Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
My recent vacation took me to Munich, Salzburg, Baden-Baden, Strasbourg, Basel, and Zurich. This was not oeno-tourism and there were only two of us (and my other half is not a big wino) so many days the beverages were perfunctory... lots of beer, of course, augmented with BTG riesling, zweigelt, gruner veltliner, fendant, prosecco, and even one evening of sturm!
Here are the exceptions:
Munich
Andreas Laible 2015 Durbacher Plauelrain Riesling Kabinett Trocken "Achat" - at an 'updated classics' restaurant, Weinhaus Neuner: pretty nose right from the start, kumquat-like acidity that slowly opened to blood orange, and, most pronounced of all, a slightly funky (potting soil?) kind of minerality that progressed over the course of an hour to something more like slate; good wine, perhaps a bit thin for long-keeping but should be worth your time for 10 years at least
Thorle 2014 Grauburgunder "Fass 17" QBA Trocken - in a better beer hall: tangy, fruity, just a little minerality; good for BTG
Dreissigacker 2013 Riesling Trocken - at a game restaurant, Halali: mostly bio, mostly sponty, very Rheinhessen with white peach, lime leaf, herbs, a hint of caraway?, and the very scantest touch of sweetness (which is to say it’s kinda austere by itself but works at the table)
Salzburg
Kopp 2013 Roter Porphyr Spatburgunder - at a restaurant atop a hill, Canzley: a Badischer red with a slightly outsize robe of barrique over a slightly undersize wine; eh
Baden-Baden
When in Baden-Baden, however, there is time to visit Andreas Laible. The winery is pretty easy to find because it sits atop a steep driveway and Andreas' face is painted huge on the side of the building.
We first arrived during the lunch break so we made ourselves scarce for a while and returned. Petra took care of us, basically offering to taste us on the entire production, if we wanted. We asked for the rieslings and a smattering of the others (the brochure lists 39 wines plus 3 distillates).
While Petra fetched bottles we stood at the bar near a representative chunk of granite from the vineyard. We admired the many awards and writeups covering the walls and tables. When Petra returned we make a little small talk - her English is OK - and we taste quite a few wines (all Erste Lage and all 2015 unless otherwise noted):
riesling trocken "alte reben" - at 35-40 years these are actually the youngest vines for riesling!, shows very simple, alas
riesling trocken "Steinrassel" - a big step up in texture and persistence, this may fill in nicely with a couple years
riesling trocken "An der Kapelle" - she calls it "more powerful" but I'd call it more mineral and, therefore, more interesting
riesling trocken "Achat" - (the top cuvee but we skip since we had a bottle of it very recently)
riesling spatlese halbtrocken - good but also simple, can't decide if it's dry or sweet
riesling spatlese - maybe 20g RS and this is delicate and spot on
riesling auslese - 80g RS and suitably yummy
klingelberger trocken - it's riesling but the vines are near Klingelberg so... not as interesting as the named cuvees
clevner trocken "alte reben" - traminer, aka savagnin, OK
scheurebe auslese - sweet and grapefruity, my partner's preferred
grauer burgunder trocken "Stollenberg" grosse lage - good wine, good ripeness, a bit of barrel smell today but that probably goes away
spatburgunder trocken 2014 - whole cluster, large foudres, this is very familiar in its outlines, fruity and friendly, happy to drinkStrasbourg
F. Mallo 2011 Riesling Alsace GC "Rosbacker" Hunawihr - with choucroute at Maison Kamerzell: dry, lots of texture and intensity, not complex but works at the table well, QPR if the price is right
Basel
Huet 2013 Vouvray Sec "Le Haut Lieu" - at the Michelin three-star, Cheval Blanc: richly glyceral but not as sweet as I wanted and served in silly balloon stems that wasted the bouquet; the wine list had the wrong year and did not mention the style but I let it pass
Here are the exceptions:
Munich
Andreas Laible 2015 Durbacher Plauelrain Riesling Kabinett Trocken "Achat" - at an 'updated classics' restaurant, Weinhaus Neuner: pretty nose right from the start, kumquat-like acidity that slowly opened to blood orange, and, most pronounced of all, a slightly funky (potting soil?) kind of minerality that progressed over the course of an hour to something more like slate; good wine, perhaps a bit thin for long-keeping but should be worth your time for 10 years at least
Thorle 2014 Grauburgunder "Fass 17" QBA Trocken - in a better beer hall: tangy, fruity, just a little minerality; good for BTG
Dreissigacker 2013 Riesling Trocken - at a game restaurant, Halali: mostly bio, mostly sponty, very Rheinhessen with white peach, lime leaf, herbs, a hint of caraway?, and the very scantest touch of sweetness (which is to say it’s kinda austere by itself but works at the table)
Salzburg
Kopp 2013 Roter Porphyr Spatburgunder - at a restaurant atop a hill, Canzley: a Badischer red with a slightly outsize robe of barrique over a slightly undersize wine; eh
Baden-Baden
When in Baden-Baden, however, there is time to visit Andreas Laible. The winery is pretty easy to find because it sits atop a steep driveway and Andreas' face is painted huge on the side of the building.
We first arrived during the lunch break so we made ourselves scarce for a while and returned. Petra took care of us, basically offering to taste us on the entire production, if we wanted. We asked for the rieslings and a smattering of the others (the brochure lists 39 wines plus 3 distillates).
While Petra fetched bottles we stood at the bar near a representative chunk of granite from the vineyard. We admired the many awards and writeups covering the walls and tables. When Petra returned we make a little small talk - her English is OK - and we taste quite a few wines (all Erste Lage and all 2015 unless otherwise noted):
riesling trocken "alte reben" - at 35-40 years these are actually the youngest vines for riesling!, shows very simple, alas
riesling trocken "Steinrassel" - a big step up in texture and persistence, this may fill in nicely with a couple years
riesling trocken "An der Kapelle" - she calls it "more powerful" but I'd call it more mineral and, therefore, more interesting
riesling trocken "Achat" - (the top cuvee but we skip since we had a bottle of it very recently)
riesling spatlese halbtrocken - good but also simple, can't decide if it's dry or sweet
riesling spatlese - maybe 20g RS and this is delicate and spot on
riesling auslese - 80g RS and suitably yummy
klingelberger trocken - it's riesling but the vines are near Klingelberg so... not as interesting as the named cuvees
clevner trocken "alte reben" - traminer, aka savagnin, OK
scheurebe auslese - sweet and grapefruity, my partner's preferred
grauer burgunder trocken "Stollenberg" grosse lage - good wine, good ripeness, a bit of barrel smell today but that probably goes away
spatburgunder trocken 2014 - whole cluster, large foudres, this is very familiar in its outlines, fruity and friendly, happy to drinkStrasbourg
F. Mallo 2011 Riesling Alsace GC "Rosbacker" Hunawihr - with choucroute at Maison Kamerzell: dry, lots of texture and intensity, not complex but works at the table well, QPR if the price is right
Basel
Huet 2013 Vouvray Sec "Le Haut Lieu" - at the Michelin three-star, Cheval Blanc: richly glyceral but not as sweet as I wanted and served in silly balloon stems that wasted the bouquet; the wine list had the wrong year and did not mention the style but I let it pass