Riesling SWAG 2018
Restaurant Vlet, Hamburg / Speicherstadt
Tasted Saturday, April 14, 2018 by NoTrollingerPlease with 350 views
Introduction
The 2nd SWAG. Epic Riesling night with great wines, fantastic Somms and very good talks.
My notes are rather short and I tried to be as objective as possible. But keep in mind I had around 40 wines this night :)
Flight 1 (33 Notes)
Closing
Again a fantastic evening. Did not had this UNIQUE wine like last year, but the overall level was very good and high. The wines from Theresa Breuer were really awesome and in the end: Riesling rocks!!!
1990 Weingut Weik Mußbacher Eselshaut Riesling Spätlese 90 Points
Germany, Pfalz
Perfect magnum bottle and a good start into the evening. Never heard of this winery before. Smoke and speck on nose and palate, good extract and pressure. Beautiful length, balanced. 90
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1987 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spätlese Goldkapsel 94 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
I had this wine one year ago at the pre-tasting of the Trier auction and knew, this is a SWAG wine :) It was very late harvested and with partial frozen berries, so a little bit of Icewine in here.
Perfect magnum bottle straight out of Zilliken’s cellar. Perfect combination of sweetness and racy, vibrant acidity. Very young, without much signs of maturity. Citrus fruit, lots of herbs, very elegant and balanced, long and lingering. This bottle would have had potential for another decade. 94++
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1983 Freiherr von Ritter'schen Riesling Schloss Groenesteyn Kiedricher Wasserrose Kabinett 87 Points
Germany, Rheingau
Pale golden yellow color. On the nose a bit of cellar mold, but not flawed. On the palate lean, well integrated acidity, some yellow stone fruit and some bitter notes. Certainly not an optimal bottle but joyful to drink. 87-88
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1999 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Loibner Berg 93 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Clean, medium golden yellow. Intense, developing nose, compact, deep with lots of spices and mineral notes.
Dry, good, lively acidity. 13,5% abv alc. Incredibly salty (salted lemons), herbs, few fruit, no or very few botrytis. Great texture and balance. Potential for at least 5+ years of development. 93+
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1976 Graf zu Hoensbroech Wiltinger Kupp Riesling Auslese 92 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Clear, pale amber color. Clean, medium intense nose with lots of botrytis, spices, herbs and signs of maturity. Really nice perfume.
On the palate wonderful sweetness, well balanced by the still well integrated acidity. Honey, ripe yellow stone fruit, some mineral notes. Beautiful balance and elegance. Good length. No potential, drink within the next years. 92-93
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1990 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel 92 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Pale amber color. Clean, “dirty” nose, dense, some petrol and signs of maturity.
Bone dry (about 1,2gr/l residual sugar). No botrytis. Rather lean, good pressure and tension, salty, still vibrant acidity. Very good, but at least this bottle was certainly declining. 91-92
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2004 Schäfer-Fröhlich Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Großes Gewächs 94 Points
Germany, Nahe
I was a little worried about the capsule, but it turned out to be a perfect bottle. Pale golden yellow color. Crystal clear nose, still some sulphur and reductive notes, deep, dense and multi-layered.
Dry, perfect, vibrant and fresh acidity. Clear fruit, salty citrus notes. Freshness combined with elegance and tension. Wonderful length. Certainly at its peak, but will stay there for several more years. 93-94++
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1996 Georg Breuer Rauenthaler Nonnenberg Riesling 93 Points
Germany, Rheingau
From Magnum. Pale golden yellow color. Lots of green herbs and crushed stones in the beautiful nose. On the palate bone dry, very lean, precise and elegant. Driven by salty notes, few fruit, lots of energy and balance. Good length. This bottle had certainly potential for another decade. 93+
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2001 Georg Breuer Rüdesheimer Berg Schloßberg Riesling 94 Points
Germany, Rheingau
From 6l bottle! Pale yellow-golden color. Wonderful nose with a beautiful combination of yellow and white fruit, herbs and mineral notes. Deep and dense.
Bone dry. Perfect vibrant acidity. Very harmonic, balanced and elegant but also lots of pressure and tension. I usually find this combination only in great red Burgundies. Long finish. Great potential! 94+
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1997 Georg Breuer Rüdesheimer Berg Schloßberg Riesling 96 Points
Germany, Rheingau
Unfortunately our bottle at the table had corked, but we had the lucky chance to taste another bottle. Thank god! Clear, pale golden color. Can’t describe this wine in parts but as a whole: I got goose bumps during tasting! Electrifying and vibrant. Very complex and multi-layered. Precise like a Yedi light sabre, awesome minerality. Certainly my dry wine of the night! Potential for another decade. 96-97.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2008 Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Auslese trocken "R" 90 Points
Germany, Pfalz
Pale golden color. Clean nose, a bit blurred, fresh lemonade.
Dry. Dropsy and tastes of fresh lemonade. Rather soft, a bit one-dimensional. From my experiences with this wine so far I would say that it is way too young and/or needs much more air. In this state around 89-90. NR
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2008 Weingut Keller Hubacker Riesling Großes Gewächs 90 Points
Germany, Rheinhessen
2008 was one of the best Hubacker vintages I have ever had so far. Unfortunately, this bottle does not belong to that. Pale golden color. Nose with lots of vegetables and freshly cooked potatoes. Not flawed, but very strange. On the palate you can feel the vibrant energy and the boldness of the Hubacker vineyard, but it also had this green note from the stems. Just a bad phase or a bad bottle? I don’t really know. 90+
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2007 Emrich-Schönleber Halenberg Riesling Großes Gewächs 93 Points
Germany, Nahe
What a beautiful flight to have these two vineyards side by side! Pale golden color. Clean, medium intense and rather warm nose with some honey, ripe yellow fruit and some crushed stones.
On the palate very vibrant and energetic. Ripe yellow fruit, something “dirty”, crushed stones. Perfect balance, quite young. Beautiful lingering finish. 93+
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2007 Emrich-Schönleber Monzinger Frühlingsplätzchen Riesling Großes Gewächs 92 Points
Germany, Nahe
What a beautiful flight to have these two vineyards side by side! Pale golden color. Straight from the vintner’s cellar. Clean nose, quite locked and muted, Reductive notes, some sulphur.
Dry, good acidity. Some passion fruit, floral notes. Very fine and elegant. Good tension and pressure though. Very young, needs more time (at least this bottle). 92+
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1999 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Forster Pechstein Riesling 92 Points
Germany, Pfalz
Almost crystal clear, pale yellow color. Nose quite muted and closed.
Bone dry, medium+, perfectly integrated, racy acidity. Beautiful citrus fruit and saltiness. Soft, round and perfectly balanced. Unbelievable, but I think this wine is not even close to its peak and pretty youthful. Lots of potential for the next decade. 92+++
For others this was their WOTN with score > 95. Maybe I am wrong (or was already drunk?....)
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1975 Graf zu Hoensbroech Niedermemminger Sonnenberg Riesling Auslese 89 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Pale yellow golden color. Fully developed nose with lovely notes of burnt almonds and some cellar mould. On the palate more off-dry than sweet. Medium acidity, still good integrated. Vanilla crescents and fresh baked cookies. Creamy and silky. Nice, but not very complex. Drink up. 89-90.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1990 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese 95 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Pale amber color. Wonderful, classic Grünhaus nose with lots of tea, green herbs, tangerine.
Off-dry, perfect integrated, racy acidity. Pure elegance and balance! Tea, herbs, tangerine juice poured over wet rocks. Astonishingly fresh. Had also Grünhaus Eiswein and BA this night, but I would always prefer this classic Spät- or Auslese style! Potential for at least 5+ years. Grünhaus from the 80ies and 90ies is always a safe bet! 94-95
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2001 Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Auslese trocken "R" 94 Points
Germany, Pfalz
What a difference compared to the 2008 Auslese R. Very close to the 1997 Breuer Schlossberg in its vibrancy and energy. Iodine, salt. Lean, focus, elegance and precision. Has decades ahead! 94-95+++
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1983 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 93 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
We had this bottle twice this night. First bottle had a slight cork unfortunately. Second bottle really sung! Clear, golden color. Fully mature nose with lots of smoke, speck and malt.
Not as luscious or baroque as expected. Rather lean and precise. Sweetness has almost fully blended in, off-dry. Speck, smoke and green herbs on the palate. Wonderful length. Drink now, will not get any better. 92-93.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1997 Emrich-Schönleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Spätlese halbtrocken 92 Points
Germany, Nahe
Pale golden color. Interesting nose with strong flavors of cake (reminded me a lot of German “Bienenstich” cake).
Off-dry, very fine, ripe acidity, fine, ripe yellow fruit. Great elegance and balance. Nice, medium+ finish, still very young. 92-93
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1997 Weingut Keller Riesling Auslese 91 Points
Germany, Rheingau
What an interesting pleasure to taste: This wine was IMHO never sold. It was the Diploma thesis of Klaus Peter Keller. The first and most probably only Rheingau Riesling I will ever taste from him. Pale amber color. Sweet, balanced by a very nice and racy acidity. Very concentrated and with lots of extract. Wonderful length. A bit more bold or hedonistic than his later sweet wines, but still very beautiful. 91+++
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1996 Egon Müller/Le Gallais Wiltinger Braune Kupp Riesling Spätlese Auction 92 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Pale yellow color. Nose is a bit muted, pure, petrol, few fruit. Off-dry, beautiful vibrant acidity. Very precise. Still too young and not fully developed. Needs another decade. 92+++
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1999 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Grünlack Spätlese Trocken 88 Points
Germany, Rheingau
Good wine, but lacks complexity to compete with all the awesome wines of this evening. Salty. Medium- length. Drink over the next 3-5 years. 88-89
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1937 Weingut A. Gillot Oppenheimer Sackträger Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese 95 Points
Germany, Rheinhessen
From 0,75l bottle. Re-corked at the winery some years ago, perfect bottle. Drinking wines that old is always a privilege and you cannot do these wines any justice in trying to rate them in some way. Nevertheless I will try :)
Medium, glowing amber color. Intense, fully developed nose with lots of firn, speck, smoke and malt. Difficult to explain, but a wonderful perfume that has nothing in common with classic Riesling.
Sweetness has blended in so it was more off-dry than sweet. Very deep, complex and multi-layered. Smokiness, malt, honey, ripe fruit, all woven together. Still well balanced. Very long and lingering. Unfortunately in the end and with air some slight notes of wet cardboard, but overall a brilliant wine. 95
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2007 Weingut Keller Abts E®.de Riesling Großes Gewächs 92 Points
Germany, Rheinhessen
From Magnum. Pale yellow color. Very reductive nose, some rubber. I guess it needs lots of air to fully blossom.
Give it 5+ more years to fully develop. Everything is there: Enormous tension and pressure, extract and a beautiful salty-mineral core. Seems still nervous and not yet ready. Great potential. Give it 5+ years. 92+++
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2010 Weingut Keller Morstein Riesling Großes Gewächs 94 Points
Germany, Rheinhessen
Pale golden color. Ripe yellow fruit, candied pineapple in the nose. This is a stunner in the making! Bone dry, perfect high and surprisingly ripe acidity. Driven by mineral notes, not by fruit. Lean, precise and elegant, but with a velvet punch. Let it develop for 3-5 more years and you will be highly rewarded. 93-94+++
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1996 Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Beerenauslese 92 Points
Germany, Rheingau
From ½ bottle. Brown, PX Sherry like color. In the nose Pumpernickel, dried apricots, nuts.
Lusciously sweet, balanced by high, almost painful acidity. Very concentrated. At this early stage or without decanting it presents as rather one-dimensional and cannot compete with the complexity of the great Spät- and Auslesen that we had this night. I guess it needs 20+ more years to reveal its true nature. 91-92+++ at the moment.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2003 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Rosalack Auslese 92 Points
Germany, Rheingau
From ½ bottle. Medium amber color. Nose was very muted, not really appealing. On the palate very sweet, high acidity. Almost BA style of wine. Lots of ripe white and yellow fruit. Warm, concentrated. Way too young! Needs at least 10+ years of development. 92+++
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1998 Müller-Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Riesling Eiswein 90 Points
Germany, Pfalz
Medium amber color with a pink hue. Nose with some floral notes, bread, not very expressive or appealing.
Sweet, laser sharp acidity, very concentrated. Some strange, undefinable flavors. A bit disappointing as I know how great at least the ripe Rieslaner wines from MC can be. Not my cup of tea. Bad bottle? 90-91
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1976 Jos. Christoffel Jr. (Christoffel-Prüm) Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese ***** 96 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Yessss! Finally a Christoffel from a perfect bottle. Five stars promises much and the wine delivers: Wonderful complex, deep nose with a blend of fine yellow fruit, smokiness, malt and speck. On the palate medium-sweet, balanced, creamy and mouth coating. Did not have the vibrant energy or precision of the other great sweet wines of this evening, but a wonderful “dark” and “dirty” concentration. Unbelievable long and lingering. Awesome wine! 96+
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1992 Weingut Knoll Riesling Smaragd Ried Schütt 92 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Clean, pale yellow color. Great tension on the palate. Bone dry. No Botrytis. Wonderful elegance, lots of salty mineral notes. More Nahe style than Wachau. 92+
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2003 Weingut Weik Mußbacher Eselshaut Riesling Beerenauslese 92 Points
Germany, Pfalz
Clear, pale amber color. Nice notes of vanilla crescent and herbs in the nose. Lusciously sweet, but balanced with high and well integrated acidity. Round, warm, compact and balanced. Good length. Needs 10+ years to fully unfold. 92-93. For 30 EUR a bargain.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1995 Emrich-Schönleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Auslese *** 92 Points
Germany, Nahe
Pale golden amber color. Concentrated nose (last wine of the evening). Sweet, extreme acidity, very lemony, a bit tart. Makes the wine rather lean. Ripe yellow fruit, good length, some mature notes. Drink up, will most probably not improve. 92+
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue