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Deutschland
Wine Exchange - Orange, CA
Tasted May 22, 2010 by Badfish with 647 views
Introduction
Well well well, another superb German tasting at Winex. These tastings are always great values but that is usually the case when you are dealing with these wines. As usual there were several solid values interspersed with perennial all stars. The wines from Hexamer, St. Urbans-Hof, and Reichsrat von Buhl were particularly special values offering the entire package at friendly price points. The wines from Prüm were stunningly brilliant as expected with the Müller-Catoir holding its own. I always look forward to these tastings and this one did not disappoint. Speaking of which there is a 2009 German tasting on the Winex schedule in October so I can't wait for that one.
Flight 1 - Trocken (2 notes)
White
2007 Weingut Rudi & Herta Veit Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett feinherb Alte Reben
90 points
Very pure and high toned on the nose with citrus and slate aromas. The palate is superb with great density and sweetness to the yellow fruit flavors that are balanced by fresh acidity. Superb for the price.
White - Off-dry
2007 Gerhard Hattenheimer Wisselbrunnen Riesling Spätlese halbtrocken
92 points
The aromas are more delicate here showing notes of white flowers, stone fruits, and minerals. The palate offers great density and power however with bright flavors of lemon curd, stone fruits, and white currants. Like most Gerhard wines I have tried this offers superb extract, laser like acidity, and a long finish.
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Flight 2 - QbA (3 notes)
White
2008 Gunderloch Fritz's Riesling
86 points
Stone fruit driven on the nose with some musky perfume thrown in. In the mouth this is sweet and glossy with low fruit density in an approachable style. There is some minerality to balance the sweetness yielding a quaffable though simple wine.
White
2009 Nik Weis / St. Urbans-Hof Riesling QbA
89 points
Really nice complexity from the glass with notes of honeysuckle, savory, candy, and stones. Very solid on the palate as well with zingy acidity, balanced sweetness, and yellow fruits buttressed by spices. Great character and density for this level.
White
2007 Hexamer Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Riesling Quarzit
91 points
Expressive and unique on the nose with aromas of citrus, minerals, and biscuit. There is superb density, sweetness, and acidity on the palate along with great persistence. The flavors tend towards yellow fruits and complicating mineral essence. This is a really fine wine from a single vineyard at an attractive price point.
Flight 3 - Kabinett (6 notes)
White
2007 Weingut Johannishof (H.H. Eser) Johannisberg "G" Riesling Kabinett
88 points
Reticent but sweet on the nose with notes of citrus and minerals. The palate is also subtle with apple and pear combined with good acidity and minerality. This seems to be a touch subdued at the moment so I think it needs time to blossom.
White
2008 J & HA Strub Niersteiner Riesling Kabinett
87 points
Superb complexity on the bouquet with aromas of biscuit, slate, mint, and underlying sweetness. The flavors are more one dimensional in the mouth showing simple yellow fruits and nice acidity. A solid wine at a great price for a big bottle.
White
2007 Gunderloch Jean Baptiste Riesling Kabinett
88 points
Detailed and dense on the nose with aromas of slate, fresh herbs, and stone fruits. The palate opens up with grippy stones leading to subtle sweetness to the fruit. This wine has a ton of mineral density yielding a backward structured style.
White
2008 Reichsrat Von Buhl Riesling Kabinett Armand
88 points
Restrained with subtle sweetness on the nose showing notes of stone and white fruits. Very fruit driven in the mouth with a glossy texture and flavors of yellow fruits, minerals, and spices. This wine is very fruit driven with a lovely seductive nature.
White
2007 Josef Bernard Kieren Graacher Domprobst Riesling Kabinett *
89 points
Slightly reticent here but with good sweetness to the stone fruit and apple aromas. The palate is structured but the components are there with dense fruit and great minerality. A very solid wine with admirable persistence for this level.
White
2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett
93 points
Utterly unique with a touch of sulfur on the nose, this shows aromas of burnt tire, flint, and crushed stones. The minerality is really overwhelming on the bouquet, totally dominating the fruit at this point. The palate is simply effortless with a glossy texture to the dense fruit and mineral extract. While soft texturally the fruit is bright and combines with the stone complexities for stunning character. Easily the best to this point of the tasting and a great introduction to Prum.
Flight 4 - Spätlese (7 notes)
White - Off-dry
2009 Nik Weis / St. Urbans-Hof Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spätlese
90 points
This thing just oozes rock and funk showing aromas of medicinal bubblegum, slate, and delicate sweetness. The funky character carries over to the palate which offers dense fruit and minerality character throughout. Quite unique and could be polarizing but I love the crazy character of this wine.
White
2007 Ninety+ Cellars Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spätlese Lot 13
87 points
Delicate and straightforward on the nose with citrus and stone fruits. Zingy but supple on the palate with sweet straightforward fruit in a one dimensional style. This is solid with plenty of fruit character I just wish there was more minerality and complexity.
White - Off-dry
2008 Schafer Reichart Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Spätlese
88 points
This shows attractive sweetness and mineral character to the aromas of melon and stone fruits. The palate opens up with fresh tension leading to gripping stones and yellow fruit flavors. This wine offers respectable density but I would like to see a little more power.
White - Off-dry
2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese
94 points
A wine that kills you with softness on the nose, the delicate aromas just waft out of the glass with notes of flowers, white fruits, stone fruits, and crushed stones. In the mouth this is just so glossy and approachable yet really fresh from the acidity through the finish. Wow there is really tremendous density to the sweet fruit flavors of apple, yellow fruits, and spices. This wine has a lot to offer, from the texture to the density to the complexity, it is just a superb offering.
White - Off-dry
2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese
95 points
The seductive delicacy turns up here as well but the character is strikingly different from the Graacher. The aromas are more mineral driven and stunningly unique with notes of slate, rubber, musky flowers, and stone fruits. As expected the palate offers amazing texture to the ultra dense flavors of melon, stalk, and stone fruits. The minerality is even more pronounced with supporting acidity that provides gorgeous balance throughout. On point and slightly more brilliant than the Graacher because of the mineral character.
White - Off-dry
2005 Müller-Catoir Gimmeldinger Mandelgarten Riesling Spätlese
94 points
Tremendously complex and elegant on the nose with notes of resin, yellow fruits, flowers, and melon. The flavors are really complex on the palate with notes of pineapple, crushed stones, and stone fruits. This wine is dense with tremendous persistence and a stunning texture throughout. More radiant and detailed than the Prums at this stage but not quite as effortless.
White - Off-dry
2005 Reichsrat Von Buhl Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad Scheurebe Spätlese
93 points
Now this wine is really unique, the aromas are overwhelming with notes of catnip, lime zest, stalk, and green fruits. Superbly stunning on the palate with stone and fruit flavors that offer an almost jelly-like textural impression. This was my first experience with Scheurebe and I have to say this wine has real character and amazing style.
Flight 5 - Süßwein (2 notes)
White - Off-dry
2007 Gerhard Hattenheimer Hassel Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel
92 points
There are really high toned aromas here with notes of honeycomb, musk, white raisins, and botrytized grapes. The palate offers seductive gloss to the flavors of honey, tropical fruit, and spices. The texture is almost like a grippy marmalade supported by fresh acidity. The fruit is undeniably attractive but I would like to see a little more focus in the form of mineral backbone. That is probably asking too much from this style and price point so I will simply say the wine is great.
White - Off-dry
2006 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel
96 points
This Prum seems to offer what I was looking for from the Gerhard. The bouquet offers stunning stone and slate driven notes overlaying the sweet fruit aromas of apple, pear, and peach. The palate is glossy and honeyed with superb acidity lifting the endless flavors of guava, mango, stone fruits, and spices. As the flavors continue they turn to brown sugar on the finish and finally an almost glue-like impression at the very end. This wine is really quite amazing because the Auslese level fruit density is combined with striking minerality, which in my experience is a unique phenomenon.