2002 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Grünlack Spätlese

Community Tasting Notes (3) Avg Score: 91 points

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  3/21/2015 - Timbalimba wrote: 91 Points

  Deep gold colour. Grows by the minute in the glass, starts off with two-stroke petrol, ripe red and green apple, then strawberry, yellow flowers, minerals. Settled on the palate, good fruit, minerals, citrus acidity, the residual sugar has been completely integrated, excellent balance. Finishes long, complex, and the end note is very austere, but that makes the entire proposition more interesting. On song now, will survive further cellaring. Deceiving at only 12,5 abv, this packs a powerful punch, carefully masked, everything beautifully balanced.

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  10/12/2009 - sweetstuff wrote: 92 Points

  TN:Jay's in Dayton: Schloss Johannisberg Spätlese 2002; Pauly-Bergweiler 1998 Eiswein.
  
  It's a wonderful experience to go back again to Jay's in the FIfth-street Oregon district--to see the two-and-a-half-ton Honduran Mahogany bar over a century old at which such luminaries as Buffalo Bill Cody, John Dillinger, James J. Corbett, John Patterson (inventor of the commercial cash register), and so forth, soaked up their libations and gambled without really noticing that Prohibition had arrived. The barman told me he was proud to have put in 27 years behind such a bar--and rightly so. It is said that Dillinger never knocked over a watering-hole--he was too busy using the facilities.
  
  This may never be a destination for drinkers of German wine, although the Bordeaux and California list is awesome, and worth excited mining for oldies. Barbara and I probably drank out two of the five estate-bottled German wines on the list, but some favors were shown me; when I started poking around in corners we came up with a couple of pleasant surprises.
  
  After several days in Maine seafood was not an option so we discovered that Jay's can make more than palatable food in other genres. The stuffed chicken breast on pasta and the peach and balsamico roast pork-chop were beautiful matches for the Riesling, and one of the meals I have enjoyed most of late.
  
  The 2002 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Spätlese Fürst von Metternich (AP 8 03, 10.0 pabv, $45/750 ml, via Valckenberg, Tulsa, OK) had s 2-mm push on the cork that didn't alarm me. The gold color was perhaps a little deeper than before; once the '02 petrol blew off there was a strawberry-and-peach nose showing great intergration and finesse and a savory and mouth-watering taste of flowers and walnuts. Very fine polish and complexity in this classic Rheingau and a very deft mouth-feel Only at the very end of the longish meal and the next day does a trace of oxidation show that may have resulted from that pushed cork. This vintage was one of the signs that the Schloss was on its way back after the new money Valckenberg was investing in it. 92/100; drink now. Barbara agrees that this was a beauty.
  
  We were not as lucky with the pleasant but somewhat jagged Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler 1998 Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Eiswein Goldene Kammerpreismunze (AP 2 576 185 046 99; 8.5 apbv, via Glazer's Distributor's of Ohio); with its even richer color it threw off a burst of orange-flower, orange, and botrytis-driven dried apricot notes in the nose, but the palate proved fairly stodgy and the acid non-integrated. Where did the Paulys find so much botrytis in 1998? This was a very clean and record-early Eiswein harvest to make such wine. The next day it was more together with wood and saffron scents and a sleeker mouth-profile; 88/100 and drink now or hold a bit; although this was not my first choice in Eiswein style it certainly was pleasant to find that the half-bottle was billed only at $19.95 on the liquor tab. The staff got together and decided we were the ones, if anyone, that should kill the last bottle of this and we certainly were glad to oblige. Barbara noticed in addition a lemon-peel resonance in the finish.
  
  Server Jill hit back every enologic curve I pitched, and never seemed flustered at this very demanding patron. If you go there ask for her if she's in.
  
  Unfortunately the vanilla ice cream didn't inspire and the four-layer frozen chocolate torte was noticeably freezer-burned, but we didn't go there to eat dessert anyway.
  
  Definitely worth a visit to the wine-oriented.

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  11/26/2005 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 90 Points

  A ripish riesling nose. Nice pure flavours with good depth. A nice gentle sweetness with good fruit. Very Good Indeed.
  £21

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