2010 Vintage Germany and Austria: Terry Theise and WineWise/The Vienna Wine Company Trade Tasting

Hawthorne Room, Golden Gate Club, San Francisco Presidio, California
Tasted Monday, June 27, 2011 by rjonwine@gmail.com with 2,270 views

Introduction

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Johannes and Sebastian Selbach

The 2010 vintage in Germany was hardly ideal from a grower's perspective. The cold winter conditions extended all the way into May, leading to late budding and mid-June blossoming. June was also cold and rainy, so fruit set was poor, bringing yields way down. Yields were, on average, a reported 25% lower in 2010, with many growers claiming a 30 to 50% drop in production. Ripening started in mid- to late-August. September was rainy too, retarding the decline of acidity, but fortunately conditions cleared up for a relatively warm October, which brought up sugar levels without much impacting acid levels. In sum, the generally cold weather, low yields and long hang time contributed to record high levels of extract and very high acidities. Austria's weather was quite similar, and extracts are high there as well, but acidities there were reportedly only higher than normal, not freakishly higher, as in Germany.

In his current German wine catalog, Terry Theise quotes winemaker Carl Loewen as follows, “I never experienced a year like this one. Must-weights like the best years, and acidity like the worst years." Theise himself describes it as the most concentrated German vintage in his experience, and in his eminently quotable way claims, "Forget 'vinosity;' these babies are as dense as paperweights." Acidities were also so searing that, in Theise's estimation, 90% of 2010 German Rieslings are de-acidified ("closer to 100% for the dry ones"). I happen to be a fan of high acid wines, as long as they're balanced. The acidity levels on many of the sweet wines in this tasting were high, but gave the wines tremendous vibrancy. The Selbach-Oster wines--stars of this tasting for me--particularly benefited from this combination of high extract, sweetness and high acidity. Many of the dry wines, however, even after deacidification ("D-ass," as Theise dubbed it), are a bit too much for this lover of high acid whites.

I tasted 161 wines at this well organized and enjoyable tasting, which was probably 97% of what was poured. The vast majority of what I tasted was from the 2010 vintage--117 wines. The rest were 2009 (24 wines), 2008 (7), 2007 (6), 2003 (1) and non-vintage (6). Germany was the source of the bulk of what I tasted, 98 wines; the remaining 63 were from Austria. A plurality of the German wines, 39 of them, were from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. These averaged 90.4 points for me. The 18 Nahe wines I tasted averaged the highest for me of the German regions, at 90.6 points. The 17 wines from the Pfalz averaged only 88.6 points. The 13 wines from the Rheingau averaged 88.7 points, while the Rheinhessen was the lowest averaging region--11 wines at 88.3 points. Nearly all the wines I tasted were from white grapes, 145 of the wines; the rest were either red (10 wines) or spirits distilled from a variety of fruits (6). Riesling was, by far, the primary grape represented, with 102 wines; Grüner Veltliner was the second most represented variety with 25 wines.

Besides the high extract levels and high acidity, another feature of this vintage, for me, is the floral character of the noses of many of these 2010s, which I found quite appealing. I think if one chooses carefully, one can find some really good wines from this vintage that should age quite beautifully. (Theise is avoiding making promises on longevity, though, as this is such an unusual vintage, there aren't really precedents to use to predict how these are going to age.) My favorite wines in this tasting came from not only some of my usual favorites--Dönnhoff, Joh. Jos. Christoffel, Hiedler, and Selbach-Oster--but also from a number of producers I'm less familiar with: Hexamer, Jakoby-Mathy, Kruger-Rumpf, Meulenhof and Setzer.

My top wines in this tasting, which I rated 92 points or higher, were:
2009 Willi Bründlmayer Grüner Veltliner Ried Lamm - 92 points
2010 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spätlese - 92 points
2010 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese ** - 92 points
2010 Dönnhoff Kreuznacher Krötenpfuhl Riesling Kabinett - 92 points
2010 Dönnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spätlese - 93+ points
2010 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese- 94 points
2010 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel - 94 points
2010 Hexamer Schlossböckelheimer In den Felsen Riesling Spätlese - 92+ points
2010 Hiedler Riesling Urgestein - 92+ points
2010 Hiedler Riesling Steinhaus - 93 points
2010 Jakoby-Mathy Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling Auslese "Eulenlay" - 92 points
2007 Kracher/Schrock Ruster Ausbruch - 93 points
2010 Kruger-Rumpf Scheurebe Spätlese - 92+ points
2010 Weingut Josef Leitz Geisenheimer Rothenberg Riesling Eiswein - 92+ points
2010 Meulenhof Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spätlese Alte Reben - 92+ points
2010 Meulenhof Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese - 92+ points
2010 Meulenhof Erdener Prälat Riesling Auslese - 93 points
2010 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Spätlese - 92+ points
2010 Selbach-Oster Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese - 93+ points
2010 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese * - 94 points
2010 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling 'Rotlay' - 95+ points
2010 Setzer Grüner Veltliner 8000 - 92+ points

For my detailed tasting notes and more information on the producers whose wines I thought showed the best, see below.

Flight 1 - A.J. Adam (2 Notes)

Flight 2 - Berger (3 Notes)

Flight 3 - Bründlmayer (6 Notes)

This is a major Austrian producer, with 60 hectares of vineyards, and usually a reference point for me. They have some top vineyard sites, and are planted 33% to Grüner Veltliner, 25% to Riesling, 15% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay, and 17% other varieties. It was the '09 Ried Lamm Grüner that showed best in this lineup with a very attractive floral nose and lovely peach palate. The 2010 Rieslings were good but rather steely.
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Flight 4 - Christoffel (4 Notes)

This is regularly one of the great producers of the Mosel. Joh. Jos. Christoffel's wines are based on only 4 hectares of vines, all devoted to Riesling. The Ürziger Würzgarten sits on red slate, and the Erdener Treppchen on blue slate. These were all good and poised, with minerality, but I particularly liked the Erdener Treppchens with their even greater extract and depth.

Flight 5 - Darting (7 Notes)

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Flight 6 - Dönnhoff (5 Notes)

The Nahe's greatest estate always produces magnificent wines, and these 2010s are no exception. The wines come from 25 hectares, 80% of which are planted to Riesling.
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Flight 7 - Dr. Deinhard (2 Notes)

Flight 8 - Ecker (2 Notes)

Flight 9 - Geil (3 Notes)

Flight 10 - Glatzer (5 Notes)

Flight 11 - Gysler (1 Note)

Flight 12 - Hexamer (4 Notes)

The wines of Harald Hexamer, pictured below, were basically new to me, as I'd only tried one of his luscious '07 Spätleses prior to this tasting. Hexamer's 18.5 hectares of vineyards are located in the upper Nahe. I like a quote from him in Terry's German catalog, which I think gives a sense of his conscientiousness and personal investment in his wines: “When I have to deacidify I hate myself for a whole week beforehand." He's the biggest owner of the Rheingrafenberg vineyard, and particularly excels at sweet wines, like the delicious Schlossböckelheimer In den Felsen Riesling Spätlese.
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Flight 13 - Hiedler (3 Notes)

As mentioned above, Hiedler is a producer whose wines I regularly admire, and collect. Hiedler owns 16 hectares in some of the Kamptal's finest vineyards, including Thal, Heiligenstein, and Gaisberg. These vineyards are planted 45% to Grüner Veltliner, 15% to Riesling, 10% Weissburgunder, 10% Chardonnay, 3% Frühroter Veltliner, and 17% red grapes: Zweigelt, Pinot Noir and Sangiovese. These tend to be complex, highly mineral and contemplative wines. The Steinhaus Riesling in this lineup was particularly intense and fascinating.

Flight 14 - Hirsch (4 Notes)

Flight 15 - Hofer (2 Notes)

Flight 16 - Jakoby-Mathy (5 Notes)

This Mosel estate, of which I'd only had a couple of samples before, is changing its name to Jakoby pur. They have 4.5 hectares, planted to Riesling and Pinot Noir. Erich Jakoby Mathy was cellar master at Selbach-Oster, until his father became ill. The Auslese was particularly gorgeous.

Flight 17 - Kerpen (4 Notes)

Flight 18 - Kruger-Rumpf (5 Notes)

This producer was totally new to me. The winemaker/owner is Stefan Rumpf, and his son Georg is pictured below. The wines are produced from 22 hectares of well sited vineyards in the lower Nahe (and grand cru Scharlachberg across the river in Rheinhessen). The vineyards are planted to Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and Scheurebe. I'm a Scheurebe fan, and I particularly enjoyed the Scheurebe Spät, but the rest of the lineup was solid and delicious as well. Definitely an up and coming producer to keep track of.
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Flight 19 - Lehrner (1 Note)

Flight 20 - Leitz (8 Notes)

This Rheingau producer controls 40 hectares, all planted to Riesling. I am not as big a fan of this producer as Terry is, but I recognize that Herr Leitz was the 2010 Gault-Millau “Vintner Of The Year." His 2010s are generally steely and minerally. I did, however, very much like the intense and rich Eiswein.

Flight 21 - Loewen (2 Notes)

Flight 22 - Merkelbach (3 Notes)

This was another very strong lineup, even though I didn't quite rate any of these three wines 92 points or higher. Alfred Merkelbach works with less than two hectares of Mosel vineyards which are planted totally to Riesling.

Flight 23 - Meßmer (3 Notes)

Flight 24 - Meulenhof (5 Notes)

Stefan Justen is the owner/winemaker here (and acting mayor of Erden). His wines were new to me in this tasting, but I was quite impressed. They come from seven hectares in the Mosel, planted 85% to Riesling, 10% to Rivaner, and 5% to Kerner. I loved the rich extract and the balancing acidity. The two Ausleses were particularly stunning. These are relative values as the producer is not widely known. I'm sure that will change.
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Flight 25 - Minges (1 Note)

Flight 26 - Müller (3 Notes)

Flight 27 - Müller-Catoir (1 Note)

Flight 28 - Nigl (5 Notes)

  • 2010 Nigl Grüner Veltliner Freiheit 88 Points

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal

    Very light green-tinged yellow color; focused, tart apple, green fruit nose; very tart green fruit, lime palate with medium-plus acidity; medium-plus finish 88+ points

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  • 2010 Nigl Grüner Veltliner Alte Reben 91 Points

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal

    Light green-tinged yellow color; aromatic, light white pepper, tart peach nose; tasty, very tart peach, light white pepper, mineral palate; long finish

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  • 2010 Nigl Riesling Dornleiten 89 Points

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal

    Very light green-tinged yellow color; very tart apple, light citrus nose; crisp, tart citrus, very tart apple, mineral palate with medium-plus acidity; medium-plus finish

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  • 2010 Nigl Riesling Senftenberger Piri 90 Points

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal

    Very light green-tinged yellow color; ripe green apple, floral nose; tart green apple, citrus, mineral palate with medium-plus acidity; medium-plus finish 90+ points

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  • 2010 Nigl Riesling Privat Senftenberger Piri 91 Points

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal

    Light green-tinged yellow color; light white peach, mineral nose; tasty, focused, tart white peach, mineral palate; medium-plus finish

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Flight 29 - Nikolaihof (5 Notes)

Flight 30 - Prieler (3 Notes)

Flight 31 - Reisetbauer (6 Notes)

Flight 32 - Reuscher-Haart (2 Notes)

Flight 33 - Sattler (2 Notes)

  • 2009 Sattler St. Laurent 88 Points

    Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee

    Medium dark ruby color; red plum, berry, apricot nose; tart red plum, currant, apricot palate; medium-plus finish 88+ points

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  • 2009 Sattler Zweigelt 88 Points

    Austria, Burgenland, Mittelburgenland

    Dark ruby color; deep red berry, blueberry nose; plush, tart berry, red berry palate; medium-plus finish 88+ points

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Flight 34 - Schloss Gobelsburg (6 Notes)

Flight 35 - Schlossgut Diel (3 Notes)

Flight 36 - Schmitt-Wagner (2 Notes)

Flight 37 - Schneider (2 Notes)

Flight 38 - Schröck (4 Notes)

Heidi Schröck took over her parents' winery in Rust 20 years ago, after gaining experience making wine in South Africa and Germany. Her intense and flavorful wines come primarily from eight hectares of vineyards planted as follows: 30% Weissburgunder, 20% Zweigelt, 10% Furmint, 10% Muscat, 10% Grauburgunder, 10% Welschriesling and 10% Blaufränkish. She began a project with the late Alois Kracher and continued with his son Gerhard, which resulted in a first vintage in 2006 of Welschriesling based wines from Neusiedlersee. The '07 version of the Ruster Ausbruch from this collaboration was one of my favorite sweet wines of the day.

Flight 39 - Schwarzböck (3 Notes)

Flight 40 - Selbach-Oster (8 Notes)

There was no doubt that these gorgeous wines from Johannes Selbach were the wines of the tasting, and it was a treat to have a chance to meet him and his son Sebastian. I've been a fan of these reliable Mosels for years, and have plenty in my cellar, but I was unprepared for just how breathtaking and perfectly balanced these 2010s from this estate turned out to be. I think it has something to do with Johannes's admirable pragmatism as a winemaker. He doesn't hold to doing anything just one way; he adapts his style to the vintage and the vineyard, and seems to bring out the intrinsic beauty in everything he touches, especially judging from this stellar lineup. Selbach-Oster controls 21 hectares of vineyards, planted predominantly to Riesling, with 1.5% Pinot Blanc.
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Flight 41 - Setzer (3 Notes)

Hans and Uli Setzer run this 15 hectare estate in the Weinviertel DAC, and also source an additional six hectares worth of contracted grapes. My favorite in this lineup was the intense and spicy Grüner 8000. The "8000" refers to the fact that their Riede Laa vineyard is planted 8000 vines to the hectare. This wine is fermented and raised in steel tanks, on its fine lees. Weinviertel is gaining a reputation for peppery Grüner, and these Setzers were great examples.

Flight 42 - Spreitzer (5 Notes)

Flight 43 - Strub (6 Notes)

Flight 44 - von Othegraven (2 Notes)

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