Important Update From the Founder
Read message >
Riesling Swag 2018
Vlet Hamburg
Tasted April 17, 2018 by octopussy with 423 views
Introduction
Notes from the 2nd edition of Riesling Swag held on 14 April 2018 at Restaurant Vlet in Hamburg. Most wines were only briefly tasted.
Flight 1 - Introduction - Dry Grünhaus from Magnums (2 notes)
Great apéritif - Ultimately, the 1983 Auslese trocken was the better wine, but the 1995 Kabinett trocken was more Grünhaus typical in my view.
White
1983 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Auslese trocken
90 points
Magnum. Medium yellow colour. The nose is a bit waxy with bee pollen, yellow flowers, some honey and also some citrus fruit (lime and lemon) as well as hints of green spring herbs. In the mouth, it's quite "lean and mean", quite acidic, a bit simple and rustic in texture, but with impressive lightness and airiness. Drinks well and has kept incredibly well.
White
1995 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Kabinett trocken
88 points
Magnum. Light to medium yellow colour. Very Grünhaus style nose with kaffir lime leaves, lemon balm, fresh mint and also hints of white currant. In the mouth, it's light, but quite well balanced with fresh, but not racy acidity, the style is quite clear and precise. Decent length. Good.
Flight 2 - Table Introduction - 2010 Weiser Künstler (2 notes)
Loved both wines, but especially the Große Eule. A very light rendition of a GG style dry Riesling.
White
2010 Weiser-Künstler Enkircher Ellergrub Riesling Kabinett
89 points
Light yellow. Very balanced nose with white fruit and flowers, herbal notes, elegant. Also very balanced in the mouth, tastes more half-dry than sweetish (despite quite high residual sugar), the acidity is harmonius. Very fresh.
White
2010 Weiser-Künstler Trabener Gaispfad Riesling Große Eule
93 points
Very light yellow. Strong sponti funk in the nose, but not off-putting. Very earthy, herbal, white currant, sorrel, lemon balm, intense and electrifying. In the mouth, it continues that way, very dense despite being light on its feet, complex, great texture (light, but dense), well integrated acidity, tastes ultra-dry even if it may not be. Outstanding wine in an "alternative GG" way (lighter, less powerful, but equally intense).
Flight 3 - Loimer Seeberg Mini-Vertical (3 notes)
Very interesting mini-vertical of this wine. The 2004 was the stand-out. Looks like the wine needs some time in bottle to really shine.
White
2010 Loimer Riesling Reserve Seeberg
90 points
Medium yellow. Earthy and spicy nose, warm earth, a bit of baked apple and peach. Quite dense in the mouth, medium acidity, grippy texture, good length.
White
2008 Loimer Riesling Reserve Seeberg
91 points
Medium yellow. Complex nose of warm earth and exotic spices such as cloves and cinnamon, a touch of honey, maybe some botrytis. Good texture in the mouth, quite fresh acidity, a bit lighter than 2010 and 2004 drank alongside, good length.
White
2004 Loimer Riesling Seeberg
93 points
Medium yellow colour. Awesome nose, very calm and balanced, nothing sticking out, still young, but with "hidden complexity", it's not obvious, but you can sense it. Herbs and spices. Also very well balanced in the mouth, deep minerality, good grip, fine acidity, great length on the earthy side again. A real pleasure to drink.
Flight 4 - Heymann-Löwenstein vs. Zimmerling (2 notes)
A somewhat bad bottle of 2006 Uhlen Roth-Lay, quite disappointing. The Zimmerling was surprisingly good then.
White
2006 Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein Winninger Uhlen Riesling "R" Roth Lay
83 points
I've had three times before with consistent results (88-89 P). All bottles had a medium to light golden colour and were decently clean for a 2006. But this bottle was a bit of a mess with a dark golden colour and a nose full of unclean botrytis and overripe apple. Quite sweet and a tad bitter as well. You can drink it, but it's not much fun.
White
2008 Weingut Klaus Zimmerling Riesling "R"
90 points
Medium yellow colour. Quite nice nose with notes of apricots, spices and herbs, quite clean and fresh. Fairly concentrated in the mouth, dense, grippy, medium acidity, good complexity and length. Good stuff.
Flight 5 - Laible Plauelrain Spätlese Trocken Mini-Vertical (2 notes)
A corked bottle of 2000 made the mini-vertical impossible. The 2002 was nice, maybe not the last word in refinement and complexity, but really good.
White
2002 Andreas Laible Durbacher Plauelrain Klingelberger Spätlese trocken -SL-
90 points
Medium yellow colour. The nose is full of ripe fruit, going more in the direction of oranges and tangerines as well as red berries, yellow flowers and spices - not super elegant, rather "farmer boy" style. This continues in the mouth where the wine is not super dry, it has good grip, but the texture could be finer. Good length though. A pleasure to drink, but not outstanding.
Flight 6 - A dry voyage from Germany to Austria and Alsace (3 notes)
A dream flight, three wines of totally different character and style. The Zind-Humbrecht was quite rich and broad - oldschool Alsace style, but its minerality was otherworldly. Great bottle of 2001 Breuer Schlossberg - as subtle as it often is. The Nikolaihof was outstanding as well - a really unique wine.
White
2001 Georg Breuer Rüdesheimer Berg Schloßberg Riesling
95 points
Out of a 6.0 l bottle. Light to medium yellow colour. Beautiful nose, very typical for this wine regardless of vintage - white flowers, apricot and peach skin, some lemon, wet stones - very elegant, light and dynamic. Also great in the mouth, not bone dry, fresh acidity, great balance, rather subtle, not showy at all. Good length.
White
2005 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Clos Windsbuhl
96 points
Medium yellow colour. Great nose with tangerine, preserved lemon, earth and North African food inspired spices, really expressive, quite rich, but everything's in place. In the mouth, it's not really dry, more off-dry, but the acidity (9 g/l) keeps the sweetness in check, it's spicy and earthy again, but the real specialty of this wine is its intense and powerful minerality that shows in the finish. Fills the entire mouth, tickles the tongue and cheek from the inside and leaves a feeling of an exploding granite rock. An otherworldly experience.
White
2000 Nikolaihof Riesling Vinothek
94 points
Medium yellow. A very unique and Riesling untypical nose, a bit like other Nikolaihof Rieslings I've had. It's ultra perfumed and floral with notes of hibiscus, lilies and chrysanthemes, some raspberry and whipped cream on top of it. High pitched and somewhat weird, but very agreeable. In the mouth, it's dense and concentrated, but ultimately quite light, it dances around, it's somewhat airy. A very individualistic style, but I love it.
Flight 7 - 1999 Austria vs. Germany dry (2 notes)
Loved the Bürklin-Wolf, in the perfect drinking window. 1999 is legendary at B-W. The Prager was good, too, but still seemed at least five years too young.
White
1999 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Forster Pechstein Riesling
94 points
Medium yellow colour. Great nose, quite typical Bürklin-Wolf, with ripe peaches, apples and pears, hints of smoke and hot stone, floral notes, quite complex, very elegant. In the mouth, it's creamy, quite rich, but not broad, it's held together by fresh acidity and great concentration. Well aged, but it still seems like it could hold for another 5 years or so.
White
1999 Prager Riesling Smaragd Wachstum Bodenstein
91 points
~ 8 g/l residual sugar. Light to medium yellow colour. In the nose, this still seems very young, it's tight and a bit restrained, but it shows nice notes of funk, white fruit, flowers and green herbs. In the mouth, it tastes drier than it is, it's also quite tight, the acidity is well integrated, it's very structured and does not yet seem to unleash its full potential.
Flight 8 - 1990 Austria vs. Germany dry (2 notes)
Quite sour Prüm (despite the wonderful Middle-Mosel nose) and somewhat mild Stierschneider. More interesting than really outstandingly great.
White - Off-dry
1990 Joh. Jos. Prüm Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese
88 points
Third bottle I've had with consistent results. Medium yellow to light golden colour. In the nose, this is absolutely beautiful - as Middle Mosel as it gets. Ethereal, herb essence (woodruff, sorrel, nettle), a bit of lemon and lime, ripe red apple on top of that. Only slight notes of age. In the mouth, it cannot hold what the nose promises. The aromatics are also good, but the wine is extremely acidic and the acidity does not integrate with the rest of the wine. This would be an absolute beauty if it was an off-dry Spätlese. As a dry Spätlese, it's too sour for me.
White
1990 Kartäuserhof (Weingut Stierschneider) Riesling Smaragd Loibner Berg
89 points
Medium yellow. Quite nice nose, some petrol, some wet earth, fresh cut mushrooms. In the mouth, it's quite soft in acidity, but has good density and structure, a bit grainy in texture, lacks traction in the finish, but drinks quite well, really.
Flight 9 - A battery of off-dry Auslesen and Spätlesen (11 notes)
Some bad luck with these bottles, also some rather mediocre wines, but also some standouts. Loved the three Prüms, the Weiser-Künstler and the Egon Müller.
White - Off-dry
1990 Immich-Batterieberg Enkircher Batterieberg Riesling Auslese
flawed
Flawed bottle. The cork exploded when pulling it out with wine splashing out and one quarter of the cork falling into the bottle. The bottle was compromised and not represesentative for this wine. Cannot be rated.
White - Off-dry
1990 J. Lauerburg Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Auslese
85 points
Medium yellow colour. Decently attractive nose, even quite typical for the middle mosel around Bernkastel, but somewhat muted and without any brilliance. Equal feel in the mouth, somewhat muted, a bit rustic, it does not shine.
White - Off-dry
1990 Weingut Reinhold Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel
92 points
Medium golden colour. In the nose, this is quite opulent and rich with notes of red currant, raspberry and baked peach as well as some honey and clean botrytis spice. In the mouth, it's quite beautiful with lush sweetness, baked peach and apple again, a bit like eating cake at grandmothers on a Sunday. Long finish.
White - Off-dry
1988 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese
91 points
Light golden colour. In the nose, this shows its age, the fruit has faded a bit and has moved into a fresh mushrooms, cellar apple kind of direction. Still very attractive though with slightly spicy notes of nutmeg and chervil. Fresh in the mouth, fresher than the nose would suggest, lovely acidity and well integrated sweetness, piquant and quite detailed in the finish.
White - Off-dry
1995 Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Auslese ***
86 points
Medium golden to light amber color. A bit too dark for a wine of this age. Lots of (unclean) botrytis in the nose, moldy mushrooms, caramelized almonds, some honey, a bit wishy-washy. In the mouth, it's sweet and a bit simple, seems a bit burnt / caramelized. Long finish though. Not my style or not a perfect bottle.
White - Off-dry
1996 Egon Müller/Le Gallais Wiltinger Braune Kupp Riesling Spätlese Auction
93 points
Medium yellow colour. Very different than the 97 version of this wine and also quite different from from 99 version. The nose is very shy and subtle, there's some crystal clean stone pit fruit, subtle hints of slate, some spring herbs and hints of oriental spices. In the mouth, it's really well balanced, the acidity and sweetness blend well into each other, there's nothing sticking out. Long finish with a lot of detail.
White - Off-dry
2008 Weiser-Künstler Enkircher Ellergrub Riesling Spätlese
93 points
Very light yellow. The nose is still ultra-young with strong yeasty and sponti-stink notes, some slatey smokeyness, litchi and white currant fruit with also some peach skin. In the mouth, it's racy and not super sweet for a Spätlese, quite fresh acidity "eats up" the sweetness, it tickles the tongue and is very energetic and super harmonious. Awesome Spätlese.
White - Off-dry
2004 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel Auction
95 points
Medium yellow colour. Very nice nose with some subtle botrytis, slightly spicy, a bit of honey and gingerbread, underlined by notes of peach and apricot skin. Super elegant and typical gold cap Auslese style. This continues in the mouth where the wine is very well balanced, quite sweet, but also quite acidic, fresh overall. Racy and detailed long finish. Beautiful.
White - Off-dry
2002 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
94 points
Light yellow colour. Guessed Wehlener Sonnenuhr correctly, but the vintage only on the second attempt and Spätlese instead of Auslese. The nose is beautiful with white flowers, green herbs and some fresh, just ripe apricots. Super elegant, subtle and uplifting. In the mouth, it's equally subtle and elegant, you really have to look for the detail, the wine may feel a bit diluted at first sight, but it's not. More Spätlese than Auslese style sweetness, well balanced acidity, good length. Awesome wine of "soft tones".
2 people found this helpful
Comment
White - Off-dry
1959 Verwaltung der Staatlichen Weinbaudomänen Mainz Niersteiner Ölberg Riesling Auslese
88 points
Half bottle. Medium yellow colour. Decent nose, well aged, not too old, hints of mushrooms and damp earth, even some fruit left (baked apricots). Almost dry now in the mouth, not very complex, not as lush as some other 1959s.
White - Off-dry
1990 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese
93 points
I've had this many times and it always delivers great joy. Medium yellow colour. Great purity and tension, pine needles and green herbs in the nose, also some black currant. Great mouthfeel, light, very Spätlese in style, well integrated acidity, almost hidden sweetness great length. A wine of pure harmony.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Flight 10 - BA and Eiswein (4 notes)
The two Weiser-Künstler BAs were magical, the 2005 was beyond magic.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2006 Weiser-Künstler Enkircher Ellergrub Riesling Beerenauslese
94 points
Light amber colour. The nose is quite botrytis laden with concentrated honey, some caramel and christmas baking spices, really dense. In the mouth, it's super sweet, but also shows bright acidity, not 100% clean, but clean enough to shine. Super long finish. Impressive.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2005 Weiser-Künstler Enkircher Ellergrub Riesling Beerenauslese
99 points
First vintage of Weiser-Künstler - with a near perfect BA. Medium golden colour. In the nose, this is heartbreakingly beautiful - super clean botrytis, it tastes like it was selected berry for berry, warm and inviting, some peach and apricot, apple and slate, light honey and white flowers. Ultra complex. In the mouth, this has it all - lush sweetness, bright acidity, it's like someone turns the lights on, requires attention, unbelievably complex and long finish. Outstanding.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2012 Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Mülheimer Helenenkloster Riesling Eiswein
92 points
Medium yellow color. In the nose and in the mouth, it's rather like a BA than an Eiswein. Only in the mouth, you feel hints of the typical crystalline purity of an Eiswein. Exotic fruit with notes of dried mango and pineapple, well balanced, maybe not arrived at its full level of complexity yet.
White - Sweet/Dessert
1999 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Beerenauslese
92 points
Medium yellow colour. In the nose and in the mouth, it doesn't have the concentration of other BAs, but it is quite clean and pure and precise. Great to drink, but maybe not the last word in complexity and not quite the wine you expect in a BA. Also, not as representative of the Grünhaus style as other wines. Still, a very good sweet Riesling with great balance and good purity.
Flight 11 - Some in between wines (2 notes)
Would have loved to have more time with the Immich-Batterieberg and its 1989 counterpart on the side of it.
White
2000 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Kabinett
86 points
Magnum. Light yellow. Fresh nose, very much Ruwer style with mint, lemon balm and other greenish spring herbs, it doesn't go beyond a certain point, but up to that point, it's nice. In the mouth, it's also fresh, quite clean for a 2000, not very sweet, the acidity is a bit green, but it's ok. This is the kind of wine where you say "great for a 2000" and "has kept well", but that doesn't hide the fact that overall it's not a very special wine.
White
1981 Immich-Batterieberg Enkircher Batterieberg Riesling Auslese trocken
Only a very short taste. Fresh, not old at all, not ultra dry, good texture.