January 26, 2020 - Riesling Study #1 (Atoboy (Manhattan, NY)): Spicy and persimmon. A bit dry. Spicy and cinnamon with some dry apple. I drank this over the next few days and it was really excellent on day 2 with tons of flavor, classic mature Riesling, with crisp acid. Some sips were not as grippy and over the days after that it got softer. This has wonderful perfume and spice. Overall this was really good.
January 6, 2018 - Right off the bat I could tell that this was going to be more mature and softer than the other bottles - a good whiff of petrol and baked apples and spices off the top. On the palate this has great balance - with ripe baked apples, great spices. It is still and calm with a lot of class and finesse, but it's missing just a bit of acid zing to kick it up to the level of previous bottles. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 16/20.
March 9, 2017 - Nose: The nose is succulent, highly aromatic, and filled with star fruits, sweet peaches, saline, quince, white florals, honey tones, and petrol. There is a lot of depth and layering with the tones coming on in waves.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity. The acidity really cuts through the residual sugar and extract with the feel showing excellent density. There is a lot of depth on the palate with star fruit, sweet peaches, saline, quince, bleu cheese, and white florals.
Overall: This was a wonderful Auslese. It showed off a lot of richness and intensity from the residual sugar. This is mature, but there is a lot of stuffing here for this to last a long time.
March 9, 2017 - Even better than my last experience with this (which was ex-cellar Seth, so I'll just blame him). Surprisingly tropical in its fruit profile, with lots of pineapple amidst the ripe peach, strawberry, and citrus fruit flavours, with slate, herbal, floral, and light botrytis accents around the core of fruit. It's certainly quite sweet, but as usual (like most Hans-Leo wines), it's perfectly balanced with powerful acids balancing the sweetness and lending it an incredibly light, elegant palate presence.
March 9, 2017 - Dinner at 90 Miles (Chicago, IL): #13-98, 8% abv. This was one of the best bottles of this that I've opened yet. Tons of fruit with pineapple and grapefruit flavours and a slight touch of green herbs. It's got plenty of acidity, but also balanced by the sugar, which isn't over the top at all. Mineral and slatey as well -- this is the full package on show today.
January 19, 2017 - January birthday craziness (Chicago, IL): #13-98, 8% abv. As solid as I remember it. This shows a lot of rusticity, as well as fruit that has started to turn towards secondary characteristics. Not exactly fresh, but not tired either. The sweetness is still there, but restrained, and there's not very much botrytis to be picked up here. The texture is a bit thick, but a touch of green herbs helps keep things from getting to heavy.
July 14, 2016 - Red Burgundy at The Bristol (Chicago, IL): #13-98, 8% abv. This seems to me to be the best showing yet I've had of this wine. It's just a complete riesling, with everything as it should be and no surprises at all. Classic Mosel, classic rustic JJC. Heaps of ripe fruit, coupled with a touch of green herbs, along with a good dose of petrol and minerality. Not too much botrytis here (if at all), but this shows the right amount of sweetness and ripeness all the same. Delicious stuff.
March 20, 2016 - #13-98, 8% abv. Electric and exciting. Lots of yellow and white fruit, along with absolutely ripping acidity. Crisp minerality, as well as a touch of very nice Thai herbs. Not too sweet, but in good balance, though I'd say the acidity pops out just a little bit more here. Delicious.
December 21, 2015 - #13-98, 8% abv. This was a somewhat flat bottle. The nose shows quite some petrol, but the exuberant fruit seems to be missing, leaving a palate that is quite hollow. Mildly corked, I'm guessing...
November 2, 2015 - #13-98, 8% abv. Holy crap this is electric. Somewhat restrained, but clearly complex nose, showing lots of tart green fruit (unripe pineapple and perhaps just a smidgen of gooseberry) and a hint of strawberry. The palate is juicy and super acidic, with a slight fresh lemongrass tinge, as well as a boatload of green apples. Absolutely delicious.