2002 German rieslings

[Rahsaan]

2002 Andreas Laible Durbacher Plauelrain Spatlese trocken SL
Lovely textbook lightly-golden crisp herbal stalky riesling. Not a blockbuster in any way, but lovely to drink and will finish the rest of the bottles with some nice meals this year.

2002 Bergdolt Ruppertsberger Reiterspfad Spatlese trocken
More depth and punch than the Laible. Succulent sunny richness but not at all heavy thanks to the enjoyable zesty, savory and lively texture. I very much look forward to drinking the rest of these with and without meals.

2002 Schmitt-Wagner Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Auslese
A slinky loose ‘old-fashioned’ auslese that doesn’t inspire (or require?) much analysis, but is easy to pour for guests. Duly noted.

2002 Reinhold Haart Piesporter Goldtropfchen Auslese
Plenty of those thick deeply-golden drops here, and the aging riesling apricot flavors are stretching out into their own. But there is still some definition and verve to the structure, so all in all it pleases even though it doesn’t amaze.

 

[Unknown]

Haart 02 PG Kab does amaze these days. What does this say? Absolutely no idea.

 

[georg lauer]

originally posted by .sasha:
Haart 02 PG Kab does amaze these days. What does this say? Absolutely no idea.

To me it says what I have been feeling for a while now. That Kabinetts cover pretty much all the ground I need to cover from slightly sweet to quite sweet. It somehow makes sense given that most current Kabinetts would had been Spaet- or even Auslese in the 80s. The higher Praedikats I almost never feel inclined to drink. So I started to more or less only buy Kabinett when it comes to sweet Riesling. That is where the balance is (plus the attractive price).

 

[Rahsaan]

And I guess it also says that I have the wrong bottles of 02 Haart PG!

 

[Yixin]

Rahsaan, this is the normal bottling, right? Not the late release? Then you're drinking it too young.

 

[Bob Parsons Alberta]

I am with George in a way, stick to Kabinett and trockens but sometimes I waiver.
Yesterday 2012 Joh. Haart Piesporter G Spat, grin.

 

[Rahsaan]

originally posted by Yixin:
Rahsaan, this is the normal bottling, right? Not the late release? Then you're drinking it too young.

Ok, good to know. I actually drank two bottles this past week because my first thought was that I should enjoy it for what it is, but by the bottom of the second bottle I began to re-think that strategy and had decided to save the rest for the future.