TN: Alt-Rieslingfeier / Riesling Study #1 (Jan. 26, 2020)

[Jeff Grossman]

attendees: Jayson, Suzanne+Kenny, Jake, Jay+Arnold, Seth, Jeff... and 56 more, plus staff

There is no Rieslingfeier this year. Stephen Bitterolf and team are taking a well-deserved break. But Robert Dentice wants a riesling event and he is not one to be denied. Thus, the Alt-Rieslingfeier, known more formally as "Riesling Study #1" -- because there will be more events -- is planned for a Sunday evening at Atoboy, where the menu is hip and Korean, the music on Sundays is hip and hop, the vibe is modern and efficient.

The room was set with eight tables, each with eight places. Tables were named for famous hip-hop albums. A fixed menu was served:
Lotus Root - Dubu, Gim, Chili Oil
Pork & Shrimp - Gochujang, Sichuan Pepper, Cilantro
Cod - Green Chili, Radish, Scallion
Fried Chicken - Spicy Peanut Butter, Gochujang
...and an extra plate, Cheese course
As folks arrive the staff directs people to their seats. The inefficient and intrusive 'wine check' (yes, like a coat check) process is basically avoided by everyone because we want our bottles with us, not sitting in the sommelier's master ice bucket.

Robert has said elsewhere that there were three wine-makers present among the 64 diners, and that 50 people were on the waiting list.

After a brief welcome by Robert, the festivities begin, starting with crispy seaweed chips for the table. Service was provided with unfailing skill and good cheer by the Atoboyards, who had to navigate busy walkways, loud drunks, coats, bags and boxes, you name it.

And there is So. Much. Wine.

We had bottles on our table.

Folks with big bottles walked around to show them off (and pour).

We swapped bottles with friends at nearby tables.

Occasionally I was handed a glass and just told what it was.

Like I'm about to do to you now (but in text):

Fizz and curiosities:
Weiser-Kunstler 2016 Mosel Riesling Zeppwingert Sekt - double mag.; bright, cheerful, vinous, I like
Peter Lauer 1991 Saar Riesling Sekt Brut Reserve - disg. 2013(?); golden raisins, waxy/Play-doh, gloriously full, contemplative, nearly still by now, wow
J.B. Becker 2002 Wallufer Walkenberg Riesling Spatlese Alte Reben - 12%, very lemony, oyster shells, really dry, austere but attractive, a shellfish wine for sure
Beurer 2010 Stettener Pulvermacher Riesling Schilfsandstein - mag.; tangy, not at all fruity, long finish, friendly but a little anonymous
Muller-Catoir 2001 Haardter Mandelring Scheurebe Spatlese - juicy!, excellent, apricots bordering on peaches, a memory of sweetness, so good
Falkenstein 2018 Niedermann Herrenberg Riesling Spatlese feinherb - mag.; AP 11, recognizably Falkenstein: lime leaf, parsley/tarragon, good
Muller-Catoir 1998 Haardter Mandelring Scheurebe Spatlese - really similar to the '01, acidity just a tad sharper
Trimbach 2001 Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile - pineapple and Christmas tree!, doesn't taste like anything else in the room
Prager 1999 Wachau Weissenkirchen Chardonnay Smaragd - long resiny finish, really very long!, not much mid-palate so unicorn status is OK
Hirtzberger 2013 Smaragd Weissburgunder Steinporz - vivid, green grapes, nice enough
Keller 2008 Westhofener Kirchspiel Riesling Trocken GG - an unpleasant scent of lacquer betrays what is otherwise a full, complex wine

The main line:
Muller-Catoir 2001 Haardter Burgergarten Riesling Spatlese - #2133 (yes, we know, do you?), discreet and elegant, just so ripe, another contemplative wine in the swirling chaos of this dinner
Schafer-Frohlich 2007 Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Spatlese GK - tangy, too sweet, typical Nahe otherwise, Arnold likes it; I took it home and it remained unchanged in the next few days
Schafer-Frohlich 2008 Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling GG - palate seems restrained but the finish perks up and is sturdy and assertive!
Donnhoff 2007 Oberhauser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett - "should have come around sooner" -Jay; indeed, this seems too faint to compete with heavy-hitter spatlesen
J.J. Christoffel 1990 Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Spatlese - great complexity, face powder and "vanilla creme" -Seth
J.J. Prum 1995 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese - so young, tight, pure, but even now a teeny whiff of sulfur
Keller 2010 Westhofener Morstein Scheurebe Spatlese - very acidic, clean and pure but simple
J.J. Prum 1988 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese - lovely, older riesling as it should be, this has unified its component elements
Trimbach 2002 Riesling Clos St Hune - very rich, phenolic, waxy, so much stuffing... and not especially friendly

A moment for a little horizontal:
Maximin Grunhauser (Carl von Schubert) 1997 Abstberg Reisling Spatlese - OMG, perfect riesling (well, maybe a grain or two too sweet), "So creamy" -Jayson
J.J. Christoffel 1997 Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese** - rich mouthfeel but the acid is fading too fast
Willi Schaefer 1997 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spatlese - AP #10 (but before that really means what it means today), a little tired so let it rest and see if it comes around... meh, a less-good bottle of this

Denouement:
J.J. Prum 2002 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese - outstanding, lovely ((sorry, that's the note))
Trimbach 1989 Clos St Hune Hors Choix VT - vivid, full, very slightly oxidized or corked in the nose but ignorable, yummy, though I think it's too phenolic for me to swoon
Egon Muller 2005 Scharzhofberger Riesling Spatlese Auction - the essence of riesling, though maybe not so profound as we might hope, but wow
Muller-Catoir 1998 Gimmeldinger Mandelring Riesling Auslese - 375ml, sweet, delectable, excellent auslese and drinking well
Beurer 2011 Stettener Haders Riesling Gipskeuper - vivid, I like this one much better than the first Beurer (but talk about not showing in the right order, this is hardly the time for trocken!)
Boxler 2004 GC Sommerberg Riesling VT "Cuvee Zacharie" - OK, I guess, palate fatigue is setting in
Selbach-Oster 1990 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese - OK
Maximin Grunhauser (Carl von Schubert) 1990 Herrenberg Riesling Spatlese - quieter, less complex, the '97 Abstberg is way better
Lauer 2013 VDP Sarrfeilser Riesling Grosse Lage - fass 13(?), herbal, herbal, herbal! lightweight, good glugging wine
J.J. Prum 2007 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese - incredibly yum, very cool-weather flavors, barely ripe, acidity just starting to recede

Robert has a few pictures on Instagram, too: https://www.instagram.com/soilpimp/

A wonderful event, many thanks to Robert for both the vision thing and making it happen, and to Atoboy for a job well done.

 

[John M]

Boy am I jealous. I am also rather amazed that palate fatigue didn't set in until the Boxler.

 

[Oswaldo Costa]

To have undergone such an avalanche of thematic goodness and survived to tell the tale so succinctly and informatively implies descent from Joseph Stalin and Ayn Rand (on different sides).

 

[Marc D]

Who knew the progeny of Stalin and Ayn Rand would turn out to be acid heads.
But seriously, amazing job Jeff, thanks. And to Mr Dentice for organizing the event, wow.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

Thank you all.

In email, Jake says the Beurer '11 went from strength to strength over the following 3 days, "just kept getting more and more electric."

And, at home, we finally finished the M-C '98 Auslese. It remained full and rich but I think also gained in texture by the end.

 

[Jayson Cohen]

Thanks for the great notes as always.

My lazy take:

Riesling

Not Riesling.

 

[Robert Dentice]

Just seeing this. Thanks so much for the notes and kind words and amazing notes.

I objected to the whole wine checking in idea. To his credit I think the concept of not having wine service was just too inhospitable to even think about for Jhonel.

Overall I was extremely happy with the event and can't say enough good things about Atoboy.

Riesling Study # 2 - Ops Pizza a study in acid... Sold out in 18 hours.

I plan on doing more across the U.S.

If anyone wants to be on the email notification list just send me a PM.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

Edited to note that the "2133" mark on Muller-Catoir 2001 Haardter Burgergarten Riesling Spatlese is not an AP number, just a cuvee indication. Thanks to Seth for the heads-up.

Edited to add that the Schafer-Frohlich 2007 Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Spatlese was the gold-kap.

 

[Brad Kane]

Heck of a lineup. As you (and especially Jay) knows, I love the '98 and '01 offerings from Muller-Catoir. Just glorious stuff. Grunhauser made some incredible '97s. I'm sure you've heard the story either from me, or Sasha, on how we downed a bottle of the '97 Kabinett Abtsberg in under ten minutes while watching a Yankee game?

Also, nice to see a note on the '88 Prum. After trying the '95 while working at Garnet around '97, I found a stash of the '88 WS Spatlese I want to say at First Avenue Wine and bought the lot and brought a bunch of them to dinners over the next few years. I actually liked them better than the '89s and '90s I tried from Prum.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

It really was a night with some amazing wine. M-C, of course, but also so much ready Prum. And a few surprises for me... I never like sekt but that '91 was really good, I have not liked a Becker before this one, and the Beurer '11 was much more interesting than I expected it to be.

 

[Robert Dentice]

As you could imagine I was pretty busy so these are just quick notes on a fraction of the wines I tried:

1990 Selbach-Oster Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese - Brought by Johannes Selbach and his daughter Hanna. Great vintage, impeccable storage resulted in just a stunning wine.

2013 Keller Hubacker - I decided to do a mini 2013 Keller Vertical. Hubacker was fantastic and interestingly half of our table prefered this to the Kirschpiel. The female half! I described this as having more bass.

2013 Keller Kirschpiel - Electric acidity. I preferred this. I described this as having more trebel.

2013 Keller G-Max - Easily the greatest young G-Max I have ever had. Exhilarating bottle right from the get go. And much more open than the 2012.

2012 Keller G-Max - Interestingly not as open as the 2013. Still a great bottle and one I wished I could have spent more time. Raj Veyda mentioned he opened one the night before and also said it was closed.

2004 Keller Hubacker - Wow. Love 04s and actually preferred this to a recent 04 G-Max

2001 Egon Muller Kabinett - Surprised at the lightness of this wine. It showed beautifully and paired well with the Lotus Root. Maybe 2001s are finally open??

2004 Prum Eiswein - A glorious bottle that was just so easy to drink.

2005 Egon Müller Spatlese Auction - I will remember vividly drinking this wine paired with Atoboy's Fried Chicken for the rest of my life. Life affirming! A perfect wine!

2009 Emrich-Schobleber - A.de.L - This was opened late in the evening and it was a perfect wine to refresh the senses as it was just electric

1945 Franz Karl Schmitt Flächenhal TBA - WOW! Just wow to think about how difficult it must have been to focus on making wine at this time is just mesmerizing. Klaus-Peter Keller said this was made from the same vines that represent his Hipping parcel today. Needless to say I was so excited for this bottle and it delivered. I have one bottle left and hope to share it with Klaus-Peter.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

Thanks, Robert. Pretty good for a week later and no notes.