| NEWS | ESTATES | WINES | LABELS | DISTRIBUTION | KNOWLEDGE | VINTAGES | LINKS | ABOUT US |
| NEWS | ESTATES | WINES | LABELS | DISTRIBUTION | KNOWLEDGE | VINTAGES | LINKS | ABOUT US | |
Tasting Notes |
Fine Wine Review
| |
|
Quick access to scores and tasting notes: Copyright © 2006 Number 113 / November 2006 | |
|
Mönchhof / Robert Eymael Mosel region 2005 RIESLING 90/A Another superb lineup from this generally-underrated estate that has
some magnificent vineyard holdings. The QbA Riesling, entirely from the
great Ürziger Würzgarten vineyard, is crystalline and pure in
the nose and mouth with a creamy texture, strawberry and pear fruit, lots
of energy, and some sweet-ness. The Ürziger Würzgarten Kabinett
(which corresponds to the Astor Kabinett in previous years) has a classic
Würzgarten nose of spice and pineapple, also with a touch of hazelnut.
In the mouth, the wine shows Kabinett balance with fine filigree fruit,
length, subtlety, and crispness. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 01 06. The Mosel
Slate Spätlese is entirely from Erdener Treppchen. The wine shows
a lovely acidic attack to its pure peach fruit with fine depth. Last digits
of A.P. Nr.: 03 06. The Ürziger Würzgarten Spätlese shows
classic, pure spice and strawberry aromas and flavors with some peach
and nectarine on the palate and excellent balance. It is a testament to
the greatness of the Würzgarten vineyard. Last digits of A.P. Nr.:
02 06. The Erdener Treppchen Auslese is reticent in the nose, but shows
lovely peach and nectarine flavors, perhaps lacking just a touch of depth
that Reinhold Haart Mosel region REINHOLD HAART The Goldtröpfchen Erste Lage shows Rome Beauty apple aromas. In
the mouth, the wine is medium light and there is some acidity to give
liveliness. Still, the fruit is largely hidden. Apple on the finish. Last
digits of A.P. Nr.: 2 06. Haart’s Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese
Erste Lage is rich and ripe with Goldtröpfchen apricot fruit. Last
digits of A.P. Nr.: 10 06. Even better, though, is his Wintricher Ohligsberg
Spätlese Erste Lage, a wine that is sensational for its depth, intensity,
energy, and purity – treasure this beauty for 10-12 years for the
fruit to deepen and mature, or drink it young for its explosiveness. Last
digits of A.P. Nr.: 11 06. Fritz Haag Mosel region FRITZ HAAG There is plenty of news at this great estate. Oliver Haag and his wife became the proud parents of their first child, Fritz, on September 1 of this year. Oliver also purchased some more vines in Juffer-Sonnenuhr, and the estate comprises now 11 ha vs. 7-8 ha in Wilhelm Haag’s heyday. As for 2005, Oliver’s father Wilhelm said that 2005 was the earliest harvest since he began at the estate in 1957. As one would expect from one of the very greatest estates in Germany, this is an incredible array of wines. We start with a charming QbA trocken that is simple but racy with a refreshing minerality. Wilhelm seemed delighted at my suggestion that the wine was for relaxing with after the stress of a day’s work. Drink young. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 02 06. Next, the Brauneberg Juffer-Sonnenuhr Spätlese trocken, a wine that is racy, pure, and light with a great electric attack. 1.6 g/l sugar, 8.3 g/l acidity here. I’d drink over the next 5-6+ years. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 08 06. The Riesling (which is actually an off-dry or feinherb) is nervy and intense with pure, electric, long lime and slate aromas and flavors. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 01 06. The first Brauneberger Juffer Kabinett shows slate and lime blossom aromas and layered mineral fruit in the mouth. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 03 06. There is another Brauneberger Juffer Kabinett that is a true Kabinett and not a fein-herb. It shows slate and lime blossom aromas and flavors and also some incipient peach, with good sugar/acid balance. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 04 06. The Brauneberger Juffer Spätlese comes from a parcel that Oliver recently bought and that features a high percentage of slate. The wine is elegant with white peach and red fruits in the nose and mouth, but does not show the tightly coiled tension of the Juffer-Sonnenuhr wines. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 05 06. The Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Spätlese is slatey, stony, racy, elegant and pure with peach blossom aromas and flavors, very complex for a wine this young. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 07 06. The auction Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Spätlese #14 comes from a part of the vineyard that Wilhelm describes as a suntrap. About 750 bottles made, no botrytis. The floral, apricot nose is followed by pears and apricot in its long, pure, racy, calm mouth with fabulous acid/sugar balance. Monumental. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 14 06. The first Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese is slatey, stony, electric and pure with peach blossom flavors that are very complex for a wine this young. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 07 06. The Brauneberger Juffer- Sonnenuhr Auslese #6 has about 30% botrytis. It is elegant, pure, and racy with airiness, and the botrytis working just to concentrate the wine. Last dig-its of A.P. Nr.: 06 06. The Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese #10 comes from deeper soils than the #6. It is floral in the nose and a bit broader. In the mouth it shows delicate peach and slate flavors with lots of promise. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 10 06. The Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Gold Cap Auslese #9 comes from the same parts of the vineyard as #6 and # 10. About 50-60% botrytis here. Pure yellow peach in the nose and mouth, a bit more body than the previous wines, and a beautiful purity and finesse. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 09 06. The Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Gold Cap Auslese #12 comes from a different parcel than the previous wine. It is less open in the nose, but deeper with more potential for the future. There are great yellow peach and apricot flavors, a fabulous concentration, and a very long finish. This is a legend in the making. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 12 06. But wait, there are still the auction Auslesen to come! The Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Gold Cap Auslese #13 is from the same parcels as the #9 and #12. Still closed in the nose, but some apricots, peaches, and pears are evident, and these carry over with more expression in the mouth with exceptional purity, balance, race, and elegance. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 13 06. The auction Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Long Gold Cap Auslese #15 shows subtle botrytis and great depth in both nose and mouth. Although seemingly impossible, we have moved up to a new dimension here. This is a spherical wine with some peaches and brown sugar, but mostly just showing the potential that it will achieve for those lucky enough to drink it in 2040 and after. Incredible. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 15 06. Finally, the Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Beerenauslese shows typical BA burnt sugar aromas but with elegance. In the mouth, the wine is deep and pure with burnt sugar BA qualities that are intense, but there are also peach and orange peel flavors here, and finesse. Incredible finish and a fabulous wine overall. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 16 05. There are two TBAs from 2005, also, but they had not finished fermenting at the time of my visit. Karthäuserhof Ruwer valley KARTHÄUSERHOF This estate continues with its string of great wines. The Spätlese dry is deep and stony with purity, lots of minerality, and fine acidic support. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 05 06. The Auslese dry is similar with just a little more depth and perhaps with a little more aging potential. The Kabinett is deep, stony, and pure with apricot fruit and fine balance. A real joy of a wine. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 08 06. The Spätlese also shows apricot fruit and is stony and electric, or penetrating, an even more exciting wine. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 0 06. But the auction Spätlese #38 is even more marvelous, with pure Ruwer firm-ness and purity, balance, concentration, and finesse. The first Auslese is stony with succulence, length, and purity, no botrytis showing here. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 11 06. The Auslese #18 shows similar stoniness and purity, but is longer and more backward. This is a wine to hold for considerably longer, per-haps 10-15 years before it starts to drink. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 13 06. The auction Long Gold Capsule Auslese #37 is per-fumed, floral, and mineral in the nose. In the mouth, the apricot fruit is pronounced and fresh, with rose overtones and plenty of concentration – here there is botrytis, but it most definitely is the pure, transparent botrytis of the vintage.
Schloss Lieser Mosel valley SCHLOSS LIESER Along with his brother Olivier at Fritz Haag, Thomas Haag has been acquiring some property, notably some more Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr. It is fascinating to compare the work of the two brothers. I find the wines here richer, the wines at F. Haag racier. The Riesling comes largely from holdings in Bernkastel and Graach. The wine shows freshness and with off-dry sweetness and a chewy texture to go with the richness. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 2 06. The Kabinett, mostly from Lieser vine-yards, has slate aromas with a bit of petrol in the nose, and in the mouth is light and elegant with some richness and sweet-ness. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 3 06. The Brauneberger Juffer Kabinett, from one of the new acquisitions, has slate aromas and flavors, especially lime blossom, with depth and elegance. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 4 06. The Lieser Niederberg Helden Spätlese is Auslese-sweet with honeyed aromas and flavors but I find it a bit coarse and simple. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 5 06. More to my liking was the Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Spätlese. This wine shows better balance and fine purity with a lovely acid backbone and attack, but at the same time, plenty of elegance. A fine expression of slate, a little broader in style and less nervous and racy than Brother Oliver’s version. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 6 06. There is then a jump to Lieser Niederberg Helden Gold Cap Auslese (no regular Auslese). The wine was picked at 120° Oe and is heavily botrytized, yet maintains the clarity of its terroir. It is light and airy with intense bitter orange zest and grapefruit notes and excellent acidity supporting the sweetness. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 7 06. The Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Gold Cap Auslese likewise has the pure botrytis of the vintage that acts merely to concentrate and focus the wine. Tremendous purity and race here with pure lime slate aromas and flavors. This wine will go many decades, yet already is a joy to drink. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 09 06. The Lieser Niederberg Helden Long Gold Cap Auslese is pretty and pure in the nose with lime and slate aromas. In the mouth, the wine is very sweet but balanced with purity, elegance, and botrytis, plus fine depth. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 8 06. The Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Long Gold Cap Auslese is racy with plenty of finesse, and excellent focus and purity. Com-pared to Fritz Haag, perhaps less elegant and more powerful. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 10 06. The Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Long Gold Cap Auslese is very heavily botrytized and borders on BA in style. The wine is rich, ripe, and pure with brown sugar, slate, and yellow and white peaches. Surprisingly, perhaps, this is delicious already. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 11 06. Last, the Lieser Niederberg Helden BA, a wine with very pure botrytis and finesse that is typical of the vineyard. This is a very sweet wine, but the acidity supports the sugar, making for a lovely balance. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 12 06. There are also three TBAs, but not yet ready to taste. Milz-Laurentiushof Mosel valley MILZ/LAURENTIUSHOF This is a producer who can be inconsistent, but when he hits the heights, the wines are outstanding. Milz’s 180 medium dry, a reference, among other things, to where the Mosel River at Trittenheim makes a 180° change of direction, is from the Trittenheim Altärchen vineyard. The wine shows orange and pear aromas and flavors and a lovely delicacy. Now-2012+. The Trittenheimer Felsenkopf Spätlese shows the very attractive, lacy acidity of the vintage with depth and a touch of orange peel to its filigree Riesling fruit. Milz’s Trittenheimer Apotheke Spätlese is Auslese-sweet with golden apple fruit, but the acidity doesn’t play against the sweetness, making the wine relatively uninteresting to me. Considerably better was the Piesporter Hofberg Spätlese. The wine displays typical Piesport peach and lime aromas and flavors in a medium-weight body, and with a better sugar-acid balance, and indeed only tastes Spätlese sweet. Milz’s Trittenheimer Felsenkopf Auslese has a honeyed nose followed by Gold Cap Auslese-sweetness with good firmness and acidity and crystallinity to its peach fruit. The Trittenheimer Apotheke Gold Cap Auslese shows plenty of honeyed and spiced apple and pear fruit in the nose and mouth and a rich body, making for a model gold cap Auslese. Ideally, this needs a decade or two, but it is tremendously seductive even now. The Trittenheimer Leiterchen Gold Cap Auslese is intensely botrytised with plush and sensual apricot and peach fruit. A super wine from one of the appellations that deserves to be better known. The fabulous Trittenheimer Felsenkopf BA is unusual for a BA in that it is so approachable now. The wine has a lush but lacy feel to it with caramelized pear and walnut aromas and flavors and a touch of orange zest kicking in on the end. The Trittenheimer Leiterchen BA is currently more reserved with lemon zest flavors dominating and intriguing play between the lush, syrupy texture and the excellent acidity.
2005 WEHLENER SONNENUHR KABINETT 91/A Wegeler’s Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett is luscious, ripe, and floral with good supporting acidity. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 05 06. The Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese is pure and subtle with the Sonnenuhr vanillins, needing only a little time to continue to develop, but this is excellent. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 08 06. Although Wegeler’s Wehlener Sonnenuhrs are showing very well in 2005, the Bernkasteler Doctor Spätlese is a notch above, as it always seems to be. The wine shows exotic spiciness in the nose and mouth with length and depth. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 09 06. DR. F. WEINS-PRÜM Mosel region 2005 MEDIUM DRY 90/A I begin by repeating my caution that this estate should not be confused with Dr. Weins-Prüm (no F.). Bert Selbach once again has a collection of beautiful wines. The Medium Dry from the estate’s vines in Wehlen, Graach, and the Ruwer Valley, shows floral and grapefruit aromas and flavors and is elegant and pure. Delicious for now. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 12 06. The Ürziger Würzgarten Kabinett feinherb immediately shows the fine spice aromas that give the vineyard its name (Würzgarten is German for spice garden) as well as some lime blossom and nectarine with a light feel (despite the 10.5% stated alcohol) and a hint of creaminess in the texture. I’d drink this over the next 2-3 years for its freshness and charm. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 10 06. The Graacher Domprobst Spätlese feinherb also is light despite elevated alcohol (11.0% on the label). This is the great Domprobst vineyard in all its typicity with pear, peach, and golden fruit, but a little soft to my palate. In the mouth, the wine shows just a suggestion of sweetness. Like the previous wine, I’d drink this young, over the next 3-4 years, and with meals. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 6 06. The Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett is very ripe with incipient white peach fruit and a hint of pear. The wine is relatively sweet on the finish, perhaps reminding of a Spätlese. Drink over the next 2-3 years or 2014-2025. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 2-06. The Graacher Domprobst Kabinett shows the golden pear fruit of the vineyard with Spätlese sweetness, and although the acidity is present, it just doesn’t have as much cut as I personally prefer. I’d drink early. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 5 06. The Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese is a good wine, but at this point shows nothing exceptional. It features typical Himmelreich pear fruit with some vanillins and is not overly sweet. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 8 06. The Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese is floral with the Sonnenuhr vanillins and some lime overtones. There is sweetness to the wine, but also lovely balancing acidity. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 03 06. This must certainly be the finest Graacher Himmelreich Auslese I’ve had from this excellent estate. Here, the acidity perfectly balances against the sweetness with pear and peach fruit that is both precise and pronounced. Certainly this will age very well, but it is immensely enjoyable now, too. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 9 06. For once, the Graacher Domprobst Auslese does not appear appreciably better than the Himmelreich. This is the more elegant wine, without as much concentration and power, but with finely-delineated fruit that is still shy at this moment, although the overall balance is there as well as an elegant sugar/acid play. Keep this in the cellar while you go through the Himmelreich, and then I think you’ll see the full potential here in 12-15 years. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 7 06. The Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese is deep and pure, but still un-formed and needs more time to fulfill its ultimate promise. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 04 06. The Erdener Prälat Auslese shows quite a bit of botrytis to go with its peach aromas and flavors. In the style of the vintage, this is an elegant wine for Prälat and one that, in some other years, could pass for a gold cap Auslese. The finesse and elegance that are hallmarks of this estate dominate this wine. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 11-06. The Wehlener Sonnenuhr BA shows the clarity and soft acids of the vintage with the pear and slightly spiced apples typical of the vineyard’s terroir and a beautiful overall calm. The wine is most attractive now, but only should improve as the components deepen. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 14 06. Joh. Jos. Prüm Mosel valley 2005 BERNKASTELER BADSTUBE SPÄTLESE 90/B+ And so we come to what Stuart Pigott has justly called the world’s greatest white wine estate. Dr. Manfred Prüm is now assisted by his talented daughter Katharina who, like him, is a lawyer. Dr. Manfred Prüm thinks of his 2005s as a combination of 2004 and 2003, more classic than 2003, and richer than 2004. The harvest here was early, beginning on 6 October, and finished rapidly, contrary to the usual practice of waiting and harvesting late for the top wines. In addition to the wines re-viewed here, there are BA and TBA in 2005. The Bernkasteler Badstube Spätlese is succulent and fairly sweet with spiced apple and lime fruit. This is a very good wine, but it is a big step up to the rest of the line. The Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese has spiced apple aromas with spiciness in the mouth, lots of minerality, some apple and pear flavors, succulence, and depth. The Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese shows more depth and finesse than the Himmelreich, with its spiced apple nose, great intensity, and creamy texture. This is a wine to store away for a decade or so, even though it is tremendously seductive now. The Graacher Himmelreich Auslese has spiced pear and apple fruit with a good play of acid and sugar and fine intensity and length. The Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese is pure, deep, and steely with considerably more depth than the Himmelreich and also more finesse. This wine is quite young, and I would expect to cellar it a minimum of 10-15 years. The Wehlener Sonnenuhr auction Spätlese is intense with great minerality to its dried apricot and rose aromas and flavors, plus great acidity and purity, but this wine needs plenty of time. The Wehlener Sonnenuhr auction Auslese is all about finesse. It shows minerality to its peach, dried apricot, and pear aromas and its long, pure deep pear flavors with a hint of orange peel. Again, a long future foreseeable. The Graacher Himmelreich auction Gold Cap Auslese shows greater acidity and concentration from the botrytis. The wine is clear and does smell or taste of botrytis with succulence, but needs time to develop further. The Wehlener Sonnenuhr Gold Cap Auslese is a step up again in quality with great finesse to its lime fruit. It is not as rich as the Graacher Himmelreich Gold Cap Auslese but deeper and more complex. Similarly, the botrytis doesn’t show as much here, but there is lovely acidity and minerality. A wine for your children, if not your grandchildren. The Wehlener Sonnenuhr auction Gold Cap Auslese has a smoky nose from the botrytis with pear and dried apricot fruit. In the mouth, the wine shows weight and acidity with depth to its pear fruit, and once again, this is a wine that needs time. Prüm’s Wehlener Sonnenuhr Long Gold Cap Auslese is 100% botrytized, and it shows in the nose with plenty of honey that carries through on the palate. There is a fascinating play of acidity and sweetness here, and despite the botrytis, this is most recognizably Wehlener Sonnenuhr. A wine for all time. The Wehlener Sonnenuhr auction Long Gold Cap Auslese shows similarly with concentrated pear and dried apricot aromas and great acidity to its pear flavors, but needs plenty of time. Bert Simon / Herrenberg Saar valley 2005 SERRIGER WÜRTZBERG KABINETT HLBTRKN 88/B+ 2005 was Bert Simon’s last vintage. He has sold the estate, but the new owner has pledged to maintain the quality. We hope so, for this has been an estate of top quality that has been over-looked, and so provides excellent value. The Herrenberg and Würtzberg vineyards are the two most southern in the Saar and are of impressive steepness. The Serriger Würtzberg Kabinett halbtrocken features chipped rock and quince aromas and flavors with a round, silky texture and just a hint of sweetness that is offset by saltiness from the acidity, making for a very interesting play. It will make for most attractive drinking in the next 5-10 years. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 5-06. Apple aromas and flavors dominate the Serriger Herrenberg Kabinett, and the wine shows excellent balance, richness, and purity. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 01 06. The Serriger Würtzberg Spätlese is in every-thing but name an Auslese. Lots of quince here with sweetness, nice balance of sugar and acid, lemony finish with some caramel. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 02 06. Simon’s Serriger Würtzberg Auslese is pure, spicy, rich, and deep and promises a great Saar Auslese when it has a little more time under its belt. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 03 06. Last, the Serriger Herrenberg Gold Cap Auslese is nervous with great acidity and cinnamon aromas and flavors – 40% botrytis here, but great finesse to go with Saar firmness. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 04 06. Von Hövel Saar valley 2005 BALDUIN VON HÖVEL 88/A The collection here is staggering in 2005. Von Hövel’s Balduin von Hövel QbA is a lovely wine with stone dust and lime, white peach and tangerine fruit and good acidity lending a filigree quality to the wine. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 1-06. The Oberemmeler Hütte Kabinett is rich with floral and peach aromas and flavors – perhaps more than a Kabinett, but satisfying. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 8-06. The admission at the estate is that it is the Hütte that is the star vineyard, but the Scharzhofberg Kabinett comes across as pure, classic Saar: peach aromas and flavors with a ripe, firm, creamy texture. But be aware that this is at least Spätlese-like in style and sweetness. Now-2025. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 9-06. The Oberemmeler Hütte Spätlese is pure and deep with white peach fruit and fine density. This is classic Saar from a great vintage. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 10 06. Based on past experience, I expect the Hütte to eventually surpass the Scharzhofberg Spätlese, but the latter has clearly performed at an extraordinary level in 2005. It is dense and mineral with incipient peach and green fig fruit and very fine supporting acidity. In 8-10 years, this should be a real blockbuster. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 11-06. As good as the foregoing wines are, with the Oberemmeler Hütte Auslese, we begin to get into the exceptional range. The wine is layered and pure with apricot and peach fruit of great refinement. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 12 06. The Scharzhofberg Auslese is intense with deep mineral and peach aromas and flavors and astonishing energy. I predict a very long lifespan. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 13 06. The Scharzhofberg* Gold Cap Auslese is bursting with white peach fruit and plenty of energy. For the moment, the wine is more closed than the regular Auslese, but I think the eventually there is greater potential here. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 14 06. The Kanzem Hörecker** Gold Cap Auslese is tightly wound, typical of Kanzem with peach, pineapple, and pine flavors, and enormous potential for those willing to wait 15-20 years. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 17 06. The Oberemmeler Hütte*** Long Gold Cap Auslese is fully botrytized with great acidity and tremendous depth, energy, acidity, and purity to its pear fruit. This is a legend in the making. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 3-06. Even more impressive is the Scharzhofberg BA. The wine has fantastic acidity that underlies the apple fruit. It is an amazing wine – for 30-40 years from now. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 03-06. (Obviously a mistake as the labels of the last two wines gave the same A.P. Nr.) The Oberemmeler Hütte BA shows less acidity and energy than the Scharzhofberg BA, but still is astonishing with its botrytis and minerality. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 5-06. Last, the Scharzhofberg TBA is meaty and honeyed in the nose and honeyed and mineral in the mouth with cutting, intense acidity and great energy for a TBA. Another wine for your grandchildren. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 02 06. Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saar valley 2005 BUTTERFLY MEDIUM DRY 85(+)/B Yet again, Hanno Zilliken has produced the finest set of wines from this property that I have experienced. Butterfly medium dry. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 17 06. The Ockfener Bockstein Kabinett shows sensuality, juiciness, and richness, but also firmness with lime fruit and a touch of pineapple. As with so many 2005 Kabinetts, it is Spätlese-sweet. This wine will develop over the years and should live 15-20 years, easily. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 15 06. The Saarburger Rausch Kabinett is rich, dense, and opulent, but also firm, with lime fruit and a bit of hazelnut and hints of gorgeous apricots that will come. Why wait? Enjoy this beauty already. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 14 06. Zilliken’s Saarburger Rausch Spätlese shows noble stoniness in the nose and mouth with some sweetness. This wine needs more time for the fruit to develop, but it will be superb. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 13 06. The Ockfener Bockstein Auslese shows minerality and meatiness in the nose. In the mouth, the wine is pure, round, creamy, and firm with powerful peach fruit. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 12 06. The Saarburger Rausch Auslese is very stony with peach and apricot fruit already coming forth, but doesn’t taste that sweet for the moment because of the balancing acidity. This, too, needs some time. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 11 06. Zilliken’s Saarburger Rausch auction Auslese has stony minerality with plenty of sharpness and apparent botrytis in the nose. In the mouth, the acidity is soft and there is pure minerality of great length. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 9 06. The Saar-burger Rausch Gold Cap Auslese shows pure, intense apricot aromas and flavors of great intensity. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 8 06. The Saarburger Rausch auction Gold Cap Auslese shows some floral aromas and more botrytis in the mouth than the foregoing with honey and dried apricot flavors. I put a question mark because I am not certain that the one bottle I sampled was not slightly corked. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 7 06. The Saarburger Rausch Long Gold Cap Auslese is simply magnificent for the purity, length, depth, and balance of its botrytized honey and apricot aromas and flavors. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 06 06. The Saarburger Rausch auction Long Gold Cap Auslese shows superb concentration and minerality in the nose, followed by sumptuous honeyed dried apricot fruit of great concentration, with perfect balancing acidity to the considerable sweetness. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 5 06. Botrytis and sweetness dominate Zilliken’s Saarburger Rausch BA, yet this wine remains amazingly pure. For your grandchildren. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 04 06. Last, the Saarburger Rausch TBA, one of an amazing five TBAs that Zilliken produced in 2005, is pure and deep with amazing clarity despite the botrytis. This is one of the wines that will make the reputation and legend of the 2005 vintage. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 2 06. Schäfer-Fröhlich Nahe region 2005 (SCHLOSSBÖCKELHEIMER) FELSENBERG † 96/A+ Tim Fröhlich’s wines get greater each year, and by now, one has to wonder if he is beginning to displace his mentor, Helmut Dönnhoff as the Nahe’s greatest producer. The three Grosses Gewächs wines are as magnificent a trio as you can imagine. I sat in front of them transfixed and unbelieving of how these wines stood head and shoulders above everything presented in a two day Grosses Gewächs tasting in Wiesbaden. For that period, it was more like tasting in the cellar of Romanée-Conti. The Felsen-berg has very pure and subtle Bosc pear and orange zest aromas and flavors. It is the purity and precision here and the beautiful play of just a little sugar against the very subtle acidity that makes this wine so stunning, creating a most rare balance. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 29 06. The Felseneck has the same breathtaking precision and balance, but this wine is dry and the fruit here is white peach. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 30 06. The Halenberg is very delicate, yet tightly wound with superb definition and purity to its white peach aromas and white and yellow peach flavors of great depth and intensity. It just goes on and on. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 32 06. Although just labeled Medium-Dry, the next wine is in fact from Schlossböckelheimer Felsenberg. It is pure and crystalline, like rainwater, a classic demonstration of Nahe style. The Kabinett, similarly not labeled as to origin, is in fact all from the Monzinger Halenberg. This, too, is pure and rainwater-like, with a little more sweetness, but still coming across as off-dry. Last digits of A.P. Nr.: 15 06. The Bockenauer Felseneck Spätlese is pure, crystalline, and firm with fine concentration and only needs more time for the fruit to develop. The Bockenauer Felseneck Auslese is pure, sweet, and crystalline, making for a gorgeous Auslese. There is some botrytis here. 9 g/l acidity keeps the wine knife-sharp. The Schlossböckelheimer Kupfergrube auction Gold Cap Auslese is still shy in the nose, but some pear aromas come forth. In the mouth, the wine is not overly sweet because of the great acidity, but it features attractive peach with a bit of cherry and brown sugar on the finish making for a most seductive combination. Finally, the Bockenauer Felseneck auction Gold Cap BA shows great minerality, finesse, and purity to its very fine yellow peach fruit. Franz Künstler Rheingau region not yet reviewed Wegeler Rheingau region not yet reviewed Robert Weil Rheingau region not yet reviewed not yet reviewed Reichsrat von Buhl Pfalz region not yet reviewed Pfeffingen Pfalz region not yet reviewed Ökonomierat Rebholz Pfalz region not yet reviewed Hans Wirsching Franken region not yet reviewed Rudolf Fürst Franken region not yet reviewed Graf Adelmann Württemberg region not yet reviewed Dr. Heger / Weinhaus Heger Baden region not yet reviewed
THE FINE WINE REVIEW
2443 Fillmore Street, #455
Rudi Wiest Selections Copyright © 1993 - 2006 |