Found this relic in my cellar and figured it either needed to be drank or tossed The cork looked disgusting, but surprisingly came out in one piece. This wine still has amazing life. The sweetness is still apparent with a nice blend of acidity.
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still hanging in there just fine, and surprisingly good for $20 -- always a great reminder of how Riesling ages. quince, dried apricot, honeycomb. perception of sweetness has faded away. medium finish could go longer.
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Delicious mature Riesling. Wet and moldy cork, as others have noticed, but nothing wrong with the wine. Massive nose of petrol. More petrol on the palate, with apple, peach, citrus, honey plus some floral notes. Nice floral uplift on the finish. The sweetness and acidity nicely resolved in the background so you hardly even notice them.
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Blind White Throwdown (Roberts House, Philadelphia PA): beautiful nose of honey, quince, and a little nuttiness. palate isn't quite up to the nose, and it lacks a little acid, causing it to fall a little flat on the finish.
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1990 Schloss Schönborn Domdechaney Stein Stielweg (DSS) Riesling Spätlese 11%. $20 from garagiste a few years back, direct from cellar door. One of my few success stories from them; this wine had an oddly stuck cork (like it had been glued into the bottle), but the wine was delicious petrol and floral. A bit viscous; surreal golden color; a friend thought it was Alsacian. Great mature riesling; superb QPR. RF96.
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Beautiful, deep golden color. Nose of petrol and maybe burnt sugar. Almost something floral too. Enjoyed the palate -- apples and maybe even some minerally, rocky thing too. As with most rieslings (for me), could have used a touch more acidity but still quite good. One of the best rieslings I've had under $30.
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Cork was comically damaged. The end of the cork was wet and moldy looking. First the corkscrew seemed to sink into rot, and then my attempts to get the corkscrew lodged in the cork pushed the cork right into the bottle. I could have done it easily with my finger. I don't understand why the wine isn't oxidized or worse, but it isn't.
Big nose of petrol tar and caramel. Honey apple, pear and petrol on the tongue, but really not oversweet, and a medium finish (not as exciting as the nose, but still nice).
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medium sweet with really nice honey notes on the nose and palate. there is a nice green apple note. some sour tropical fruit is hiding behind the sweetness -- this isn't as ripe or fresh as i expected. there is a medium level of acid, but a click more would have improved this wine. the honey carries the medium length finish to a nice conclusion.
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Another great bottle of this wine. I wish I had cases of it. The residual sugar has died down and the petrol is coming through. For those of you with extra bottles don't worry about drinking them anytime soon. This one will hold for the ages. Thanks for the great wine Jon R.
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Popped and poured. My cork was soaked through. It doesn't seem to have impacted the wine though. This is the brightest golden color that you can imagine. You know how gold from India is so much more golden than here in the US? Well that is the gold we have here. The nose is petrol and butterscotch. There is lively acidity and mouth coating viscosity with a little residual sugar. Tastes are carmel, concentrated apple cider and the petrol. Long, long finish. I'm a huge fan. Very nice Jon R. After reading the other reviews now I think Salil's first review is dead on (except my finish was forever). If anyone wants to sell theirs I'm a buyer. BTW, I think the DSS stands for Domanen Schloss Schonborn. It's not a single vineyard wine.
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Nowhere near as impressive as my last bottle. Flavours of petrol, honey, apple and flowers on the nose and palate, but this seems to be a little thin in the mouth without the richness or power I'd expect from a good Rheingau wine.
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A nice golden yellow color. Petrol, apples, honey, and stony minerals on the nose. Medium body with good acidity. Rich and silky on the palate with sweet baked apples, minerals, and tart citrus. Nice length on the finish with the sweet apples and tart citrus slowly fading into more of an apple skin flavor.
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Big nose is sort of a melange of wet autumn leaves, warm cut apples and candied citrus. Good amount of sugar still showing which may contribute to its big feel. Some candied pineapple and ripe apples with tartness on the sides but seems to be lacking the acidity to really balance it. Seems to have performed quite differently than my last bottle. Not going anywhere anytime soon.
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Medium gold. Not especially complex but with a welcome purity, full of petrol yet also full of surprisingly fresh fruit, more melon and pear than the typical apple. Powerful, indeed one of the most muscular of Schonborn's aged spats, with significant sweetness balanced by dry/bitter ending notes of mixed fruit skins.
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Musty aromas of yellow fruits, ripe apple/cider, caramel, petrol. Zingy yellow apple in the both with some good richness, and sweetness well-balanced by strong acidity. Very tasty. With time in the glass the acid grew more prominent.
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Like others, I logged this in CT when I ordered it from Garagiste but received a bottle labed Spatlese with no SVD. Whatever. Another great Riesling value with honey, flower petals, petrol, apples galore, and stone.
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Intermingled petrol and limy tart citrus aromas jump from this. Nicely tart green fruits with nice length and the sugar is completely integrated adding its sweetness completely in the background. I would agree that the midpalate lacked some and it could have used a bit more complexity but terrific for the money and a great dinner companion.
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Trip to Boston; 6/4/2008-6/9/2008: honey, violets, apples, good acidity but a bit lacking in the middle. good length - middle has the fruit but not the zing.
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Great nose of petrol, mineral and a touch of peach. Really enjoyed it as the mouthfeel was excellent and very long. A little apple in the mouth in addition to the aforementioned mineral and peach. This is a knockout example of mature spatlese for $20. Thank you John R!
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Custom House dinner (Chicago, IL): Bright gold colour. Great nose with seamless flavours of petrol, honey, apple, peach, minerals and flowers. Medium bodied on the palate with a similar flavour profile, showing a beautiful aged character with petrol and honeyed flavours integrated with the fruit and a little sweetness balanced by good acidity that emerges with some time. Finish is slightly weak, but still this is a really lovely elegant Riesling.
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A beautiful dark gold with streaks of amber in the glass. This was open immediately, with a big nose of petrol and tropical flowers. Wonderful structure, with acidity and freshness balanced by sweet, tangy fruit flavors and a strong oil and mineral vein. Long finish. One of the finest examples of mature Spatlese I've ever enjoyed. Paired well with buttered popcorn! Vineyard designation info is located on the cork....
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Actual label was much simpler than Garagiste's description. Just said "Rheingau Riesling Spatlese" with none of the vineyard designation. Wine did not look, smell or taste 18 years old, seemed younger. Aromas reminded me of being at the mechanic's garage in the work area, and the mechanic had a basketful of apples with a few apricots in it. Fruit cocktail, apricot and apple peel on the palate, sweet, just a bit lacking in acidity to balance the sweetness. Lingering aftertaste. I would have never have guessed it was this old. Tastes better chilled - it is crisper - than when it warms up. Mouthfilling.
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10/8/2023 - ormazd Likes this wine: 90 Points
Found this relic in my cellar and figured it either needed to be drank or tossed The cork looked disgusting, but surprisingly came out in one piece.
This wine still has amazing life. The sweetness is still apparent with a nice blend of acidity.
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2/26/2017 - ews3 wrote: 91 Points
still hanging in there just fine, and surprisingly good for $20 -- always a great reminder of how Riesling ages. quince, dried apricot, honeycomb. perception of sweetness has faded away. medium finish could go longer.
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5/11/2014 - jayw Likes this wine:
Delicious mature Riesling. Wet and moldy cork, as others have noticed, but nothing wrong with the wine. Massive nose of petrol. More petrol on the palate, with apple, peach, citrus, honey plus some floral notes. Nice floral uplift on the finish. The sweetness and acidity nicely resolved in the background so you hardly even notice them.
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12/7/2011 - ogres3 wrote:
St Johns with deli food.
Cork was soaked 90%. Deep yellow color with honey fruit. Very good wine. Could drink many of these bottles.
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11/24/2011 - ogres3 wrote:
Good reisling - still drinking well but may not have many more years left.
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7/22/2011 - ews3 wrote: 89 Points
Blind White Throwdown (Roberts House, Philadelphia PA): beautiful nose of honey, quince, and a little nuttiness. palate isn't quite up to the nose, and it lacks a little acid, causing it to fall a little flat on the finish.
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12/12/2010 - Geoffrey Carter wrote: 96 Points
Deep rich honey colored. Wonderful with Chinese food. Sweet, but not mouth coating sugars.
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9/7/2010 - ricko wrote: 96 Points
1990 Schloss Schönborn Domdechaney Stein Stielweg (DSS) Riesling Spätlese 11%. $20 from garagiste a few years back, direct from cellar door. One of my few success stories from them; this wine had an oddly stuck cork (like it had been glued into the bottle), but the wine was delicious petrol and floral. A bit viscous; surreal golden color; a friend thought it was Alsacian. Great mature riesling; superb QPR. RF96.
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3/25/2010 - SUN-J wrote: 91 Points
Beautiful, deep golden color. Nose of petrol and maybe burnt sugar. Almost something floral too. Enjoyed the palate -- apples and maybe even some minerally, rocky thing too. As with most rieslings (for me), could have used a touch more acidity but still quite good. One of the best rieslings I've had under $30.
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3/16/2010 - WetRock wrote: flawed
Corked
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9/24/2009 - sadofsky wrote:
Wish I'd bought more. I love this.
Cork was comically damaged. The end of the cork was wet and moldy looking. First the corkscrew seemed to sink into rot, and then my attempts to get the corkscrew lodged in the cork pushed the cork right into the bottle. I could have done it easily with my finger. I don't understand why the wine isn't oxidized or worse, but it isn't.
Big nose of petrol tar and caramel. Honey apple, pear and petrol on the tongue, but really not oversweet, and a medium finish (not as exciting as the nose, but still nice).
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7/21/2009 - ews3 wrote: 90 Points
medium sweet with really nice honey notes on the nose and palate. there is a nice green apple note. some sour tropical fruit is hiding behind the sweetness -- this isn't as ripe or fresh as i expected. there is a medium level of acid, but a click more would have improved this wine. the honey carries the medium length finish to a nice conclusion.
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6/22/2009 - sadofsky wrote:
Scary cork. Black and moldy on top, soaked all the way through. But wonderful wine! Petrol, honey on the nose. Apples, caramel, pineapple.
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4/24/2009 - cobystilp wrote: 91 Points
Another great bottle of this wine. I wish I had cases of it. The residual sugar has died down and the petrol is coming through. For those of you with extra bottles don't worry about drinking them anytime soon. This one will hold for the ages. Thanks for the great wine Jon R.
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3/9/2009 - ArieS wrote: flawed
Horribly corked.
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2/5/2009 - sadofsky wrote:
Golden color. Honey and petrol first, but lots of other flavors I can't identify. A really nice drink and a great value.
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1/28/2009 - cobystilp wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured. My cork was soaked through. It doesn't seem to have impacted the wine though. This is the brightest golden color that you can imagine. You know how gold from India is so much more golden than here in the US? Well that is the gold we have here. The nose is petrol and butterscotch. There is lively acidity and mouth coating viscosity with a little residual sugar. Tastes are carmel, concentrated apple cider and the petrol. Long, long finish. I'm a huge fan. Very nice Jon R. After reading the other reviews now I think Salil's first review is dead on (except my finish was forever). If anyone wants to sell theirs I'm a buyer. BTW, I think the DSS stands for Domanen Schloss Schonborn. It's not a single vineyard wine.
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1/27/2009 - salil wrote: 87 Points
Nowhere near as impressive as my last bottle. Flavours of petrol, honey, apple and flowers on the nose and palate, but this seems to be a little thin in the mouth without the richness or power I'd expect from a good Rheingau wine.
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1/16/2009 - cbbrown3 wrote: 92 Points
A nice golden yellow color. Petrol, apples, honey, and stony minerals on the nose. Medium body with good acidity. Rich and silky on the palate with sweet baked apples, minerals, and tart citrus. Nice length on the finish with the sweet apples and tart citrus slowly fading into more of an apple skin flavor.
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12/23/2008 - Paul Lin wrote: 91 Points
Mature aromas of petrol, apricots, honey, and walnuts. Glossy on the palate with notes of red apples and 50-50 bars. Refreshing acidity and finish.
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12/11/2008 - WetRock wrote:
Big nose is sort of a melange of wet autumn leaves, warm cut apples and candied citrus. Good amount of sugar still showing which may contribute to its big feel. Some candied pineapple and ripe apples with tartness on the sides but seems to be lacking the acidity to really balance it. Seems to have performed quite differently than my last bottle. Not going anywhere anytime soon.
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12/10/2008 - tcfishler wrote:
Medium gold. Not especially complex but with a welcome purity, full of petrol yet also full of surprisingly fresh fruit, more melon and pear than the typical apple. Powerful, indeed one of the most muscular of Schonborn's aged spats, with significant sweetness balanced by dry/bitter ending notes of mixed fruit skins.
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11/19/2008 - 5laton wrote:
Musty aromas of yellow fruits, ripe apple/cider, caramel, petrol. Zingy yellow apple in the both with some good richness, and sweetness well-balanced by strong acidity. Very tasty. With time in the glass the acid grew more prominent.
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7/12/2008 - silton wrote: 89 Points
Like others, I logged this in CT when I ordered it from Garagiste but received a bottle labed Spatlese with no SVD. Whatever. Another great Riesling value with honey, flower petals, petrol, apples galore, and stone.
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7/5/2008 - cse wrote: 86 Points
pretty good wine with delicate flavors overlying too much residual sweetness and not enough acidity
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6/13/2008 - WetRock wrote:
Intermingled petrol and limy tart citrus aromas jump from this. Nicely tart green fruits with nice length and the sugar is completely integrated adding its sweetness completely in the background. I would agree that the midpalate lacked some and it could have used a bit more complexity but terrific for the money and a great dinner companion.
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6/8/2008 - Mlermontov wrote: 90 Points
Trip to Boston; 6/4/2008-6/9/2008: honey, violets, apples, good acidity but a bit lacking in the middle. good length - middle has the fruit but not the zing.
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5/22/2008 - JeffnCin wrote:
Very nice. A little petrol on the nose. Taste of sugar cookies and almonds, some crisp apple flavor.
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5/13/2008 - jolson wrote: 93 Points
Great nose of petrol, mineral and a touch of peach. Really enjoyed it as the mouthfeel was excellent and very long. A little apple in the mouth in addition to the aforementioned mineral and peach. This is a knockout example of mature spatlese for $20. Thank you John R!
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5/12/2008 - salil wrote: 91 Points
Custom House dinner (Chicago, IL): Bright gold colour. Great nose with seamless flavours of petrol, honey, apple, peach, minerals and flowers. Medium bodied on the palate with a similar flavour profile, showing a beautiful aged character with petrol and honeyed flavours integrated with the fruit and a little sweetness balanced by good acidity that emerges with some time. Finish is slightly weak, but still this is a really lovely elegant Riesling.
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3/30/2008 - Grinder wrote: 95 Points
A beautiful dark gold with streaks of amber in the glass. This was open immediately, with a big nose of petrol and tropical flowers. Wonderful structure, with acidity and freshness balanced by sweet, tangy fruit flavors and a strong oil and mineral vein. Long finish. One of the finest examples of mature Spatlese I've ever enjoyed. Paired well with buttered popcorn! Vineyard designation info is located on the cork....
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3/28/2008 - monkuboy wrote: 87 Points
Actual label was much simpler than Garagiste's description. Just said "Rheingau Riesling Spatlese" with none of the vineyard designation. Wine did not look, smell or taste 18 years old, seemed younger. Aromas reminded me of being at the mechanic's garage in the work area, and the mechanic had a basketful of apples with a few apricots in it. Fruit cocktail, apricot and apple peel on the palate, sweet, just a bit lacking in acidity to balance the sweetness. Lingering aftertaste. I would have never have guessed it was this old. Tastes better chilled - it is crisper - than when it warms up. Mouthfilling.
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