27yrs young and still going strong. These bottles had leaky/sticky capsules when I bought them way back in 1999, but fill level looks fine although the cork did fall apart on opening.
Medium straw gold colour with fabulous Riesling aromatics - quince. pear, gooseberry and two stroke petrol. On the palette only spatlese sweetness as others have mentioned and the fruit is still alive although now mature and honied. There is quite sharp grapefruit acidity on the finish however that I don't remember from old which is a little bit unbalancing.
Overall, still a class act and although I don't have much experience of older rieslings, I think that it's probably time to drink up.That acidity is just a little too harsh for me.
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Mostly Champagne & Burgs (VVF, Krug, DP, Rousseau, Fourrier,…): Three sweet wines tasted double blind to finish this memorable tasting. Two of them were German Auslese with 25 years of age and both showed beautifully. Winner was the Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr 1997 (94 pts) with its intoxicating and complex nose. This was not a Goldkapsel and hence not that sweet. Auslesen like this with age I prefer as an aperitif and not as a sweet wine. Still this was great and beat the Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Goldkapsel 1995 (91 pts) which showed richer and more fruit-driven but not 100% clean with some cellar/wet cardboard notes on the nose. Lastly, we had a Sauternes which the group liked a lot more than I did. The Chateau Gilette 1947 (86 pts) still showed some nice aromas on the palate but the nose was off (wet carboard smells) and the wine got quite acidity towards the finish.
TN: Wow, this is so super fresh and kicking. The tons and tons of minerality dominate the nose. Underneath that is a strong fruit core with grapefruit, apple and lime. Some lynchee. Lots of spices. And thats only the nose. On the palat the aromas are much more intermixed, much less precise. But still quite interesting. I noted, “feels like an Auslese, it is absolutely not sweet”. The acidity is beautifully integrated and keeps the wine very fresh, also helped by the strong minerality. The nose is certainly at a 95+ pts level, overall this is a very good wine, easily drinking on a 94 pts level.
Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting needed. Good from the go.
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Tasted blind. Late in the evening after many bottles came a wonderful flight of sweet wines. The Haag 1997 vs the Pruem 1995, both from their signature vineyards were great Rieslings. We got the year completely wrong and thought they were much younger. The Haag was mineralic, with dried fruit but also green apples, ethereal and fresh, as always almost a Spaetlese style. The Pruem a bit richer with more orchard fruit but also lively and fresh. Wonderful!
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Tasted blind as part of a Champagne and Burgundy tasting (plus pirates). Green gooseberry, lychee, plenty of herbal freshness and granite rock minerality. The palate showed great precision and super-crisp acidity. This came across incredibly youthful while beckoning even more potential. Couldn’t stop rubbing my eyes learning this was a 1997 vintage. What I was missing was a more layered palate.
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Dim Sum Club at Royal Pavilion (Royal Pavilion, Park Regis Hotel, Singapore): Quite nice, but clearly from a warmer year, so this is rather less compelling than usual. The nose showed had a mature ring to it, with rubbery petroleum notes alongside sweet honey and treacle and fruitier nectarines and peach aromas. The palate was still quite sweet, with the lowered acidities of the vintage showing in its rich honey, nectar and malt notes. With time and air, the wine seems to show a touch more acidity, with white peach and loquat notes coming out from amidst the honeyed sweetness, and the sweet notes balancing out with a little breath of freshness. Right at the finish, a little mineral undercurrent added a touch of complexity to the whole package. While yummy, this felt just a little flat to me, lacking the effortlessly balance of other vintages. It may get better with time as the sweetness continues to mellow and integrate and more complexity develops, but I am not sure this will actually get all that much better from hereon.
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The bouquet is a bit reticent, but shows a touch of petrol. In the mouth there is some spiciness and soft acidity and sweetness. Everything is very smooth in a beautiful way, but not everyone is over-enthusiastic about this wine because it doesn't offer the complexity hoped for. I agree, but with 89 points it is still an excellent wine.
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Beginning to open up. Still not very much petroleum, but rather white flowers, wet stones and mature apples. Great balance, not overly sweet, but great persistence and very good acidity for a warm year like 1997.
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1/26/2024 - gouldcampbell77 Likes this wine: 89 Points
27yrs young and still going strong. These bottles had leaky/sticky capsules when I bought them way back in 1999, but fill level looks fine although the cork did fall apart on opening.
Medium straw gold colour with fabulous Riesling aromatics - quince. pear, gooseberry and two stroke petrol. On the palette only spatlese sweetness as others have mentioned and the fruit is still alive although now mature and honied. There is quite sharp grapefruit acidity on the finish however that I don't remember from old which is a little bit unbalancing.
Overall, still a class act and although I don't have much experience of older rieslings, I think that it's probably time to drink up.That acidity is just a little too harsh for me.
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12/23/2021 - Cailles wrote: 94 Points
Mostly Champagne & Burgs (VVF, Krug, DP, Rousseau, Fourrier,…): Three sweet wines tasted double blind to finish this memorable tasting. Two of them were German Auslese with 25 years of age and both showed beautifully. Winner was the Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr 1997 (94 pts) with its intoxicating and complex nose. This was not a Goldkapsel and hence not that sweet. Auslesen like this with age I prefer as an aperitif and not as a sweet wine. Still this was great and beat the Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Goldkapsel 1995 (91 pts) which showed richer and more fruit-driven but not 100% clean with some cellar/wet cardboard notes on the nose. Lastly, we had a Sauternes which the group liked a lot more than I did. The Chateau Gilette 1947 (86 pts) still showed some nice aromas on the palate but the nose was off (wet carboard smells) and the wine got quite acidity towards the finish.
TN: Wow, this is so super fresh and kicking. The tons and tons of minerality dominate the nose. Underneath that is a strong fruit core with grapefruit, apple and lime. Some lynchee. Lots of spices. And thats only the nose. On the palat the aromas are much more intermixed, much less precise. But still quite interesting. I noted, “feels like an Auslese, it is absolutely not sweet”. The acidity is beautifully integrated and keeps the wine very fresh, also helped by the strong minerality. The nose is certainly at a 95+ pts level, overall this is a very good wine, easily drinking on a 94 pts level.
Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting needed. Good from the go.
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12/23/2021 - Collector1855 wrote: 94 Points
Tasted blind. Late in the evening after many bottles came a wonderful flight of sweet wines. The Haag 1997 vs the Pruem 1995, both from their signature vineyards were great Rieslings. We got the year completely wrong and thought they were much younger. The Haag was mineralic, with dried fruit but also green apples, ethereal and fresh, as always almost a Spaetlese style. The Pruem a bit richer with more orchard fruit but also lively and fresh. Wonderful!
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12/21/2021 - sirpat00 wrote: 94 Points
Tasted blind as part of a Champagne and Burgundy tasting (plus pirates). Green gooseberry, lychee, plenty of herbal freshness and granite rock minerality. The palate showed great precision and super-crisp acidity. This came across incredibly youthful while beckoning even more potential. Couldn’t stop rubbing my eyes learning this was a 1997 vintage. What I was missing was a more layered palate.
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11/18/2014 - Paul S wrote: 91 Points
Dim Sum Club at Royal Pavilion (Royal Pavilion, Park Regis Hotel, Singapore): Quite nice, but clearly from a warmer year, so this is rather less compelling than usual. The nose showed had a mature ring to it, with rubbery petroleum notes alongside sweet honey and treacle and fruitier nectarines and peach aromas. The palate was still quite sweet, with the lowered acidities of the vintage showing in its rich honey, nectar and malt notes. With time and air, the wine seems to show a touch more acidity, with white peach and loquat notes coming out from amidst the honeyed sweetness, and the sweet notes balancing out with a little breath of freshness. Right at the finish, a little mineral undercurrent added a touch of complexity to the whole package. While yummy, this felt just a little flat to me, lacking the effortlessly balance of other vintages. It may get better with time as the sweetness continues to mellow and integrate and more complexity develops, but I am not sure this will actually get all that much better from hereon.
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4/14/2012 - Zweder wrote: 89 Points
The bouquet is a bit reticent, but shows a touch of petrol. In the mouth there is some spiciness and soft acidity and sweetness. Everything is very smooth in a beautiful way, but not everyone is over-enthusiastic about this wine because it doesn't offer the complexity hoped for. I agree, but with 89 points it is still an excellent wine.
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6/23/2010 - UTPK wrote:
Beginning to open up. Still not very much petroleum, but rather white flowers, wet stones and mature apples. Great balance, not overly sweet, but great persistence and very good acidity for a warm year like 1997.
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