A full yellow colour. Nose with more-or-less overripe yellow fruit, clear notes of tropical fruits, overripe melon, banana-flavoured candy, botrytis, and a petroleum note that is rather well embedded in the fruit. Quite a sweetish nose for a dry wine of this type. Dry palate, fruity attack with botrytis, glue notes, good acidity, powerful concentration of fruit with citrus and tropical fruits, and a small hint of alcohol. Better balance on the palate than the nose indicates, but comes across as a bit odd next to the Idigs. Developed, sticks together well. 90 p
Nose with citrus, smoke, noticeable minerality with stone and slate character, well integrated petroleum notes with a slatey impression, just slightly flowery. An elegant and developed nose, best of the flight. Dry on the palate, with citrus, minerality, high acidity, powerful concentration, very fine balance, some viscosity and alcoholic feeling, and a long aftertaste with grapefruit and mineral. Classical and well-balanced GG with development, but still has a long life ahead of it. 93 p
Nose with ripe yellow fruit, partly fried yellow apples, citrus, hints of honey, mineral, smoke. A rather elegant and fruity nose, but balanced and developed. Dry palate, citrus, very light alcoholic "fire", good acidity, mineral, rather noticeable viscosity, and a citrus-packed aftertaste. A wine with good “punch”, but not quite the same elegance as the 2005, and with a bit more alcoholic feeling. Although I didn’t really find botrytis notes in this wine it shows the powerful style typical of many German 2007s. 91-92 p
A full yellow colour. A noticeably fruity nose with ripe yellow fruit, yellow apples, some citrus, pronounced honey note with hints of botrytis, mineral. The nose shows development and balance. Dry palate, noticeable minerality, yellow fruit including citrus, high acidity, and finishes with a good mineral note. Good balance, but a bit more “disjointed fruit component” than the 2005 and 2007. Not quite the style I expected from 2008, which is often leaner than this. 91 p
Pale colour. Nose with yellow fruit, some tropical fruit, notes of slightly unripe banana, some apples, a hint of vanilla, some botrytis, slightly flowery. The nose comes across as slightly odd in the company of the other Idigs. Definitely a dry palate, pronounced minerality, a generally fruity impression with hints of a green notes, a hint of bitterness, high acidity, slightly viscous, and an aftertaste with mineral and again some green notes. A good wine, but the small green note comes through when compared to the rest. 89 p To me, this wine does not show a typical 2009 character at all. 2009 is a good vintage with high maturity that shouldn’t come across like this, and I can’t recall any 2009 German Riesling that has been this way. A “closed-down phase” shouldn't really show this way. So the question is if something is a bit amiss with the 2009 Idig in general, or if it was just this bottle that was a little weird.
A powerful and fruity nose with ripe yellow fruit, some honey, slightly spicy, some botrytis, hints of petroleum. Dry palate, citrus, powerful concentration of fruit, high acidity, powerful minerality, very light (mineral) bitterness, and a dry aftertaste with grapefruit. 92 p On this occasion, I preferred the 2005 with its slightly more mature character, but the 2010 can surely come up to the same level if it is given a few more years.
A typical youthful Riesling nose with ripe fruit, winegums, some “Riesling perfume”, some flowers and some botrytis. Dry palate, citrus including grapefruit, rather noticeable mineral and grapefruit bitterness, rather high acidity, and a fruity aftertaste with some bitterness. 91 p A young wine that could benefit by calming down a bit. I believe this wine will become better with cellaring, but this bitterness is a bit higher than ideal for my taste, so I don’t think it will quite reach the level of the 2005 and the 2010.
2005 A. Christmann Gimmeldinger Biengarten Riesling Spätlese trocken 90 Points
Germany, Pfalz
A full yellow colour. Nose with more-or-less overripe yellow fruit, clear notes of tropical fruits, overripe melon, banana-flavoured candy, botrytis, and a petroleum note that is rather well embedded in the fruit. Quite a sweetish nose for a dry wine of this type. Dry palate, fruity attack with botrytis, glue notes, good acidity, powerful concentration of fruit with citrus and tropical fruits, and a small hint of alcohol. Better balance on the palate than the nose indicates, but comes across as a bit odd next to the Idigs. Developed, sticks together well. 90 p
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2005 A. Christmann Konigsbacher Idig Riesling Großes Gewächs 93 Points
Germany, Pfalz
Nose with citrus, smoke, noticeable minerality with stone and slate character, well integrated petroleum notes with a slatey impression, just slightly flowery. An elegant and developed nose, best of the flight. Dry on the palate, with citrus, minerality, high acidity, powerful concentration, very fine balance, some viscosity and alcoholic feeling, and a long aftertaste with grapefruit and mineral. Classical and well-balanced GG with development, but still has a long life ahead of it. 93 p
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2007 A. Christmann Konigsbacher Idig Riesling Großes Gewächs 91 Points
Germany, Pfalz
Nose with ripe yellow fruit, partly fried yellow apples, citrus, hints of honey, mineral, smoke. A rather elegant and fruity nose, but balanced and developed. Dry palate, citrus, very light alcoholic "fire", good acidity, mineral, rather noticeable viscosity, and a citrus-packed aftertaste. A wine with good “punch”, but not quite the same elegance as the 2005, and with a bit more alcoholic feeling. Although I didn’t really find botrytis notes in this wine it shows the powerful style typical of many German 2007s. 91-92 p
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2008 A. Christmann Konigsbacher Idig Riesling Großes Gewächs 91 Points
Germany, Pfalz
A full yellow colour. A noticeably fruity nose with ripe yellow fruit, yellow apples, some citrus, pronounced honey note with hints of botrytis, mineral. The nose shows development and balance. Dry palate, noticeable minerality, yellow fruit including citrus, high acidity, and finishes with a good mineral note. Good balance, but a bit more “disjointed fruit component” than the 2005 and 2007. Not quite the style I expected from 2008, which is often leaner than this. 91 p
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2009 A. Christmann Konigsbacher Idig Riesling Großes Gewächs 89 Points
Germany, Pfalz
Pale colour. Nose with yellow fruit, some tropical fruit, notes of slightly unripe banana, some apples, a hint of vanilla, some botrytis, slightly flowery. The nose comes across as slightly odd in the company of the other Idigs. Definitely a dry palate, pronounced minerality, a generally fruity impression with hints of a green notes, a hint of bitterness, high acidity, slightly viscous, and an aftertaste with mineral and again some green notes. A good wine, but the small green note comes through when compared to the rest. 89 p
To me, this wine does not show a typical 2009 character at all. 2009 is a good vintage with high maturity that shouldn’t come across like this, and I can’t recall any 2009 German Riesling that has been this way. A “closed-down phase” shouldn't really show this way. So the question is if something is a bit amiss with the 2009 Idig in general, or if it was just this bottle that was a little weird.
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2010 A. Christmann Konigsbacher Idig Riesling Großes Gewächs 92 Points
Germany, Pfalz
A powerful and fruity nose with ripe yellow fruit, some honey, slightly spicy, some botrytis, hints of petroleum. Dry palate, citrus, powerful concentration of fruit, high acidity, powerful minerality, very light (mineral) bitterness, and a dry aftertaste with grapefruit. 92 p
On this occasion, I preferred the 2005 with its slightly more mature character, but the 2010 can surely come up to the same level if it is given a few more years.
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2012 A. Christmann Konigsbacher Idig Riesling Großes Gewächs 91 Points
Germany, Pfalz
A typical youthful Riesling nose with ripe fruit, winegums, some “Riesling perfume”, some flowers and some botrytis. Dry palate, citrus including grapefruit, rather noticeable mineral and grapefruit bitterness, rather high acidity, and a fruity aftertaste with some bitterness. 91 p
A young wine that could benefit by calming down a bit. I believe this wine will become better with cellaring, but this bitterness is a bit higher than ideal for my taste, so I don’t think it will quite reach the level of the 2005 and the 2010.
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