2010 Rieslings blind, mostly German kabinett 12/7/2011

Chez JC/DK, TriBeCa
Tasted Wednesday, December 7, 2011 by Matt Neel with 721 views

Introduction

Notes on a tasting held by JC and DK at their home on 7 Dec 2011. This was primarily a trade tasting.

A couple of comments are in order, I think: these 2010s are the greatest young Rieslings I have ever tasted. I had '88-'90 on release and these 2010s were far more intense and, well, better. That said, I was completely out of the picture for 2001, and haven't had those wines. Anyway, despite no spat/aus level wines, I thought a couple of them were at that ripeness.

All of the peer-appropriate wines were terrific. #3, for me, was head and shoulders above the others in cellar-worthy quality, but is not for the acid-averse. Several others were awesome, too, as is obvious. #11 was a good wine, but out of place at a strict tasting, i.e. no real food and overall a different style of wine.

Flight 1 (12 Notes)

  • 2010 A.J. Adam Hofberg Riesling Kabinett

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Tasted double blind. Very pale straw, limned with green. Nose fresh, bare edge of sulphur, peach pit. Palate intense, v v peachy. Intense long finish. Evokes a very specific memory: '04 Monchhof Mosel Slate, a strong compliment as that was a splendid, TANGY wine (I think it was Erdener Treppchen spat fruit), but this one is more intense. This is a kabinett with the fruit density of a spatlese, at least. Terrific length, v v long grapefruit tang. A/A+

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  • 2010 Weingut Reinhold Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Tasted double blind. Very pale straw w/ a lot of green. Nose rather reduced and opaque, maybe a little grapefruit peeking through. Palate big and polished, glycerin, but quite dry (with a mouthwatering relief of sweetness, yep: a paradox, the Loki spirit of German Riesling). Wonderful, long tangerine finish; wow! Now great structure and mouthwatering acidity. Great winemaker (steward, perhaps a better word) clearly evident. Very, very good. A/A+.

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  • 2010 Schloss Lieser Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Tasted double blind. Very pale straw/green. A whiff of cork -- definitely a little mustiness. But then: peachy fruit behind it. Palate has GREAT tart acid, at first searing, but with cars, trucks, buses, container-ships of fruit unloading extract behind the acid; Granny Smith makes your mouth water, kid. Again, v young and tangy. Wow! Incredible length of grapefruit. First-rate, a monster. A+ Absolutely 100% my WOTN.

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  • 2010 Carl Loewen Leiwener Klostergarten Riesling Kabinett

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Tasted double blind. Very pale straw, with green. Nose has some banana/sulphur, some lacquer. Palate has more mellow acid than #3 (Lieser), inevitably, rounder. Seems a classic spat profile. Medium length, pales in this company, but still quite refined. B+/A-

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  • 2010 Dönnhoff Kreuznacher Krötenpfuhl Riesling Kabinett

    Germany, Nahe

    Tasted double blind. Very very pale straw, barely green, barely any color at all. Banana/sulphur; v similar nose to #4 (Loewen). Lots of spritz. Medium acidity, medium length, hard to read, opaque. Needs some time. Kabinett? (A-, on texture and raw qualities)

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  • 2010 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Tasted double blind. Pale straw, good green, edge of gold (pretty!). Very distinct sour gueuze edge on nose, like funky-fine wild yeast at play; nice complication; urine and varnish, completely consistent with the gueuze allusion. Wow! on palate, v classy and polished. Wonderful length. v v good. The most haunting note of tangy golden raisin just rings bells on the door of your palate: bing-bong drink me. Super persistent, killer length. Auslese? A/A+

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  • 2010 Weiser-Künstler Enkircher Ellergrub Riesling Kabinett

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Tasted double blind. Pale straw with green. Deep, bewitching nose, shifting minerals and passion fruit, very active. Great nose. Some spritz. Tangy acid and a noticeable pinch of spice. Needs 8(!)-years minimum. Wow. Glorious long finish. This reminded me very much of a young J.Jo. Prum wine, at the spat/aus level. A/A+

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  • 2010 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Tasted double blind. Very pale straw. Classic tangy grapefruit nose, plus a little hit of ash and some varnish. Palate calm, distinctly herbal, pretty classic kabinett, not super tautly-structured but more in the line of tasty and sophisticated. Good peachy length. A-/A

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  • 2010 Emrich-Schönleber Monzinger Riesling Kabinett

    Germany, Nahe

    Tasted double blind. Tasted double blind. Pale straw with lots of green. Nose of varnish, citrus skin, fairly tight. Palate quite interesting, mineral, controlled acidity, but very deep fruit, very pure. Greatly long. Good breed, needs time. Much potential here. A

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  • 2010 Peter Lauer Ayler Kupp Riesling Senior Faß 6

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Tasted double blind. Very pale straw with lots of green. Classic Riesling nose, touch of sulphur, kiwifruit, a little melon. Spritzy, dry, again not sure this is German (but dry Riesling is decidedly not my cup of tea -- never has been, never will be). Hotter than the above wines with higher alcohol. Medium length. Shows here like a dog at a cat show, at least for me; not bad, necessarily, just out of place. Judgment reserved.

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  • 2010 Hiedler Riesling Perfume

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal

    Pale white with green. Shy nose (especially after #11, the Emrich-Schoenleber), mineral, just a dose of banana, some tarragon. Palate fairly dry but intense; kabinett. Good citrus length, good weight. Closed. A-

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  • 2010 Weingut Familie Rauen Riesling halbtrocken

    Germany

    V pale with green. Plenty of banana, definitely Riesling, but German? on nose. Minerals and melons. Palate quite dry, rich, glycerin, minerals. Not a pradikat wine, I think. Not bad, but not inviting in this company. Judgment reserved.

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Closing

The order of the wines was:

1. AJ Adam Hoffberg Kabinett
2. Reinhold Haart-Goldtropfchen Kabinett
3. Lieser Brauneberger-Juffer Kabinett
4. Carl Loewen Klostergarten Kabinett
5. Donnhoff Krotenpfuhl Kabinett
6. Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Kabinett
7. Wiesler-Kuntsler Ellergrub Kabinett
8. Willi-Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett
9. Emrich-Schoenleber Monzinger Kabinett
10. Schafer-Frohlich Bockenauer Kabinett
11. Lauer #6
12. Hiedler Perfume
13. Rauen Halbtrocken

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