This was delicious in the mold of mature MSR Riesling with that unique, knife-edge balance of steely acid and discreet sweetness. Best cold, out of the 'fridge, which brings forward the otherwise slightly understated acidity. Very, very good, if a bit short of my most recent Karthaeserhof bottles from the same vintage. Possibly a titch past its optimal drinking age, not sure.
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Starting to mellow just a bit, nose is a little closed, not as zippy as the Erbacher Karthauserhof, hints of the tropical fruity notes typical of this vineyard but a little shutdown; still, excellent balance, nice flavors, in good shape. Hippo w/EWG 2001 wines
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This continues to be one of my favorite QPR buys of all time. Mature but will last for ages. The sugar is receding leaving a wonderfully intense, balanced nectar. Bravo. So drinkable. (95)
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German Riesling from 1971 to 2012 (Los Gatos, California): Full yellow. Muted aromatics. Light and fresh, low alcohol and residual sugar. Acidity is also on the lower side, but significant slate provides the framing. Delicate and delightful to drink now with a sense of everything being finely poised and in place. Probably fully mature.
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This was drinking very well out of the gate, very smoothly balanced, nice old fruit to it, honey, and some definite spice notes (saffron?). The sweetness has integrated just about fully into the rest of the wine, leaving more an impression of full-bodied roundness than sweetness at this point. Like the '01 Erd Trepp Spatlase by this producer opened recently, though, this was a little low on the acid and mineral end in my opinion. Very drinkable, yet missing a little "freshness." Still, a very enjoyable wine and a notch better than '01 E-T in my opinion. Rating: 93+
Very similar to my 1/21/2019 TN. Deep and rich on the nose and palate. Lots of tropical and stone fruits with enough acid to stand up to food. A terrific Spatlese (possibly with some declassified Auslese?) that has a finish that seems to last a minute. Killer!
Rich straw in color. Nose of ripe peaches, lilacs, and hint of white pepper and minerality. Tastes of Honeycrisp Apple cider and ripe apricot flavors. Pronounced acidity. Intensely flavorful with the residual sweetness very much in the background. Very attractive and evolving nose. Similar to an entry level Auslese. A medium length finish. In a nice place now but should drink well for another 10 years and maybe positively evolve for another 3-5 years.
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A fantastic bottle that is still so fresh and pure at 19 years of age. Purchased on release and perfectly stored. The color is showing some deeper tones of yellow, which is expected, but the nose, palate and finish is so vibrant. The fruit is just beginning to show some honey and baked character that comes with age... but only ever-so-slightly. Lovely lift and length. This drinks great now, but can go for a bit as well.
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platinum gold; apricot & juicy nectarine aromatics; lovely balance, ripe yellow stone fruit, acidity in tune, moderate sweetness. easily will last, but is quite fine now.
2001 JJChristoffel wines are among my very favorite and this continues to drink beautifully. Gorgeous fruit, spice, lemon, excellent acidity. Very consistent over the years and in a long drinking plateau. Now or over the next 10 years.
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Bright green apple and apricot flavors and acidity. Intensely flavorful with the residual sweetness very much in the background. A hint of kerosene and white pepper on the nose. Golden cOlof. A medium length finish. Delicious!
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Clear, medium-lemon in color. Only slightly darker than five years ago. Clean and light nose of mango and pineapple with a flint undertone. On the palate it is off-dry with high acidity, light body and flavors reflected by the nose with a steely-mineral note along with honey and gooseberry. Finish is medium plus.
If this wine had a more potent nose, I would rate it over 95. Unfortunately the nose is very weak. And something important to note, judging by the acidity, color and development, this wine will outlive me.
Pairing: Korean Chicken Wings [A+]
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A stunningly beautiful spatlese from a world class vintage. Complex, rich nose of spicy apples and sweet peaches. Just enough minerality to give the sense of terroir. Nice dense flavors without being cloyingly sweet. Very long finish with nice minerality and a hint of botrytis. Glad I have more of these!! Should hold for another 5+ years
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I went back and forth between whether this was transcendent or just very good. The extra gear that it has is very subtle, but it's there. The freshness and acidity is undeniable. Still feels very primary - lots of rich yellow fruit, but not a lot of sweetness. In a great place but lots of gas in the tank.
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Phenomenal wine. Remarkably youthful and fresh for a Spätlese 17 years from vintage - the fruit is still surprisingly primary but incredibly fresh and vibrant, and it's augmented by layers of fresh herbs, florality, and intense slatey minerality with just a faint hint of maturing smokiness. This is years away from being mature, but it's still an absolutely fantastic bottle of Riesling.
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Keeps getting better. Beautiful wine. Angular withblovely citrus, floral, honey nots. Lychee. Bracing acidity just right for offsetting RS. Great to drink now. Still has long life ahead of it.
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HDH auction at Spiaggia; 6/22/2018-6/23/2018 (Chicago, IL): #07-02, 8% abv. A brilliant bottle of Spaetlese -- probably my best experience with this wine so far. The nose is brilliant, with some lovely herbal tones and some floral elements as well. The palate is intense, with a dense slatey minerality, coupled with just the right amount of sweetness to balance the acidity. Again, I can only praise the hand of Hans-Leo in making such a stunning wine.
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Peach Farm. A treat as always. Beautiful nose, impeccable balance. Solidly in drinking window but no hurry. Excellent with cantonese lobster and with steamed fish.
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Incredibly, not showing much color maturity at all. Still pale gold. The nose is close to Moselle perfection - dried apricots, light red fruits and a wonderful sense of both intensity and harmony. A knockout on the palate as the overt ripe sweetness has begun to recede (this is still fully off-dry) which lets complexities emerge. I have always thought this to be one of my favorite wines of this historic vintage and this bottle does nothing to harm that belief. Just incredible QPR for a great bottle of white wine. Should drink well for 20+ years. (96)
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Continuing to check in on 2001 German Rieslings, and they are doing just fine, with lots of time to spare. This still has plenty of fruit, and the acids remain bright and punchy. It's as if a squirt of lime juice hits the wine in the mid-palate. Then once that passes there is the all-familiar Wurzgarten spice. Classic and delicious.
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This is what was promised way back at the pre-release tasting in June 2002. The depth, complexity and internal electricity is on a direct line from what made me love this wine (and the entire Christoffel range) so much when I first tasted it. There have been times that the Würzgarten Spätlese has been overshadowed by other bottlings, but tonight it put on a show, making its own singular claim to greatness, and promising many more years of fascinating drinking.
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#07-02, 8% abv. As with the last bottle, this was of slightly suspect provenance, but it is still fairly good, if a bit advanced for the age. The colour is a bit more golden than I'd expect too. On the nose, this shows a faint hint of petrol, as well as a bit of lemongrass and other green herbs. The palate is moderately sweet, in good balance between all the elements, but shows a little more waxy and gasoline than I'd expect at this age.
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#07-02, 8% abv. Probably should have remembered that this is a super tight wine and that a pop and pour isn't going to do much for it. The nose is quite restrained, but there are some traces of golden-coloured red fruits (think Rainier cherries and golden raspberries), a faint hint of petrol, and a bit of grassy herbaceousness. The palate is extremely dense and concentrated, with a really high amount of extract. Very well balanced between the moderate sweetness and racy acidity that isn't too sharp. A good showing for this wine, although I'm a tad suspicious of the provenance of this bottle.
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Nothing new to add to my other recent notes on this. Another great showing, a fruit basket full of strawberries, apples, and citrus fruits accented with spice, slate, and the start of maturing creamy and smoky savouriness. Intense on the palate, yet so light and focused at the same time with that incredible balance and energy of the 2001 vintage. Those 01 JJCs are gems.
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Yet another great showing from an '01 JJC. Layers of ripe lime, citrus, and riper strawberry fruit augmented by minerality and maturing smoky/creamy notes, conveyed with all the power, brightness, and acidity of the vintage. Incredibly long, focused, and as usual a spectacular wine. Glad I have a bunch more.
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This took 24 hours before it opened up at all. When it did there were fireworks. Still amazingly youthful, showing berry, lime and peach fruit with a dusting of cinnamon spice. It's impressive how unevolved this is. The mid-palate intensity is off the charts, and carries right through the finish. I am very impressed, though I am beginning to wonder when these Christoffel Spatlese and Auslese wines from 2001 will begin to develop a few signs of maturity.
A more youthful showing than I expected, making me wonder how much longer I should give my remaining bottles. At first it's all about bright red apple and citrus fruit flavours tinged with slate and flowers, but with more time it builds in intensity and the flavours turn more red fruited, with wild strawberry and other red berried notes emerging. There's not a lot of development apparent and plenty of youthful sweetness, but it's very well balanced by a spine of acidity, and finishes long.
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Salil does Chicago; 4/16/2015-4/19/2015 (Chicago, IL): #07-02, 8% abv. (Pop and pour) Surprisingly primary nose with a bright lime aroma, some lemongrass, pineapple, and granny smith apple. The palate is arrayed around a very linear vein of malic acid, showing some green herbs and tart pineapple. Not a concentrated, dense wine, and on the lower side of the sweetness spectrum, this is simultaneously a cerebral and pleasurable bottle of riesling. (Half a day later) This has become much deeper, showing much more density than it did this morning. A bit of red fruit has started to emerge -- I'm thinking sweet wild strawberries. The sugar shows a bit more prominently too -- in fact, this has basically just come into much sharper focus now.
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Medium yellow. Slightly different fruit character than I've gotten with past bottles-yellow peach and fresh cut apple with minimal secondary aromas. Off dry, fairly full bodied and textural for a Mosel Spatlese. Glorious freshness and clarity of fruit (with even a bit of pear on the palate), good but not particularly prominent acidity, fine slate finish. Excellent, as it has been on every occasion.
On the second day, more spicy, just as lively, and now more tangerine. Delicious!
Better after two days in the fridge. Powerful ginger/clove spice frames auslese ripeness with pineapple and cherry and rich golden apple character, with nice earthiness. But the acidity is a little disjointed. Not a great showing for this wine.
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Wines @ Mike's (Coventry, CT): A testament to the quality of the vintage and winemaker. Still youthful and fresh, with maturity only serving to integrate the cornucopia of fruit, spice and slate flavors.
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A great showing. A basket of fresh apples, strawberries, and ripe citrus fruits augmented by an array of floral, mineral, and faintly smoky and creamy elements. Very easy to drink now with the fruit still very youthful and just a touch of development, but there's so much time ahead. It has plenty of sweetness, but also that '01 acidity beneath that keeps it razor-sharp on the palate and very long.
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December birthdays (Coventry): Initially, apple and citrus, with mineral and great acidity. With a bit of air, this turns softer, creamy. Floral, savory. Very nice. Drinking very well now. Could age, but why? 91-92
Two days later, still excellent; very floral and now somewhat spicy; apple pie and honey, peach, bit of pineapple. Lots of sweetness, but well balanced with acidity. Very nice.
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Yellow, little development. Mostly piquant orange and lime with white flowers. On the dry end for Spatlese. Fresh, spicy mid-palate, deeply imbued acidity, and long stony finish. Absolutely delicious but not yet showing secondary characteristics much less approaching its peak. Marvelous bottle.
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Amazing. The balance between sweet and acid is surreal. Leaner on the palate than I expected but it makes your mouth pucker on the finish, the 30 second finish! Paired with grilled sweetbreads nicely. Choripan Restaurant.
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Ravishing wine. Youthful straw color. Nose is a white fruit cocktail of apple and pear mixed with peach pit and the slightest hint of mature Riesling petrol/smoke. This is the first bottle of this wine in which I have detected this note of age. Light as a feather, yet explosive and bursting with flavor. Delicious. I have loved this wine since release. (94)
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An even better showing than the Treppchen Spätlese, as good as that was. The aromatics here are brighter with more floral and spicy notes around the core of fruit and slate, and there's incredible cut and energy on the palate with powerful acidity matching the sweetness here. Superb.
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This has always been a great wine -- and it is getting better and better and better. Sadly, this is my last bottle. My guess: This wine has another 30 years to go .... or more.
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Delicious wine. Lots of flavor nuances to find over he course of the evening. strawberry, thyme, evolved yellow fruits of course. Great match with China King sof shell crab.l
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This is just getting better and better. It still has that core of fresh strawberry, lime and apple fruit tinged with slate and flowers, but it's starting to show some signs of maturity with developing creamy and savoury elements augmenting the bright fruit now. There's a sense of harmony on the palate with all the flavours coming together very seamlessly, bright acidity beneath and it's fantastic to drink now, though with so many years ahead. Glad I have more.
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Mostly Rieslings: This riesling is in a superb place right now. Complex, deep aromas of white peach, lime, white flowers. The palate is rich and honeyed, with apricot and caramel, but the acid never quits. Lovely mineral, lemon peel and smashed rock flavors. Long finish with the perfect amount of sweetness. Nowhere near the end of its life.
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Drinking exceptionally well right now. There's some developed elements (creamy/smoky) along with quite a lot of primary fruit. The balance is such that the sweetness disappears on the finish. Overall just delightful.
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Golden yellow in color. Classic Mosel aromatics feature waxy yellow pit fruits, orange and lemon zest, honeysuckle and slate. The early baby fat and sweetness have faded to the background. and the palate reveals white peaches and candied meyer lemons on a classic slate/mineral backbone. A touch more tension between sweetness and acidity would have uplifted the wine to a higher score.
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My god, was this good. Ringing clarity of pure baked yellow apple and citrus fruit with early secondary development and the spice of the site. Brighter and better balanced than a bottle last year with ideal sugar/acid tension. As I said, just wondrously delicious.
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Pale gold color. Classic Mosel aromas, baked granny smith apples and pears, citrus fruits, slate, and petrol. Fresh, fruity, spritzy lemon/limeade, tart apple pie and tons of minerals with good balance to the sweetness and acidity.
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Just OK this time. Lacked complexity and was a bit flat on the finish. Sweet notes of pineapple and pear but was expecting a bit more spine and minerality.
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Mostly 89 Bordeaux (La Silhouette): Classic Riesling: petrol, citrus, slate. Very nice balance between sweetness and acid, with nice layering on the palate between the fruit and minerality. With air, it developed an odd, slightly bitter flavor on the finish, almost like tannin, but that may have been due to retasting it after trying a bunch of reds. Long finish. Perhaps lacking just a bit of oomph in the mid-palate but otherwise very nice.
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Starts off a bit short of the mark but with air picks up the Mosel banner and subtly starts to strut its stuff. Mouthwatering spritzy lime on the palate with the nose basically closed down. Switched to a Riedel Burg glass from their white and that helped. I like this and found it to be eminently quaffable. Whether it's time to drink 'em or hold 'em I can't say.
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Medium yellow. All brown sugar aromas right out of the bottle before it began to express its fruit. Quite a panoply it was-first apple and citrus, but then broader and more tropical with mango and papaya. Not as sweet as the nose led me to believe. Best in mid-palate as it lacked some zip and acidity in the finish, losing some intensity as it crossed the palate. In the end, the weight reminds you that it is a Mosel wine. Youthful and interesting, but not particularly poised for much further development. I'd try one soon if you have some in the cellar, and accordingly, I will be moving my remaining bottles closer to the front of the drinking queue.
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Nose of lime cream and spices - soft. Very spicy and sweet on entry with lime, spice, minerals, honey and white grape. I'm not as impressed by this as previous tastings of JJC's 2001's. Excellent finish. I don't know if it was the power of suggestion and Sarah's opinion of the JJC wines, but this stuck me as a touch soft with not enough acid and liveliness. Hopefully just an aberration. Nose - 4/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 15.5/20.
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Sweeter than I expected at this stage. Packed with fruit and balancing acidiity. Quite delicious to drink now but will wait a year or two for the next bottle.
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Still incredibly youthful, but fantastic all the same - barely any signs of age here with layers of fresh strawberry, pear and apple fruit, slate and florality conveyed with a sense of real vibrancy and energy.
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Aromatically mute at first, showing shy scents of pale Mosel fruit that give no indication to what's ahead in the mouth, where it's full of exuberant rich citrus and red fruited flavours over a base of slate. There's tremendous richness here, but it feels incredibly light on its feet with fantastic acidity and impeccable balance. Delicious!
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Delicious. Nectarine and white grapefruit, while not very citrus-y, this shows huge minerality, a bit of petrol, and many dimensions on the palate. There is an inner core of minerals and vibrant acidity, but an outer layer that seems somewhat softer with age. Still, a huge backbone of acidity, minerality, light petrol, many dimensions, and a long finish. Opened with PBaek and sipped over three or four nights, with no degradation whatsoever.
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Light gold to clear at rim. Red berry, nectarine pit and floral nose. Both harmony and intensity – lovely. Waves of rich goodness swim across the palate without stopping for air. This wine continues to impress and is really hitting its full stride. The attack is simply mesmerizing…I couldn’t ask for anything else. If there is any nit, it would be a slight drop off on the finish. Amazing stuff. (95)
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I am continually impressed with this wine. Just beginning to enter early maturity, slight petrol is beginning to merge with the classic red berry and pear notes of this vineyard. I love how the wine finishes as there is still good balancing acid. (93)
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pale straw. racy core of cameo apples, pears, stones, lemon and a whiff of petrol. Great delineation and balance and a mouthcoating, slight puckering long finish. Loved it.
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These 2001s just keep getter better and betrter as they gradually shed their baby fat. This Urz Wurtz from JJ Christoffel is rich and almost oily in German terms; juicy, yet notes of honey, dark bread and cinammon make it uncommonly interesting and long. Not bad for $13.99 on release.
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AP #7-02. Decanted for 3 hours and it needed every moment of that time and then some. Drinking very nicely now but only a hint of the incredible experience to come with significantly more cellar time. Slightly green-tinged in color, almost colorless. Light to medium bodied and tasting very young. Tart acidity highlighted by flavors of lime, grapefruit and green apple mixed with lovely florality. Medium length on the finish. Despite the obvious youthful profile it was clear that this wine has a depth beyond most Rieslings and is a true classic in the making for those of us with the cellars and patience to wait for it. Quite possibly the finest $15 bottle of wine I've ever purchased. Sure glad we bought very heavily on this and the other '01 Christoffels. 50+12+12+8+8 = 90++
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Pale golden yellow. Complex kaleidoscope of a nose .. high pitched tones of lemon, kiwi, gardenia underscored by riper notes of pineapple, orange peel, pear, honey, and a tinge of spiciness (cinnamon?). Delightful play in the mouth .. extremely balanced and while ripe is very structured with a purifying acidity ... minerality and stones explode on the finish which lingers on. Really really nice wine. Wait several years on the next bottle.
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Dinner at St Jacques - The Night Before The Once In A Lifetime Dinner (Raleigh, NC): AP #7-02. Opened at home with Steve & Barb and some fantastic duck rillettes a couple of hours before leaving for the restaurant. Green tinged in the glass, this wine is clearly Auslese in weight but nicely balanced so that it does drink like a Spatlese, albeit a very generous one. Beautiful nose of spiced pears and some flowers is followed by a medium bodied palate that reveals very deep fruit and a great richness. Medium length finish that I expect to increase in length and complexity with more time. A great wine to drink today, while it still shows much of the exuberance of it's youth, and potentially even better ( though for different reasons ) for another 20+ years. Has to be one of the greatest bargains ever for wine having been about $15 on release! 50+13+12+8+8.5 = 91.5+
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Medium gold – good intensity to rim. Stunning nose of poached pear (yes there is some red berries in here), honey and the beginning of some secondary petrol. Wow – the palate is so intense – like a perfect Riesling flavored sweet/tart!!! Amazing depth an precision. This lingers for a good 50 seconds. A great wine that will only get better. (19+)
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I didn't have this in inventory at home, but I drank it last night after pulling it from my Eurocave. Just plain delicious. It has never shut down. Not much to smell, but the moderate sweetness balanced by juicy acidity makes it seem like a perfect grape or apple at the peak of ripeness. I don't get the slate or minerals some do, but I like it a lot anyway.
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Seattle Tasting Group does 'Teutonic' Whites (Seattle, WA): AP# 07. Stinky mineral on the nose, in a good way. Tingly and spiny with really nice edginess, almost margarita salty, limeade. This gets a bit fatter with time but must be closed, as it is showing awfully lean for a Spätlese.
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Thanksgiving dinner at Mom's house. Almost colorless in the glass. Somewhat shut down but showing some green apples, stone fruits and lots of acidity. Even now, it has great balance. Will be a stunning wine in 10 years. 50+12+12+8+8 = 90+
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Terrific spatlese from this can't miss vintage. Quite sweet, but balanced by zingy acidity so that it seems to have bubbles, but it doesn't. Fruit to burn - grapefruit, apple, peach. Not really spicy or minerally at this stage, but I doubt it will ever become more pleasurable. Incredibly lively on the palate.
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AP #7-02. Green tinged in color, this wine showed lively acidity and a great balance to it's medium-bodied, concentrated and ripe personality. Very young but starting to close it was filled with green apple, grapefruit and minerals. Very persistent finish. This is going to be a great bottle of wine in time. 50+12+12+8+8 = 90.
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Faint nose of talc and sulphur. Tastes of bananas and not much else. Seems closed. I can sense that there is a lot below the surface. Great mouthfeel with a long finish.
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Seattle Tasting Group does German Riesling (Issaquah, WA, USA): AP No. 2 602 041 007 02. The nose on this shows fresh rain on hot stones with a very slate driven character and some talc. On this palate this has a lot of depth with expressive minerality, very nice balance and a certain delicate, poised nature. The finish is extremely long with candied lemon. Beautiful!
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This wine was a clear pale straw color with apple aromas. This was a subtle, understated almost sublime German Riesling. White fruit notes with a broad minerality and a slightly salty (which I liked) finish. Moderate sweetness and bodied. Good underlying acidity and balance. It seemed a little restrained at the present time though and was not giving as much as 2001 Schaefer Spatlese. Still excellent though. 92-93 points
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Yes, I know the '01s are starting to shut down but I can't keep my hands off the Christoffels. This bottle still had the great intensity this wine had a few months back but the flavors are starting to shut down and become somewhat muted. I guess it's time to close up shop on these for a while.
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Library Bistro Offline (Seattle, WA, USA): Not to be outdone by the Prüm, this one was similarly explosive with stunning acidity and freshness and a long, sweet finish. Both of these German 2001's really knocked my socks off!
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The nose had fruity pear, vanilla and maybe strawberry notes. In the middle there was sweetness filling the palate but then the interesting part begins on the finish. This wine had a very long finish. The sweetness became tart then a parade of fruit flavors and minerals. On the finish there was candied apricot, vanilla and finally minerals. It had good acidity and probably excellent potential to age. 8% alcohol.
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This wine has had much said about it on the Squires board and by the various wine writers. The 2nd time I've had this and it showed just as well as last time. Green apple and mineral aromas and flavors. A hint of sweetness on the palate but in perfect balance. This is truly an example of a wine that is great on release and you can easily see how it will also be great, but different, given extended aging.
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12/8/2023 - fitzi wrote:
This was delicious in the mold of mature MSR Riesling with that unique, knife-edge balance of steely acid and discreet sweetness. Best cold, out of the 'fridge, which brings forward the otherwise slightly understated acidity. Very, very good, if a bit short of my most recent Karthaeserhof bottles from the same vintage. Possibly a titch past its optimal drinking age, not sure.
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10/23/2023 - cweiss Likes this wine:
At X-L's. First dessert wine sweetness. A fine bottle. Not even full maturity.
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4/9/2023 - peternelson Likes this wine: 90 Points
Starting to mellow just a bit, nose is a little closed, not as zippy as the Erbacher Karthauserhof, hints of the tropical fruity notes typical of this vineyard but a little shutdown; still, excellent balance, nice flavors, in good shape. Hippo w/EWG 2001 wines
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12/25/2022 - dbkitc wrote: 95 Points
This continues to be one of my favorite QPR buys of all time. Mature but will last for ages. The sugar is receding leaving a wonderfully intense, balanced nectar. Bravo. So drinkable. (95)
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12/23/2022 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Still so youthful and primary, I had to check that I pulled the right vintage. Excellent balance. Bottle disappeared quite quickly.
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8/14/2022 - drwine2001 wrote:
German Riesling from 1971 to 2012 (Los Gatos, California): Full yellow. Muted aromatics. Light and fresh, low alcohol and residual sugar. Acidity is also on the lower side, but significant slate provides the framing. Delicate and delightful to drink now with a sense of everything being finely poised and in place. Probably fully mature.
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8/13/2022 - salil wrote: 95 Points
Seamless, impeccably balanced, but still strikingly young. Feels no different from my last bottle 4 years ago, and still needs years to come around.
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7/31/2022 - Everything Ahead wrote: 93 Points
This was drinking very well out of the gate, very smoothly balanced, nice old fruit to it, honey, and some definite spice notes (saffron?). The sweetness has integrated just about fully into the rest of the wine, leaving more an impression of full-bodied roundness than sweetness at this point. Like the '01 Erd Trepp Spatlase by this producer opened recently, though, this was a little low on the acid and mineral end in my opinion. Very drinkable, yet missing a little "freshness." Still, a very enjoyable wine and a notch better than '01 E-T in my opinion. Rating: 93+
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11/15/2021 - BHRH Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very similar to my 1/21/2019 TN. Deep and rich on the nose and palate. Lots of tropical and stone fruits with enough acid to stand up to food. A terrific Spatlese (possibly with some declassified Auslese?) that has a finish that seems to last a minute. Killer!
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12/14/2020 - efeldhake@yahoo.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
Rich straw in color. Nose of ripe peaches, lilacs, and hint of white pepper and minerality. Tastes of Honeycrisp Apple cider and ripe apricot flavors. Pronounced acidity. Intensely flavorful with the residual sweetness very much in the background. Very attractive and evolving nose. Similar to an entry level Auslese. A medium length finish. In a nice place now but should drink well for another 10 years and maybe positively evolve for another 3-5 years.
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11/1/2020 - mdefreitas wrote: 94 Points
A fantastic bottle that is still so fresh and pure at 19 years of age. Purchased on release and perfectly stored. The color is showing some deeper tones of yellow, which is expected, but the nose, palate and finish is so vibrant. The fruit is just beginning to show some honey and baked character that comes with age... but only ever-so-slightly. Lovely lift and length. This drinks great now, but can go for a bit as well.
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8/20/2020 - pigdaddy wrote: 92 Points
platinum gold; apricot & juicy nectarine aromatics; lovely balance, ripe yellow stone fruit, acidity in tune, moderate sweetness. easily will last, but is quite fine now.
roasted tofu w/chile crisp, roasted okra, jasmine rice
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7/8/2020 - cweiss Likes this wine:
2001 JJChristoffel wines are among my very favorite and this continues to drink beautifully. Gorgeous fruit, spice, lemon, excellent acidity. Very consistent over the years and in a long drinking plateau. Now or over the next 10 years.
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1/5/2020 - nywine68 wrote: 93 Points
Bright green apple and apricot flavors and acidity. Intensely flavorful with the residual sweetness very much in the background. A hint of kerosene and white pepper on the nose. Golden cOlof. A medium length finish. Delicious!
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1/26/2019 - DoubleMagnum Likes this wine: 92 Points
Clear, medium-lemon in color. Only slightly darker than five years ago.
Clean and light nose of mango and pineapple with a flint undertone. On the palate it is off-dry with high acidity, light body and flavors reflected by the nose with a steely-mineral note along with honey and gooseberry. Finish is medium plus.
If this wine had a more potent nose, I would rate it over 95. Unfortunately the nose is very weak. And something important to note, judging by the acidity, color and development, this wine will outlive me.
Pairing: Korean Chicken Wings [A+]
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1/21/2019 - BHRH Likes this wine: 93 Points
A stunningly beautiful spatlese from a world class vintage. Complex, rich nose of spicy apples and sweet peaches. Just enough minerality to give the sense of terroir. Nice dense flavors without being cloyingly sweet. Very long finish with nice minerality and a hint of botrytis. Glad I have more of these!! Should hold for another 5+ years
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1/6/2019 - christyler Likes this wine: 92 Points
I went back and forth between whether this was transcendent or just very good. The extra gear that it has is very subtle, but it's there. The freshness and acidity is undeniable. Still feels very primary - lots of rich yellow fruit, but not a lot of sweetness. In a great place but lots of gas in the tank.
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11/17/2018 - coremill wrote: 90 Points
On the dry side for a spatlese, but powerful, minerally, and long. Excellent.
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8/23/2018 - salil wrote: 95 Points
Phenomenal wine. Remarkably youthful and fresh for a Spätlese 17 years from vintage - the fruit is still surprisingly primary but incredibly fresh and vibrant, and it's augmented by layers of fresh herbs, florality, and intense slatey minerality with just a faint hint of maturing smokiness. This is years away from being mature, but it's still an absolutely fantastic bottle of Riesling.
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6/29/2018 - SteveHyde Likes this wine: 93 Points
Keeps getting better. Beautiful wine. Angular withblovely citrus, floral, honey nots. Lychee. Bracing acidity just right for offsetting RS. Great to drink now. Still has long life ahead of it.
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6/22/2018 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
HDH auction at Spiaggia; 6/22/2018-6/23/2018 (Chicago, IL): #07-02, 8% abv. A brilliant bottle of Spaetlese -- probably my best experience with this wine so far. The nose is brilliant, with some lovely herbal tones and some floral elements as well. The palate is intense, with a dense slatey minerality, coupled with just the right amount of sweetness to balance the acidity. Again, I can only praise the hand of Hans-Leo in making such a stunning wine.
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4/14/2018 - cweiss wrote:
Peach Farm. A treat as always. Beautiful nose, impeccable balance. Solidly in drinking window but no hurry. Excellent with cantonese lobster and with steamed fish.
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1/3/2018 - dbkitc wrote: 96 Points
Incredibly, not showing much color maturity at all. Still pale gold. The nose is close to Moselle perfection - dried apricots, light red fruits and a wonderful sense of both intensity and harmony. A knockout on the palate as the overt ripe sweetness has begun to recede (this is still fully off-dry) which lets complexities emerge. I have always thought this to be one of my favorite wines of this historic vintage and this bottle does nothing to harm that belief. Just incredible QPR for a great bottle of white wine. Should drink well for 20+ years. (96)
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10/1/2017 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Continuing to check in on 2001 German Rieslings, and they are doing just fine, with lots of time to spare. This still has plenty of fruit, and the acids remain bright and punchy. It's as if a squirt of lime juice hits the wine in the mid-palate. Then once that passes there is the all-familiar Wurzgarten spice. Classic and delicious.
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12/30/2016 - Rieslingfan wrote:
This is what was promised way back at the pre-release tasting in June 2002. The depth, complexity and internal electricity is on a direct line from what made me love this wine (and the entire Christoffel range) so much when I first tasted it. There have been times that the Würzgarten Spätlese has been overshadowed by other bottlings, but tonight it put on a show, making its own singular claim to greatness, and promising many more years of fascinating drinking.
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12/27/2016 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
#07-02, 8% abv. As with the last bottle, this was of slightly suspect provenance, but it is still fairly good, if a bit advanced for the age. The colour is a bit more golden than I'd expect too. On the nose, this shows a faint hint of petrol, as well as a bit of lemongrass and other green herbs. The palate is moderately sweet, in good balance between all the elements, but shows a little more waxy and gasoline than I'd expect at this age.
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8/8/2016 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
#07-02, 8% abv. Probably should have remembered that this is a super tight wine and that a pop and pour isn't going to do much for it. The nose is quite restrained, but there are some traces of golden-coloured red fruits (think Rainier cherries and golden raspberries), a faint hint of petrol, and a bit of grassy herbaceousness. The palate is extremely dense and concentrated, with a really high amount of extract. Very well balanced between the moderate sweetness and racy acidity that isn't too sharp. A good showing for this wine, although I'm a tad suspicious of the provenance of this bottle.
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7/11/2016 - salil wrote: 94 Points
Nothing new to add to my other recent notes on this. Another great showing, a fruit basket full of strawberries, apples, and citrus fruits accented with spice, slate, and the start of maturing creamy and smoky savouriness. Intense on the palate, yet so light and focused at the same time with that incredible balance and energy of the 2001 vintage. Those 01 JJCs are gems.
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7/11/2016 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 92 Points
An atypical Monday (Dale's): Another excellent, balanced, complex, yet restrained bottle. Yummy.
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6/25/2016 - salil wrote: 94 Points
Yet another great showing from an '01 JJC. Layers of ripe lime, citrus, and riper strawberry fruit augmented by minerality and maturing smoky/creamy notes, conveyed with all the power, brightness, and acidity of the vintage. Incredibly long, focused, and as usual a spectacular wine. Glad I have a bunch more.
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7/5/2015 - Rieslingfan wrote:
This took 24 hours before it opened up at all. When it did there were fireworks. Still amazingly youthful, showing berry, lime and peach fruit with a dusting of cinnamon spice. It's impressive how unevolved this is. The mid-palate intensity is off the charts, and carries right through the finish. I am very impressed, though I am beginning to wonder when these Christoffel Spatlese and Auslese wines from 2001 will begin to develop a few signs of maturity.
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4/18/2015 - salil wrote: 93 Points
A more youthful showing than I expected, making me wonder how much longer I should give my remaining bottles. At first it's all about bright red apple and citrus fruit flavours tinged with slate and flowers, but with more time it builds in intensity and the flavours turn more red fruited, with wild strawberry and other red berried notes emerging. There's not a lot of development apparent and plenty of youthful sweetness, but it's very well balanced by a spine of acidity, and finishes long.
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4/18/2015 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Salil does Chicago; 4/16/2015-4/19/2015 (Chicago, IL): #07-02, 8% abv. (Pop and pour) Surprisingly primary nose with a bright lime aroma, some lemongrass, pineapple, and granny smith apple. The palate is arrayed around a very linear vein of malic acid, showing some green herbs and tart pineapple. Not a concentrated, dense wine, and on the lower side of the sweetness spectrum, this is simultaneously a cerebral and pleasurable bottle of riesling. (Half a day later) This has become much deeper, showing much more density than it did this morning. A bit of red fruit has started to emerge -- I'm thinking sweet wild strawberries. The sugar shows a bit more prominently too -- in fact, this has basically just come into much sharper focus now.
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3/25/2015 - drwine2001 wrote:
Medium yellow. Slightly different fruit character than I've gotten with past bottles-yellow peach and fresh cut apple with minimal secondary aromas. Off dry, fairly full bodied and textural for a Mosel Spatlese. Glorious freshness and clarity of fruit (with even a bit of pear on the palate), good but not particularly prominent acidity, fine slate finish. Excellent, as it has been on every occasion.
On the second day, more spicy, just as lively, and now more tangerine. Delicious!
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3/2/2015 - coremill wrote: 88 Points
Better after two days in the fridge. Powerful ginger/clove spice frames auslese ripeness with pineapple and cherry and rich golden apple character, with nice earthiness. But the acidity is a little disjointed. Not a great showing for this wine.
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12/6/2014 - mdefreitas wrote: 92 Points
Wines @ Mike's (Coventry, CT): A testament to the quality of the vintage and winemaker. Still youthful and fresh, with maturity only serving to integrate the cornucopia of fruit, spice and slate flavors.
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12/6/2014 - salil wrote: 93 Points
A great showing. A basket of fresh apples, strawberries, and ripe citrus fruits augmented by an array of floral, mineral, and faintly smoky and creamy elements. Very easy to drink now with the fruit still very youthful and just a touch of development, but there's so much time ahead. It has plenty of sweetness, but also that '01 acidity beneath that keeps it razor-sharp on the palate and very long.
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12/6/2014 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 92 Points
December birthdays (Coventry): Initially, apple and citrus, with mineral and great acidity. With a bit of air, this turns softer, creamy. Floral, savory. Very nice. Drinking very well now. Could age, but why? 91-92
Two days later, still excellent; very floral and now somewhat spicy; apple pie and honey, peach, bit of pineapple. Lots of sweetness, but well balanced with acidity. Very nice.
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9/25/2014 - drwine2001 wrote:
Yellow, little development. Mostly piquant orange and lime with white flowers. On the dry end for Spatlese. Fresh, spicy mid-palate, deeply imbued acidity, and long stony finish. Absolutely delicious but not yet showing secondary characteristics much less approaching its peak. Marvelous bottle.
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7/5/2014 - europat55 wrote: 89 Points
Riesling Tasting (Blind) (Andre and Sabine's House, Mountain View, CA): Lighter color than the other wines in the line-up. Interesting nose, fresh (B++). Soft palate (B+/B++).
My #5, Group's #4 (50 pts). Tasted Blind.
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4/11/2014 - DoubleMagnum wrote: 92 Points
Amazing. The balance between sweet and acid is surreal. Leaner on the palate than I expected but it makes your mouth pucker on the finish, the 30 second finish! Paired with grilled sweetbreads nicely. Choripan Restaurant.
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2/20/2014 - cweiss wrote:
Eastman. Another great bottle.
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12/16/2013 - dbkitc wrote: 94 Points
Ravishing wine. Youthful straw color. Nose is a white fruit cocktail of apple and pear mixed with peach pit and the slightest hint of mature Riesling petrol/smoke. This is the first bottle of this wine in which I have detected this note of age. Light as a feather, yet explosive and bursting with flavor. Delicious. I have loved this wine since release. (94)
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11/30/2013 - salil wrote: 94 Points
An even better showing than the Treppchen Spätlese, as good as that was. The aromatics here are brighter with more floral and spicy notes around the core of fruit and slate, and there's incredible cut and energy on the palate with powerful acidity matching the sweetness here. Superb.
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9/25/2013 - Floyd77 wrote:
This has always been a great wine -- and it is getting better and better and better. Sadly, this is my last bottle. My guess: This wine has another 30 years to go .... or more.
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8/12/2013 - cweiss Likes this wine:
Delicious wine. Lots of flavor nuances to find over he course of the evening. strawberry, thyme, evolved yellow fruits of course. Great match with China King sof shell crab.l
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8/4/2013 - europat55 wrote: 92 Points
This was delicious! Good level of sweetness while not being too heavy and remaining fresh. Good level of acidity as well.
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7/7/2013 - salil wrote: 94 Points
This is just getting better and better. It still has that core of fresh strawberry, lime and apple fruit tinged with slate and flowers, but it's starting to show some signs of maturity with developing creamy and savoury elements augmenting the bright fruit now. There's a sense of harmony on the palate with all the flavours coming together very seamlessly, bright acidity beneath and it's fantastic to drink now, though with so many years ahead. Glad I have more.
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6/9/2013 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 92 Points
Mostly Rieslings: This riesling is in a superb place right now. Complex, deep aromas of white peach, lime, white flowers. The palate is rich and honeyed, with apricot and caramel, but the acid never quits. Lovely mineral, lemon peel and smashed rock flavors. Long finish with the perfect amount of sweetness. Nowhere near the end of its life.
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5/5/2013 - Rieslingfan Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking exceptionally well right now. There's some developed elements (creamy/smoky) along with quite a lot of primary fruit. The balance is such that the sweetness disappears on the finish. Overall just delightful.
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3/15/2013 - devraj wrote: 90 Points
Golden yellow in color. Classic Mosel aromatics feature waxy yellow pit fruits, orange and lemon zest, honeysuckle and slate. The early baby fat and sweetness have faded to the background. and the palate reveals white peaches and candied meyer lemons on a classic slate/mineral backbone. A touch more tension between sweetness and acidity would have uplifted the wine to a higher score.
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11/13/2012 - drwine2001 wrote:
My god, was this good. Ringing clarity of pure baked yellow apple and citrus fruit with early secondary development and the spice of the site. Brighter and better balanced than a bottle last year with ideal sugar/acid tension. As I said, just wondrously delicious.
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11/6/2012 - devraj wrote: 91 Points
Pale gold color. Classic Mosel aromas, baked granny smith apples and pears, citrus fruits, slate, and petrol. Fresh, fruity, spritzy lemon/limeade, tart apple pie and tons of minerals with good balance to the sweetness and acidity.
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7/7/2012 - locovino wrote: 88 Points
Just OK this time. Lacked complexity and was a bit flat on the finish. Sweet notes of pineapple and pear but was expecting a bit more spine and minerality.
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3/6/2012 - coremill wrote: 90 Points
Mostly 89 Bordeaux (La Silhouette): Classic Riesling: petrol, citrus, slate. Very nice balance between sweetness and acid, with nice layering on the palate between the fruit and minerality. With air, it developed an odd, slightly bitter flavor on the finish, almost like tannin, but that may have been due to retasting it after trying a bunch of reds. Long finish. Perhaps lacking just a bit of oomph in the mid-palate but otherwise very nice.
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2/24/2012 - strad wrote: 90 Points
Starts off a bit short of the mark but with air picks up the Mosel banner and subtly starts to strut its stuff. Mouthwatering spritzy lime on the palate with the nose basically closed down. Switched to a Riedel Burg glass from their white and that helped. I like this and found it to be eminently quaffable. Whether it's time to drink 'em or hold 'em I can't say.
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12/28/2011 - drwine2001 wrote:
Medium yellow. All brown sugar aromas right out of the bottle before it began to express its fruit. Quite a panoply it was-first apple and citrus, but then broader and more tropical with mango and papaya. Not as sweet as the nose led me to believe. Best in mid-palate as it lacked some zip and acidity in the finish, losing some intensity as it crossed the palate. In the end, the weight reminds you that it is a Mosel wine. Youthful and interesting, but not particularly poised for much further development. I'd try one soon if you have some in the cellar, and accordingly, I will be moving my remaining bottles closer to the front of the drinking queue.
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12/27/2011 - Seth Rosenberg wrote: 91 Points
Nose of lime cream and spices - soft. Very spicy and sweet on entry with lime, spice, minerals, honey and white grape. I'm not as impressed by this as previous tastings of JJC's 2001's. Excellent finish. I don't know if it was the power of suggestion and Sarah's opinion of the JJC wines, but this stuck me as a touch soft with not enough acid and liveliness. Hopefully just an aberration. Nose - 4/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 15.5/20.
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12/4/2011 - cweiss wrote:
Sweeter than I expected at this stage. Packed with fruit and balancing acidiity. Quite delicious to drink now but will wait a year or two for the next bottle.
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9/29/2011 - cellarid wrote: 90 Points
Solid but maybe still a little tight. Lots of length.
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7/6/2011 - cweiss wrote:
Lovely Mosel, just starting to mature.
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5/31/2011 - salil wrote: 93 Points
Still incredibly youthful, but fantastic all the same - barely any signs of age here with layers of fresh strawberry, pear and apple fruit, slate and florality conveyed with a sense of real vibrancy and energy.
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9/7/2010 - salil wrote: 92 Points
Aromatically mute at first, showing shy scents of pale Mosel fruit that give no indication to what's ahead in the mouth, where it's full of exuberant rich citrus and red fruited flavours over a base of slate. There's tremendous richness here, but it feels incredibly light on its feet with fantastic acidity and impeccable balance. Delicious!
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9/5/2010 - Pknut wrote:
Delicious. Nectarine and white grapefruit, while not very citrus-y, this shows huge minerality, a bit of petrol, and many dimensions on the palate. There is an inner core of minerals and vibrant acidity, but an outer layer that seems somewhat softer with age. Still, a huge backbone of acidity, minerality, light petrol, many dimensions, and a long finish. Opened with PBaek and sipped over three or four nights, with no degradation whatsoever.
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8/20/2010 - dbkitc wrote: 95 Points
Light gold to clear at rim. Red berry, nectarine pit and floral nose. Both harmony and intensity – lovely. Waves of rich goodness swim across the palate without stopping for air. This wine continues to impress and is really hitting its full stride. The attack is simply mesmerizing…I couldn’t ask for anything else. If there is any nit, it would be a slight drop off on the finish. Amazing stuff. (95)
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3/17/2010 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 90 Points
Cleveland Offline - Trey Busch Sleight of Hand, Heideseck, ZH, Haag, Wiemer, Jaboulet, Saxum, Kenward, Copain, +: Nice wine, but not as good as the Haag IMO. Golden in color, but certainly still young looking. The nose has petrol which dominates more over the mineral notes. Slightly sweet with minerals and grapefruits. Nice finish. Light bodied, it makes a nice quaff and is certainly very good.
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10/26/2009 - dbkitc wrote: 93 Points
I am continually impressed with this wine. Just beginning to enter early maturity, slight petrol is beginning to merge with the classic red berry and pear notes of this vineyard. I love how the wine finishes as there is still good balancing acid. (93)
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10/25/2009 - cbuhlman wrote: 93 Points
pale straw. racy core of cameo apples, pears, stones, lemon and a whiff of petrol. Great delineation and balance and a mouthcoating, slight puckering long finish.
Loved it.
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9/18/2009 - sdr wrote: 91 Points
These 2001s just keep getter better and betrter as they gradually shed their baby fat. This Urz Wurtz from JJ Christoffel is rich and almost oily in German terms; juicy, yet notes of honey, dark bread and cinammon make it uncommonly interesting and long. Not bad for $13.99 on release.
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3/21/2008 - JeffGMorris wrote: 90 Points
AP #7-02. Decanted for 3 hours and it needed every moment of that time and then some. Drinking very nicely now but only a hint of the incredible experience to come with significantly more cellar time. Slightly green-tinged in color, almost colorless. Light to medium bodied and tasting very young. Tart acidity highlighted by flavors of lime, grapefruit and green apple mixed with lovely florality. Medium length on the finish. Despite the obvious youthful profile it was clear that this wine has a depth beyond most Rieslings and is a true classic in the making for those of us with the cellars and patience to wait for it. Quite possibly the finest $15 bottle of wine I've ever purchased. Sure glad we bought very heavily on this and the other '01 Christoffels. 50+12+12+8+8 = 90++
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11/16/2007 - NW Winehawk wrote: 93 Points
Been drinking this over the last couple of days. If you give it some air it is very very tasty! Nice light and delicate sweet wine.
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11/10/2007 - Rieslingfan wrote:
All the pieces are there, but the wine is sitll closed for business. Wait 2-4 years before trying again.
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10/29/2007 - antiwood wrote:
Pale golden yellow. Complex kaleidoscope of a nose .. high pitched tones of lemon, kiwi, gardenia underscored by riper notes of pineapple, orange peel, pear, honey, and a tinge of spiciness (cinnamon?). Delightful play in the mouth .. extremely balanced and while ripe is very structured with a purifying acidity ... minerality and stones explode on the finish which lingers on. Really really nice wine. Wait several years on the next bottle.
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6/22/2007 - JeffGMorris wrote: 91 Points
Dinner at St Jacques - The Night Before The Once In A Lifetime Dinner (Raleigh, NC): AP #7-02. Opened at home with Steve & Barb and some fantastic duck rillettes a couple of hours before leaving for the restaurant. Green tinged in the glass, this wine is clearly Auslese in weight but nicely balanced so that it does drink like a Spatlese, albeit a very generous one. Beautiful nose of spiced pears and some flowers is followed by a medium bodied palate that reveals very deep fruit and a great richness. Medium length finish that I expect to increase in length and complexity with more time. A great wine to drink today, while it still shows much of the exuberance of it's youth, and potentially even better ( though for different reasons ) for another 20+ years. Has to be one of the greatest bargains ever for wine having been about $15 on release! 50+13+12+8+8.5 = 91.5+
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12/3/2006 - dbkitc wrote:
Medium gold – good intensity to rim. Stunning nose of poached pear (yes there is some red berries in here), honey and the beginning of some secondary petrol. Wow – the palate is so intense – like a perfect Riesling flavored sweet/tart!!! Amazing depth an precision. This lingers for a good 50 seconds. A great wine that will only get better. (19+)
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10/19/2006 - sdr wrote: 90 Points
I didn't have this in inventory at home, but I drank it last night after pulling it from my Eurocave. Just plain delicious. It has never shut down. Not much to smell, but the moderate sweetness balanced by juicy acidity makes it seem like a perfect grape or apple at the peak of ripeness. I don't get the slate or minerals some do, but I like it a lot anyway.
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7/16/2006 - Eric wrote: 91 Points
Seattle Tasting Group does 'Teutonic' Whites (Seattle, WA): AP# 07. Stinky mineral on the nose, in a good way. Tingly and spiny with really nice edginess, almost margarita salty, limeade. This gets a bit fatter with time but must be closed, as it is showing awfully lean for a Spätlese.
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11/24/2005 - JeffGMorris wrote: 90 Points
Thanksgiving dinner at Mom's house. Almost colorless in the glass. Somewhat shut down but showing some green apples, stone fruits and lots of acidity. Even now, it has great balance. Will be a stunning wine in 10 years. 50+12+12+8+8 = 90+
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8/8/2005 - sdr wrote: 91 Points
Terrific spatlese from this can't miss vintage. Quite sweet, but balanced by zingy acidity so that it seems to have bubbles, but it doesn't. Fruit to burn - grapefruit, apple, peach. Not really spicy or minerally at this stage, but I doubt it will ever become more pleasurable. Incredibly lively on the palate.
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6/27/2004 - JeffGMorris wrote: 90 Points
AP #7-02. Green tinged in color, this wine showed lively acidity and a great balance to it's medium-bodied, concentrated and ripe personality. Very young but starting to close it was filled with green apple, grapefruit and minerals. Very persistent finish. This is going to be a great bottle of wine in time. 50+12+12+8+8 = 90.
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1/11/2004 - Jason wrote: 93 Points
Faint nose of talc and sulphur. Tastes of bananas and not much else. Seems closed. I can sense that there is a lot below the surface. Great mouthfeel with a long finish.
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1/10/2004 - Eric wrote: 92 Points
Seattle Tasting Group does German Riesling (Issaquah, WA, USA): AP No. 2 602 041 007 02. The nose on this shows fresh rain on hot stones with a very slate driven character and some talc. On this palate this has a lot of depth with expressive minerality, very nice balance and a certain delicate, poised nature. The finish is extremely long with candied lemon. Beautiful!
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10/10/2003 - Vino Me wrote: 92 Points
This wine was a clear pale straw color with apple aromas. This was a subtle, understated almost sublime German Riesling. White fruit notes with a broad minerality and a slightly salty (which I liked) finish. Moderate sweetness and bodied. Good underlying acidity and balance. It seemed a little restrained at the present time though and was not giving as much as 2001 Schaefer Spatlese. Still excellent though. 92-93 points
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5/3/2003 - JeffGMorris wrote:
Yes, I know the '01s are starting to shut down but I can't keep my hands off the Christoffels. This bottle still had the great intensity this wine had a few months back but the flavors are starting to shut down and become somewhat muted. I guess it's time to close up shop on these for a while.
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3/24/2003 - Eric wrote:
Library Bistro Offline (Seattle, WA, USA): Not to be outdone by the Prüm, this one was similarly explosive with stunning acidity and freshness and a long, sweet finish. Both of these German 2001's really knocked my socks off!
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1/31/2003 - Winetex wrote: 90 Points
The nose had fruity pear, vanilla and maybe strawberry notes. In the middle there was sweetness filling the palate but then the interesting part begins on the finish. This wine had a very long finish. The sweetness became tart then a parade of fruit flavors and minerals. On the finish there was candied apricot, vanilla and finally minerals. It had good acidity and probably excellent potential to age. 8% alcohol.
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1/25/2003 - JeffGMorris wrote:
This wine has had much said about it on the Squires board and by the various wine writers. The 2nd time I've had this and it showed just as well as last time. Green apple and mineral aromas and flavors. A hint of sweetness on the palate but in perfect balance. This is truly an example of a wine that is great on release and you can easily see how it will also be great, but different, given extended aging.
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