Riesling!

[Rahsaan]

2011 Tegernseerhof Steinertal Smaragd
Had a couple bottles of this recently. Crisp, coiled and direct with a slightly sappy texture and a slight verdant plus golden tinge to the fruit. I’m exploring more of this producer - riesling and GV - and the wines are definitely good value so I seem to be slotting them into the dinner party zone. There are some great vineyards that show elegance and poise, but in an easy and relatively-straightforward way that is always just on the verge of being complex and profound (and therefore meditative), but never actually turning that corner.

2011 von Othegraven Altenberg GG
What a disappointment. I’ve had several bottles of this in recent years and they have always thrilled. Except this one. The broad golden color is there and the familiar subtle yet expressive citrus oil fruit pit aromas are all there. But on the palate it doesn’t quite pop like previous bottles and feels limp and clipped. Mildly corked? Slight heat damage? Slight user damage? Off day? Who knows.

2011 Beurer Stettener Pulvermächer Schilfsandstein
Interesting wine because I opened for a dinner party and it gave the classic fresh focused and crisp white fruit mineral riesling experience. Maybe a bit too taut for its own good, but I wasn’t complaining under the circumstances. Then, for some reason, I decided to let the rest of the bottle stay in the refrigerator all week. Six days later it has a lovely textured and layered expression of racy golden-tinged/flecked riesling fruit. Something to catch my attention. I have no idea when it turned that corner, but I will be giving the next bottles plenty of air. And after the 6-day experiment, I am happy to have those next bottles!

2015 Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Spätlese Feinherb
So so easy to like. Lacy sweet and juicy but crisp and crunchy at the same time. Intense yet feathery and delicate. Such a lovely touch to these wines. Didn’t hurt that I was drinking it with a phenomenal dish of clams in riesling, fresh ginger, fresh turmeric, chives and butter. God is good!

2016 Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Kabinett trocken
A bit harder to like right now. I remember enjoying it more at the end of 2017. But now the fruit has receded a bit too far (for my tastes) and the sourness is a bit too prominent (for my tastes). There is a liveliness that lets you know it’s the real deal. But doesn’t make me want multiple glasses.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

Nice post, Rahsaan.

 

[Pavel Tchichikov]

I've also taken a week to finish a bottle of 11 Schilfsandstein this month, and am glad to have done so. Don't forget it's slightly reduced due to closure.

 

[John M]

originally posted by Rahsaan:
2016 Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Kabinett trocken
A bit harder to like right now. I remember enjoying it more at the end of 2017. But now the fruit has receded a bit too far (for my tastes) and the sourness is a bit too prominent (for my tastes). There is a liveliness that lets you know it’s the real deal. But doesn’t make me want multiple glasses.

Happen to know the AP # on this? I had the #1 (AP 01 17) at the Rieslingfeier Grand Tasting and thought it was really quite good. If there was a sour aspect to it, it was manifest as lime mixed in with apples. But that was a couple of months ago and these may be entering into an awkward phase, as your note suggests.

 

[mark e]

originally posted by John M:

originally posted by Rahsaan:
2016 Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Kabinett trocken
A bit harder to like right now. I remember enjoying it more at the end of 2017. But now the fruit has receded a bit too far (for my tastes) and the sourness is a bit too prominent (for my tastes). There is a liveliness that lets you know it’s the real deal. But doesn’t make me want multiple glasses.

Happen to know the AP # on this? I had the #1 (AP 01 17) at the Rieslingfeier Grand Tasting and thought it was really quite good. If there was a sour aspect to it, it was manifest as lime mixed in with apples. But that was a couple of months ago and these may be entering into an awkward phase, as your note suggests.

I've had ½ dozen bottles of this in the past few months, but not since February - so perhaps it is closing. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would second the motion on lime mixed with (green) apples.

I will say, Rahsaan, that if the dish worked with the feinherb, it definitely won't with 2016 trocken.

 

[Rahsaan]

originally posted by John M:

Happen to know the AP # on this? I had the #1 (AP 01 17) at the Rieslingfeier Grand Tasting and thought it was really quite good. If there was a sour aspect to it, it was manifest as lime mixed in with apples. But that was a couple of months ago and these may be entering into an awkward phase, as your note suggests.

Aha! That could also explain my mixed results over the past few months, if I was drinking different bottlings. Alas I did not note the AP# and the bottles are long gone.

 

[Rahsaan]

originally posted by mark e:

I will say, Rahsaan, that if the dish worked with the feinherb, it definitely won't with 2016 trocken.

Indeed. I actually did have both bottles open on the same evening, and they were not designed to go back and forth. But I started with 2016 trocken, only opening 2015 feinherb when the trocken wasn't doing it for me.

 

[mark e]

originally posted by Rahsaan:

originally posted by mark e:

I will say, Rahsaan, that if the dish worked with the feinherb, it definitely won't with 2016 trocken.

Indeed. I actually did have both bottles open on the same evening, and they were not designed to go back and forth. But I started with 2016 trocken, only opening 2015 feinherb when the trocken wasn't doing it for me.

Makes sense. The heat of the ginger alone would make the wine taste sour, I think.

 

[Rahsaan]

originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
I've also taken a week to finish a bottle of 11 Schilfsandstein this month, and am glad to have done so. Don't forget it's slightly reduced due to closure.

Ok, that makes sense. I must admit I cannot always accurately diagnose reduction, but there was a coiled tight gaseous aspect that never really unwound the first night.

(Similar issues with the Tegernseerhof screwcap wines, although in my limited experiences with extended aeration they did not blossom the next day).

 

[Pavel Tchichikov]

Martin Mittelbach was always worth checking up on, but I haven't done so in almost a decade. Any idea if Höhereck is under screw cap these days, or still under cork?

 

[Rahsaan]

originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
Martin Mittelbach was always worth checking up on, but I haven't done so in almost a decade. Any idea if Höhereck is under screw cap these days, or still under cork?

It is. The only wines I've had from them were several bottles each of 2012 Höhereck GV and 2011 Steinertal Riesling, all screw cap.

 

[VLM]

originally posted by Rahsaan:

originally posted by John M:

Happen to know the AP # on this? I had the #1 (AP 01 17) at the Rieslingfeier Grand Tasting and thought it was really quite good. If there was a sour aspect to it, it was manifest as lime mixed in with apples. But that was a couple of months ago and these may be entering into an awkward phase, as your note suggests.

Aha! That could also explain my mixed results over the past few months, if I was drinking different bottlings. Alas I did not note the AP# and the bottles are long gone.

If this was locally sourced, only one AP# of trocken came in, the 2016 Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett trocken AP. 19.

 

[mark e]

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by Rahsaan:

originally posted by John M:

Happen to know the AP # on this? I had the #1 (AP 01 17) at the Rieslingfeier Grand Tasting and thought it was really quite good. If there was a sour aspect to it, it was manifest as lime mixed in with apples. But that was a couple of months ago and these may be entering into an awkward phase, as your note suggests.

Aha! That could also explain my mixed results over the past few months, if I was drinking different bottlings. Alas I did not note the AP# and the bottles are long gone.

If this was locally sourced, only one AP# of trocken came in, the 2016 Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett trocken AP. 19.

I checked my remaining bottle. It was AP 1, but I got it from CSW.

 

[Oswaldo Costa]

originally posted by Rahsaan:

originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
I've also taken a week to finish a bottle of 11 Schilfsandstein this month, and am glad to have done so. Don't forget it's slightly reduced due to closure.

Ok, that makes sense. I must admit I cannot always accurately diagnose reduction, but there was a coiled tight gaseous aspect that never really unwound the first night.

(Similar issues with the Tegernseerhof screwcap wines, although in my limited experiences with extended aeration they did not blossom the next day).

If wines are bottled in a reduced state, an airtight closure won't alleviate that like a porous cork might/would, but the closure itself cannot cause reduction.

 

[Pavel Tchichikov]

originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:

If wines are bottled in a reduced state, an airtight closure won't alleviate that like a porous cork might/would, but the closure itself cannot cause reduction.

Nonsense, I've never heard of a Riesling bottled in a reduced state. :-)

 

[Oswaldo Costa]

originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:

originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:

If wines are bottled in a reduced state, an airtight closure won't alleviate that like a porous cork might/would, but the closure itself cannot cause reduction.

Nonsense, I've never heard of a Riesling bottled in a reduced state. :-)

The Teutonic race is indeed formidable, but some of its members do, on occasion, become depressed.

 

[mark e]

originally posted by Rahsaan:
Riesling!

2016 Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Kabinett trocken
A bit harder to like right now. I remember enjoying it more at the end of 2017. But now the fruit has receded a bit too far (for my tastes) and the sourness is a bit too prominent (for my tastes). There is a liveliness that lets you know it’s the real deal. But doesn’t make me want multiple glasses.

Well, I was going to open a bottle of the 2016 Falkenstein Kabinett trocken this afternoon, just to see how things were going. That is if I had 2 bottles. I didn't. I'm going to save it to open at the same time as the 2015 Kabinett Trocken.

Instead, I rummaged about in my wine fridge for a different bottle from Falkenstein. (I'd bought a couple bottles of all the 2016 Trockens when they arrived at CSW).

2016 Falkenstein Krettnacher Ober Schäfershaus Spätlese Trocken was what I settled on.

Sometimes us riesling lovers - no matter how many German and Austrian wines we've had (and I have tasted quite a few and drank a bunch) - are just left speechless by the stunning balance and character of rieslings. Sure, I've got a particular penchant for the wines of the Mosel and Saar; though I like other regions, I just don't buy them any more since I converted from a wholesale buyer to a retail customer.

This Spätlese blew me away. Full, yet sleek. Perfect acid balance with a touch of what Terry Theise likes to call "secret sweetness." Though Trocken I doubt it is technically dry. But who cares. Lovely lime, crushed stone and endless length of finish.

I'm grilling local Red Drum on the halfshell tonight. We'll see if it works. If it doesn't I'm switching food, not wine.

 

[Ben Hunting]

originally posted by mark e:

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by Rahsaan:

originally posted by John M:

Happen to know the AP # on this? I had the #1 (AP 01 17) at the Rieslingfeier Grand Tasting and thought it was really quite good. If there was a sour aspect to it, it was manifest as lime mixed in with apples. But that was a couple of months ago and these may be entering into an awkward phase, as your note suggests.

Aha! That could also explain my mixed results over the past few months, if I was drinking different bottlings. Alas I did not note the AP# and the bottles are long gone.

If this was locally sourced, only one AP# of trocken came in, the 2016 Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett trocken AP. 19.

I checked my remaining bottle. It was AP 1, but I got it from CSW.

New York only had AP Nr. 1, no AP Nr. 19. I opened a bottle of AP Nr. 1 a few months ago and, like John M, thought it was delicious.

 

[Rahsaan]

Good heads up on the AP number issue. That helps explain some of the different experiences with me and Mark, because I guess all my bottles have been the #19.

originally posted by mark e:

2016 Falkenstein Krettnacher Ober Schäfershaus Spätlese Trocken...

This Spätlese blew me away. Full, yet sleek. Perfect acid balance with a touch of what Terry Theise likes to call "secret sweetness." Though Trocken I doubt it is technically dry. But who cares. Lovely lime, crushed stone and endless length of finish.

I'm grilling local Red Drum on the halfshell tonight. We'll see if it works. If it doesn't I'm switching food, not wine.

Nice. Never seen this bottling. I like your full-on commitment to the wine over food!

Speaking of today's wine, I was riesling-free with a 2011 Barale Barolo, delightfully matched with homemade pizza. I was not going to switch food or wine, regardless of what happened, but I did need to keep focus inbetween sips of my wife's Haw River Snow Hands beer.

 

[mark e]

originally posted by Rahsaan:
Good heads up on the AP number issue. That helps explain some of the different experiences with me and Mark, because I guess all my bottles have been the #19.

originally posted by mark e:

2016 Falkenstein Krettnacher Ober Schäfershaus Spätlese Trocken...

This Spätlese blew me away. Full, yet sleek. Perfect acid balance with a touch of what Terry Theise likes to call "secret sweetness." Though Trocken I doubt it is technically dry. But who cares. Lovely lime, crushed stone and endless length of finish.

I'm grilling local Red Drum on the halfshell tonight. We'll see if it works. If it doesn't I'm switching food, not wine.

Nice. Never seen this bottling. I like your full-on commitment to the wine over food!

Speaking of today's wine, I was riesling-free with a 2011 Barale Barolo, delightfully matched with homemade pizza. I was not going to switch food or wine, regardless of what happened, but I did need to keep focus inbetween sips of my wife's Haw River Snow Hands beer.

I love good beers, too, particularly with Euro hops, but Haw River brewing is really not my cup of tea. I found them always way too high in alcohol - Snow Hands I believe is 10% . . .

The simple grilled fish made with dill stems around it was perfect with the wine. A lot easier than starting over, given I'm cooking only for myself these days.