lime, truffle, pine, floral hints; dry, medium-bodied with fine cut and grip, very long. ****(*)

Riesling Alsace Cuvee Henri 2005, Lucien Albrecht baked appley fruit in nose with smoked pine hint; medium body, somewhat weighty but adequate acidity, decent length with just off-dry finish. ***+

New Zealand
Riesling Waipara 2007, Waipara Hills Estate distinctive malic-apple fruit in the nose; zesty green apple with jasmine hint, plenty of fruit with good acid balance and decent length, tasty and jolly. ***+

Riesling Equinox Waipara 2007, Waipara Hills Estate spiced peachy-apple fruit with good intensity, slight yeasty tone, off-dry, quite long and delicious. Later pick, long cold fermentation with a particular Alsatian yeast. ****

 

[David M. Bueker]

The Krotenpfuhl may have a funny name, but that's what you drink while waiting for the Brucke to open up.

 

[Eden Mylunsch]

What, did you taste no Austrian Rieslings?

What do you think about the whole Grosses Gewachs concept? Does it have any sort of future or are the Germans abandoning it already?

That 2006 Robert Weil Spatlese sounds great but it's selling for $60+ a bottle. I could get a mid-level Napa Cab for that much money!!!

-Eden (trying to divert the lurkers)

 

[Christian Miller (CMM)]

originally posted by Eden Mylunsch:
What, did you taste no Austrian Rieslings?

A couple, but they didn't survive the trip from taste buds to memory to notes. That said, the Austrians weren't much in evidence at this conference.

What do you think about the whole Grosses Gewachs concept? Does it have any sort of future or are the Germans abandoning it already?

I'm not sure about the German position, although I note that only Diel were supporting it at the conference. I don't like to take a strong position in the absence of good data, but in the U.S. market I am not optimistic. I think the concept is good, but the nomenclature and execution will undo it entirely.

That 2006 Robert Weil Spatlese sounds great but it's selling for $60+ a bottle. I could get a mid-level Napa Cab for that much money!!!

Ouch! On the other hand, it is truly a great wine, so your sarcasm is well-placed. I think you could argue that a top spatlese is the ultimate expression of German Riesling.

 

[Chris Coad]

Ouch! On the other hand, it is truly a great wine, so your sarcasm is well-placed. I think you could argue that a top sptlese is the ultimate expression of German Riesling.

Is this the same argument that says that top demisec is the ultimate expression of French chenin blanc?

 

[Christian Miller (CMM)]

originally posted by Chris Coad:

Ouch! On the other hand, it is truly a great wine, so your sarcasm is well-placed. I think you could argue that a top sptlese is the ultimate expression of German Riesling.

Is this the same argument that says that top demisec is the ultimate expression of French chenin blanc?

Probably. It's totally subjective, but now that I think about it, my favorite Vouvrays have been demi-secs and most (but not all) of my best German Riesling experiences have been Spatlese. I have no idea if this is a widely-held opinion or not.

 

[Chris Coad]

I don't either, but it's a position I've long held anyway.

Fuck the sweet freaks, I say.

 

[Salil Benegal]

Nice tasting, although I'm alarmed they'd start you off with such a young Aussie - those things can strip teeth very easily. (And they left out the most promising areas for Riesling in Australia too, shame - there are plenty of better sites than Eden Valley.)

The Weil Grafenberg Spatlese is phenomenal. I had the chance to taste it some time ago at a tasting of new Weil releases and while the wine was incredibly primary, it was mindblowing and bettered only by the 06 Grafenberg Auslese (there's also a dry one from that vineyard - an Erstes Gewachs I think - that's also worth tracking down). The Weil Grafenberg Rieslings aren't cheap, but for me they're are truly extraordinary (and VERY consistent vintage to vintage) and among the very best expressions of Riesling I've tasted.

 

[David M. Bueker]

originally posted by Christian Miller (CMM):
I think you could argue that a top spatlese is the ultimate expression of German Riesling.

Thus getting you in all sorts of trouble with the Grosses Gewachs police (or the Erstes Gewachs police if you're in the Rheingau).

Seriously though, I would agree that spatlese is the most reflective of the combination of grape variety and site. There are some dry wines that are approaching that nirvana of wine-geekdom, but only a few so far, thus leaving spatlese virtually unchallenged.

Of course put 10 years on a top auslese & you have a real challenger.

As far as the whole Grosses Gewachs/Erstes Gewachs concepts goes I am ambivalent. That a change from when I was totally opposed to it. I certainly understand and endorse the concept of making a great dry wine. It's all the other crap that still annoys me. Try getting through all the silly rules for Grosses Gewachs (not to mention understanding why certain sites are considered "great" - they must have consulted the folks in Alsace).

 

[MarkS]

originally posted by Chris Coad:

Ouch! On the other hand, it is truly a great wine, so your sarcasm is well-placed. I think you could argue that a top sptlese is the ultimate expression of German Riesling.

Is this the same argument that says that top demisec is the ultimate expression of French chenin blanc?

What? There is no SANTA?

(I'd argue Chris is correct, demisec for chenin, and spatlese for riesling,
at least for my buds)

 

[David M. Bueker]

The argument for both demi-sec and spatlese is well founded in that the addition of a little sugar gives both wines not only initial palate-appeal, but also an extraordinary capacity to age into something even more beautiful, only matched by a very small group of their dry chenin/riesling conterparts (of which Trimbach's CSH is the most obvious example - the poster child for dry riesling).

 

[MarkS]

originally posted by David M. Bueker:
The argument for both demi-sec and spatlese is well founded in that the addition of a little sugar gives both wines not only initial palate-appeal, but also an extraordinary capacity to age into something even more beautiful, only matched by a very small group of their dry chenin/riesling conterparts (of which Trimbach's CSH is the most obvious example - the poster child for dry riesling).

Or good Savennieres...

 

[SFJoe]

Or good Vouvray sec.

 

[David M. Bueker]

Hence why I named CSH as the "most obvious" example, as opposed to the only example. And you cannot just name a category. There's tons of crap Savennieres, Vouvray Sec (and dry Riesling) out there.

 

[The Fish]

originally posted by David M. Bueker:
The Krotenpfuhl may have a funny name, but that's what you drink while waiting for the Brucke to open up.

History would tell you that the contrary is far more likely and that the Krtenpfuhl, which was THE mythical vineyard in the Nahe up to the 60s, will outlive the Brcke.

 

[David M. Bueker]

originally posted by The Fish:

originally posted by David M. Bueker:
The Krotenpfuhl may have a funny name, but that's what you drink while waiting for the Brucke to open up.

History would tell you that the contrary is far more likely and that the Krtenpfuhl, which was THE mythical vineyard in the Nahe up to the 60s, will outlive the Brcke.

Tasting will prove otherwise, at least for a long time, as there has been replanting at the Krotenpfuhl from what I hear.

 

[Don Rice]

Will have to revisit the finger lakes rieslings. Konstantin Frank comparing favorably to one from Alsace? I've never tasted a FL with the cut I like, but it's been awhile. Thanks

 

[Christian Miller (CMM)]

originally posted by Don Rice:
Finger Lakes NYWill have to revisit the finger lakes rieslings. Konstantin Frank comparing favorably to one from Alsace? I've never tasted a FL with the cut I like, but it's been awhile. Thanks

Actually, if you're looking for "cut", Michigan (Leelanau, Old Mission Peninsulas) is probably a better bet. The Frank-Alsace comparison was more in the maturing fruit flavor than structure.

 

[MLipton]

originally posted by Christian Miller (CMM):

Actually, if you're looking for "cut", Michigan (Leelanau, Old Mission Peninsulas) is probably a better bet. The Frank-Alsace comparison was more in the maturing fruit flavor than structure.

How long has Scott Harvey been making MI Riesling? I had him pegged as an Amador lifer.

Mark Lipton

 

[Christian Miller (CMM)]

originally posted by MLipton:

originally posted by Christian Miller (CMM):

Actually, if you're looking for "cut", Michigan (Leelanau, Old Mission Peninsulas) is probably a better bet. The Frank-Alsace comparison was more in the maturing fruit flavor than structure.

How long has Scott Harvey been making MI Riesling? I had him pegged as an Amador lifer.

I don't think it's been very long, but I'm not sure. He's definately into it now, making Rieslings from a variety of places. Sometimes they're bottled under Scott Harvey, sometimes under the Jana label.