Flaws-a-palooza

J

Jeff Grossman

Jeff Grossman
SFJoe and I pulled two corks over the weekend. The 1997 Steiner Hund riesling (in the tall bottle) was oxidized: caramel and nuts, but not in a nice way, and the minerally finish had gone bitter. Why should this happen?

The other, 1991 Musar, brought its own inimitable blend of VA and brett to the table -- but in a nice way.

We left both decanters there for the staff... wonder what they made of them?
 
I bought several bottles of mid to late 90's Steiner Hund and learned later that one source had cooked the wines while another one had not. I celebrated this discovery by opening 9-10 bottles in one night and found not a single drinkable bottle among my stash.
 
originally posted by Bwood:
I bought several bottles of mid to late 90's Steiner Hund and learned later that one source had cooked the wines while another one had not. I celebrated this discovery by opening 9-10 bottles in one night and found not a single drinkable bottle among my stash.
Click to expand...

John:
Guess that source was a real "dog".
Bill
 
originally posted by Bwood:
I bought several bottles of mid to late 90's Steiner Hund and learned later that one source had cooked the wines while another one had not. I celebrated this discovery by opening 9-10 bottles in one night and found not a single drinkable bottle among my stash.
Click to expand...

We've talked of this before. I returned mine.

I'm thinking that may be where this one came from.

Just a hunch.
 
VLM, when you returned yours, did you have far to go?

I don't have an easy record at this late date of which are from which source, I would have to do a little work to reconstruct.

What kind of low creature would you have to be to cook '97 Steiner Hund, one of the world's great wines when it was young?
 
The other, 1991 Musar, brought its own inimitable blend of VA and brett to the table -- but in a nice way.
Click to expand...

Oh, honestly now. That's like saying the Mona Lisa brought her overplucked eyebrows and drab wardrobe to the table, but in a nice way. Perhaps technically correct (although if there's noticeable brett in the '91, I haven't noticed it), but somewhat small in focus.
 
I noticed the Brett and VA both, but enjoyed the combination in its own funky way. Maybe not an old master, but maybe a punk creature.
 
I had an oxidized '97 Steiner Hund last year. I have not had any other issues with late '90s Austrians, so Jay can relax. Something must have happened to that wine.
 
There were a couple of other bottles in the same crazy extra-tall format (some of the '97s were stupid tall, and some were regular riesling tall), and I wondered whether they were all fucked. So tonight in the cellar I pulled another cork.

Mirable dictu! This one is fabulous. Maybe just a little farther along than one would wish, but delicious. Restrained and minimalist as the wine has always been, but what shimmering beauty.

So hope remains. It would have been so dispiriting to give up on this wine, that was so glorious in its youth. There is a writeup somewhere of a dinner at La Rochetta of unlamented memory that gives a sense of the young '97.

Anyhow, more news as it comes in.
 
Hey now, those were the '99s. I still have a bottle or two of that pretty jungfernwein, just for fun. And four of the glorious '99 Steiner Hund. But the writeup of the last lovely '97 at our anniversary party is on the back burner due to the whole winegirl/cauliflower theft debacle. So, bottom line: your fault.
 
Anyone had that lately? It's on the list at Slanted Door, or was the last time I was through. I drank all mine early, they seemed perfect just as they were.
 
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