International Wine Cellar
Germany 2003: Extreme Riesling Jan/Feb 05
By David Schildknecht
During Germany's summer of 2003, the very early bud break and flowering,
the paucity of rainfall, hours of sunshine, and high temperatures (significantly
above 100oF on many days in August) broke virtually all existing records.
Under circumstances more familiar in South Australia or California
but not entirely unknown to German vintners in recent times, heat and
drought put the accumulation of sugar well ahead of the development of
flavor. The vines merely marked time during the worst dog days of August,
achieving their early elevated must weights as much through dehydration
as through metabolism.
Most growers with access to water took advantage of a new legal dispensation
to irrigate. Without such supplemented water, vines were frequently better
off in heavier, deeper soils-but not always, because the depth of roots
at times proved more critical to quality, and in stonier, shallower soils
the roots have often been forced to go deeper. Younger vines were at a
distinct disadvantage in extreme heat and drought conditions, but all
were at risk, and most quality-conscious growers performed late and at
times ruthless green harvest to alleviate stress and ensure that the remaining
fruit would truly ripen. Between drought and human intervention, a potential
bumper crop was reduced at most estates to yields at or below long-term
norms.
It's often said that riesling needs a hundred days of hang time, a point
reached in 2003 by early September. Other varieties frequently could not
stand to hang longer. Biffar's Sauvignon Blanc in the Pfalz reached 106
degrees Oechsle on September 10: to bring it in safely in the scorching
heat, cellarmaster Heiner Maleton had to lay dry ice in the picking tubs.
But with Riesling (and Pinot Noir as well) there could be few successful
early pickings, and growers were fortunate when the weather cooled in
the second half of September. "The sugar levels were elevated in
mid-September," reported Karl-Josef Loewen of Leiwen, "but the
skins and pips tasted bitter and unripe." Those estates that were
stampeded into harvesting by fear of falling acids paid a price in flavor.
"By early October," relates Willi Schaefer of Graach, "you
thought at first, 'Oh, they're all already sweet, and the acidity is no
longer high, so we can harvest.' But then you went through and really
tasted and there was some flavor, lots of sweetness and nothing to criticize,
but the excitement was missing." "My harvest schedule was quite
normal this year," says Helmut Dönnhoff, "perhaps a week
earlier than usual but not more. Riesling simply has to put in time in
October. If I had harvested in the middle of September, I would have had
virtually the same analyses, but that's about all I would have had, not
the flavors." Some Riesling bunches, observed Johannes Selbach, lacked
flavor even after turning deep gold and beginning to shrivel. In such
instances, there was nothing worthwhile to concentrate, and woe to the
grower who was not assiduously tasting his or her fruit, to say nothing
of those who machine harvest and thus cannot perform a triage.
Paralleling this gradual maturation of flavors in healthy fruit were
instances of early and accelerated ripening of a sort peculiar to 2003.
Where a blush of early botrytis had perforated the skins, the growth of
noble fungus was rapidly overtaken by sheer dehydration. Photogenically
shiny, shriveled, bluish-black berries were pressed into numerous record-setting
Trockenbeerenauslesen-which some growers, misleadingly, claimed to have
achieved without botrytis. "It used to be that growers were proud
to have botrytis," says veteran winemaker Hans-Gunter Schwarz by
way of explanation for such claims, "but lately that subject has
become taboo." It is certainly true, though, that rampant botrytis
spores of the sort brought on in 1976 by September rains were this year
nowhere in evidence.
Widespread frost at the end of October resulted in a plethora of generally
atypically soft and unimpressive Eisweine. Frost sent the foliage falling,
after which any further concentration of flavor proceeded without benefit
of plant metabolism.
The fundamental challenge of 2003, abstracting from the special difficulties
of fermenting off-the-charts TBAs which, if not blended with juice from
"lighter" pickings, run the risk of fermenting into 2005 and
possibly never achieving the 5.5% alcohol legally required for wine, was
to deal with the high sugar and low acidity that resulted from waiting
to pick at optimum phenolic maturity. At least half of the successful
growers I visited took advantage of a legal dispensation to add tartaric
acid, nearly all of them doing this to their musts, not to young wines.
Other growers staunchly rejected both options, insisting that the only
justification for acidulation is pHs so high that the wines risk biological
instability. The added acids, these growers maintained, would precipitate
out anyway, and when it did it would take with it precious buffering material,
rendering it yet more difficult to achieve balanced wines. Stories abounded
of growers who acidified their musts too aggressively, only to de-acidify
the resulting wine. At times-as was also the case in Austria this year-finished
wines displayed acid levels higher than those measured in the must. This
phenomenon was variously attributed to the production of succinic acid
as a byproduct of fermentation and to tartrates having precipitated in
the grapes, which had the effect of deceptively depressing the levels
of acidity measured at harvest. Whatever the cause, I have never found
measured levels of acidity or dry extract to be less informative guides
to flavor than in 2003.
Steering a balanced stylistic course this year was far from easy. More
sugar might be needed to cover bitterness and phenolic roughness and to
moderate alcohol, but with such low acidity many wines ended up tasting
too sweet. On the other hand, German consumers with their knee-jerk penchant
for anything labeled Trocken may learn-in a year when some rieslings exceeded
14% alcohol-to be careful what they wish for. Yet, however freakishly
extreme the 2003 growing season, the wines, even when extreme on paper,
do not (as the 1976s did) taste freakish. I was amazed how infrequently
low acidity per se seriously inhibited the clarity of flavor, elegance
and refreshment value of the young 2003 wines.
Considering 2003's record must weights, low acidity, and relative paucity
of botrytis, the only strictly comparable vintage in modern history is
legendary 1959. But when one tastes the wines, more recent and mundane
comparisons seem adequate. In line with 1997 and particularly 1999, the
successful Rieslings of 2003 offer an alluring and accessible combination
of softly ripe, often tropical fruit and creaminess of texture, with a
wafting, light sensation on the palate that often belies their sheer viscosity.
1994 also comes to mind, not with respect to acidity but for the combination
of high sugars and intense phenolics born of thick, suntanned skins, features
that do much to explain the difficulty in both vintages of achieving well-balanced
dry wines.
This year's Kabinetts routinely have Auslese must weights, although some
still manage to capture the delicacy and elegance of their genre. Due
to an Oechsle gap between healthy fruit around 100 degrees and shriveled
berries near or exceeding 200, drastic declassification extended to higher-Pradikat
wines. "Last year I would have opened a bottle of Champagne-excuse
me, Sekt-in honor of a TBA must weight," joked Max Himstedt of Weingut
August Kesseler. "But this year I said 'That will be an Auslese,
now bring me something from which to make BA.'"
2003 exposed as myth the widely held belief that in vintages of extreme
ripeness Riesling will taste more uniform and not reflect terroir. "We
found the differences from parcel to parcel and wine to wine greater than
last year," observes Emrich Schonleber, a view widely shared, "even
though we had expected the opposite to be true given sheer ripeness and
the plants' inability to assimilate soil-specific minerals in such dry
conditions." Striking differences in character and degree of success
from one estate, one parcel, or one picking to another characterize 2003,
a byproduct of the different ways in which both vines and vintners reacted
to such extreme conditions. "For many vintners, it was as if you
had driven a VW beetle all your life and then were set down behind the
wheel of a Porsche," says Peter Jost. "You had to be cautious
or you would lose control. Had I experienced this vintage 20 years ago,
I would not have been up to it."
"Despite their low acidity," noted Pfälzer Theo Minges,
expressing a majority sentiment, "the harmonious, well-balanced 2003s
possess developmental potential-indeed, they require time to show their
stuff." Does their slow evolution as young wines genuinely presage
successful long-term cellaring? Those who answer in the affirmative are
emboldened by the longevity of the 1959s. They should, however, be reminded
that today's cellar treatments, while cleaner and more sophisticated than
those of 1959, do not include levels of sulfur remotely as high as the
often dangerous levels that were administered routinely in the earlier
year, earning it the gruesome nickname "the widowmaker."
But the ranks of 2003 believers include some formidable authorities.
"Only in a great vintage is such a range from Kabinett to TBA possible,"
insists Helmut Dönnhoff, and Wilhelm Weil echoed that sentiment in
virtually identical words. Based on the time-honored German standard of
must weight, 2003 is certainly a "Great Vintage." Paradoxically,
though, it appears to me to offer somewhat fewer truly extraordinary wines
than its two immediate predecessors.
The following wines, with exceptions noted, were tasted from bottle in
late July and early August 2004, in the course of my visits to 67 estates.
My notes, covering somewhat fewer than half of the total number of wines
I tasted, generally appear in the order in which the proprietors chose
to serve the wines. If a grower is not mentioned in the text that follows,
not even briefly in a regional introduction, then I have not yet tasted
his or her 2003s. Wines rated "1 star" were particularly impressive,
while "2 stars" signifies a wine of profound complexity. Due
to space constraints, other recommended wines are merely listed. I have
hedged my bets more frequently than usual this year by characterizing
as "potential 2 stars" wines whose further evolution will be
telling. Under no circumstances should my ratings, usually based on a
single tasting, be considered in isolation from the accompanying tasting
notes. In the interest of space, recommended wines that did not merit
a star have, except in rare instances, been relegated to a list appended
to the tasting notes; these lists also include a few starred wines that
are unlikely to be available in the U.S. market.
Schloss Lieser Lieser (Mosel valley)
By David Schildknecht
Thomas Haag says it wasn't easy to preserve Mosel style and drinkability
in a vintage with such high sugars. But he resisted the urge to acidify,
because he thought such a step "would deny the character of the vintage,
and risk putting together two things that would never come together into
a whole. The low acidity this year fits a vintage with such ripe but healthy
grapes," he added. "There was very little botrytis, although
what there was was perfect. " (Rudi Wiest)
Also recommended:
Schloss Lieser 2003 Riesling,
Schloss Lieser 2003 Riesling Kabinett,
Schloss Lieser 2003 Riesling Spätlese Brauenberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr
Schloss Lieser 2003 Riesling Spätlese Lieserer
Niederberg Helden
($28) Pear, lily, lichee and honey in the nose. Soft and creamy yet light
in weight. Bittersweet, perfumed finish underlain by subtle wet stone.
(A Juffer-Sonnenuhr Spätlese with virtually identical analysis tasted
noticeably sweeter.) 1 star.
Schloss Lieser 2003 Riesling Auslese Lieserer Niederberg
Helden
($34) Quince and apple blossom aromas. Creamy, luscious and honeyed on
the palate. Very long and poised, with persistent inner-mouth florality
and delicate mineral suggestions. Nearly 100 grams of residual sugar are
here somehow integrated to result in an appropriate and not overdone sweetness.
Potential 2 stars.
Schloss Lieser 2003 Riesling Auslese (two stars)
Lieserer Niederberg Helden
($48) A sweet floral bouquet is followed by a glossy, oily palate impression
and flavors of white raisin- and citrus zest-laced apple jelly. Very refined
and poised, with a rich and complex finish of flowers, brown spices, citrus,
white raisin and subtle slate. (Incidentally, there is no "one-star"
Auslese here this year.) 2 stars.
Mönchhof - Robert Eymael
Ürzig (Mosel valley)
not rated
Joh. Jos. Prüm
Wehlen (Mosel valley)
By David Schildknecht
As usual, Manfred Prüm permitted me only a narrow exposure to his
2003 collection, which runs the gamut to TBA. Prüm insists, though,
that the exaggerated must weights so common this year do not impress him,
and that the strength of this vintage-in fact he calls it the greatness-at
least at his estate, lies in Spätlesen and Auslesen, harvested from
fruit with, at most, a subtle influence from botrytis. He compares 2003
with 1997, but adds that its ripeness is almost unprecedented, so that
"in 2002, the Spätlesen of 2003 would have been bottled as Auslesen
. We declassified drastically this year to arrive at around a 50/50 ratio
of Spätlese to Auslese. " (Various importers, including Rudi
Wiest Selections - Cellars Intl.)
Also recommended:
Joh. Jos. Prüm 2003 Riesling Kabinett Wehlener.
Joh. Jos. Prüm 2003 Riesling Spätlese Zeltinger
Sonnenuhr
($35) Vanilla and lily flower aromas. Creamy in texture but with lift
and delicacy. Vintage-typical quince and melon flavors, with modest sweetness
further restrained by bittersweet citrus oils and a notes of apple pit.
An alluring florality wafts its way to a honeyed, subtly nutty and spicy,
as well as well as distinctively slatey, finish. 1 star.
Joh. Jos. Prüm 2003 Riesling Spätlese
Graacher Himmelreich
($35) Quince, vanilla and Chartreuse-like floral and herbal essences in
the nose. Quite refined and subtle, with vanilla, candied lemon, quince
and flowers in the mouth. Finishes very sweet but at the same time with
a bright lemony note. This year, Prum bottled Himmelreich all the way
up to gold capsule and long gold capsule Auslese, a multiplicity of bottlings
he usually only accords to Wehlener Sonnenuhr. 1 star.
Joh. Jos. Prüm 2003 Riesling Spätlese
Wehlener Sonnenuhr
($40) The bouquet blossoms in a floral way that seems typical for the
2003 vintage here, as is this wine's imposingly creamy texture. Elegance,
lift, clarity, refinement and florality characterize the flavors throughout.
In another reflection of the vintage, the essential fruit here is quince
rather than apple, tinged with bittersweet vanilla and flowers and a subtle
hint of white raisin. Ethereal fruit, flowers and wet stone really cling
in the finish. 2 stars.
Joh. Jos. Prüm 2003 Riesling Auslese Bernkasteler
Badstube
($40) Black cherry, white peach, lime and vanilla in the nose. Toasted
nut and alkaline mineral notes accent a sweet mouthful of peach, quince
and banana. Creamy yet with underlying mineral firmness and persistent
brightness. This split personality, along with the increasingly honeyed,
smoky, quince fruit character the wine takes on with air, reminds me of
a Loire Valley chenin blanc. Quince jelly, caramelized peach, black cherries
in syrup and wet stone inform the long, strong finish. 2 stars.
Joh. Jos. Prüm 2003 Riesling Auslese Wehlener
Sonnenuhr
($46) Peach and vanilla aromas. Broad, polished and creamy, yet it lies
lightly, even delicately, on the palate. Brown spice, mango and banana
suggest the vintage's extreme ripeness without conveying any overt sense
of botrytis. Static yet imposingly rich and layered on the finish. (Nooks
and crannies are not what this vintage, particularly at this address,
is about.) Potential 2 stars.
Dr. F. Weins-Prüm Wehlen (Mosel valley)
not rated
Fritz Haag Brauneberg (Mosel valley)
By David Schildknecht
Between two sold-out dry wines and three auction bottlings that Wilhelm
Haag was not yet ready to show me, I took in a smaller array of rieslings
than usual here this year. Moreover, a small amount of TBA was still fermenting
at the time of my visit. Two thousand three appears to be a good but not
great year, at least by the exalted standards of this estate, a judgment
consistent with my tastings of other 2003s from Brauneberg, and one with
which Haag seems to concur. (Rudi Wiest/Cellars International Inc. , Carlsbad
CA)
Also recommended:
Fritz Haag 2003 Riesling Trocken,
Fritz Haag 2003 Riesling Kabinett Brauneberger Juffer.
Fritz Haag 2003 Riesling
($20) Apple blossom, muskmelon and subtle sweet herbal nuances in the
nose. Full and satisfyingly juicy on the palate, with a brothy and pulverized
stone sense of slate minerality. This does not taste noticeably sweet.
Lingers with salty, wet stone and bittersweet apple, apple pit and herbal
notes. In its current incarnation, most of this estate riesling comes
from vineyards in Brauneberg, which were harvested around the 8th and
9th of October. 1 star.
Fritz Haag 2003 Riesling Spätlese Brauneberger
Juffer-Sonnenuhr
($37) Very ripe and exotic on the nose, mingling quince and mango. Sleek,
pure, creamy and refined in its display of tropical and orchard fruits,
vanilla and malt. Lingering flavors of flowers, sweet herbs, spices and
throat-coating fruit and wet stone. 2 stars.
Fritz Haag 2003 Riesling Auslese A. P. #6 Brauneberger
Juffer-Sonnenuhr
($49) Pineapple and apple jelly aromas. Juicy, elegant and refined on
the palate, with attractive lily-like inner-mouth florality. Long and
honeyed, with refreshing, clinging apple jelly and honey flavors and a
touch of salt. 1 star.
Fritz Haag 2003 Riesling Auslese AP#10 Brauneberger
Juffer-Sonnenuhr
Honey and white peach dominate the nose and mouth here. Offers real clarity
and refinement of fruit and slate and a striking delicacy of touch. Subtle
creaminess and yeastiness suggest a pastry on the palate. While it may
not be the last word in complexity, this is nearly as pure and long as
it gets. Potential 2 stars.
Fritz Haag 2003 Riesling Auslese Gold Cap A.P. #9
Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr
($89) Quince and buddleia aromas. Interesting flavors of peanut butter
and quince jelly, with intriguing hints of spice and white raisin. This
is a bit hard on the palate, currently lacking the textural allure that
is notable in so many 2003s. But it offers good length and the promise
of further complexity. 1 star.
Fritz Haag 2003 Riesling Auslese Gold Cap AP#12 Brauneberger
Juffer-Sonnenuhr
Apricot preserves, gardenia, quince and honey in the nose. On the palate,
quince and honey are accented by brown spices. Fat and creamy but buoyant
and elegant. Long and refined on the finish, with its high residual sugar
admirably buffered. Potential 2 stars.
Reinhold Haart Piesport (Mosel valley)
By David Schildknecht
Theo Haart's wines, picked into the second week of November, were slow
to ferment and late bloomers this year. I tasted only one promising component
from what will become the vintage's dry wines. Nor did I taste unbottled
Domherr Spätlese or Gold Capsule Auslese, or Beerenauslese or TBA
from Goldtröpfchen. The Wintricher Ohligsberg, Haart reports, was
particularly hammered by heat and drought in 2003, which explains its
under-performance. (Rudi Wiest/Cellars International Inc. , Carlsbad,
CA)
Also recommended:
Reinhold Haart 2003 Riesling Heart to Haart,
Reinhold Haart 2003 Riesling Kabinett Piesporter A. P. #5.
Reinhold Haart 2003 Riesling Spätlese Wintricher Ohligsberg ,
Reinhold Haart 2003 Riesling Spätlese Piesporter Goldtröpfchen
A. P. #11,
Reinhold Haart 2003 Riesling Auslese Piesporter Domherr.
Reinhold Haart 2003 Riesling Spätlese Piesporter
Goldtröpfchen
($30) The quality and ripeness of material in Goldtröpfchen were so exalted
this year that Haart went outside of that vineyard to assemble material
suitable for two Kabinetts and a Spätlese. The overall impression here
is especially rich and full for the genre, with smoky, malty accents to
a creamy concentrate of tropical fruits, marzipan, white raisin and brown
spices. Showy and overtly rich, yet this is strikingly pure, even refined,
and exhibits a refreshingly juicy pink grapefruit component in the finish,
with toasted nuts and pungent citrus zest helping to offset the sweetness.
1 star.
Reinhold Haart 2003 Riesling Spätlese Dhronhofberger
Haart has added to his parcels in this site, so they are no longer relegated
solely for his estate riesling but will have a vineyard-designated bottling
of their own. Nectarine, yellow plum and candied red raspberry aromas
with a woodsmoke adjunct. Honeyed and rich on the palate, with an elegant,
buoyant finish featuring red berries, sweet aromatic citrus zest, honey
and vanilla. Potential 2 stars.
Reinhold Haart 2003 Riesling Spätlese A. P.
#10 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen
($35) On one side of the bottle, the label is configured to read Goldtröpfchen
Riesling with the logo for Erste Lage, the Mosel counterpart to Grosses
Gewachs. Lightly yeasty and sulfurous on the nose, giving way to caramelized
pit fruits, tropical fruits and honey. Concentrated, rather viscous and
quite sweet, but not at all heavy. Marzipan, cassis and tropical fruit
essences in a long, almost syrupy finish offset by juicy citrus fruits
and salty and wet stone minerality. 1 star.
Reinhold Haart 2003 Riesling Auslese A. P. #14 Piesporter
Goldtröpfchen
($40) The Domherr has more fine earth than most of Goldtröpfchen and thus,
in principle, an advantage in a vintage so starved for water. So much
for principle: this wine from tiny, healthy berries in Goldtröpfchen blew
past its Domherr counterpart. Liqueur-like aromatic presentation and palate
concentration of peach, melon and blackcurrant. Honey, marzipan and malt
chime in on the finish, where tart fruit skin and citrus zest and salty
mineral notes help offset the gaudy sweetness and extend the flavors.
This has only been in bottle a few weeks and Haart says it has just started
to show some character and demonstrate its ability to handle the high
residual sugar. 1star.
Karthäuserhof Eitelsbach (Ruwer valley)
By David Schildknecht
Christoph Tyrell began harvesting in mid-October, and early tests convinced
him that acidification would be a disaster. For their relative richness,
fullness and softness, the 2003s here reminded me a bit of the 1997s,
another vintage that particularly delighted Tyrell but might be faulted
a bit for lack of Ruwer typicity and, at times, lack of clarity. The array
of Auslesen here this year-the largest in the estate's history-was with
a couple of exceptions dominated by shriveled berry tone and sheer sweetness.
(Various importers, principally Rudi Wiest)
Also recommended:
Karthäuserhof 2003 Riesling Spätlese Feinherb Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg,
Karthäuserhof 2003 Riesling Kabinett Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg
,
Karthäuserhof 2003 Riesling Spätlese Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg,
Karthäuserhof 2003 Riesling Auslese #30 Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg,
Karthäuserhof 2003 Riesling Auslese #43 Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg,
Karthäuserhof 2003 Riesling Auslese Long Gold Capsule #45 Eitelsbacher
Karthäuserhofberg.
Karthäuserhof 2003 Riesling Kabinett Dry (Trocken)
Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg
Fresh lime, kiwi and redcurrant aromas. Relatively full for its category,
but still displays elegance and delicacy. Incisive and clear, with tart
red fruits, fresh citrus and subtle brown spices carrying impressively
along with adamant wet stone slatiness. Tyrell, who himself drinks exclusively
Trocken among his own wines, manages more years than not to bottle something
improbably imposing under the name Kabinett Trocken. 1 star.
Karthäuserhof 2003 Riesling Auslese Trocken
'S' Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg
While the estate's dry Spätlese and regular Auslese were a bit warm
and stewy, you have to credit this "reserve" (13. 5% alcohol)
bottling of Auslese Trocken with making a big statement. Distilled red
fruit aromas. Luscious, juicy and full in the mouth yet with insistent
wet stone mineral character and fascinating coffee and fruit pit low tones
that subtly and quite pleasantly suggest bitterness. 1 star.
Karthäuserhof 2003 Riesling Auslese #18 Eitelsbacher
Karthäuserhofberg
To avoid fuder confusion, "18"-the number of the cask, or "pet
name" of the wine-appears prominently on the label. White peach and
candied lemon in the nose, along with the hint of white raisin that hung
around many of this year's Karthauserhof wines even below the level of
Auslese. Honeyed on the palate and quite sweet, although with a refreshing
saltiness alleviating that sweetness and a sweet-tart hint of gooseberry
preserve entering into the long, honeyed finish. 1 star.
Karthäuserhof 2003 Riesling Auslese Fuder#38
Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg
Pure aroma of white peach preserve, with lily flower and white raisin
notes. Positively dripping with glycerine and quite sweet on the palate.
Polished and rich, pure and polished, with a long, rich, lilting finish
featuring sweet floral perfume and a spicy character. 1 star.
von Hövel Oberemmel (Saar valley)
not rated
Bert Simon Serrig (Saar valley)
not rated
Zilliken - Forstmeister Geltz Saarburg (Saar
valley)
By David Schildknecht
After the superlatives of 2002 here, this year's collection had an exceedingly
hard act to follow. While the personalities of the two vintages are radically
different, they have in common a relatively early start to picking-in
the case of 2003 to select for the surprisingly significant quantities
of noble rot Zilliken had in his sites. As further pickings proceeded
for Zilliken's least expensive wines, this helped his remaining fruit
achieve fuller ripeness and more concentration. (Rudi Wiest/Cellars International
Inc. , Carlsbad, CA)
Also recommended:
Zilliken 2003 Riesling Spätlese Ockfener Bockstein ,
Zilliken 2003 Riesling Spätlese Saarburger Rausch A. P. #6,
Zilliken 2003 Riesling Auslese Saarburger Rausch A. P. #7,
Zilliken 2003 Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule Saarburger Rausch A. P. #4.
Zilliken 2003 Riesling Dry (Trocken)
High-toned aromas of kirsch with nippy spice inflections. Pungent but
positive ripe phenolics in a quite substantial palate presentation lead
to a finish of real grip, with the intensity of fruit pinned to a firm
base of slate. 1 star.
Zilliken 2003 Riesling Spätlese Dry (Trocken)
Saarburger Rausch
Picked late in October, near the end of this year's harvest, this offers
a juicy, engaging citricity with lime and tangerine added to the Saar-typical
cherry-almond family of flavors and hints of apple pip and brown spices.
Substantial on the palate without being at all heavy. Fresh fruit and
mineral dust finishing character. While truly dry wines represent only
around 5% of Zilliken's production and two of three barrels of this Spätlese
Trocken have been set aside for rendering into Sekt, that does not mean
he underperforms with or takes Trocken rieslings for granted. 1 star.
Zilliken 2003 Riesling Butterfly
($16) These grapes were the first to be picked after the passes for botrytis:
bunches with fatter berries-all with Auslese ripeness-were selected from
Zilliken's entire 18 acres of Rausch to arrive at 1,000 cases worth of
this fledgling but so far highly successful brand. While needing only
18 grams of sugar to achieve balance, through judicious blending this
stayed below 12% alcohol and manages to live up to its name, with a lilting,
floating and animating fruity acidity and stuffed with slatey mineral
extract. Pineapple, grapefruit and cherry fruit flavors predominate, with
faintly bitter notes of flowers, citrus zest, spice and pit fruit skins
offset by a honeyed note and extending the finish. 1 star.
Zilliken 2003 Riesling
This blend from Saarburg and Ockfen sites offers an exceptionally ripe
set of flavors for an ostensibly simple Gutsriesling (estate riesling).
Cherry, tropical fruit and black tea aromas. Lush, cherry-rich palate
with the sugar adeptly judged and with wet stone and saline mineral impressions
nicely grounding the billowing fruit. 1 star.
Zilliken 2003 Riesling Kabinett A. P. #11 Saarburger
Rausch
($20) With high-grade Spätlese material and lower than usual residual
sugar, this manages, at 9% alcohol, to display remarkable clarity, grace
and delicacy. Pear, toasted almond and apple aromas and fruit flavors
are laced with just enough bright citricity and suffused with slate. The
lingering perfumed, spiced finish is almost dry. Considering the vintage
and what is written in the analysis, this wine strikes a near-miraculous
balance. (Zilliken will release a virtually identical A. P. #12 successor.)
2 stars.
Zilliken 2003 Riesling Spätlese A. P. #8 Saarburger
Rausch
($30) Sweet honeysuckle-gardenia florality mingles with scents and flavors
of crushed stone. Shows a subtly creamy texture yet a delicate palate
impression, with wafting pit fruit flavors and inner-mouth florals. Long,
refined finish of flowers and spices, with very subtle fruit skin tartness
and crushed stone minerality. (There will be a second bottling under a
different A. P. number of the same wine. This year's auction Spätlese
(A. P. #6), from frosted grapes, was fascinating but as yet slightly disjointed.)
Potential 2 stars.
Zilliken 2003 Riesling Auslese A. P. #5 Saarburger
Rausch
This was harvested in December, which is reflected in its sharply defined
and high-energy flavor profile. Apricot, tangerine and smoked meat aromas.
In the mouth a creamy texture is alluringly juxtaposed with bright citricity.
Plum and white peach are added to the fruit sandwich along the way, layered
with white raisin, lemon, tangerine and touches of black tea and pit fruit
skin bitterness. (A gold capsule Auslese based on botrytis selection was
significantly less successful than this one.) 1 star.
Zilliken 2003 Riesling Auslese Long Gold Capsule
A. P. #3 Saarburger Rausch
A blend from frozen fruit and a 20% botrytis component, this is redolent
of grapefruit, lemon zest, white raisin and woodsmoke. In the mouth it
is honeyed and quince-flavored, spicy, and resinous, as well as incredibly
pungent and smoky. Penetrating, gripping and intense on the finish, its
persistent smokiness suggestive of the obviously potent portion of botrytized
fruit. Potential 2 stars.
Zilliken 2003 Riesling Beerenauslese Saarburger
Rausch
Well into TBA range, this wine, from three waves of selection over the
course of the entire vintage, marks a significant jump in must weight
(as well as acidity and dry extract) over those that came before. "I
would have called it my TBA but I could afford otherwise" in view
of yet riper material, explains Zilliken. Thickly concentrated but not
without a sense of lift. Pineapple, lemon curd, white raisin and honey
in the mouth, suffused by a sizzling spiciness, ominous smokiness and
a nip of radish. The spring is tightly wound here and the blazing finish
is nearly explosive. A bottle open a month was perfectly fresh. Potential
2 stars.
Zilliken 2003 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Saarburger
Rausch
Like the BA selected over the course of the harvest and almost inert to
a month's air exposure, this is Hanno Zilliken's second TBA bottling to
date, following the wine he made in his first vintage, 1976. Apricot jam,
honey, lemon, and a hint of white raisin on the nose. Thick, glycerine-rich,
polished and oily on the palate, yet possessing of refinement and lift.
The acidity here gives drive without any sharpness. Apricots and flowers
feature most prominently in a clear, pure, wafting finish that seems poised
weightlessly in thin air. This won't be auctioned for at least two more
years. 2 stars.
Robert Weil Kiedrich (Rheingau region)
By David Schildknecht
Harvest began here on September 22, the earliest in the history of the
estate, which was founded by Wilhelm Weil's great grandfather in 1875.
By early October, grapes were being picked for some of the top wines.
The ideal soil mixture of stone and clay and the proximity to springs
in the Taunus mountains, claims Weil, allowed the foliage of vines in
Kiedrich, Hallgarten and Rauenthal to remain green while many vineyards
nearer the Rhine were threatened with shutdown. The natural, unadjusted
acidity of wines in this collection is significantly above the vintage
average, not to mention higher than the levels recorded here in 1959 and
1976. The 2003 Weil collection includes some stunners, although a few
wines eventually veer off into territory so stratospherically ripe that
it becomes increasingly speculative to predict where bottle aging will
take them. (Rudi Wiest)
Also recommended:
Robert Weil 2003 Riesling Kabinett Dry / Trocken (1 star),
Robert Weil 2003 Riesling Spätlese Dry / Trocken,
Robert Weil 2003 Riesling,
Robert Weil 2003 Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Eiswein.
Robert Weil 2003 Riesling Kabinett Dry / Trocken
Kiedricher Gräfenberg
Chalk dust, flowers and a faintly bitter cyanic note in the nose. Full,
rich, warm and slightly bitter in its fruit skin and fruit pit concentration,
yet this retains bright lemony acidity and chalky minerality. Glossy and
rich. In a more typical vintage, this wine would have passed as a quite
successful Gräfenberg Erstes Gewachs. 1 star.
Robert Weil 2003 Riesling Dry "Erstes Gewächs"
Kiedricher Gräfenberg
($60) Toasted wheat and nuts, persimmon and chalk dust in the nose. The
flavors-a concentration of pit fruits, nuts and fruit pits-as well as
the amplitude suggest white Burgundy , although at 13. 5% this registers
only a half percent more alcohol than did its previous incarnations. Rich,
concentrated, smoky, nutty, bitter-sweet finish. 1 star.
Robert Weil 2003 Riesling Kabinett Medium-dry /
Halbtrocken
This comes from the Kiedricher Wasseros. Even at 11% alcohol, it has all
of the elegance, delicacy and interplay of fruits, flowers and minerals
that one would expect from the term Kabinett, and all of the complexity
and class of a great site. Striking buddleia florality and chalky minerality
accent an unusually cool melony fruit (as opposed to the more vintage
typical overripe muskmelon). The finish here is positively mesmerizing
in its tapestry of fruits, flowers and minerals. 2 stars.
Robert Weil 2003 Riesling Spätlese
($39) Honey, apricot and strawberry nose in which sheer ripeness of material
trumps any sense of Kiedrich typicity. Dried apricot, strawberry preserves
and honey on the palate, shot through with fresh lemon juice. Glossy in
texture and very sweet, yet with juiciness and lift. Nearly 100 grams
of residual sugar are opposed by over 9 grams of acidity, and the tension
is both palpable and engaging. 1 star.
Robert Weil 2003 Riesling Spätlese Kiedricher
Gräfenberg
($60) Lemon, mandarin orange, quince preserves, honey and sweet flowers
on the nose. Polished, glyceral and viscous on the palate yet bright,
clear and penetrating. More typical of its great site than of its overridingly
ripe vintage, this finishes with all the intricacy of fruit and mineral
interplay one could desire. 2 stars.
Robert Weil 2003 Riesling Auslese Kiedricher Gräfenberg
($60; for 375 ml.) At this point in the Weil 2003 line-up we begin to
detect botrytized, shriveled berries. Grilled pineapple, white raisin
and candied lemon aromas. Oily in texture, thickly rich and honeyed, with
pungent brown spice notes. Complex layering of jammy, fresh, dried and
caramelized fruits. Voluminous yet penetrating. Enormously clinging but
not cloying despite its considerable sweetness-no wonder, as it boasts
11 grams of acid, a figure Weil himself finds impossible to account for.
2 stars.
Robert Weil 2003 Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule Kiedricher
Gräfenberg
Dried fruits, citrus and smoked meat in the nose. Quince and honey in
the mouth, with brown spices emerging. But there's also a bright citricity
atypical for the vintage that's capable both of taming 200 grams of residual
sugar as well as energizing the finish of quince, honey and coconut in
what is in effect Trockenbeerenauslese material. This is all wound up
and one simply has to see where it will go over time-probably a long time.
Potential 2 stars.
Robert Weil 2003 Riesling Beerenauslese Kiedricher
Gräfenberg
($245; for 375 ml.) Pure honey and pineapple (fresh and caramelized) on
the palate, but shot through with spine-tinglingly bright lemony acidity.
The overall effect is rather severe but almost frighteningly intense.
With more than 300 grams of residual sugar, it's little wonder that this
needs time to show its full personality. Still, I suspect the gold capsule
Auslese is more promising. 1 star.
Robert Weil 2003 Riesling Beerenauslese Gold Capsule
Kiedricher Gräfenberg (half bottle)
Ominously smoky, chili pepper-laced, high-toned lemon aromas. Viscous
on the palate, with exotic tropical and heavily caramelized orchard fruits
backed by intensely bright citricity. Inscrutably thick and sweet on the
finish. 1 star.
Robert Weil 2003 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Kiedricher
Gräfenberg A. P. #35 (half bottle)
($500; for 375 ml.) This is at another level of viscosity and sheer intensity
from the nobly sweet wines that led up to it. Beyond honeyed, beyond topical
fruit concentrate. Butter cream and maple syrup indicate the almost confectionery
character here, and yet the wine is not at all treacly. Potential 2 stars.
Robert Weil 2003 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Gold
Capsule A. P. #48 Kiedricher Gräfenberg (half bottle)
Here one has to go beyond the fruitcake metaphor to capture something
this dense, flavorful and food-like. Aromas and flavors of dried peach
and apricot, sultana raisin, fig, marzipan and brown spices. One sip will
last you an entire evening. 2 stars.
Robert Weil 2003 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Gold
Capsule A. P. #47 Kiedricher Gräfenberg (half bottle) 316 Oechsle
Yes, the must weight is printed on the label, and the dry extract of 120
grams is just as far off the charts. That's more than a quarter pound
of solids per liter over and above all the sugar: is it any wonder one
can't get a grip on this wine at this point? As Weil acknowledges, it
is an almost impossible challenge to describe or rate something this thick
and this concentrated. Perhaps in a decade anyone lucky enough to retaste
it can begin to properly discuss it. Weil thinks its life span will be
measured in centuries, and who am I to challenge that claim? Potential
2 stars.
Künstler Hochheim (Rheingau region)
Jan/Feb 05
By David Schildknecht
Gunther Kunstler began picking in early October but then took his time.
The results are a wide range of successes reminiscent of the results here
throughout the '90s, including dry wines with enough stuffing to balance
their alcohol. Among Kunstler's dry wines, I marginally preferred as a
group those labeled Kabinett, but nearly every must was near or over the
minimum required for Auslese. Kunstler's pinot noirs (tasted from cask),
which he harvested in September, are also impressively promising this
year. (Rudi Wiest/Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA)
Also recommended:
Künstler 2003 Riesling Spätlese Trocken (dry) Hochheimer Holle,
Künstler 2003 Riesling Auslese Trocken (dry) Hochheimer Kirchenstück,
Künstler 2003 Riesling Auslese Hochheimer Kirchenstück,
Künstler 2003 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Hochheimer Hölle.
Franz Künstler 2003 Riesling Kabinett Trocken
(dry) Hochheimer Herrenberg
Delicate aromas and flavors of white peach and citrus. Silky mouth feel.
Chalky stony notes and subtle smokiness in the low-key but long and satisfying
finish. 1 star.
Franz Künstler 2003 Riesling Kabinett Trocken
Hochheimer Kirchenstück
Rather demure in aroma today, subtly suggesting citrus and pit fruits,
fruit pits and chalk dust. Juicy and bright, with a bittersweet pit fruit
presentation; chalky, salty minerality; and real cut and verve. Grainy
texture and a palpable sense of chalky minerality lead to a finish with
a lightly bitter edge but also considerable complexity and grip. 1 star.
Franz Künstler 2003 Hochheimer Holle Riesling
Kabinett Trocken
Candied lemon, citrus zest and cinnamon in the nose. Citrus backed by
a brothy, Chablis-like presentation of chalk minerality on the palate.
Bittersweet citrus oil, and salty flavors of chalk, nuts and toasted pumpkin
seed really cling. The deeper soils in Holle were conducive to a wine
of enhanced acidity, stuffing and grip, but somehow the corresponding
dry Spätlese missed the savory minerality, clarity and verve of this
Kabinett. 1 star.
Franz Künstler 2003 Riesling Trocken "Alte
Reben" (Vielle Vignes) Hochheimer Stielweg
($34) Blue plum aroma with discreetly chalky mineral suggestions. Silky,
polished and rich on the palate, with an attractive hint of sweetness
(analytically only eight grams). Fine finish of chalk, pit fruits and
citrus. (Kunstler is no longer affixing a Pradikat designation to this
bottling from old vines.) 1 star.
Franz Künstler 2003 Riesling Auslese Trocken
Hochheimer Hölle
($70) Herb and lemon zest aromas. Brothy on the palate, with a Chablis-like
carrot, parsley and chicken stock character. Interesting that such a high
must weight would result in a wine of considerable austerity and less
sweetness of fruit, but there is no doubt about the concentration of material
here or the wine's seriously chalky length. 1 star.
Franz Künstler 2003 Riesling Trocken Hochheimer
Domdechaney
This is an Auslese but not labeled as such, since Kunstler wants to put
the emphasis on the site, from which he obtains only a small volume of
dry wine suitable for a single bottling. Grapefruit, banana and walnut
oil aromas. Creamy and voluminous on the palate, with bittersweet fruit
and nut flavors that cling imposingly. 1 star.
Franz Künstler 2003 Riesling Kabinett
Hochheimer Reichestal
($20) Candied lemon and distilled herbal essences in the nose. Lemon-
and grapefruit-tinged pear and apricot nectar flavors. Glossy, polished
and rich on the palate, with a bit of the sense of weightlessness and
refinement achieved by Kunstler's 1999s (which I underestimated in their
youth). Perhaps not really Kabinett-like, but very refined in its balance
of sugars and acids and imposing in complexity and length. 2 stars.
Franz Künstler 2003 Riesling Spätlese
Hochheimer Kirchenstück
($38) Gauzy overlay of fermentative aromas with nut paste, herbal distillate,
peach and candied citrus emerging. Very peachy and candied citrus on the
palate but shot through with sufficiently bracing acidity and underlying
chalky extract. Good reach, vivacity and grip here, if not quite the poise
of the Reichestal Kabinett. 1 star.
Franz Künstler 2003 Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule
Hochheimer Hölle
($75) This is from desiccated fruit. Aromas and flavors of liqueur-like
mandarin orange and honey. Airy and elegant mouth feel. A faintly spiritous
and nippy overlay of botrytis character leads to a light sizzle in the
finish, but this is more refined and polished than this year's Kirchenstuck
Auslese. 1 star.
Franz Künstler 2003 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese
Hochheimer Domdechaney (half bottle)
($225; for 375 ml.) Surprisingly pale color with a glint of green. Pear
and quince preserve aromas. Glazed, candied fruit character on the thickly
rich palate. Very penetrating if somewhat single-minded. This had the
highest must weight of Kunstler's three 2003 TBAs and seemed to me far
more interesting than an undeniably powerful, deep copper-colored, creme
caramel-flavored Holle. It is admittedly tough to assess such thickly
rich wines in an embryonic state or immediately after bottling. 1 star.
Franz Künstler 2003 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese
Hochheimer Stielweg
Dusty smoky botrytis notes in the nose, along with distilled pit fruits
and citrus oils. Tangerine and lemon with pungent spices in a very viscous
palate matrix. Finishes with a crescendo of distilled herbal notes, powerfully
rich pit fruits and pungent citrus. Potential 2 stars.
Pfeffingen Ungstein (Pfalz region) Jan/Feb
05
By David Schildknecht
This was the earliest harvest start on record at the Furhmann-Eymael estate,
but they waited until September 29 to commence with riesling so that flavors
could catch up with the sugars. Fortunately, after mid-September, relates
Jan Eymael, the acids stabilized. Since there was virtually no botrytis,
the amount of selective picking and the duration of the riesling harvest
were both considerably reduced from the estate norm. Also reduced was
the yield, on account of tiny berries with little juice. The musts were
acidified, leading Eymael, who has some experience working in Australia,
to say "we'll have to let ourselves be surprised to some extent by
whatever way the wines mature. " As at other addresses this year,
scheurebe proved a slight disappointment, as did a riesling Eiswein. (Rudi
Wiest/Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA)
Also recommended:
Pfeffingen 2003 Riesling Spätlese Trocken (dry) Ungsteiner Herrenberg,
Pfeffingen 2003 Riesling Spätlese Ungsteiner Herrenberg,
Pfeffingen 2003 Rieslaner Auslese Ungsteiner Nussriegel.
Pfeffingen 2003 Riesling Dry (Trocken)
($15) Aromas and flavors of grapefruit, pineapple and subtle brown spices.
Creamy and enveloping on the palate, yet with ample refreshing acidity
and lift and delicacy in the finish. This is quite refined for ostensibly
simple "estate riesling" and impeccably balanced. Surprisingly,
the Herrenberg Spätlese Trocken was marginally less expressive, at least
for the time being. 1 star.
Pfeffingen 2003 Riesling Dry "Grosses Gewächs"
Ungsteiner Weilberg
($33) This was the last-picked of the rieslings and not bottled until
June. Floral and resinous notes in the nose. Concentrated flavors of pit
fruits, black fruits and citrus. The finish opens up to a smoky, salty,
stony, dramatically mineral vista. A bit sweet-sour as yet but lipsmackingly
resinous and clinging. The density of material, ripeness and well-judged
acids should carry this for many years. Potential 2 stars.
Pfeffingen 2003 Riesling Auslese Ungsteiner Herrenberg
($29) Distilled pit fruit aromas. Full and rich yet buoyant and refined,
with a restrained sweetness considering its 13% alcohol, and only slight
warmth. There is more than enough brightness of acids and mineral spine
to support this wine's evolution. 1 star.
von Buhl Deidesheim (Pfalz region) Jan/Feb
05
By David Schildknecht
Jan Kux's brief tenure here after the departure of Frank John is now being
referred to as a guest appearance. Following a period of consultation
with Hans-Günter Schwarz, Hubertus Meitzler, a man with considerable
experience, was chosen as winemaker. For all of the tongue-clucking I
heard this year with respect to personnel changes, it can happily be said
that the 2003 collection here is by and large highly successful. Given
the cool October, it was possible to delay harvesting the relatively small
crop in top sites, in some instances until November. This delay was critical,
particularly in some of the warmest sites, where during the summer the
vines had shut down and simply marked time. Even with such a late harvest,
none of the dry wines exceeded 13% alcohol. (Rudi Wiest/Cellars International,
Carlsbad, CA)
Also recommended:
von Buhl 2003 Riesling Spätlese Trocken,
von Buhl 2003 Rieslaner Auslese Forster Stift.
Reichsrat von Buhl 2003 Riesling Spätlese Trocken
Forster Ungeheuer
There is a juiciness and refinement here that I frequently don't get from
Ungeheuer. A subtle melange of spices and herbs tickles the nose and the
palate. A suggestion of creaminess serves to mitigate any tendency toward
sharpness of phenolics, which characterized a few less successful von
Buhl 2003s. The finish is clear and subtly mineral, at 12. 5% alcohol
evincing no heat. 1 star.
Reichsrat von Buhl 2003 Riesling Dry "Grosses
Gewächs" Forster Kirchenstück
($50) Typically peachy, musky aromas with a smoky, toasted nut component.
A salt-and-pepper combination of minerality and pungent phenolics is woven
into this wine, setting up an interesting counterpoint with the richness
of texture. The pungency reminds me more of Pechstein. Finishes long and
lean. This will be a late bloomer, which is also typical behavior for
the site. 1 star.
Reichsrat von Buhl 2003 Riesling Dry "Grosses
Gewächs" Forster Pechstein
Grapefruit, lemon and pungent herbs on the nose. Great, high-toned inner-mouth
aromas of sweet green herbs, citrus oils and resin. Suggestions of honey
and tropical fruit on the palate lend opulence, but this never loses its
juicy, lusciously citric appeal. Long finish of citrus fruit, herbs and
minerals. Potential 2 stars.
Reichsrat von Buhl 2003 "Armand" Riesling
Kabinett
($20) Abundant flowers and spices in the nose lead to a juicy, engaging
palate presence, making do with lower residual sugar than in previous
incarnations of Armand. Lipsmackingly juicy and salty in the back. A fine
value, this cuvee incorporates some purchased fruit from as far away as
Weisenheim-am-Sand. 1 star.
Reichsrat von Buhl 2003 Riesling Spätlese Forster
Jesuitengarten
($30) Citrus, pit fruit, honey and herb aromas. On the palate this is
like a lemon and nectarine sorbet laced with mint. Rich but with lightness
of touch. While quite sweet and certainly not the most complex or refined
exemplar of this great site, this luscious wine is too infectiously juicy,
pure in fruit and long on flavor to resist. 1 star.
Reichsrat von Buhl 2003 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese
Forster Ungeheuer (half bottle)
Candied black walnut, caramel, cassis, tropical fruit and malt aromas.
Fat and rich in the mouth, but with intense, persistent perfume and an
invigorating salinity and a sheer density that restrain the sweetness.
Mango, banana, cassis, walnuts in syrup and saltwater taffy all fill this
horn of plenty. Long and involved. Like many 2003 TBAs, this represents
a blend between a batch (harvested late) at such high sugar it would probably
never have become (legal) wine, and another lot harvested at "only"
200 degrees Oechsle. 2 stars.
Gunderloch Nackenheim (Rheinhessen region)
Jan/Feb 05
By David Schildknecht
In a 2003-typical scenario, the harvest at Gunderloch began in late August
with fruit at a level of ripeness legally sufficient for Auslese. But
the harvest did not begin in earnest until early October, by which point
sugar levels had climbed considerably further. A Beerenauslese and two
lots of TBA, potentially destined for separate bottling, were too incompletely
fermented to be assessed properly at the time of my visit. Fritz Hasselbach
prides himself on his work with the soil, which has more than once spared
his vines extreme drought stress, and which he believes was critical to
his success in 2003. "Our vines were green all the way through to
November," he relates, brandishing a photograph as vivid evidence
of the contrast with the yellow, partially denuded vines of most of his
neighbors' vines on this famous riverside "red slope. " The
typical riesling here this year arrived at the press house with a little
under eight grams per liter of acid but the finished wines ended up slightly
over eight, a phenomenon Hasselbach claims is unique in the annals of
the estate. A high percentage of production here, incidentally, is now
being bottled with Stelvin screwcaps, including one-third of the Auslese.
Ironically, it was not until we reached that Pradikat level in this year's
tasting that I was offered a bottle with natural cork-and it was horrendously
corked! (Rudi Wiest)
Also recommended:
Gunderloch 2003 Riesling Auslese *** (3 star),
Gunderloch 2003 Riesling Auslese Nackenheimer Rotenberg.
Gunderloch 2003 Riesling Dry (Trocken)
($17) Sweetly floral aroma. A lush and persistently juicy expression of
persimmon and peach fruit on the palate. Full (over 13% alcohol) but not
warm. Low-key but long finish of toasted almond, peach and salty minerality.
1 star.
Gunderloch 2003 Riesling Dry "Grosses Gewächs"
Nackenheimer Rotenberg
This virtually dry "grand cru" entry in the Gunderloch line-up
finished fermenting a bit sooner than in other recent years and had been
bottled the day before I tasted. Fascinatingly musky sweet florality and
almost overripe melon aromas on the nose, along with scents of peach and
persimmon, whose fruit character then dominates on the palate. Intensely
ripe, voluminous, and glossy, and satisfyingly sappy and juicy in the
mouth, with striking clarity of flavors and almost delicate poise. Toasted,
salted almond, peach with a touch of peach skin bitterness, honey and
lemon oil inform a long, clear and billowing finish. Eleven grams of sweetness
here go unnoticed. Potential 2 stars.
Gunderloch 2003 "Jean-Baptiste" Riesling
Kabinett
($20) Ripe pear, melon, florals and bacon fat in the nose, so as to give
almost a traminer-like impression. That resemblance is born out on the
palate, where a salty minerality, smoked meat, inner-mouth florality,
and a soft, broad feel dominate the proceedings. Site-typical bitter tangerine
rind notes as well as a juicy expression of orchard fruits join the salty
smoked meat character of the long finish. The sweetness here is very subtle
and well integrated and the wine is possessed of a certain delicacy despite
its 100o Oechsle must weight. 1 star.
Gunderloch 2003 Riesling Spätlese Nackenheimer
Rothenberg
($35) Candied lemon, pineapple, smoked meat and ripe peach aromas. In
the mouth this is rich, faintly oily and honeyed, silky in texture, but
also very clear and refreshing, preserving a vivid fresh fruit character
and a lot of spritz, both of which help to balance a notably high level
of residual sugar. Long, pure finish of pineapple, honey, almond paste
and sassafras. This tasting note is actually an amalgam of two notes on
the wine, with two different bottling dates. Without doubt, the quality
of both bottlings merits 2 stars.
Gunderloch 2003 Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule Nackenheimer
Rothenberg (half bottle)
($87) Honey, melon and toasted almond aromas. Deep, rich fruit concentration,
with smoky terroir-typical accents and subtly bitter expression of botrytis.
Candied peach and caramelized plum in the finish, with an overtone of
radish and a faint bitterness that needs to more completely integrate.
1 star.
Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenau (Nahe
region) Jan/Feb 05
By David Schildknecht
If results here this year were not quite as amazing as in 2002, there
can only be so many collections like that even in a decade. The team here
is still in top form, rest assured, and those riesling enthusiasts who,
like me, have only recently discovered Schafer-Frohlich have some catching
up (and some buying) to do. "We were finished harvesting before the
end of October," relates Karin Frohlich, "before the time when
we started in many vintages. We didn't acidify any riesling. They all
came in around seven or seven and a half grams of acid and I think that
was sufficient. " A higher percentage of wines fermented spontaneously
compared with last year, and while this may ultimately be a positive trend,
it might also account for the overriding sense of youthful fructose and
sweetness that in a couple of instances prevented me from judging wines
to be star-worthy. (Rudi Wiest)
Also recommended:
Schäfer-Fröhlich 2003 Riesling Dry (Trocken) Bockenauer Felseneck,
Schäfer-Fröhlich 2003 Riesling Spätlese Dry (Trocken) Bockenauer
Felseneck,
Schäfer-Fröhlich 2003 Riesling Dry "Grosses Gewächs"
Monzinger Halenberg,
Schäfer-Fröhlich 2003 Riesling medium-dry (Halbtrocken) Bockenauer,
Schäfer-Fröhlich 2003 Riesling Kabinett Bockenauer Felseneck,
Schäfer-Fröhlich 2003 Riesling Spätlese Monzinger Halenberg,
Schäfer-Fröhlich 2003 Riesling Auslese A. P. #18 Bockenauer
Felseneck.
Schäfer-Fröhlich 2003 Riesling Dry (Trocken)
From the Bockenauer Stromberg, although not vineyard-designated on the
label, this displays fresh lime fruit and a lovely Chablis-like combination
of brothy-meaty and chalky oyster shell minerality. There is a satiny
texture and a nice sense of density, but also liveliness and refreshment
despite rather low acidity by the numbers. Piquant nuttiness and distinct
minerality in the finish. Excellent value. 1 star.
Schäfer-Fröhlich 2003 Riesling Spätlese
Trocken Schlossbockelheimer Felsenberg
The Frohlichs' 2003 yields in this classic volcanic site were extremely
reduced and one tastes it. A bouquet of peony flowers with site-typical
pungent smokiness lurking in the background. Lean and dense on the palate,
with a brothy, smoky expression of minerals. Blackcurrant and woodsmoke
finishing flavors, with a mere hint of bitterness and more than enough
brightness and lift. This wine was one of several candidates here this
year for labeling as Grosses Gewachs and in my view significantly superior
to a Monzinger Halenberg riesling that they chose to bottle as Grosses
Gewachs. While the Frohlichs would not want to see dry rieslings with
well over 13% alcohol repeated here very often, their more successful
dry 2003s, like this one, still display the classic, elegant Nahe interplay
of fruit and mineral. A Halbtrocken Spätlese from this site incidentally
was much less successful. 1 star.
Schäfer-Fröhlich 2003 Riesling Dry "Grosses
Gewächs" Monzinger Fruhlingsplatzchen
Floral, distilled raspberry, and blackcurrant aromas. Full and dense on
the palate, displaying the concentrated phenolics of small-berry concentration,
yet juicy and ingratiating as well. Finishes with long if somewhat bittersweet
flavors of bush fruits and orchard fruit pits. The considerable age of
vines here and consequently well-developed root system were, Karin Frohlich
opines, critical to the success of the wine. It is unusual for an "outsider"
to be able to purchase old vines in an optimal site in Monzingen, but
here the gradient was so steep, she explains, that no other locals wanted
to deal with it any more than did the former owner. 1 star.
Schäfer-Fröhlich 2003 Riesling Spätlese
A. P. #14 Bockenauer Felseneck
($30) Fresh strawberry and lime aromas. Lime-strawberry-raspberry sorbet
character on the palate, with a real refinement of fruit flavors and subtle
minerality. The finish displays a gorgeous liqueur-like concentration
of red fruits, citrus, distilled herbal essences, and mineral salts-free
of any bitterness and retaining lift and delicacy. 2 stars.
Schäfer-Fröhlich 2003 Riesling Spätlese
A. P. #17 Gold Capsule Bockenauer Felseneck
One of numerous spontaneously fermented wines in the 2003 collection,
this exhibits a youthfully yeasty overlay and overt sweetness although
that manages not to become obtrusive. Honeyed richness, tropical fruits,
muskmelon and ripe grapefruit citricity on the palate are set off against
wet stone and saline minerality. The long finish stays juicy and invigorating,
with savory mineral accents. (By the way, I retasted the 2002 version,
and it was once again nothing short of spectacular.) Potential 2 stars.
Schäfer-Fröhlich 2003 Riesling Auslese
Gold Capsule A. P. #19 Bockenauer Felseneck
(half bottle)
($70; for 375 ml.) Mango and apricot preserve aromas. Liqueur-like richness
on the palate, with an oily, warm consistency of honey and jam. Pure and
clear in flavors, this clings imposingly, with suggestions of honey, white
raisin and baking spices. This may lack the dynamic character of the best
2002s at this address, but its flamboyant richness is compelling. 2 stars.
Schäfer-Fröhlich 2003 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese
Bockenauer Felseneck (half bottle)
($750; for 375 ml.) For the first time, the estate harvested TBA-and not
one but two. The shriveled berries were sorted over and over to obtain
such quality. This wine represents a blend of a batch brought in at 280
degrees Oechsle that only made it to 3. 5% alcohol with another somewhat
less ripe portion that achieved 9%. It had only just been filtered when
I tasted. The tiny balance of the 280-degree batch has been left to work
its way toward wine. Apricot paste and radish aromas, the latter no doubt
accentuated by recent sulfuring. Plush and viscous in the mouth, yet exhibiting
a lovely delicacy and transparency with citricity and florality. Compact,
with thickly layered flavors, yet not at all heavy. The finish exhibits
superconcentrated pit fruits, nut oils, honey and brown spices in buttered
pastry. 2 stars.
Rudi Wiest Selections
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